Master Sergeant

The Makaum War #1

by Mel Odom, Todd McLaren (Reading)

They call it The Green Hell. A maze of tangled jungle, the planet Makaum is one of the most dangerous places in the universe. And for Terran Military Master Sergeant Frank Sage, it is now home. The war between the Terrans and the Phrenorians rages, and both sides have their sights set on Makaum. If the planet's rich resources fall into enemy hands it could mean devastation for the Terran Army. To ensure that doesn't happen, Sage is sent to assess the Makaum troops and bring them in line with Terran Military standards. But soon after arriving at his post, he realizes that the Phrenorians are not the only threat. Heading up a small but fearless unit, Sage must stop a brewing civil war with the power to unleash a galactic cataclysm unlike anything ever seen.

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Fiction, Military Fiction

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 27, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

aka Jordan Gray

Mel Odom is a bestselling writer for hire for Wizards of the Coast's Forgotten Realms, Gold Eagle's Mack Bolan, and Pocket's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel book lines. His debut SF novel Lethal Interface made the Locus recommended list . The Rover was an Alyx Award winner. He has also written a scientific adventure of the high seas set in the 19th century entitled Hunters of the Dark Sea. He lives in Oklahoma.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just had to correct a couple of typos.


Okay...first I love military sci/fi. There are 3 series that I snap up as quickly as a new sequel is released. I got these (I checked out #1 and #2, oops) from the library (thankfully rather than buying them). I got them because I was/am in the mood for some good space opera/military science fiction/fantasy. The synopsis looked good, so I downloaded the 2 books from the Hoopla audio files our library has.

Okay the first almost 3 hours were info-dumps about the world, the universe and the alien races. We got introduced to the main character (Master Sergeant Frank Sage) and also the alien enemy leading character. I was frankly so bored I wanted to lay the book aside much earlier than this.

I am now 3.5 hours in and we've gone the other way. The last half hour have been one long running battle against...well against the planet sort of. Enemy troops and giant spiders are ripping into the Terran soldiers.

Now, there are also Human natives and humans who work for the (seemingly) requisite "evil corporations"...they're called "corps". I've seen the evil corporation trope so often in the last 60 years it does seem to be almost a requirement. Anyway...I haven't rated it yet, I'm trying to "hang in" but I've almost decided to lay (and if it were a real physical book fling) it aside...

To be continued soon.


**Update**
Yes I laid it aside and thus went with a 1 star rating. I know some will like these better and I'm sorry to go with the lowest rating but I just didn't care enough to finish the book. Too bad as I really wanted to like it and was looking for a good military science fiction/space opera.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mel Odom's 'Master Sergeant" is a military science fiction novel set on Markaum, a jungle infested planet in the cross hairs of a hostile alien empire and the Terran Federation. Although the ferocious war going on between the Terran Federation and the scorpion like aliens is about the to erupt all over the galaxy, this book only sets the stage for the greater war to follow in other books. But it is full of hard hitting battles between members of the Terran forces and the augmented mercenaries hired by corporations to exploit the world's riches. It is not a great book, it does not ask questions about war or its justifications. It just gets the job done.

Markaum is an inimical world, where human settlers from hundreds of years ago now live on planet, but are not members of the Terran Federation or part of the alien empire. They have adapted to the constant battle with the fauna and flora, but their world's rich animal life, diversity and incredible flora has the super corporations and aliens eager to exploit its untapped riches. The aliens want the planet as a way station to their military expansion plans and they have a habit of taking over worlds, killing the populace with bio-engineered contagions and stripping the world of its wealth. Corporations are also on planet and have built a space station to exploit the untold bio goods found on the planet. The Terran Federation is on planet negotiating with the Markaum elders to have them join the Federation and to protect the populace from the corporations and possible alien attacks.

Frank Cage, a war veteran, who has spent the last few years as an instructor for soldiers sent to the front lines, has been posted to Markaum to train the green troops there. Itching to return to the real war, he immediately gets in trouble with the ruthless mercenary DawnStar corporation. This space corporation is involved in both legal and illegal activities. They have been able to find loopholes in the military presence through bribing certain contacts in the military.

