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Holy War #2

Judgment Day

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We’ve won a battle…but we’re losing the war.

Travis Miller, his image reformed from the moron who screwed up our first contact with aliens to one of the heroes of the Battle for Eden, is given a new assignment: retake the occupied colony of Brigantia. Losing it would be a glancing blow to the Tahni Imperium, but it would Earth’s first solid strike against them, a chance to go on the offensive.

Ryan Hendrix and the Fleet Marines will be the tip of the spear, outfitted with their new Aegis powered armor, while Jessica Leer and her Fleet Strike fighter squadron clears the way for the Marines and their landers, sacrificing their lives to get boots on the ground.

But even a victory on Brigantia won’t mean the end of the war.

And it might just make the Tahni angry enough to do something desperate, to strike deep into the heart of the Commonwealth, where we least expect it…

Once again, Travis is forced to choose between his orders and what he knows is right and, win or lose, for him it’s judgment day…

Book 2 in the next explosive series from the #1 Amazon Bestselling author of Contact Front, Rick Partlow.

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2021

237 people are currently reading
94 people want to read

About the author

Rick Partlow

213 books374 followers
Rick Partlow is that rarest of species, a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, he attended Florida Southern College and graduated with a degree in History and a commission in the US Army as an Infantry officer.
His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.
He has written over 70 books in over a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in many different anthologies.

He currently lives in norther Wyoming with his wife and their dog. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.

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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
30 reviews1 follower
August 18, 2021
New author for me

I do not read 'military space opera' types of novels but I thought I would try the first (and second) in the series. Due to Mr. Partlow's writing quality I am hooked and can't get enough of it!! I get completely sucked in to the action and drama, and I swear that sometimes I feel like I am right there in the story. Ten stars!
165 reviews1 follower
August 7, 2021
Absolutely one of the best Sci-Fi books!

Exciting Sci-Fi reading throughout the book. Equal parts space and terra war to intrigue any reader. The author provides the reader with much technical details of the starships as well as the Marine gear. Can hardly wait to begin reading the next book!
Profile Image for Larry B Gray.
Author 6 books156 followers
October 13, 2021
Awesome Space Opera

An excellent book in the series. It is fast paced and full of action and adventure. While reading, you better not blink or the story will leave you behind. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
Profile Image for Jim.
1,237 reviews50 followers
July 28, 2021
Well, after all that happened in book 1, "Genesis", you'd wonder what could happen in this book that would be better? Well, not much. This book will tell about one specific horrendous battle at Brigantia which no one but Captain Travis Miller, Commander of the Commonwealth Space Cruiser Herculean, saw as a necessary thing until it was just about over. Earth has just gotten it's act together and managed to kick the Tahni Emporium out of the 82 Eridani system, but this was only after the Tahni had conquered four of Earth's colonies. Now the Commonwealth at Earth was very, very nervous. They felt that Earth might be the next target for the Tahni.

Yet, Captain Miller didn't think so. He was well aware of how the Tahni fought and knew that they were dead set on allowing humans to flourish outside of the Solar System. According to their beliefs, every planet in the universe was specifically designed for their use and not for the humans. While the Tahni were almost human, they were various differences, but their systems of government were extremely different. The Tahni had one single ruler and he was next to or in some cases considered a god and they fought with religious fever.

No one knows how large the Tahni fleet might be. Neither does anyone know how many planets are under the control of the Tahni so fighting them is definitely an Intel problem first and foremost. From the encounters Captain Miller has already had, he knows that humans starships are just a capable as Tahni starships, but he's afraid they cannot match them in numbers. It seems that every time he has encountered the Tahni he and his fleet has been outnumbered. Still, he believes they can stand up to the Tahni and should be doing so to take back their colonies.

Earth meanwhile has notified the Common Wealth Fleet that it wants to pull back every available starship in order to defend Earth. They feel that sacrificing a few hundred thousand colonist to save over fourteen billion humans in the Sol System is the best course of action. While Capt. Miller can't really fault that concern, he doesn't believe the Tahni are really ready to take on the entire Solar System. He believes they will strike somewhere else and he intends to be there.  He just hopes he's not order back to Earth because he might just have to see those orders disobeyed!

We get a hint of a couple of romatic interludes during the book. Apparently the Corporate Council has some pull within the Common Wealth so they have managed to send one of their representatives along with the Herculean. Patrice Damiani,  also happens to be the daughter of the very wealthy Chairman of the Corporate Council and she is extremely good looking though genetic modifications for the children of wealth citizens has been practiced for some time. She also appears to have the hots for Captain Miller. You'll have to read to find out if this is going to cause him problems.

What could cause him problems is that he also has feeling for his Air Wing Commander, Commander Leer. Those feelings appear to be mutual, but he has to be a professional and not let this get out. Since the Commander is a direct subordinate, they can't really have any kind of relationship, but she's not of the opinion that it's not that impossible if they are discrete.  It'll be interesting to see which desires comes to the top!

