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Battleship Leviathan #2
Leviathan's War
One ship stood against many in a war that has lasted a thousand years…
The Blaze are getting their direction and technology from those who had driven the Progenitors from the galaxy.
The Vestrall.
Leviathan takes his select humans to the frontlines in Earth’s war with the Blaze Collective to collect intelligence on where to find the Vestrall. The Blaze aren’t forthcoming.
They go farther, a thousand light-years behind enemy lines to a planet that used to be important. It’s no longer the home of the Vestrall but of a biomechanical race that is little more than drones.
Payne is convinced that their information will lead Leviathan to the heart of the Vestrall for a final battle for primacy.
But they won’t give their knowledge easily. Their gods have commanded them to fight.
Because they carry a secret the Vestrall don’t want Leviathan to know.
Book 2 of the Battleship: Leviathan Military Sci-Fi Series from Amazon Bestselling author Craig Martelle. It's perfect for fans of Rick Partlow, Jay Allan, and Joshua Dalzelle.
The Blaze are getting their direction and technology from those who had driven the Progenitors from the galaxy.
The Vestrall.
Leviathan takes his select humans to the frontlines in Earth’s war with the Blaze Collective to collect intelligence on where to find the Vestrall. The Blaze aren’t forthcoming.
They go farther, a thousand light-years behind enemy lines to a planet that used to be important. It’s no longer the home of the Vestrall but of a biomechanical race that is little more than drones.
Payne is convinced that their information will lead Leviathan to the heart of the Vestrall for a final battle for primacy.
But they won’t give their knowledge easily. Their gods have commanded them to fight.
Because they carry a secret the Vestrall don’t want Leviathan to know.
Book 2 of the Battleship: Leviathan Military Sci-Fi Series from Amazon Bestselling author Craig Martelle. It's perfect for fans of Rick Partlow, Jay Allan, and Joshua Dalzelle.
- GenresScience FictionAudiobook
338 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 2, 2021
513 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Craig Martelle
332 books7,903 followersVisit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
November 14, 2021
*Duct Tape Patches Pressured Spaceship’s Hull In Space*
There are ‘dumb’ SciFi books and then there are *dumb* SciFi books.
One of the worst books this reader ever finished just to see how bad this Aethon Published book was going to be. The author and publisher confirms once again their deservedly infamous reputation.
Fully read via Kindle Unlimited and not recommended.
There are ‘dumb’ SciFi books and then there are *dumb* SciFi books.
One of the worst books this reader ever finished just to see how bad this Aethon Published book was going to be. The author and publisher confirms once again their deservedly infamous reputation.
Fully read via Kindle Unlimited and not recommended.
Read
August 25, 2023Did not try to finish. Rating: minus 5
As I rewrite my reviews, I have benefited from noting the aspects of books that I began to overlook and their damaging impact on my worldview. Since no one will read this other than myself, no one will probably benefit from my ranting. David Duffy wrote a good review of this book, I am no longer Allowed to see other reviews of my books, so I can not say if any other reviews might be useful. The book's writing is horrible and the writer has no concept as to how war might look in the future. It is a typical No Effort US military science fiction. Since I now feel the call to write to this site, I aim to misbehave.
Before I continue this rewrite, I will visit YouTube for encouragement. This section was brought to you by Leeja Miller, Sci Finatics, SK Media, Flying Walrus Car, Brittany Page, The Historian's Craft, Abney Park, Alizee, The Bands of HM Royal Marines, May, Crow Caller, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, The Dadvocate, Bobbing Along, Kazachka, May Moon Narrowboat, History with Kayleigh, Books and Lala, Cambrian Chronicles, Meidas Touch, Lore Reloaded, Acollierastro, Daisy Viktoria, Sideprojects, Hey Sokoly, Verilybitchie, Snappy Dragon, The Cynical Historian, Don't F@ck with Ukraine.
A "rogue" Goodreads tech does not "Allow" me to see other's reviews, to see commenter's names, to remove my last lurker (Dr Susan Hamilton) and sometimes grays out "like" buttons. I have removed all but the one lurker. Susan Hamilton had posted nothing for over two years since her friend request and has not responded to five requests that she unfriend me. I scanned my last five lurkers including Hamilton, then removed these from the last back down to the Professor who was suddenly marked with a Goodreads Author label which I hadn't ever seen before and my option to unfriend her was removed. I had two real authors on my friend list previously and this had not been the case, neither the label nor being prevented from removing them. She can not find me or my reviews fascinating, can she? I am just not that interesting, as my siblings all agree. 🤗
Our Dr Hamilton has finally been removed by Goodreads or removed herself at the time of this rewrite, after months of my mentioning the the situation in reviews. Other interesting actions by Amazon included but have not been limited to interruptions of Pre-paid kindle services, the disabling of that automatic transition from end of book to the Ratings and Review page, several 6 to 8 week blockage of my review uploads with no explanation and magically disappearing after I manage to upload a mention of the apparent blockade. Sometimes it seems that Amazon/Goodreads would rather my reviews were not uploaded. A silly thought I am sure.
There is no attempt at world building, which is normal for most of the Amazon collection. It did surprise me to see that seeming standard but after the first hundred titles I attempted, my surprise became expectation. I began to think that US publishing houses were plagued by incompetent and overpaid editors or their passive-aggressive underpaid cousins. I finally accepted that poor editing was not due to incompetence or laziness but is publisher mandated. A number of members have informed me in their unrequested and unwanted comments that "It's just science fiction", by way of explanation for substandard books of fiction. They were almost all American males, so I assume that it is a cultural mandate.
Though having read a sample of reviews and scanned book ratings, a darker explanation suggested itself. Perhaps this is a successful campaign by US publishers to undercut critical thought and impair the reader's ability to imagine. Amazon also pushes book series from several specialty publishers posing as biographical works detailing the heroic struggle of the Nazi regime's military. I only discovered one in searching for historical novels and was directed to it by Amazon suggestion. Being curious I looked at the publisher's list after I washed the Nazi filth from my fragile socialist mind and was stunned that other readers treated these gross and obviously fictional books as historical accounts. In each of these, the valiant Nazi soldier is a hero defending humanity against Communist hordes. Wow! There is a large American male audience for these as I saw and these were not misguided mid-teens. My theory about US publishers did not seem as far fetched as it might have felt at first. Look at the definition of "Wehraboo" and you will be as stunned as I was. Goodreads have unknowingly encouraged me to research areas and uncover things, which I had never expected. That may be this site's only true value.