While the Corps can help a planet, Dawnstar has built and runs illegal drug labs hidden in the jungle. They ship in slaves and run their labs with ruthless augmented mercenaries sporting the latest bio-cyber weapons and wetware.

Although Cage is itching to fight the aliens, he is tasked by his commander to go after the Corp's illegal operations in the jungle. Targeted for assassination by Corp hit men in the the Terran landing zone, Cage puts together a select hit squad to go after the Corps in their the jungle hideaways.

The stage is set for an ultimate confrontation between the illegal corp. agents and Cage's men.

There are plenty of advanced weapon gun battles, war, fighting and combat. Will Cage be able to take down DawnStar's illegal operations before they kill him? Will some natives join the cause? Will the aliens' plans come to the attention of Cage and his men?

This is a decent enough intro to the coming hot alien - human war while filled with plenty of science fiction advanced weapons, augmented mercenaries, special forces and fighting.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basically fun, albeit flawed, read.

First, the negative. This book is jammed to the gills with well-worn sci-fi cliches and tropes.
Gruff enlisted/NCO hero who is borderline insubordinate to "do what's right?" Check
Hard-ass female secondary character? Check
Evil mega-corps? Check
Evil mega-corps kitted out as well as or better than military? Check
Main aggressor/opponent is alien insectoid race? Check
Well-worn future-tech ideas (smart battlesuits, flechette guns, coil guns, etc.)? Check
Window-dressing designed to make you think "ooooh, alien stuff!!!!"? Check

I think you get the picture.
On the other hand, the plot moved along (even if it was VERY linear, with no real reversals, challenges, or true threats to the character), the dialogue was okay, and it was a reasonably enjoyable read.

Firmly in the category of brain candy; not as good as Kloos's Frontlines series, and not in the same league as Scalzi, Heinlein, or Haldeman, but still a worthwhile read for a few hours.

[Nickolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Summary: Military science fiction fans take notice, The Makaum War has begun.

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review

Pros: Vibrant setting and good world building details, cool tech, engaging action sequences, cool aliens.

Cons: Difficult to connect with protagonist, rushed ending.

Bottom Line: Mel Odom's Master Sergeant has me enlisting for The Makaum War series.

Master Sergeant by Mel Odom came at a fortuitous time as I’ve been on a huge military science fiction kick recently, ever since Grunt Life by Weston Ochse. It’s a sub-genre that has always captured my imagination and though I’ve primarily read fantasy for the past couple years military sci-fi will always be my favorite. Master Sergeant is the first book in The Makaum War, a new series by Mel Odom that will hold appeal to fans of the William C. Dietz, David Sherman, Robert Buettner, Steve Perry, Timothy Zahn, and more.

Master Sergeant is the story of Master Sergeant Frank Sage. Sage is a battle hardened soldier in the Terran Army that has spent the last several years training up raw recruits for the meat grinder war against the ferocious alien Phrenorians. Sage is eager to get back into the good fight but instead of being sent to fight in the conflict he is shipped off to Makaum. The jungle world of Makaum, also known as the Green Hell, is an ultra-hostile environment, deadly to all but the most resilient lifeforms. Before even setting foot on Makaum Sage becomes involved in complex local politics that embroil the planet and threaten to deteriorate into all out war over its rich resources. Sage must navigate treacherous allies, devious enemies, and an ecosystem out for blood if he is to protect Terran interests.

Master Sergeant Frank Sage is one of the few weak links of the novel. I found myself supporting Sage’s crusade against the corrupt corporations exploiting Makaum and the natives but I was never quite able to empathize with him. Sage is a no-nonsense veteran. He is a model soldier and a highly capable killer. Sage is largely without faults except, perhaps, for his impetuousness. Several times Sage does something foolhardy without considering the implications of his actions. Apart from this I was unable to connect with Sage. He’s not necessarily two dimensional but he lacks in the personality department. Even after 360+ pages he felt like a bit of a stranger or an impetuous robot. One of my greatest hopes for The Makaum War Book 2 is to get a more personal look into what makes Sage tick.