This book was again well written even though it really only cover one specific battle, but it does so for the space and ground combat. It like it when we have some insight into the enemies thoughts and what's driving him. It does appear that Earth can easily stand up to the Tahni, but they have to have the courage to do so. Right now, Earth's government is running very sacred!  Looking forward to the next book, "Revelation", which won't be available until 24 September 2021.
Profile Image for R.G. Tully.
Author 2 books8 followers
February 12, 2022
I’ll be a little different from my usual reviews and list my dislikes first. I didn’t like the interludes. I get that they weren’t long enough for a chapter but it wouldn’t have taken much to expanded a little and made them into their own small chapter. Secondly the death toll on major characters was a little lower than expected. Like an American brew hah movie with Sly Stallone or Arnie Schwarzenegger.

Apart from that I like how Rick Partlow described the space battles. The great performance of James Patrick Cronin added a level of depth, which took me further into the book than I was expecting. Rarely do I feel like the second book in a series is as good as the first. This book wasn’t as good as the first, it was better and I am actually looking forward for the next book in the series.

I almost gave the book 5 stars because there is nothing between 4 and 5. But I’m reserving 5 stars for books that I truly love. Having said that I wish I could give it 4.5 stars because it deserved it in my opinion. A very solid effort for a writer whom I am beginning to enjoy.
87 reviews2 followers
December 9, 2021
Good book, some concerns

If you want an entertaining book, this is it! The second of the series, the character development was good, the plot interesting and the action was exciting. There is some holes that Rick made. These are some spoilers, so you have been warned. The first is this task force would have an admiral in command. Travis Miller would not be a captain but the commodore of the force. The second is where did the task force go after winning a battle? Rick failed to mentioned what happened to those two ships. The third is Sgt. Hendrix, what happened to his injury to his leg? These are some of the problems I found when reading the book. Even with these items I still recommend the book.
354 reviews1 follower
April 1, 2022
Outstanding and well thought out story

The Tahni/Earth goes into it's second stage, the retaking of lost colonies. This book is one of those books you hate to put down and can hardly wait to pick up and start reading again. I can hardly wait for the next one in the series. Hoor-rah
Profile Image for Brian.
100 reviews
December 21, 2022
Pretty good, though the end strategy made no sense and was obviously done to move the story. There's only 1 gate in Earth's system and it goes to Tau Ceti... if you think Earth is going to be invaded, why bring all ships back to Earth system when there's only 1 way to get there? Might as well defend Tau Ceti. Other than that foolishness, this was a good read.
239 reviews1 follower
July 25, 2021
A good read

A good read that involves characters that sound new and old. It involves the tahni and what is a good battle for what either side want but the rabbi , stop it John your giving the end away again. Read and enjoy .
16 reviews
August 25, 2021
A great combined forces military action story. Great characters but not spending too much time in their heads. Enough detail and believable science fiction that you can imagine the scenes pretty well. A great read!
101 reviews2 followers
September 12, 2021
Modern science fiction and the plot twists and turns through the characters

Modern science fiction and the plot twists and turns through the characters as they navigate combat operations and the loss of friends as the decision you made takes its course. Thrill rride
3 reviews
July 18, 2025
Addictive

Started reading this series about a week and a half ago and just finished the second book this morning. Going to begin the third one this afternoon. Very difficult to stop reading once I start. Have to .and myself take a break.
Profile Image for DAVID.
583 reviews5 followers
July 6, 2021
Great Storyline

Wow that was a great storyline with plenty of blood and guts lol. Things can only get better for Ryan now that he will be bionic lol Time will
5 reviews
July 14, 2021
Non stop action.

The characters were given much more depth in this sequel and it helped to have so much action while they were developed.
9 reviews
July 20, 2021
Great new space opera

A well written space opera series. I hope he writes more soon! I have grown quite fond of the characters
40 reviews
August 11, 2021
Great tale of the beginning

I love the characters, their interactions, and development.
Good battles, space and ground.
Can't wait to read more in this arc
13 reviews
August 16, 2021
Good sequel

Nice pace and characters you begin to care about and invest in. The ending leaaves you eager for the next installment.
302 reviews
August 19, 2021
Enjoyable

Enjoyable story ,looking forward to the next book in the series. The characters are good for the plot and I can't wait to see what the author does with them.
937 reviews8 followers
August 26, 2021
Intergalactic warfare and fanatics

A brilliant second book in the series.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
I look forward to the next one 😀
1,022 reviews4 followers
September 25, 2021
Serious action!

We follow several people who we have met plus a few new ones as the war with the Tahni reaches major intensity.
8 reviews
January 13, 2022
Great series

Really draws you into the story. One of those books so well written the words form almost a picture. Writers this good are rare.
Profile Image for Derek Vice.
189 reviews2 followers
April 5, 2022
Continues the story. Fun. If you liked the first you’ll enjoy this one.
Profile Image for Bob.
567 reviews1 follower
November 17, 2022
What a ride! These books have been engrossing and thrilling. Lots of action.
Profile Image for Marianne.
337 reviews
December 27, 2023
To me, a 3* is what I refer to as a good, fun, “filler” book to be read between the ones that emotionally destroy you or nonfiction that breaks your brain.
204 reviews
April 24, 2024
I really enjoy this universe. It's a really good continuation of the first book. Great military sci-fi!
73 reviews1 follower
July 21, 2021
Another great prequel!

Ioveing these "before" story line's ! The back ground on how the war started & how the equipment started out is nice to know.Keep on keeping on marine! I'm right behind you going on to the next volume!!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

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