I must address some of my Goodreads experience to contextualize my feelings. About eighteen months ago, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, an unremarkable, poorly written and common salute to the January 6, 2021 hero by Travis Corcoran. He is an employee of an unnamed US agency, a self-described Libertarian, an advocate of the return of chattel slavery - of course, a supporter of Putin's Russia - of course and US veteran. Among the nutcase commenters led by the book's writer, a Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 finally wrote a declaration that They had "won" (?).
I discovered with a little help and a little thought that They had launched a year long deluge of vile sexual and racist comments against YouTube channels I mentioned. They failed to impress the teen boater and her mother, The Oxford astrophysicist, The Swedish essayist or any of the many other female creators. They did however deliver an accurate portrait of the twisted American man-child to a very broad multinational audience, as well as increasing the world's overabundance of ugliness. It seems that both of those are considered a victory. USA! Yay?? Goodreads discourse. Yay??
I need another visit to YouTube before continuing. This next is courtesy of Leeja Miller, Bobbing Along, ThePrimeChronus, Mia Mulder, OrangeRiver, Jean's Thoughts, Meidas Touch, Andrewism, The Fortress of Lugh, More Perfect Union, Eileen, Cunk, Travelling K, History with Kayleigh, Second Thought, Gemma Dyer, Lily Simpson, Some More News, Geo Girl, Planarwalker, Dr. Becky, Viva La Dirt League, Maggie May Fish, Jabzy, A Day of Small Things, The British Museum, Gresham College, Horses, Vlad Vexler, Physics Girl, Casual Navigation, Ro Ramdin, The Welsh Viking, No Justice MTG.
I can not state that I know what the background universe of this book is. There is no history, which a solid background would at least suggest. There is no description of stellar civilization or the constituent societies. The book gave me no sense of the technological base of any of the civilizations involved. Lower end science fiction writers simply do not believe that adult fiction requires context. It might be mad, it could be fantastical but there needs be a logical and in-universe consistent backdrop. The entire world building consists of "Macho main character controls his own great big spaceship full of missiles, guns or whatever and is not afraid to use them". With that introduction, the action begins.
The most promising character was the AI and it was squandered. I have seen the ancient knowledge laden machine intelligence in other books and each time the AI is reduced to two roles. They are the naive sidekick dependent on the main character for a proper understanding of the universe and/or the Deus ex Machina device which waves away contrivance and plot hole while between times is invisible and forgotten. It always saddens me to see such a waste and the racist theme underlying both uses is so obvious and never remarked upon in reviews that I am not inclined to accept a friend request on this site any longer.
I have seen some female writers manage to create somewhat compelling characters against a fuzzy fantasy backdrop but the characters always fail to develop and the plot dissolves into a romance tale with elves and dwarves. Editors are paid to steer a writer towards a solid foundation and away from sloppy shortcuts in either character work or story arc. It bothers me that the low end of science fiction are so badly treated.
The dialogue is usually awkward, clunky or juvenile, since the characters are too thin or unfinished to lend any weight to a single exchange. This book is no exception. The plot is .....um, is ... tired? In its defense it has been trotted through millions of pages of this tripe. The writer though is guilty of lack of imagination in the first, second or third degree (whichever is most terrible). I name as co-conspirators, the writers of every other poorly conceived, badly executed, jingoistic stack of pages lacking flavour or skill or characters or interesting background. These are books whose entire excitement is found in the colourful cover art.
Plot? The human race is being saved by a group of unremarkable US idiots possessed not even of discipline, let alone technical or military expertise. It makes sense because they are american, I think.
Or maybe for ____ Reasons ?
A pacifistic machine intelligence will naturally want to align itself with an aggressive, self-absorbed, xenophobic species which boasts of one accomplishment (skill in war). The logic behind this turn of events is ______ Reasons. That works for me, said no one of this book ever. This book like every other book of the type is a thinly veiled celebration of US hegemony with aliens standing in for every non US population on Earth. Think Star Trek. There are countless books, comics and video which try to rationalize the human origins of Starfleet.
All of the characters in these books are "real" americans (only proper British names and of a certain very limited ethnicity). They and only they will bring peace and safety to the human race with their innate american superiority or American magic or _____ Reasons. At book's end there will probably be an orbital banner proclaiming "You are welcome, rest of humanity". A second banner will read "And remember what we are capable of, should you fail to properly appreciate American supremacy in the future." All across the globe men cheer, women swoon and children dance in the streets. I think that captures the plot. It is after all required for these military science fiction books under US publishing law or some such.
Boring? Yes, it is. Scary? Very much so. Low end US science fiction? Absolutely.
An example of this writer's fans is Br1cht posing as a tough guy, referring to Navy pukes. In a comment to a negative review by another reader, he pined over John Ringo's fine Zombie adventure books (no, no, not fiiiine, ...must not label his ... product as...... advennnnnture nor his. ....collections... of pages .. as boooks in any meaningful way). Whew!!
Bruce McKay agreed with Br1cht but with more gusto. He missed feeling like a big wolf when reading tough guy Ringo's books or something else odd. He felt like the biggest, hardest wolf or some such. He did not try to slyly suggest he was a veteran as Br1cht did. He only demonstrated why no female relative of mine should ever be alone with him.
Ringo is popular with a certain male because of the overt racism, US Ethnosupremacy and misogyny which is his hallmark. His last series was the worst. It centers around the proud father of two young (12/13 and 14/15) teens grooming them for impregnation by one or more available US marines in order to repopulate the earth, I am guessing. Eww!
In the process of being of being groomed, his twelve year old Appalachian princess who is not described as a savant was ordered to go to Europe. She complains in her description of the scientists, political and military ladders in London as their being "Eurotrash" but she will go because she is the one to sort them out and herself create the cure for the Zombie virus. Not kidding. Her fourteen year old sister is having guy talk time regularly with a recently impregnated seventeen? year old sex slave about the wonders of being impregnated by an unnamed marine. Whether she knew his name was uncertain. That it did not matter was clear. Ewww! In between girl talks about pregnancy with literally any marine, she leads ship clearing operations against ships of infected humans. Are only myself and several sane female readers in multiple languages, the only readers who were shocked at the paedophilia on display. None of the very American male commenters to several negative female reviewers were and neither did they dispute the judgement of paedophilic intent. They did have choice responses including one woman being accused of suffering from recent anal rape when she wrote her review. I suspect that this book will attract a simular audience, even if it is not as gross as Ringo's series.
The main character in Ringo's series, was shocked that there are black people on a Caribbean island other than Jamaica. It read as if the writer had just discovered that fact in whatever research he did for the book. Having read some of his previous books, I suspect that is the case. That is the book that these two members missed. Neither had a comment about this book, though.