The other characters of Master Sergeant have a good foundation for Odom to build upon as the series continues. I hope to see more development for Lieutenant Murad and sniper Kiwanuka especially. Surprisingly I found the Phrenorian Captain, Zhoh GhiCemid, to be the most intriguing character of the book. The Phrenorians (or Sting-Tails as they are derogatorily called) are a terrifying race of aliens that are truly alien. Learning little pieces of their society and culture from Zhoh’s few chapters was a delight. I anticipate a bigger Phrenorian presence in The Makaum War Book 2 and I consider this a very good thing. When the Terran Army and the Phrenorians finally throw down it is going to be awesome.

The planet of Makaum is a character in its own right and I can understand why Odom would want to base an entire series around the conflict for such a beautifully realized world. Makaum is truly the Green Hell though it holds a certain majesty once you get past all the layers of deadly flora and fauna. You can’t help but to respect the people of Makaum for establishing a way of life against such adversity. I’d never want to visit the Green Hell in real life but I’ll read about it any day.

Master Sergeant starts strong (with a bar brawl aboard a corporate space station) and only continues to raise the stakes as the plot progresses. From hectic ambushes and insidious assassination attempts to daring drug raids, Odom doesn’t skimp on adrenaline pumping action. Any proper military science fiction story needs its share of cool, high-tech toys and Master Sergeant has them in spades. Soldiers are carried into battle in jumpcopters, wearing AKTIV suits or piloting mechs. Handled drones are used to develop better situational awareness and corporate security mercenaries have cybernetic enhancements. Odom engineers some intense skirmishes utilizing all of these and more. The final confrontation of the book feels a little rushed but it’s still a satisfying mission.

Though there is room for improvement (concerning the protagonist Frank Sage) I found Master Sergeant to be a welcome addition to the military science fiction sub-genre and I expect other fans will agree. Odom writes compelling action and crafts absorbing alien worlds and cultures. I can’t wait to slip back into an AKTIV suit, pick up a coilgun, and join Master Sergeant Frank Sage and the Terran Army back come The Makaum War Book 2.

Nick Sharps
SF Signal

[Dmitry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful trilogy

Odom takes key ingredients - menacing insectoids with a martial streak, an unforgiving jungle world full of vicious predatory creatures and old soldiers out to prove the quality of wisdom and works absolutely pure magic.

The hero is Frank Sage, a Master Sergeant of the Terran Alliance who lost his legs in battle with the very hard to kill Phrenorians. His insistence on getting back to the front line ends in deployment to Loki 19, Makaum, the Green Hell. He's brought his .500 Magnum and he means to use it.

The second lead is the insectoid lieutenant Zhoh, a classic antihero, doing all the wrong things for the right - alien - reasons. Attempting to improve his station in the Empire he marries into a failing aristocratic bloodline. The result is a brood of deformed children and he's been hung out to dry, sent to the Green Hell as a punishment. He will regain his honor at any cost, alien civilians be damned.

Well fleshed out secondary characters are not something one often sees in military science fiction, but here there's plenty and I felt for every one, from Zhoh's second in command to little Twig and the old hunter with scarred hands.

Beautifully concise writing, impeccable editing and a tight storyline put these three books on my must-read Mil SF shelf.

Pity Odom hasn't written more in the same vein. I guess we will have to wait and see.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master Sergeant Frank Nolan Sage is not where he wants to be. After spending 6 years training troops he wants back in the war against the Phrenorians. Instead he is sent to Makaum, a planet that appears to be on the sidelines of the war. We readers are much smarter than the Master Sergeant. We know that Makaum is going to be something much different.

World Building: Odom does a great job of building the universe where Master Sergeant is set. From the first page that world is developed using action and dialog. By the time I was halfway through the book I understood what and where the story was set.

Back Story: Again that is told in the action and dialog that moves the book. There is not that much back story required and much of it is presented early in the book. The rest is worked into the plot as required.

Plot: While Master Sergeant sets up the series there is a definite danger that must be addressed. There are numerous problems that are presented. Some are pretty straight forward but some require Sage and his fellow soldiers to bend if not break the law. The heart of this plot is drug running and production but it leads to the bigger problem – what the Phrenorians are planning for Makaum.