That is another good example of discourse on Goodreads. This book is the standard for low end US science fiction. This is what Is promoted by Amazon and these are the asses that comment. I encountered Br1cht on a previous review of mine of which he did not approve. A funny fact is that it was not on his book list, then or now. It is so strange that he found my little negative review among so many. This is a reader's site? These are the thoughtful bibliophiles of whom I have heard so much? Due to my lack of sophistication, I mistook them for thugs with delusions of toughness and a penchant for paedophilia. My mistake. 🤗
There are some good US science fiction writers but Amazon's selection is overwhelmingly of three categories - Low Effort, Minimal Effort and No Effort. I have lost most of my interest in science fiction after trying their science fiction, fantasy or horror. When I want a good story, I turn to the streaming services or YouTube Shorts channels, such as DUST or Omeleto. They offer better writing and more interesting stories than the print. A multinational selection are offered by Netflix, which appeals to the more cosmopolitan or curious.
I only started using YouTube in the last two years in search of science fiction news and commentaries. I was surprised to discover so many other educational and special interest channels. The essayists are a particular treat. From sponsor spots, I was introduced to the dedicated educational sites, Wondrium, History Hit, Nebula and others. I think that they are all worth a look. I found my first book channel accidentally. Of all the variety, the book channels were the best find. 😍 There are channels which address everything from literary criticism through library furnishings. They foster fun, thoughtful reader communities excited by all bookish things. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Welcome to Ukraine, Emma Thorne, Mandy, Engineering with Rosie, Malinda, Mia Mulder, Event Horizon, Military History Visualized, No Justice MTG, Tom Nicholas, Vlad Vexler, Politics Joe, The Mindful Narrowboat, Tiny Wee Boat, Jake Broe, TIKHistory.
As for Amazon/Goodreads, please consider treating this as a potentially hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 I mentioned the comment cloud behaviour at the top of this but after my review of Powers of the Earth, the comments stopped and Amazon began the above. For more details visit my review of "Dark Horse", a good series by Diener or Powers of the Earth.
As part of that campaign, Amazon shared my limited message history with those nutcases enabling Australian Intelligence to question the one friend whom I messaged on this site for my personal information. My friend contacted me because he was afraid for my safety and we both came to the conclusion that it might not have had to do with promoting tourism. 😊
You may not be targeted, if you have not written a negative review of truly horrid titles but please remember that your status rests on the whims of nutcases. I recommend that you consider minimizing your profile information, removing the lurker (the mystery friend who never posts), remaining wary of Goodreads and screenshotting the odd and the ugly as a start. It will cause you no harm to implement these small changes, while to not may very well do. Bear in mind that these nutcases both members and site employees are lacking in morality or restraint and are most certainly all American. Ominous music ends. 🙂
May we all find Good Reading! 🤗
I know very little about the breadth of YouTube channels but these have brought me entertainment, joy or taught me. Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
LuckyBlackCat, Zoe Bee, Bobbing Along, UATV, SK Media, Zoe Baker, NFKRZ, Horses, Chris and Shell, Brittany Page, Leeja Miller, Tom Nicholas, Sarah Z, Big Joel, Book Furnace, Philosophy Tube, Munecat, Owen Jones, Andrewism, Tara Mooknee, No Justice MTG, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Deerstalker Pictures, Novara Media, The Armchair Historian, Lady knight the Brave, Mia Mulder, Double Down News, Kings and Generals, Filaxim Historia, Sabine Hossenfelder, Prime of Midlife, Tulia, Lily Alexandre, May Moon Narrowboat, Cruising Crafts, Swell Entertainment, Cecilia Blomdahl, The Juice Media, Alayna Joy, Make Better Media, Books and Lala, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Timeline, Verilybitchie, Spark, Crecganford, France 24, Elliot Brooks, Between the Lines, Hello Future Me, Boat Time, The Narrowboat Pirate, The Confused Adipose, The Piano Guys, Cruising Alba, Interior Design Hub, Bernadette Banner, J. Drsper, A Clockwork Reader, Brittany the bibliophile, Alize, Jessica Gagnon, Lilly's expat life, It's Black Friday, Autumn's Boutique, Vlad Vexler, Not the Andrew Marr Show, Mandy, Dr Becky, Engineering with Rosie, Shannon Makes, Karolina Zebrowska, Chloe Stafler, Spacedock, Emmie, A Life of Lit, Between the Wars, Practical Engineering, A Cup of Nicole, Kathy's Flog in France, The Irish Reader, DW News, Lilly's Expat Life, Books with Emily Fox, Cari can read, Tiny Wee Boat, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Engineering with Rosie, Merphy Napier, Terrible Writing Advice, Books and Quills, Malinda, Armoured Archives, Abby Cox, Jill Bearup, Lady of The Library, Spacedock, SandRhoman History, Hikma History, Jabzy, Jenny Nicholson, Katie Colson, Jack Edwards, Alt Shift X, Dakota Warren, Books with Chloe, Natasha's Adventures, May Moon Narrowboat, Sort of Interesting, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Lorna Jane Adventures, Austin McConnell, With Olivia, Jessie Gender, Viva La Dirt League, Maggie May Fish, Knowing Better, Dead Good Books, Boat Time, Camper Vibe, What Vivi did next, Noah Samsen, I'm Rosa, IzzzYzzz, Between the Wars, Brandon F, Rebecca Watson, Dr Ben Miller, Jack in the Books, Writing with Jenna Moreci. CNA documentary, UA Courage, Renegade Cut, Traveling K, The Templin Institute, NerdForge, New Economic Thinking, , Denys Davydov, Battle Order, Ben and Emily, Task and Purpose, Truth to Power, TVP News, Eileen, May, Garyseconomics, All Shorts, Some More News, Extinction Rebellion UK, What is Politics?, Biz Barclay, OrangeRiver.
I wish you a refreshing morning, a satisfying afternoon, a cozy evening, a pleasant night and may we all continue learning.
If a person allows Another to speak in their name unchallenged, that person adopts Another's sins.
My Grandmother
As I rewrite my reviews, I have benefited from noting the aspects of books that I began to overlook and their damaging impact on my worldview. Since no one will read this other than myself, no one will probably benefit from my ranting. David Duffy wrote a good review of this book, I am no longer Allowed to see other reviews of my books, so I can not say if any other reviews might be useful. The book's writing is horrible and the writer has no concept as to how war might look in the future. It is a typical No Effort US military science fiction. Since I now feel the call to write to this site, I aim to misbehave.
Before I continue this rewrite, I will visit YouTube for encouragement. This section was brought to you by Leeja Miller, Sci Finatics, SK Media, Flying Walrus Car, Brittany Page, The Historian's Craft, Abney Park, Alizee, The Bands of HM Royal Marines, May, Crow Caller, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, The Dadvocate, Bobbing Along, Kazachka, May Moon Narrowboat, History with Kayleigh, Books and Lala, Cambrian Chronicles, Meidas Touch, Lore Reloaded, Acollierastro, Daisy Viktoria, Sideprojects, Hey Sokoly, Verilybitchie, Snappy Dragon, The Cynical Historian, Don't F@ck with Ukraine.
A "rogue" Goodreads tech does not "Allow" me to see other's reviews, to see commenter's names, to remove my last lurker (Dr Susan Hamilton) and sometimes grays out "like" buttons. I have removed all but the one lurker. Susan Hamilton had posted nothing for over two years since her friend request and has not responded to five requests that she unfriend me. I scanned my last five lurkers including Hamilton, then removed these from the last back down to the Professor who was suddenly marked with a Goodreads Author label which I hadn't ever seen before and my option to unfriend her was removed. I had two real authors on my friend list previously and this had not been the case, neither the label nor being prevented from removing them. She can not find me or my reviews fascinating, can she? I am just not that interesting, as my siblings all agree. 🤗
Our Dr Hamilton has finally been removed by Goodreads or removed herself at the time of this rewrite, after months of my mentioning the the situation in reviews. Other interesting actions by Amazon included but have not been limited to interruptions of Pre-paid kindle services, the disabling of that automatic transition from end of book to the Ratings and Review page, several 6 to 8 week blockage of my review uploads with no explanation and magically disappearing after I manage to upload a mention of the apparent blockade. Sometimes it seems that Amazon/Goodreads would rather my reviews were not uploaded. A silly thought I am sure.
There is no attempt at world building, which is normal for most of the Amazon collection. It did surprise me to see that seeming standard but after the first hundred titles I attempted, my surprise became expectation. I began to think that US publishing houses were plagued by incompetent and overpaid editors or their passive-aggressive underpaid cousins. I finally accepted that poor editing was not due to incompetence or laziness but is publisher mandated. A number of members have informed me in their unrequested and unwanted comments that "It's just science fiction", by way of explanation for substandard books of fiction. They were almost all American males, so I assume that it is a cultural mandate.
Though having read a sample of reviews and scanned book ratings, a darker explanation suggested itself. Perhaps this is a successful campaign by US publishers to undercut critical thought and impair the reader's ability to imagine. Amazon also pushes book series from several specialty publishers posing as biographical works detailing the heroic struggle of the Nazi regime's military. I only discovered one in searching for historical novels and was directed to it by Amazon suggestion. Being curious I looked at the publisher's list after I washed the Nazi filth from my fragile socialist mind and was stunned that other readers treated these gross and obviously fictional books as historical accounts. In each of these, the valiant Nazi soldier is a hero defending humanity against Communist hordes. Wow! There is a large American male audience for these as I saw and these were not misguided mid-teens. My theory about US publishers did not seem as far fetched as it might have felt at first. Look at the definition of "Wehraboo" and you will be as stunned as I was. Goodreads have unknowingly encouraged me to research areas and uncover things, which I had never expected. That may be this site's only true value.
I must address some of my Goodreads experience to contextualize my feelings. About eighteen months ago, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, an unremarkable, poorly written and common salute to the January 6, 2021 hero by Travis Corcoran. He is an employee of an unnamed US agency, a self-described Libertarian, an advocate of the return of chattel slavery - of course, a supporter of Putin's Russia - of course and US veteran. Among the nutcase commenters led by the book's writer, a Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 finally wrote a declaration that They had "won" (?).
I discovered with a little help and a little thought that They had launched a year long deluge of vile sexual and racist comments against YouTube channels I mentioned. They failed to impress the teen boater and her mother, The Oxford astrophysicist, The Swedish essayist or any of the many other female creators. They did however deliver an accurate portrait of the twisted American man-child to a very broad multinational audience, as well as increasing the world's overabundance of ugliness. It seems that both of those are considered a victory. USA! Yay?? Goodreads discourse. Yay??
I need another visit to YouTube before continuing. This next is courtesy of Leeja Miller, Bobbing Along, ThePrimeChronus, Mia Mulder, OrangeRiver, Jean's Thoughts, Meidas Touch, Andrewism, The Fortress of Lugh, More Perfect Union, Eileen, Cunk, Travelling K, History with Kayleigh, Second Thought, Gemma Dyer, Lily Simpson, Some More News, Geo Girl, Planarwalker, Dr. Becky, Viva La Dirt League, Maggie May Fish, Jabzy, A Day of Small Things, The British Museum, Gresham College, Horses, Vlad Vexler, Physics Girl, Casual Navigation, Ro Ramdin, The Welsh Viking, No Justice MTG.
I can not state that I know what the background universe of this book is. There is no history, which a solid background would at least suggest. There is no description of stellar civilization or the constituent societies. The book gave me no sense of the technological base of any of the civilizations involved. Lower end science fiction writers simply do not believe that adult fiction requires context. It might be mad, it could be fantastical but there needs be a logical and in-universe consistent backdrop. The entire world building consists of "Macho main character controls his own great big spaceship full of missiles, guns or whatever and is not afraid to use them". With that introduction, the action begins.
The most promising character was the AI and it was squandered. I have seen the ancient knowledge laden machine intelligence in other books and each time the AI is reduced to two roles. They are the naive sidekick dependent on the main character for a proper understanding of the universe and/or the Deus ex Machina device which waves away contrivance and plot hole while between times is invisible and forgotten. It always saddens me to see such a waste and the racist theme underlying both uses is so obvious and never remarked upon in reviews that I am not inclined to accept a friend request on this site any longer.
I have seen some female writers manage to create somewhat compelling characters against a fuzzy fantasy backdrop but the characters always fail to develop and the plot dissolves into a romance tale with elves and dwarves. Editors are paid to steer a writer towards a solid foundation and away from sloppy shortcuts in either character work or story arc. It bothers me that the low end of science fiction are so badly treated.
The dialogue is usually awkward, clunky or juvenile, since the characters are too thin or unfinished to lend any weight to a single exchange. This book is no exception. The plot is .....um, is ... tired? In its defense it has been trotted through millions of pages of this tripe. The writer though is guilty of lack of imagination in the first, second or third degree (whichever is most terrible). I name as co-conspirators, the writers of every other poorly conceived, badly executed, jingoistic stack of pages lacking flavour or skill or characters or interesting background. These are books whose entire excitement is found in the colourful cover art.