Characters: Master Sergeant Sage is the main character that moves the story. His development follows familiar lines for Military Science Fiction books. His is backed up by an interesting cast of secondary characters. While both the Master Sergeant and the secondary characters are often a stereotypes it is because that is what works in this type of novel. It works well in Master Sergeant.

Writing: This is a well written story that uses great dialog and action that entertains the reader. There are not any new ideas but everything is so well done that any Military Science Fiction fan will enjoy the book. It is also a great introduction to those new to Military Science Fiction.

I enjoyed Master Sergeant. I knew what was going to happen but really liked how the plot developed. I look forward to more books in the series.

I received an ARC of Master Sergeant from Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm probably a common fool for this opinion, but I found this book pretty enjoyable. What makes this book any different from all the other military science fiction out there? Probably not a lot when you tally everything up, but the action is well written, the characters aren't richly drawn but they're enough to be interesting, the world is very nicely built, and the story manages to avoid the worst of the jingoistic pitfalls the genre typically salivates over.

[Death By A Thousand Chapters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mel Odom's Master Sergeant is the beginning of a military science fiction trilogy called The Makaum War, and to be fair I have not read book two and three. There is a chance, even if it is merely a fleeting chance, those two books improve on what we have here, but the first entry just doesn't make for a very good read. This isn't because Mel Odom is lacking as a writer, however. The man has been making a living writing books since 1988, and has written for a wide variety of different IPs. Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellgate: London, Shadowrun, NCIS, Might and Magic, Forgotten Realms, and a few other IPs have all sought his work as an author. As far as I can tell, there is only a small handful of Mel Odom originals, and The Makaum War trilogy are three of those original works.

Here is my plot summary, with spoilers.

Frank Sage has decided to get back into the fight against the Phrenorian Empire, so he requested a transfer from his training position into the front lines. He was instead relocated to Makaum, a "backwater" teeming with rapidly evolving lifeforms and jungle that sits on the edge of a galaxy-spanning conflict. This will be very good for the people stationed there, because Frank Sage is basically perfect in every way.

Although we are promised "brewing civil war with the power to unleash a galactic cataclysm unlike anything ever seen" on the back of the book, the actual actions taken by the military will be against clandestine corporate drug operations. A civil war is mentioned several times in the beginning of the book but is eventually boiled down to mere disagreements between the Quass, or political apparatus, of the native human population. Other than the Phrenorians, several other alien species are mentioned, most notably the ta(Klar). They don't really matter because despite being mentioned several times, they never appear or do anything at all. Earth is referred to as Terra, but despite being about 1000 years in the future, the planet is basically the exact same as it is now.

After being arrested for standing up to the corps on a space station, old grumpy General Whitcomb sends Sage down to the planet with a stern warning. On the planet, he meets up with current Sergeant and man in charge Terracina, who is mere days away from going back home (yes, the days away from retirement trope. He is, of course, doomed). Terracina takes Sage with him on an operation against a drug lab, but it's a trap, and Terracina is killed, along with about a 1/3 of the squad. Sage rallies the troops and eventually manages to route the ambushers, and gets to know Kjersti Kiwanuka, a gifted sniper relegated to Makaum as she rehabs a "cyberarm". Also discovered is evidence of slave labor use by the drug manufacturers and a mass grave of alien slaves infected with a Phrenorian bioweapon; but the consequences of this are then handwaved away by a massive infodump and none of that will come up again.

As Sage navigates all of this, we also get the occasional point of view of Zhoh GhiCemid, a Phrenorian who has fallen from a once high position on the Phrenorian homeworld and is now consigned to Makaum. He is ambushed by one of his underlings and challenged to ritual combat, and Zhoh defeats him and eats his face. Zhoh is stationed at a biolab that is trying to engineer weapons of mass destruction to take over Makaum but settles for making drugs out of toad venom to distribute for money. He does meet Terracina and Sage before the ambush when he and a squad of Phrenorians gun down a group of corp henchmen that the Terrans were trying to arrest.