Plot? The human race is being saved by a group of unremarkable US idiots possessed not even of discipline, let alone technical or military expertise. It makes sense because they are american, I think.
Or maybe for ____ Reasons ?
A pacifistic machine intelligence will naturally want to align itself with an aggressive, self-absorbed, xenophobic species which boasts of one accomplishment (skill in war). The logic behind this turn of events is ______ Reasons. That works for me, said no one of this book ever. This book like every other book of the type is a thinly veiled celebration of US hegemony with aliens standing in for every non US population on Earth. Think Star Trek. There are countless books, comics and video which try to rationalize the human origins of Starfleet.
All of the characters in these books are "real" americans (only proper British names and of a certain very limited ethnicity). They and only they will bring peace and safety to the human race with their innate american superiority or American magic or _____ Reasons. At book's end there will probably be an orbital banner proclaiming "You are welcome, rest of humanity". A second banner will read "And remember what we are capable of, should you fail to properly appreciate American supremacy in the future." All across the globe men cheer, women swoon and children dance in the streets. I think that captures the plot. It is after all required for these military science fiction books under US publishing law or some such.
Boring? Yes, it is. Scary? Very much so. Low end US science fiction? Absolutely.
An example of this writer's fans is Br1cht posing as a tough guy, referring to Navy pukes. In a comment to a negative review by another reader, he pined over John Ringo's fine Zombie adventure books (no, no, not fiiiine, ...must not label his ... product as...... advennnnnture nor his. ....collections... of pages .. as boooks in any meaningful way). Whew!!
Bruce McKay agreed with Br1cht but with more gusto. He missed feeling like a big wolf when reading tough guy Ringo's books or something else odd. He felt like the biggest, hardest wolf or some such. He did not try to slyly suggest he was a veteran as Br1cht did. He only demonstrated why no female relative of mine should ever be alone with him.
Ringo is popular with a certain male because of the overt racism, US Ethnosupremacy and misogyny which is his hallmark. His last series was the worst. It centers around the proud father of two young (12/13 and 14/15) teens grooming them for impregnation by one or more available US marines in order to repopulate the earth, I am guessing. Eww!
In the process of being of being groomed, his twelve year old Appalachian princess who is not described as a savant was ordered to go to Europe. She complains in her description of the scientists, political and military ladders in London as their being "Eurotrash" but she will go because she is the one to sort them out and herself create the cure for the Zombie virus. Not kidding. Her fourteen year old sister is having guy talk time regularly with a recently impregnated seventeen? year old sex slave about the wonders of being impregnated by an unnamed marine. Whether she knew his name was uncertain. That it did not matter was clear. Ewww! In between girl talks about pregnancy with literally any marine, she leads ship clearing operations against ships of infected humans. Are only myself and several sane female readers in multiple languages, the only readers who were shocked at the paedophilia on display. None of the very American male commenters to several negative female reviewers were and neither did they dispute the judgement of paedophilic intent. They did have choice responses including one woman being accused of suffering from recent anal rape when she wrote her review. I suspect that this book will attract a simular audience, even if it is not as gross as Ringo's series.
The main character in Ringo's series, was shocked that there are black people on a Caribbean island other than Jamaica. It read as if the writer had just discovered that fact in whatever research he did for the book. Having read some of his previous books, I suspect that is the case. That is the book that these two members missed. Neither had a comment about this book, though.
That is another good example of discourse on Goodreads. This book is the standard for low end US science fiction. This is what Is promoted by Amazon and these are the asses that comment. I encountered Br1cht on a previous review of mine of which he did not approve. A funny fact is that it was not on his book list, then or now. It is so strange that he found my little negative review among so many. This is a reader's site? These are the thoughtful bibliophiles of whom I have heard so much? Due to my lack of sophistication, I mistook them for thugs with delusions of toughness and a penchant for paedophilia. My mistake. 🤗
There are some good US science fiction writers but Amazon's selection is overwhelmingly of three categories - Low Effort, Minimal Effort and No Effort. I have lost most of my interest in science fiction after trying their science fiction, fantasy or horror. When I want a good story, I turn to the streaming services or YouTube Shorts channels, such as DUST or Omeleto. They offer better writing and more interesting stories than the print. A multinational selection are offered by Netflix, which appeals to the more cosmopolitan or curious.
I only started using YouTube in the last two years in search of science fiction news and commentaries. I was surprised to discover so many other educational and special interest channels. The essayists are a particular treat. From sponsor spots, I was introduced to the dedicated educational sites, Wondrium, History Hit, Nebula and others. I think that they are all worth a look. I found my first book channel accidentally. Of all the variety, the book channels were the best find. 😍 There are channels which address everything from literary criticism through library furnishings. They foster fun, thoughtful reader communities excited by all bookish things. I recommend a visit to several book channels for any reader and have listed some below.
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Welcome to Ukraine, Emma Thorne, Mandy, Engineering with Rosie, Malinda, Mia Mulder, Event Horizon, Military History Visualized, No Justice MTG, Tom Nicholas, Vlad Vexler, Politics Joe, The Mindful Narrowboat, Tiny Wee Boat, Jake Broe, TIKHistory.
As for Amazon/Goodreads, please consider treating this as a potentially hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 I mentioned the comment cloud behaviour at the top of this but after my review of Powers of the Earth, the comments stopped and Amazon began the above. For more details visit my review of "Dark Horse", a good series by Diener or Powers of the Earth.
As part of that campaign, Amazon shared my limited message history with those nutcases enabling Australian Intelligence to question the one friend whom I messaged on this site for my personal information. My friend contacted me because he was afraid for my safety and we both came to the conclusion that it might not have had to do with promoting tourism. 😊
You may not be targeted, if you have not written a negative review of truly horrid titles but please remember that your status rests on the whims of nutcases. I recommend that you consider minimizing your profile information, removing the lurker (the mystery friend who never posts), remaining wary of Goodreads and screenshotting the odd and the ugly as a start. It will cause you no harm to implement these small changes, while to not may very well do. Bear in mind that these nutcases both members and site employees are lacking in morality or restraint and are most certainly all American. Ominous music ends. 🙂
May we all find Good Reading! 🤗
I know very little about the breadth of YouTube channels but these have brought me entertainment, joy or taught me. Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
LuckyBlackCat, Zoe Bee, Bobbing Along, UATV, SK Media, Zoe Baker, NFKRZ, Horses, Chris and Shell, Brittany Page, Leeja Miller, Tom Nicholas, Sarah Z, Big Joel, Book Furnace, Philosophy Tube, Munecat, Owen Jones, Andrewism, Tara Mooknee, No Justice MTG, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Deerstalker Pictures, Novara Media, The Armchair Historian, Lady knight the Brave, Mia Mulder, Double Down News, Kings and Generals, Filaxim Historia, Sabine Hossenfelder, Prime of Midlife, Tulia, Lily Alexandre, May Moon Narrowboat, Cruising Crafts, Swell Entertainment, Cecilia Blomdahl, The Juice Media, Alayna Joy, Make Better Media, Books and Lala, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Timeline, Verilybitchie, Spark, Crecganford, France 24, Elliot Brooks, Between the Lines, Hello Future Me, Boat Time, The Narrowboat Pirate, The Confused Adipose, The Piano Guys, Cruising Alba, Interior Design Hub, Bernadette Banner, J. Drsper, A Clockwork Reader, Brittany the bibliophile, Alize, Jessica Gagnon, Lilly's expat life, It's Black Friday, Autumn's Boutique, Vlad Vexler, Not the Andrew Marr Show, Mandy, Dr Becky, Engineering with Rosie, Shannon Makes, Karolina Zebrowska, Chloe Stafler, Spacedock, Emmie, A Life of Lit, Between the Wars, Practical Engineering, A Cup of Nicole, Kathy's Flog in France, The Irish Reader, DW News, Lilly's Expat Life, Books with Emily Fox, Cari can read, Tiny Wee Boat, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Engineering with Rosie, Merphy Napier, Terrible Writing Advice, Books and Quills, Malinda, Armoured Archives, Abby Cox, Jill Bearup, Lady of The Library, Spacedock, SandRhoman History, Hikma History, Jabzy, Jenny Nicholson, Katie Colson, Jack Edwards, Alt Shift X, Dakota Warren, Books with Chloe, Natasha's Adventures, May Moon Narrowboat, Sort of Interesting, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Lorna Jane Adventures, Austin McConnell, With Olivia, Jessie Gender, Viva La Dirt League, Maggie May Fish, Knowing Better, Dead Good Books, Boat Time, Camper Vibe, What Vivi did next, Noah Samsen, I'm Rosa, IzzzYzzz, Between the Wars, Brandon F, Rebecca Watson, Dr Ben Miller, Jack in the Books, Writing with Jenna Moreci. CNA documentary, UA Courage, Renegade Cut, Traveling K, The Templin Institute, NerdForge, New Economic Thinking, , Denys Davydov, Battle Order, Ben and Emily, Task and Purpose, Truth to Power, TVP News, Eileen, May, Garyseconomics, All Shorts, Some More News, Extinction Rebellion UK, What is Politics?, Biz Barclay, OrangeRiver.
I wish you a refreshing morning, a satisfying afternoon, a cozy evening, a pleasant night and may we all continue learning.
If a person allows Another to speak in their name unchallenged, that person adopts Another's sins.
My Grandmother
March 17, 2022
An OK read but won’t be doing the series
As above in the title. The characters real names and associated nicknames totally confused me. Lev I found a rather confused sentient being with very screwed up morals.
As above in the title. The characters real names and associated nicknames totally confused me. Lev I found a rather confused sentient being with very screwed up morals.
July 9, 2022
It was okay. Got tired of it by the second book and won't bother with the rest of the series.
June 8, 2025
DNR
Humanity with romanticized view on embracing issues caused by cultural differences continues completely destroying 95% of members of other cultures they meet in interstellar setting. Following the brain worms, to humans incomprehensible battleship Leaviathan's telepathic AI, whims and wishes human space force discovers incongruities in AI's narrative, what a shocker. The conflict progs (progenitors) have been engaged in for millenniums and human likeness to progs bodes well for the alien culture conflict resolving approach the military branch has set forth on (/sarcasm).
An interstellar civilization that engages in contests on physical fitness to resolve any disputes both on individual and group level sounds so incongruous. Analogous to a caveman in modern urban city. The 180° of space force major about workplace romance when he gets the chance is dumbing down the character so much. Unrequited romantic feelings are human, but this is just inconsistent character writing.
Conclusion: 2/5. Listened on Audible included in plus catalogue. Narrated by: Shawn Compton. With addition of multiple romantic character progressions book 2 turned the series from space opera to space soap opera. If only we could talk about our differences we would understand each other has historically worked so well on a scale of a single planet with a single sapient species. Of course, it's bound to work with alien species with which humanity shares nothing in common (culture, physical traits, physiological needs, history etc.). Terrible value for the length of the book, buying it with USD- 1.87 $/hour ( 17.19 $ / 09 hrs 11 mins ).
Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour
Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone
Humanity with romanticized view on embracing issues caused by cultural differences continues completely destroying 95% of members of other cultures they meet in interstellar setting. Following the brain worms, to humans incomprehensible battleship Leaviathan's telepathic AI, whims and wishes human space force discovers incongruities in AI's narrative, what a shocker. The conflict progs (progenitors) have been engaged in for millenniums and human likeness to progs bodes well for the alien culture conflict resolving approach the military branch has set forth on (/sarcasm).
An interstellar civilization that engages in contests on physical fitness to resolve any disputes both on individual and group level sounds so incongruous. Analogous to a caveman in modern urban city. The 180° of space force major about workplace romance when he gets the chance is dumbing down the character so much. Unrequited romantic feelings are human, but this is just inconsistent character writing.
Conclusion: 2/5. Listened on Audible included in plus catalogue. Narrated by: Shawn Compton. With addition of multiple romantic character progressions book 2 turned the series from space opera to space soap opera. If only we could talk about our differences we would understand each other has historically worked so well on a scale of a single planet with a single sapient species. Of course, it's bound to work with alien species with which humanity shares nothing in common (culture, physical traits, physiological needs, history etc.). Terrible value for the length of the book, buying it with USD- 1.87 $/hour ( 17.19 $ / 09 hrs 11 mins ).
Values:
Terrible: >1.66 $/hour
Bad: 1 - 1.66 $/hour
Good: <1 $/hour
Dream: 0.4 - 0.27 $/hour
Stars:
1 - Not worth the resources to reproduce/preserve this title.
2 -Bad
3 -Good
4 - Personally, love it
5 - Recommended to everyone
October 14, 2021
Battleship Leviathan - a review by Rosemary Kenny.
After prolonged attacks by the Progenitor's forces, Major Declan Payne and those under his command, must wait in ambush for the so-called Blaze Collective, aboard the eponymous Battleship, that looks like an ancient, drifting piece of space debris, in Craig Martelle's new military space opera, series, with the same title, Battleship Leviathan.
Yet the AI-controlled Leviathan, can link telepathically with those on board - making Lev a powerful weapon, but one with full control over any decisions made...and, unexpectedly, he's a pacifist!