Sage, after the ambush, identifies the corpses as Dawnstar Corp employees, and goes to confront Velesko Kos, the man he met on the space station when he got arrested during chapter one. This takes place in a nightclub Velesko Kos owns. Sage takes the body of one of the ambushers there and drops it in front of Kos and says he's going to stop all the drug operations in the jungle he's got going on. Several other parties notice Sage's antics in the club; a pair of young natives named Jahup and Noojin, and Zhoh GhiCemid. Kos is about to give the order for his security team to execute sage, but before he can, the Phrenorians step in and demand Sage be allowed to leave alive. This is because Zhoh thinks it will cause chaos amongst the humans on Makaum.

Colonel Halladay, who had been introduced in a debrief after the initial ambush, rescues Sage from Major Finkley, an obviously corrupt jerk who has political connections back on Terra. Finkley was accusing Sage of being a traitor, Halladay knows better than to doubt the amazing Sage. Halladay takes Sage and introduces him to Lieutenant Hadji Murad, a smart young man who is naive and idealistic. Sage then goes to see Kiwanuka, who reveals she is motivated by her brother's death, a medic who was apparently eaten by monkey-like aliens. Sage and Kiwanuka go to a bar to discuss the team's next moves, but are ambushed by Dawnstar mercs instead. They evade the attackers, running through a bustling downtown as their pursuers blow up building and mow down civilians in hunt of their query. Sage and Kiwanuka take out a good number of attackers, and at one point Jahup, the native from the nightclub, bails Sage out with a crucial save. Eventually, air support arrives and the attack is beaten back, but not without severe damage to downtown and an important community gathering place. Phrenorians arrive after the fight and start putting out fires, in an effort to endear themselves to the natives.

After regrouping, the Terran military starts to hit out at targets in the jungle; we get a decent action scene of them clearing out a "biopirate" outpost. Lieutenant Murad reveals his character traits are being overly cautious, and he doesn't want to kill people. They sort of Cape Fear and hold onto the bottom of a big jungle vehicle and hop out once it's in the bad guy strong hold. They defeat the bad guys with some injuries on the good guy side and with Sage engaging in some antics involving blowing up volatile drug chemicals.

We jump forward in time, Sage and his troops have knocked off eight drug labs, and Jahup has become obsessed with Sage. Meanwhile, Colonel Halladay says it's time to go big on a target, because Major Finkley's papa is in bed (politically) with the corps making money from drug manufacturing, and the politics side is pressuring the military brass to cool it. Sage basically says "aight bet" and him and the gang do a daring raid involving flight suits and sleep darts to capture a local Makaum asset who knows about the drug ops.

Noojin is captured and Jahup incapacitated and left for dead by patrolling corps security. As this happens, the Terran military deploys a plan involving infiltrating (with force) the final boss base that involves hacking the mainframe for proof that corps are behind the drugs and deploying two dropships full of troops from the space station once the proof is received. Sage, Kiwanuka, and Murad encounter Jahup in the jungle. Jahup insists he comes along, and they allow it.

Noojin is threatened with sexual violence by Velesko Kos in the base. Sage and his team go into the base while corp security teams engage a fireteam in the jungle. Sage is quick to explode big barrels of chemicals, like this is a video game. Sage almost gets got, but Murad kills his would-be killers. This concludes Murad's character arc. The chemical fire is starting to rage out of control, but Sage manages to get the proof from the mainframe. Jahup goes off to find Noojin and does find her and is saved by Sage from a couple mercenaries.

Sage notices Velesko Kos fleeing and goes after him. He is badly wounded by a mercenary on the way, but eventually manages to take out Kos by mustering up all his strength for one final shot. The dropships were deployed early and have arrived with backup, showing Halladay trusted they would find the proof and pulled the trigger early, thus completing his arc. It is revealed Zhoh GhiCemid was watching all this via satellite. Finally, our book ends on an epilogue, in which Sage awakes in a hospital and discusses a secret Phrenorian base on Makaum with Kiwanuka. Our book ends on a cliffhanger saying the Phrenorian War is coming to Makaum.

The plot itself isn't bad, but the prose is repetitive and dry. Mel Odom writes hungry, and you can tell because we constantly stop the story to eat or drink or talk about what random fruit taste like. There are a few insensitivities sprinkled in, like describing someone's hands working a console moving quickly as "like a spastic" or having Noojin exist solely to be threatened with sexual assault and saved. The sci-fi worldbuilding feels extraneous and tedious to read, and that's tough because it's usually one of my favorite parts of this genre of book.

That said, it is a 2 star rather than 1 star review from me because despite all that, the action sequences were very well done. They were coherent and easy enough to follow, and those parts of the novel became genuine page turners. It's just the rest of it makes it a tough book to not just put down and give up on. At least there were only a few typos that made it through editing.

For a more in depth review of Master Sergeant, check out the Death by a Thousand Chapters podcast.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is straightforward science fiction in the old style--humans and aliens on distant planets coming into conflict, using advanced technology, facing the challenges of a harsh environment, fighting and trying to stay alive. For those who enjoy that kind of SF--like me--it might be just what you're looking for. Good action, good fun.

I like the characters, who are as round as they need to be for SF action, and the setting is sufficiently fleshed out to engage a reader. The pacing is quick and the story rolls along.

My one real quibble is that the novel is sort of incomplete. There is a little resolution at the end, and it is a self-contained novel, but it is also the beginning of a series and leaves most of the conflict and resolution for future novels. That's cool, but it makes it that much less fun for me. I'll probably get the next one, but the serial nature of it is not exactly to my taste.

Still, overall, it's fun, light enough to be enjoyed during an apocalypse, and complex enough to satisfy a regular SF reader. Also, having met the author at a convention, and finding him pleasant, humble, and engaging, I'm happy to be able to give him a boost and recommend this novel.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Master Sergeant (Book One of The Makaum War) did not go at all in the direction I expected, that's entirely okay, because it's a far more interesting and surprising story for taking that shift in direction. Mel Odom has put more thought into the concept and world-building that I'm used to in a military sci-fi thriller, and then invested even more in the actual story itself.

Early on, I was sure we were heading for a Predator-meets-Avatar kind of story, complete with ultra-sophisticated mech-suits, a hostile environment, and warring alien races. I liked and respected Master Sergeant Frank Sage as a lead, and was really interested in the Phrenorians as a hostile, insectile type race. The confrontation I expected never came to pass, however, as civil war and corporate drug-running end up shifting to the forefront.

What Master Sergeant ends up becoming is a story about the politics and the economics of war. Odom takes us deep into the organizational structure of setting up, equipping, and running an interstellar war. The military needs private contractors to do their job, and those contracts need the military to open up new opportunities. Of course, where there's temptation there's corruption, and the planet of Makaum is rife with possibilities for the drug trade. It doesn't help that Sage begins his posting by running afoul of the corporation, and that confrontation will come back to drive the action in the latter half.

The characters here were strong, as is the science and the technology. It's a smart, imaginative tale, and one with a deep social conscience. While the confrontations with top brass are a little clichéd, I liked the dynamics of Sage's platoon. Similarly, the tension between professional military personnel and civilian contractors is hardly new or original, the interference of the Phrenorians give the story an additional edge, and the human element of the civilian refugees really brought the story together.

As military science fiction thrillers go, Master Sergeant is a strong one, with more than enough plot threads and themes established to carry the reader through the rest of The Makaum War.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads give away. I was excited for it at first because I enjoy some good sci-fi and some good war-in-space stories but this was just eh. I tried to like it, and I managed to finish it, but there was too much working against a potentially good story.

This book started off reminding me of b-list movies made for the Syfy channel. It was full of really overdone clichés and none of them in a good way. The only thing I did appreciate was that there were more diverse alien species that were hinted at with intriguing details and I liked that the insectoid/humanoid enemy species showed evidence of intelligence and culture beyond the typical mindless killing bugs trope.

My biggest issue is that the flow of the story kept getting interrupted by random needs to explain what some alien bug or fruit was or to give other random details about the tech or planet's history that were not needed and could have been figured out through context clues or the use of a glossary. This was especially bad in action scenes where a fast-paced section slammed to a halt so that I could learn about something like specially bred spiders that provided no significant value to any part of the story. It also bugged me that every alien word was italicized, but I'll give that a pass as I suppose some editors consider it essential for some reason to italicize any word not written in English.

General scenes that weren't driven by action were okay but a little clunky at times, especially where clichés were hammered home and didn't really develop the characters. The final climax and the action scenes in the last 3-4 chapters was actually pretty good as it wasn't relying on the clichés to drive plot or character and they stopped interrupting scenes to give me exposition and details about random things. If the whole book had been like that, it would have been a 3 at the least or maybe even a 4 depending on how things went.

As is, I have no desire to read the next book. If you really like to read anything in the sci-fi military genre, this might not be a bad choice but I don't particularly recommend it either.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway.

The story of Master Sergeant Sage, who ships out to a backwater planet that turns out to be a hotspot for illegal drugs and the enemy alien scorpion-humanoid race. Clearly Avatar inspired, it involves battles between the Corporations profiting off of the planet, the "good guy" military, and the native people groups. The plot takes its time gearing up, and the bits from the alien POV don't gel very well or add to the plot.

Sage, who previously wanted to be on the front lines and hated his assignment, develops a passion for ridding the planet of the drug market. There's futuristic military tech, which again feels like something out of Avatar, with maybe some Minority Report thrown in, but the author is clearly into it. There's some character development, but none of the cast are particularly memorable.

CW: sexual assault:

The writer is weirdly wary of cursing and sex (except to occasionally comment on the female characters' bodies, alien mating strategies, and to use a rape-threat story line against a non-POV native woman at the end - that's so a male POV character gets to rescue her, his love interest. She was previously a fairly independent character, so it was especially a bummer. And yes, one of the other male characters says it's best to wish her a quick death if she's going to get raped. Great.).

It didn't hold my attention enough to make me want to read the rest of the series. Writing is mostly competent but nothing special.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slap dash with the biology of the rediscovered colony planet as this is primarily a military drama. The humans have several large corporations interested in the colony driving both the politics and the military presence as they are the donors and the technology innovators. The companies develop planets with minimal regulation hence little regard for civil rights of natives or for the planetary ecosystems. They take profits legally as well as by illegal profiteering and drug development so have layers of armed cyborg militia with the best weaponry but little regulation or training protecting profits.

Our primary POV character is military Master Sargent Sage recently stationed on a genetically drifted, human colonized frontier world being fought over by the human corporations as well as two alien species that are not human allies. The scorpions are enemies and the other species are less overtly at war but still dangerous. Both are on planet in an embassy in a demilitarized zone around the major city.

The corporations provide an orbital station once the government builds the gates. The military then provide defense and also liaise with the natives just as do the corporations and the alien enemies; each for their own purposes. The natives realize they are being going to have to align with one group or another as their planet offers resources for each group now they have a gateway.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had read Mel Odom's early works, centered around cyberpunk themes and Japanese hysteria (early 1990's material). Then he focused on writing with other people's IP. I came across an original military sci-fi book of his and picked it up.

It doesn't work for me. Everything here is a rehash of the usual themes, with a little dash of originality. The named characters exhibit only one trait and sticks to it. There are a lot of unnamed characters roaming around that you only learn who they are when they get hit. Or the Sargeant actually needs to talk to them. For a military sci-fi book, there is little attention spent to the squad and personalities that make it up. Also, a lot of the action is the sergeant acting as a character from a first person shooter video game. This isn't about squad tactics, but details of how he rushes in and shoots all of the bad people. The only good people, if we are to believe the book, are a handful of true believers in the military and a few natives. Otherwise, everyone (including the aliens) are corrupt and exploitative to their very core.

There is an eco tilt to the narrative, which I found interesting. Illegal drug labs and corporations that are exploiting the jungle. The military as the only thing standing in the way. I was rooting for the jungle full of bugs to eat a few more characters, but that didn't come to pass.

[Topher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this on a list of inhospitable places from tor.com, and thought it sounded interesting. I liked the book, and thought it was well written, and I enjoyed the character of Top. I think it's an interesting universe, and I like the multi-sided conflict that may be coming down the pike - 2 (or 3?) potential forces + the locals + the planet itself. I hadn't realized it was the start of a series.

All things being equal, in normal times I'd probably happily add this to my spreadsheet of series in progress. But, I am just not feeling it at the moment. It may be my kindle unlimited trial will wrap up soon, and I know there's a lot I want to read there. It may be that the spreadsheet is getting a bit out of hand. It may be that I'm a bit out of sorts with my impending move and change of career. Either way though, while I would recommend this series, I'm not going to continue on.

[Read Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle ebook.

Fairly well done. Lots of action. Interesting characters. I personally would have like a bit more description of the Terran weapons, but that could become too technical. I loved how the "Sting Tails" were so alien. That worked well for me and I can easily see how they will become the center of the conflict in book #2.

This was book #1 of a series. It reads pretty much as a stand alone. I would suggest you read these books in order, even without my reading the next in the series. I liked this Book #1 introduction enough to get me to want to continue the series. And that is the point of writing a series. Complete good books that suck the reader in.

Go have a GoodReads.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An MO. SYFY. Deep Space Military Action Adventure (MS) (TMW)

MO. has penned a SYFY. deep space military action adventure, which begins with a M/Sgt being reassign from a training command to a combat unit, which was accomplished at his request, despite the feelings of high command. He arrives, is briefed and immediately sent into combat. The combat is dangerous enough, but the virus is more deadly. The combat M/Sgt leads his men and does not follow. This is an excellent read f o r the genre.....DEHS

[Gene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a Fan of Mel's for some time, I don't have to go out of my way to find his books, he's just about everywhere I like to read. I stumbled across this title and had to pick it up as I've been reading a lot of Sci-Fi military recently. I've mostly been getting Naval battles, this one though finally put together a good ground-pounder story. Good setting and characters - looking forward to the rest of them.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had started reading this book twice after checking it out two separate times from the library. I finally just bought a copy and blazed through it. Odom lives up to the reputation he garnered with me as a Mack Bolan writer, and the one FREELancers book I had read ages ago. The action is intense, and the military details are spot on. Even the requisite info-dumps were interesting. Highly recommend this one for fans of Military SciFi.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Master Sergeant started out with a bang, and it kept the pace throughout.

Odom's take on military sci fi with a space opera spin was fun to read, and sergeant Sage was a cool character to follow.

It took me a bit to suspend my disbelief in the motivations of the sting tails, but as the story progressed and his world building expanded, things made sense and I was able to just read and enjoy.

Action packed fun ride through the deadly planet of Makaum, or The Green Hell.

[David Ramage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this down. A solid military sci-fi story, with plenty of action, tech and aliens. The characters were great, the protagonist Sage, well it was made clear he was a badass early in and doesn't disappoint. I even enjoyed the antagonist Kos. Power armor, suits, drop ships, gauss rifles and a hostile jungle planet, this novel delivers! Looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Tad Pierson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent military science fiction!

This was well written and gripping story. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Combination of military science fiction and cyberpunk that was well blended and thoroughly enjoyable!

[Ben Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts out fast and keeps the pace throughout the entire story. This is an excellent shorter read that doesn't get too bogged down in details. A small cliffhangar at the end looks to set up the rest of the series.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit, I have a soft spot for military Sci-Fi, I really do enjoy the genre.

This was no exception, in fact it was one of the better ones in my opinion.

Good characters, great world building, interesting aliens, and even more interesting situation.

Looking forward to Book Two.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recent Reads: Master Sergeant. Mel Odom's milSF files the serial numbers off Halo and sends its eponymous hero to fight drug dealing corporations on a rediscovered colony world. But what are aliens doing here? Vaguely anti-capitalist anti-colonial under the hood, but still milSF.

[James Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forgettable. Not worth pursuing the sequels.

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting twist on Hell World. A good military sci-fi book

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a sideshow with shallow interaction and maybe too many incompetent bad guys against one super hero good guy. Still it moves along apace and is generally one point of view.

[Major Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good read: started very well, with interesting characters & decent plot line; started to fizzle mid-book. May read another.