Can Payne and his team overcome the enemy's dreadnoughts, before more 'Blazes' arrive?
Who's on the Cleophas and how will they deal with this mortal enemy if they capture them?
Recommended to fans of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, Battleship Leviathan has great characters, a believable storyline and a wry humour from AI Lev, that seems almost human at times...C3PO and R2D2's lovechild, maybe?
Get your copy today and buckle up for a wild ride!
After prolonged attacks by the Progenitor's forces, Major Declan Payne and those under his command, must wait in ambush for the so-called Blaze Collective, aboard the eponymous Battleship, that looks like an ancient, drifting piece of space debris, in Craig Martelle's new military space opera, series, with the same title, Battleship Leviathan.
Yet the AI-controlled Leviathan, can link telepathically with those on board - making Lev a powerful weapon, but one with full control over any decisions made...and, unexpectedly, he's a pacifist!
Can Payne and his team overcome the enemy's dreadnoughts, before more 'Blazes' arrive?
Who's on the Cleophas and how will they deal with this mortal enemy if they capture them?
Recommended to fans of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, Battleship Leviathan has great characters, a believable storyline and a wry humour from AI Lev, that seems almost human at times...C3PO and R2D2's lovechild, maybe?
Get your copy today and buckle up for a wild ride!
January 28, 2022
This second book of the series has amply rewarded me for the promise of the first!
I was so absorbed in this story that I ended up reading it all night - and then, suddenly, it was finished!
I love both the characters, and the plotlines, in these books, and even enjoyed all the battle descriptions - though I do admit that some of it was over my head, and I ended up using a thesaurus and dictionary at times, to try and understand some of the science used in it.
But despite that - or even because of it - this was a thoroughly good read once more, and I'm eager to continue on to the third book of the series: Leviathan's Last Battle.
I'm just so happy that book three won't be the last of it, though, and have already pre-ordered book four! Lol
I was so absorbed in this story that I ended up reading it all night - and then, suddenly, it was finished!
I love both the characters, and the plotlines, in these books, and even enjoyed all the battle descriptions - though I do admit that some of it was over my head, and I ended up using a thesaurus and dictionary at times, to try and understand some of the science used in it.
But despite that - or even because of it - this was a thoroughly good read once more, and I'm eager to continue on to the third book of the series: Leviathan's Last Battle.
I'm just so happy that book three won't be the last of it, though, and have already pre-ordered book four! Lol
November 8, 2021
Leviathan's Major Payne, Dog & the Caprizi battle for Peace.
Major Payne & his crew are back, trying to bring Peace to space. The Vestrall; an alien/overlord race, is using the Blaze Collective to fight humanity. Humans want to explore, & trade. But the Vestrall are elusive & Major Payne & Leviathan aren't backing down. His team is the best. He'll do war to get Peace.
Come join the Major, his quirky XO, Dog, and his alien dogs, Cabrizi as they do battle to ensure Peace.
I am eager to read the next installment; nakey Major's fight to speak! Who takes over his team if he loses? Dog or Major Dank?
Major Payne & his crew are back, trying to bring Peace to space. The Vestrall; an alien/overlord race, is using the Blaze Collective to fight humanity. Humans want to explore, & trade. But the Vestrall are elusive & Major Payne & Leviathan aren't backing down. His team is the best. He'll do war to get Peace.
Come join the Major, his quirky XO, Dog, and his alien dogs, Cabrizi as they do battle to ensure Peace.
I am eager to read the next installment; nakey Major's fight to speak! Who takes over his team if he loses? Dog or Major Dank?
April 14, 2022
(Book 2) The battleship Leviathan takes select humans to the frontlines in Earth’s war with the Blaze Collective. The Leviathans crew collects intelligence on where to find the Vestrall (an alien/overlord race). The Leviathan's Major Payne, Dog & the Caprizi battle for peace. The Vestrall; an alien/overlord race, is using the Blaze Collective to fight humanity. Humans want to explore, & trade. The Vestrall are elusive & Major Payne & Leviathan aren't backing down. His team is the best. He'll fight a war to get Peace. I liked this book.
March 5, 2026
Interesting but lost my attention as well
I’m intrigued by the story but I also struggled to keep interested and read it. There are some flaws I don’t like … like how leviathan has all these hi tech robots yet the humans get no support on the ground. Lev said in the last book those repair robots also function as fighters so just his fighter wings alone could have turned the tide of that earth battle. But not used. Also the love story? What love story they had zero connection and bikini babe is boring and always gets injured lol.
I’m intrigued by the story but I also struggled to keep interested and read it. There are some flaws I don’t like … like how leviathan has all these hi tech robots yet the humans get no support on the ground. Lev said in the last book those repair robots also function as fighters so just his fighter wings alone could have turned the tide of that earth battle. But not used. Also the love story? What love story they had zero connection and bikini babe is boring and always gets injured lol.
November 6, 2021
Excellent second book in the series.
plenty of action, good character development. The characters are very likable and enjoyable. The action is fast and well paced. The storyline is quite fascinating trying to get to the bottom of who’s behind the war very interesting. I enjoy this authors works especially his judge jury and executioner series. This is one of his better books. Read it it’s a good one.
plenty of action, good character development. The characters are very likable and enjoyable. The action is fast and well paced. The storyline is quite fascinating trying to get to the bottom of who’s behind the war very interesting. I enjoy this authors works especially his judge jury and executioner series. This is one of his better books. Read it it’s a good one.
November 12, 2021
A little stroll through space for a quiet meditation.
Busy little trip through space and distance. Major Payne has too much to do. Trying to end the war with peoples that were supposed to not be his enemies. Unfortunately no one told them. And he might just have to destroy them to get their attention. Lev, the sentient warship turned pacifist and telepathic adviser, is aiding the Major while not revealing all of the information Payne needs. A good read.
Busy little trip through space and distance. Major Payne has too much to do. Trying to end the war with peoples that were supposed to not be his enemies. Unfortunately no one told them. And he might just have to destroy them to get their attention. Lev, the sentient warship turned pacifist and telepathic adviser, is aiding the Major while not revealing all of the information Payne needs. A good read.
March 27, 2022
The best kind of story that grows and evolves.
I read the first book and enjoyed it.
But when an author is able to tie story and character development together they create a world that readers can live in.
Craig Martelle has succeeded in winning my attention and now his universe is place that I can't wait to visit and invest time outside of the real world mundane.
Escapism at its best.
I read the first book and enjoyed it.
But when an author is able to tie story and character development together they create a world that readers can live in.
Craig Martelle has succeeded in winning my attention and now his universe is place that I can't wait to visit and invest time outside of the real world mundane.
Escapism at its best.
November 9, 2021
Good Sequel
Lots of battles and conflict, some loss of characters but all handled with some degree of balance. Continued character development for existing characters and good introductions for new characters, along with a well developed storyline plot. This book ends well, at a comfortable pause, leaving expectations to be delivered in the next book.
Lots of battles and conflict, some loss of characters but all handled with some degree of balance. Continued character development for existing characters and good introductions for new characters, along with a well developed storyline plot. This book ends well, at a comfortable pause, leaving expectations to be delivered in the next book.
November 9, 2021
Great Space warfare story with a twist
The snarky Space Ops Force Team and Lev, the sentient AI of the Battleship Leviathan continue to seek the Vestrall while the fighting and trying to undermine the Alien Alliance. They return to Parallax seeking clues to the Vestrall home world with surprising results . A good read.
The snarky Space Ops Force Team and Lev, the sentient AI of the Battleship Leviathan continue to seek the Vestrall while the fighting and trying to undermine the Alien Alliance. They return to Parallax seeking clues to the Vestrall home world with surprising results . A good read.
December 6, 2021
Book two
Mistakes: I found a couple of mistakes and posted them on Goodreads.
Plot: Learning who the real enemy is. Earth must show its true metal and stop an invasion of the Sol system.
Characters: I'm not much of a pacifist, so that bugs me. I do like the character interactions.
8/10
Mistakes: I found a couple of mistakes and posted them on Goodreads.
Plot: Learning who the real enemy is. Earth must show its true metal and stop an invasion of the Sol system.
Characters: I'm not much of a pacifist, so that bugs me. I do like the character interactions.
8/10
December 17, 2021
Action!
I’m settling in with the characters and their nicknames, and am enjoying their development as well as the news characters we’re meeting. The humour and sarcasm are on par for course, with a good balance of emotions.
There’s plenty of action, both on planet and in space. All the things needed for a great story.
I’m settling in with the characters and their nicknames, and am enjoying their development as well as the news characters we’re meeting. The humour and sarcasm are on par for course, with a good balance of emotions.
There’s plenty of action, both on planet and in space. All the things needed for a great story.
January 28, 2022
Excellent sequel
I didn't do the math but it felt like there was more action than in the first book, and maybe a little more humor. A great read. Three dimensional space battles are hard to visualize but I feel this author does a good job of laying out the action. Looking forward to the next book.
I didn't do the math but it felt like there was more action than in the first book, and maybe a little more humor. A great read. Three dimensional space battles are hard to visualize but I feel this author does a good job of laying out the action. Looking forward to the next book.
November 5, 2021
The fate of all Humanity
This is a Must read. The characters are well written and believable. The story romps along at a fair pace. Exciting, loads of action, but be warned, there are hurts in here too. I can’t recommend this highly enough. Read it you’ll love it.
This is a Must read. The characters are well written and believable. The story romps along at a fair pace. Exciting, loads of action, but be warned, there are hurts in here too. I can’t recommend this highly enough. Read it you’ll love it.
November 5, 2021
Excellent second effort
Strong characters and story line. Peace with their enemies is hard won. Lots of Mayer and not a little humor make this a fun read. Now waiting for number three
Strong characters and story line. Peace with their enemies is hard won. Lots of Mayer and not a little humor make this a fun read. Now waiting for number three
November 30, 2021
Battle continues
You keep your eyes on the ball. The series is great read you keep it going without pause. Lev will win the day. But man what a great read. Cannot wait for book 3. Keep it coming.
You keep your eyes on the ball. The series is great read you keep it going without pause. Lev will win the day. But man what a great read. Cannot wait for book 3. Keep it coming.
January 3, 2022
Another day gone in a flash
After staying up pretty much all night to finish up book one I've pretty much spent the entire day / evening devouring book two. Need a quick food break then into book three - nah, who needs food.
After staying up pretty much all night to finish up book one I've pretty much spent the entire day / evening devouring book two. Need a quick food break then into book three - nah, who needs food.
February 4, 2022
Great read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is fast paced and exciting. The dynamics between the characters are very good. So if you want to read a fast paced story with space adventures and aliens this is it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is fast paced and exciting. The dynamics between the characters are very good. So if you want to read a fast paced story with space adventures and aliens this is it.
February 14, 2022
classic Martelle
Action oriented, fast paced, with smack talk and friendly insults galore. And of course plot twists. Enjoying each new character and all that we learn of the old ones. Looking forward to the next book!
Action oriented, fast paced, with smack talk and friendly insults galore. And of course plot twists. Enjoying each new character and all that we learn of the old ones. Looking forward to the next book!
March 31, 2022
Awesome Sci-fi
Excellent action packed sci-fi adventure which will keep you glued to the pages. The characters are awesome and very believable, easy to identify with. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
Excellent action packed sci-fi adventure which will keep you glued to the pages. The characters are awesome and very believable, easy to identify with. I really like this book and I highly recommend it.
June 5, 2022
Humanity Faces Its Biggest Challenge
Humanity finds itself in a war with other sentient races who for some reason have combined their efforts against us. However, in their corner is Leviathan; a sentient ship sent from the past to help secure the future. Let the battle commence!
Humanity finds itself in a war with other sentient races who for some reason have combined their efforts against us. However, in their corner is Leviathan; a sentient ship sent from the past to help secure the future. Let the battle commence!
Read
August 15, 2022Exciting and fast paced.
Devoured this book as fast as the first. On to book three! Interesting characters with great action all wrapped around the plot that I am hungry to continue consuming.
Devoured this book as fast as the first. On to book three! Interesting characters with great action all wrapped around the plot that I am hungry to continue consuming.
October 12, 2022
A worthy read.
I love the people. I feel like I'm there.the writing is that good. You get involved. The story keeps you involved. I prefer stand alone novels and these are yet there not.
I love the people. I feel like I'm there.the writing is that good. You get involved. The story keeps you involved. I prefer stand alone novels and these are yet there not.
October 31, 2022
Love it!
This is interesting and fun stuff! It moves well and doesn't stop in one place for long. Love the characters though I would wish for a little less brevity and a little more getting to know the peeps. Recommend!
This is interesting and fun stuff! It moves well and doesn't stop in one place for long. Love the characters though I would wish for a little less brevity and a little more getting to know the peeps. Recommend!
December 16, 2025
A true fresh space story that equates the sexes which makes a more interesting and enjoyable read
. having finished book 1 I am now starting book 2 and look forword to reading the rest of this series.
. having finished book 1 I am now starting book 2 and look forword to reading the rest of this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews