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Uplink Squadron #1
Uplink Squadron
11 hours, 16 minutes
The ultimate pilot has arrived. An unprecedented connection between man and machine.
Five years ago, aliens destroyed a carrier and its airwing at Jupiter without warning.
Since then, the Earth’s nations have learned to work together, and they want to know more about the aliens who appeared, attacked, and vanished without a trace.
The Americans have provided a new carrier and a slew of space fighters. Chinese engine and gravity technology has made going after the invaders possible. And the Russians have developed a new control system for the American fighters that will give the craft never-before-seen capabilities.
Most importantly, this blend of technology has allowed for pilots to connect directly to their ships, amplifying their reflexes and giving them the ultimate edge in combat.
Mankind’s next war is upon us, and Uplink Squadron is the tip of the spear.
It’s time to plug in and save the world.
©2022 Variant Publications (P)2022 Variant Publications
The ultimate pilot has arrived. An unprecedented connection between man and machine.
Five years ago, aliens destroyed a carrier and its airwing at Jupiter without warning.
Since then, the Earth’s nations have learned to work together, and they want to know more about the aliens who appeared, attacked, and vanished without a trace.
The Americans have provided a new carrier and a slew of space fighters. Chinese engine and gravity technology has made going after the invaders possible. And the Russians have developed a new control system for the American fighters that will give the craft never-before-seen capabilities.
Most importantly, this blend of technology has allowed for pilots to connect directly to their ships, amplifying their reflexes and giving them the ultimate edge in combat.
Mankind’s next war is upon us, and Uplink Squadron is the tip of the spear.
It’s time to plug in and save the world.
©2022 Variant Publications (P)2022 Variant Publications
11 pages, Audible Audio
First published June 2, 2022
1007 people are currently reading
2730 people want to read
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J.N. Chaney
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
June 18, 2022
Suspension of disbelief was not strong enough for me. I am a layman when it comes to space combat, flying, military protocols, and other topics in this book however I saw some issues that I have to believe someone in these fields would have questioned.
The author attempts to ratchet up tension through events however not through clever story mechanics, new information or details, or unknown elements but through complete human incompotence. If hyper jumping, maybe close all exterior doors. Don't fight superior numbers of enemy craft that are also proven to have better tech. Throwing completely untrained people into a situation that has trained people concerned is always dumb.
Character development was fine, story pacing was a little slow and time was inconsistent. I felt the author either did not know the terminology or dumbed it down for the reader which made certain storytelling details confusing. For example, saying the fighter craft rolled to turn and face the alien craft doesn't make sense. A roll is a spin on the axis. What it sounds like the author meant was yaw, which is turning the craft on its horizontal plane. Critical details were not mentioned until the last hour or so in the book such as did the humans try to communicate with the aliens or why is a human needed if an SI can do the work. A lot of the tech was explained super high level and was used awkwardly.
Book was fine but felt a little dumb down.
The author attempts to ratchet up tension through events however not through clever story mechanics, new information or details, or unknown elements but through complete human incompotence. If hyper jumping, maybe close all exterior doors. Don't fight superior numbers of enemy craft that are also proven to have better tech. Throwing completely untrained people into a situation that has trained people concerned is always dumb.
Character development was fine, story pacing was a little slow and time was inconsistent. I felt the author either did not know the terminology or dumbed it down for the reader which made certain storytelling details confusing. For example, saying the fighter craft rolled to turn and face the alien craft doesn't make sense. A roll is a spin on the axis. What it sounds like the author meant was yaw, which is turning the craft on its horizontal plane. Critical details were not mentioned until the last hour or so in the book such as did the humans try to communicate with the aliens or why is a human needed if an SI can do the work. A lot of the tech was explained super high level and was used awkwardly.
Book was fine but felt a little dumb down.
February 23, 2023
I stopped reading at around 64%, I couldn't take it any longer.
The author falls for the classic problem of using dialog for one character to give information to another character: dialog is for the reader to get information, narration is for characters to get information. The effect is we end up reading the same conversations 2 or 3 times.
Entirely too much time is spent on telling us how dangerous it is for a pilot to connect to the aircraft as there's a large number of pilots that lose themselves to the experience and end up crazy. Literally chapter after chapter beating this home. Why? To create a contrived reason to set up the the climax.
There's nothing in the way of character development. We get some surface level stuff, but nothing to really tell you who they are. There are some characters that have 180 in what little personality they have for no good reason.
This book needs an editor, not to correct spelling, punctuation, and grammer, but to remove half of the unnecessary content and get a rewrite.
The author falls for the classic problem of using dialog for one character to give information to another character: dialog is for the reader to get information, narration is for characters to get information. The effect is we end up reading the same conversations 2 or 3 times.
Entirely too much time is spent on telling us how dangerous it is for a pilot to connect to the aircraft as there's a large number of pilots that lose themselves to the experience and end up crazy. Literally chapter after chapter beating this home. Why? To create a contrived reason to set up the the climax.
There's nothing in the way of character development. We get some surface level stuff, but nothing to really tell you who they are. There are some characters that have 180 in what little personality they have for no good reason.
This book needs an editor, not to correct spelling, punctuation, and grammer, but to remove half of the unnecessary content and get a rewrite.
September 6, 2023
Did not care for this one. It took me a long time to get through it, mainly because it was boring and amateurish. The characters are not fleshed out well at all and the aliens, not sure about them because we are told nothing about them at all. Nothing, I repeat nothing at all. Earth may as well been under attack by a box of flying donuts for all we learned about this “deadly threat”. The entire premise for this series is not worthy of a novel let alone a series. Don’t waste your time on this or do if you are really hurting for some reading material.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2023
"Uplink Squadron: Book One" presents an intriguing premise of international cooperation and advanced technology in the face of alien threats. However, the execution falls short of delivering a truly compelling narrative. While the story offers some engaging moments, it suffers from underdeveloped characters, uneven pacing, and a lack of consistent tension. The futuristic technology and space combat descriptions are highlights, but they can't fully compensate for the book's shortcomings. It's a passable read for science fiction and military enthusiasts, suitable for killing some time, but it doesn't break new ground in the genre.
August 18, 2023
interesting premise and well written
Uplink squadron is based on a very interesting premise. The writing is well done and keeps the reader’s attention. Not just good space opera, but if you are so inclined it will make you think and question many issues that are covered by the book. Now the hard part, doing it again
Uplink squadron is based on a very interesting premise. The writing is well done and keeps the reader’s attention. Not just good space opera, but if you are so inclined it will make you think and question many issues that are covered by the book. Now the hard part, doing it again
August 11, 2023
The earth is under attack, we’ve fought them into retreat, but they WILL return! Can we beat them? Do we have enough time to prepare for the next attack? Can we find their home world and carry the battle to them?
After Renegade and Reaper, I’ve been looking for another series (still waiting on the final for Backyard Starship!) and Uplink Squadron is that series. Excellent first book. It’s got all the elements for a good sci-fi read. Main characters that you can invest in, deadly aliens, and AI ( no, SI) copilots.
Chaney and Kennedy have a good read here pick it up.
After Renegade and Reaper, I’ve been looking for another series (still waiting on the final for Backyard Starship!) and Uplink Squadron is that series. Excellent first book. It’s got all the elements for a good sci-fi read. Main characters that you can invest in, deadly aliens, and AI ( no, SI) copilots.
Chaney and Kennedy have a good read here pick it up.
August 30, 2022
A new series with a couple of authors you'll easily recognize. I'm a big fan of J. N. Chaney and I've read one other book by Chris Kennedy ("A Fiery Sunset", Omega War, Book 1). Don't know why I didn't continue with Kennedy's Omega War series, but I've gone back to Amazon and corrected that by picking up the 2nd book, "The Midnight Sun". But, back to his book and this review. It's going to be a great series. I can't figure out how J. N. Chaney manages to collaborate with so many different military sci-fi authors to produce so many great books. However he does it, I hope he keeps it up because these are some of the best military sci-fi I've read over a long period of time.
As you might have guessed, this book is set in the distant future where Earth has already left the confines of local space and are operating out near the edge of the Solar System. As yet, they haven't found anything unexpected, but each nation of Earth is still in a space race of some sort. The US Space Station Alpha picks up something strange coming from the direction of Jupiter and it apparently doesn't belong to anyone on Earth!
A small squadron of starfighters (F-76) is launched to go check out this unusual activity. There are four US fighters in this squadron and they are the latest and greatest the US and Earth for that matter have for space combat. Initial contact doesn't go well. The aliens send out four of their craft to meet the US squadron which is definitely not trying to seem hostile. Doesn't matter because a soon as the US fighters get in range of the alien spacecraft, they are obliterated with very powerful lasers. The squadron did radio back everything they were observing so, although it was long after these pilots were dead, the US knew that these aliens spacecraft had launched from alien carriers.
So, the US gets one of its space carriers, yes, they have those, launched towards Jupiter with the task of finding out just why the aggression and to definitely stop it. Obviously, these aliens are not friendly, but it all could have been a misunderstanding since the aliens have stayed near Jupiter and have made no attempt to contact the Earth. It's been three months since the activities around Jupiter were first noted. The USS Forrestal is carrying about sixty space combat fighters which is in itself remarkable since the Forrestal wasn't originally built to be a starship carrier. Unfortunately, when the Forrestal gets in range to launch its fighters, they find that the aliens have actually three carriers in orbit around Jupiter. These alien carriers launch their fighters and it's soon proven that these aliens have no friendly intentions and are clearly technologically superior to anything from Earth! That point is further proven when the USS Forrestal is also attacked and destroyed!
So this is all preamble to the main story. The Earth has had some time to get its act together and they have been trying to figure out how to improve their starfighters in order to combat these highly capable alien fighter craft. Those craft, by the way, seem to almost be flow either by remote control or by some pretty strong dampening fields that allow the craft to stop and turn on a dime. The US along with the Russians and the Chinese have been developing an advanced fighter, the F-77B, which has a direct neural link between the human pilot and the ship. It has shown that this link makes the decisions of the pilot almost instantaneous and makes it a much more lethal weapon system. The first squadron of F-77Bs had been put on the USS Revenge and once again launched towards Jupiter.
Here's where you'll find Lieutenant Lace Baker and Lieutenant Sofia Jimenez reporting for duty after just finishing a grueling flight school for this new aircraft. They both have sockets in the back of their heads that allow them to be hooked into their plane. While they have never actually used the hook-up or link, they have been trained on how it works for them and their starfighter. There are more than enough new F-77Bs to match up to the few F-77B trained pilots. Through trial and error, it has been found that not all pilots can manage this uplink method of flying. The soon learn that they are replacing two pilots that apparently didn't handle the uplink and were found dead in their cockpits. Now, Lieutenants Baker and Jimenez are going to be flying these same F-77Bs. They are also made aware that the Squadron is short of pilots but that's not a bad thing since the other F-77Bs seem to have "gremlins" in them and can't be made flight ready!
So, Lieutenants Baker and Jimenez get ready for their first encounter with these aliens again in orbit around Jupiter. This time though the aliens make one strike at one of the Revenge's combat patrols and then they flee the Solar System. All three alien carriers warp out in the direction of the Procyon A System and the USS Revenge follows. Up to this point, Lieutenant Baker had proven himself to be a remarkably sharp fighter pilot. In mock dog-fights with his Squadron Commander and XO, the had managed to score kills on both of them which was unheard of for a "nugget". Lieutenant Baker soon found out that his plane was doing things he didn't know how to do and he needed to know why. Also, Lieutenant Jimenez was experiencing some strange activity in her starfighter, but was afraid to tell anyone.
So, what's going on with these new starfighter, the F-77B also known as number three-one-nine and three-two-zero? Well, you're about to find out. It seems that uplinking with a starfighter is a very mind-expanding experience that some pilots can get very lost in. They feel so "god-like" that the don't want to break the link and go back to being their everyday selves. When you sever the link, it must be total and complete. Some pilots didn't do that completely and now their planes have "gremlins" I wrote about earlier. Other planes have something else. Lt Baker and Jimenez's plans have those "something else".
This a very interesting story and I appreciate that the author got the rank structure correct. A Naval Lieutenant isn't a wet-behind-the-ears young new officer. They have been around for awhile and should act like Baker and Jimenez. These two don't jump every time a senior officer looks at them and they shouldn't they are proven pilots that should fit into a new squadron very well. So, their part is very believable even with the long-termed stuff they have to eventually do. I still don't understand why the Earth things that one single starship, even if it's a carrier, can go out and fight a battle with an alien fleet. Space is vast. Even trying to find another starship is almost an impossibility, but I guess the story wouldn't be much fun if all we did was search for some aliens we saw around Jupiter.
I liked this story so much that I went and got book 2, "Second Flight", from Amazon and stuck in my reading list to read next. So yeah, I broke my list and am going to continue reading this series for now. It is very good. I think you'll like it also.
As you might have guessed, this book is set in the distant future where Earth has already left the confines of local space and are operating out near the edge of the Solar System. As yet, they haven't found anything unexpected, but each nation of Earth is still in a space race of some sort. The US Space Station Alpha picks up something strange coming from the direction of Jupiter and it apparently doesn't belong to anyone on Earth!
A small squadron of starfighters (F-76) is launched to go check out this unusual activity. There are four US fighters in this squadron and they are the latest and greatest the US and Earth for that matter have for space combat. Initial contact doesn't go well. The aliens send out four of their craft to meet the US squadron which is definitely not trying to seem hostile. Doesn't matter because a soon as the US fighters get in range of the alien spacecraft, they are obliterated with very powerful lasers. The squadron did radio back everything they were observing so, although it was long after these pilots were dead, the US knew that these aliens spacecraft had launched from alien carriers.
So, the US gets one of its space carriers, yes, they have those, launched towards Jupiter with the task of finding out just why the aggression and to definitely stop it. Obviously, these aliens are not friendly, but it all could have been a misunderstanding since the aliens have stayed near Jupiter and have made no attempt to contact the Earth. It's been three months since the activities around Jupiter were first noted. The USS Forrestal is carrying about sixty space combat fighters which is in itself remarkable since the Forrestal wasn't originally built to be a starship carrier. Unfortunately, when the Forrestal gets in range to launch its fighters, they find that the aliens have actually three carriers in orbit around Jupiter. These alien carriers launch their fighters and it's soon proven that these aliens have no friendly intentions and are clearly technologically superior to anything from Earth! That point is further proven when the USS Forrestal is also attacked and destroyed!
So this is all preamble to the main story. The Earth has had some time to get its act together and they have been trying to figure out how to improve their starfighters in order to combat these highly capable alien fighter craft. Those craft, by the way, seem to almost be flow either by remote control or by some pretty strong dampening fields that allow the craft to stop and turn on a dime. The US along with the Russians and the Chinese have been developing an advanced fighter, the F-77B, which has a direct neural link between the human pilot and the ship. It has shown that this link makes the decisions of the pilot almost instantaneous and makes it a much more lethal weapon system. The first squadron of F-77Bs had been put on the USS Revenge and once again launched towards Jupiter.
Here's where you'll find Lieutenant Lace Baker and Lieutenant Sofia Jimenez reporting for duty after just finishing a grueling flight school for this new aircraft. They both have sockets in the back of their heads that allow them to be hooked into their plane. While they have never actually used the hook-up or link, they have been trained on how it works for them and their starfighter. There are more than enough new F-77Bs to match up to the few F-77B trained pilots. Through trial and error, it has been found that not all pilots can manage this uplink method of flying. The soon learn that they are replacing two pilots that apparently didn't handle the uplink and were found dead in their cockpits. Now, Lieutenants Baker and Jimenez are going to be flying these same F-77Bs. They are also made aware that the Squadron is short of pilots but that's not a bad thing since the other F-77Bs seem to have "gremlins" in them and can't be made flight ready!
So, Lieutenants Baker and Jimenez get ready for their first encounter with these aliens again in orbit around Jupiter. This time though the aliens make one strike at one of the Revenge's combat patrols and then they flee the Solar System. All three alien carriers warp out in the direction of the Procyon A System and the USS Revenge follows. Up to this point, Lieutenant Baker had proven himself to be a remarkably sharp fighter pilot. In mock dog-fights with his Squadron Commander and XO, the had managed to score kills on both of them which was unheard of for a "nugget". Lieutenant Baker soon found out that his plane was doing things he didn't know how to do and he needed to know why. Also, Lieutenant Jimenez was experiencing some strange activity in her starfighter, but was afraid to tell anyone.
So, what's going on with these new starfighter, the F-77B also known as number three-one-nine and three-two-zero? Well, you're about to find out. It seems that uplinking with a starfighter is a very mind-expanding experience that some pilots can get very lost in. They feel so "god-like" that the don't want to break the link and go back to being their everyday selves. When you sever the link, it must be total and complete. Some pilots didn't do that completely and now their planes have "gremlins" I wrote about earlier. Other planes have something else. Lt Baker and Jimenez's plans have those "something else".
This a very interesting story and I appreciate that the author got the rank structure correct. A Naval Lieutenant isn't a wet-behind-the-ears young new officer. They have been around for awhile and should act like Baker and Jimenez. These two don't jump every time a senior officer looks at them and they shouldn't they are proven pilots that should fit into a new squadron very well. So, their part is very believable even with the long-termed stuff they have to eventually do. I still don't understand why the Earth things that one single starship, even if it's a carrier, can go out and fight a battle with an alien fleet. Space is vast. Even trying to find another starship is almost an impossibility, but I guess the story wouldn't be much fun if all we did was search for some aliens we saw around Jupiter.
I liked this story so much that I went and got book 2, "Second Flight", from Amazon and stuck in my reading list to read next. So yeah, I broke my list and am going to continue reading this series for now. It is very good. I think you'll like it also.
July 13, 2022
This is my first JN Chaney book, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
Aliens attacked Earth a couple years ago, and it was a devastating loss. Earth's military just didn't have the hardware to keep up, but they've worked hard to fix that.
Lt. Lance Baker shows up on TSS Revenge just before it heads out to find the aliens home world and give them a little payback. Things do not go to plan.
The F77A was a fine aircraft, but when they developed the F77B it had an uplink for pilots to move their consciousness into the plane and enhance the pilots control. The only problem? Early pilots became so enamored that parts of their consciousness stayed with the plane, leaving parts of their brains dead.
Those F77B planes now have gremlins, partial consciousness' that can cause a pilot problems if they try to fly them.
The only reason Lance Baker shows up is because that too many pilots had died because of this.
This book reminds me more than a little of sci-fi books back in the 70s and 80s. The plot maintains a steady pace instead of racing forward as is so common these days. Tension builds and wanes as the aliens take advantage of failings in the F77B's.
I enjoyed this. There are times that I wished things would move along a little quicker, but I got over that feeling once the fighting begins. The books goes out with a bang.
5/5*
Aliens attacked Earth a couple years ago, and it was a devastating loss. Earth's military just didn't have the hardware to keep up, but they've worked hard to fix that.
Lt. Lance Baker shows up on TSS Revenge just before it heads out to find the aliens home world and give them a little payback. Things do not go to plan.
The F77A was a fine aircraft, but when they developed the F77B it had an uplink for pilots to move their consciousness into the plane and enhance the pilots control. The only problem? Early pilots became so enamored that parts of their consciousness stayed with the plane, leaving parts of their brains dead.
Those F77B planes now have gremlins, partial consciousness' that can cause a pilot problems if they try to fly them.
The only reason Lance Baker shows up is because that too many pilots had died because of this.
This book reminds me more than a little of sci-fi books back in the 70s and 80s. The plot maintains a steady pace instead of racing forward as is so common these days. Tension builds and wanes as the aliens take advantage of failings in the F77B's.
I enjoyed this. There are times that I wished things would move along a little quicker, but I got over that feeling once the fighting begins. The books goes out with a bang.
5/5*
July 23, 2023
excellent permiss for a SF storyline
Really enjoyed reading this after the first chapters. Then it got my attention. Stay with it to the end. Ciao
Really enjoyed reading this after the first chapters. Then it got my attention. Stay with it to the end. Ciao
May 6, 2024
It was OK. The book was slow to start, spending the first couple of chapters warning about the danger of losing yourself in the uplink space fighters. Every character the main protagonist met, had some cautionary tale about the haunted planes assigned to their squadron. It got pretty repetitive. It also didnt help that the protagonist came across as aloof and something of a dimwit, that was until the situation changed in his favor with the discovery of an AI. Dialogue between characters came across as unbelievable, and got worse the higher up the chain of command Baker went through.
I think i will be skipping the rest of this series.
I think i will be skipping the rest of this series.
July 16, 2023
Amazing
This thing rocks. Plenty of action. Believable and likeable characters. A mystery of sorts and possibly some commentary on artificial life forms and AI. I'm about to download the second one.
This thing rocks. Plenty of action. Believable and likeable characters. A mystery of sorts and possibly some commentary on artificial life forms and AI. I'm about to download the second one.
June 20, 2023
6 stars
The best space opera I've read in a long time. As good as "Black Jack Geary". I'd give it more stars if I could.
The best space opera I've read in a long time. As good as "Black Jack Geary". I'd give it more stars if I could.
June 23, 2023
great book !
Great first book in a series, I’m glad the second is already available. I’m jumping straight in, definitely ip to the standard I am used to from J.N.
Great first book in a series, I’m glad the second is already available. I’m jumping straight in, definitely ip to the standard I am used to from J.N.
February 5, 2023
Not Great, but not Terrible either
The book is easy to read with decent writing. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking what a better story it would be if there was some really good writing behind it. I like the overall idea. But the story gets bogged down with to many repeated themes, like "recycling". Dumb word in my opinion for what the author means to tell the reader. In military jargon Recycle tends to mean you failed a training event and must start over and do it again until you pass. In this book, it is describing the failed (and mostly fatal) human to aircraft link up. It just sounds off to me. Once failed, the pilot doesn't get to do it again, instead they die or go bat-sh*t crazy apparently. So what exactly is being "recycled"? the airframe itself (but wait Gremlins!)? And honestly the author doesn't convince me through his writing and story telling that it is just so incredibly awesome to be uplinked that it is worth losing your brain and dying over.
I felt like I had to add a ton of thought and my own imagination to make the story decent. The author gives bare bones information on stuff he needs to detail out, but repeats other parts over and over that he shouldn't. Like repeatedly writing about "gremlins" and cultural stereotypes. Details about the actual flying of the new space fighter for example are all over the place. The author gets it all confused with "normal" flying in the sky terms and then throws in un-explained things like "...the enemy fighter stopped in front of me". I get it - gravity drives are different, but I'd think it was worth more descriptors and more information. The author could've had the main character go through the enemy spacecraft abilities and dialogue it out for example.
And way to much effort is spent using current wet-water US Navy terminology. I get why the author did it, but using it so often throws me out of the Sci-Fi mindset of a new tale and instead just reminds me that the US Navy has a lot of made up goofy acronyms/words for stuff (I deployed on USN CVN-69 Eisenhower for the Bosnia events in mid-90s).
++++Spoiler Ahead+++++
Overall, I like the book's idea. But the weak plot turn of events that lead to the major defeat is disappointing to say the least. "Sorry everyone got wiped out because we couldn't bother to reinstall the EMP shield" Because apparently the designers of the aircraft screwed up where they put the Rail Gun somehow? How about instead come up with something new that the Aliens used that the Earth folks weren't ready for or couldn't defend against. Not an "oops! so sorry!" by the maintenance crew who are all apparently morons or just lazy.
The space battles lack something, not sure what but after reading authors who describe space combat really well, this book was a little tough to get through. The lack of descriptors for the Alien spacecraft is sad as well. Spend some time giving the reader good details about things. I mean its the first time we get attacked by space aliens but we get little information on what their ships look like and what their weapons do/are. I think only once does the author even mention that they have "lasers" and instead battle seems to all hinge on some weird missile-spread mass-firing tactic. Felt like I was reading about submarine ops in the Atlantic with torpedo spreads. And lastly is the nuclear ban in effect for far out Solar system battle--just an odd and weak plot mechanism to me.
And there was almost no set-up and reader prep for the final climatic "lets-throw-our-only-shuttle-at-them-and-blow-them-up" battle.
Not a bad book really, parts of it are good--I do like the whole SI & AI and human interfacing idea. But this book just lacks a wow factor for me. However, I'll probably read the rest of the series anyway and hope it gets better.
The book is easy to read with decent writing. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking what a better story it would be if there was some really good writing behind it. I like the overall idea. But the story gets bogged down with to many repeated themes, like "recycling". Dumb word in my opinion for what the author means to tell the reader. In military jargon Recycle tends to mean you failed a training event and must start over and do it again until you pass. In this book, it is describing the failed (and mostly fatal) human to aircraft link up. It just sounds off to me. Once failed, the pilot doesn't get to do it again, instead they die or go bat-sh*t crazy apparently. So what exactly is being "recycled"? the airframe itself (but wait Gremlins!)? And honestly the author doesn't convince me through his writing and story telling that it is just so incredibly awesome to be uplinked that it is worth losing your brain and dying over.
I felt like I had to add a ton of thought and my own imagination to make the story decent. The author gives bare bones information on stuff he needs to detail out, but repeats other parts over and over that he shouldn't. Like repeatedly writing about "gremlins" and cultural stereotypes. Details about the actual flying of the new space fighter for example are all over the place. The author gets it all confused with "normal" flying in the sky terms and then throws in un-explained things like "...the enemy fighter stopped in front of me". I get it - gravity drives are different, but I'd think it was worth more descriptors and more information. The author could've had the main character go through the enemy spacecraft abilities and dialogue it out for example.
And way to much effort is spent using current wet-water US Navy terminology. I get why the author did it, but using it so often throws me out of the Sci-Fi mindset of a new tale and instead just reminds me that the US Navy has a lot of made up goofy acronyms/words for stuff (I deployed on USN CVN-69 Eisenhower for the Bosnia events in mid-90s).
++++Spoiler Ahead+++++
Overall, I like the book's idea. But the weak plot turn of events that lead to the major defeat is disappointing to say the least. "Sorry everyone got wiped out because we couldn't bother to reinstall the EMP shield" Because apparently the designers of the aircraft screwed up where they put the Rail Gun somehow? How about instead come up with something new that the Aliens used that the Earth folks weren't ready for or couldn't defend against. Not an "oops! so sorry!" by the maintenance crew who are all apparently morons or just lazy.
The space battles lack something, not sure what but after reading authors who describe space combat really well, this book was a little tough to get through. The lack of descriptors for the Alien spacecraft is sad as well. Spend some time giving the reader good details about things. I mean its the first time we get attacked by space aliens but we get little information on what their ships look like and what their weapons do/are. I think only once does the author even mention that they have "lasers" and instead battle seems to all hinge on some weird missile-spread mass-firing tactic. Felt like I was reading about submarine ops in the Atlantic with torpedo spreads. And lastly is the nuclear ban in effect for far out Solar system battle--just an odd and weak plot mechanism to me.
And there was almost no set-up and reader prep for the final climatic "lets-throw-our-only-shuttle-at-them-and-blow-them-up" battle.
Not a bad book really, parts of it are good--I do like the whole SI & AI and human interfacing idea. But this book just lacks a wow factor for me. However, I'll probably read the rest of the series anyway and hope it gets better.
March 7, 2024
Confession: when I watched “Beauty and the Beast” for the first time, I rooted for the Beast. I even had a bit of regret when he (spoiler for the movie) got turned back into the person.
Why? Because he was so POWERFUL in Beast form. Sure, it was a costly transition, but it did bring him a great benefit as well.
I know that's not a unique reaction; else, why do kids like to dress up as the Incredible Hulk? Why do Anne Rice's vampires have fan clubs?
Now, in this book, we are given some fighter pilots as our population under consideration. I would put forth the idea that they aren't exactly pudding-hearted people in the beginning, but that they have a deep love for the adrenaline rush available in a cockpit. My own dad was a career pilot, flying freight and people all over the world, and I KNOW he was different in the pilot seat than in the chair at the dinner table, although some characteristics remained no matter where he was.
Two particular pilots, Lieutenants Lance Baker and Sofia Jimenez, are chosen to take part in a need-to-know (and you don't need to know YET) save-the-Earth mission. They are normal for fighter pilots, which may mean abnormal in other roles; it definitely means that they aren't wall-flower types. And when they discover that without their knowledge, and certainly without their explicit permission, they have received brain modifications that will allow them to form a mind-machine interface (MMI), their reactions are mixed, but powerful.
Such a drastic (and we might also say sneaky and unethical) operation is not without justification, however: aliens with superior technology have appeared in the solar system, and wiped out what few forces might have mounted a defense against them. Baker and Jimenez aren't the only persons affected by the invasion, obviously. The governments of the USA, Russia, and China are forced to form a partnership, with each contributing technology, materiel, and personnel to an effort to effectively confront the alien threat.
They are, however, in a unique class with other fighter pilots tasked to form an MMI with a new super space-fighter (with some atmospheric capability), the F-77B. The most remarkable characteristic of these new fighters is not the combined space-and-atmosphere function, however; it's the MMI capability.
At least, that's what the military-industrial complex (always behind adoption of new equipment) wants the space force to BELIEVE. It turns out that for some pilots, the rush of experiencing the interface is so seductive, they never want to leave.
Bad things happen. Pilots are lost. Baker and Jimenez are replacements; and, along with the routine low-level harassment given to the New Guy, they are both assigned to an F-77B that has suffered a pilot loss in the past.
Wait until you get to the weird part. Yeah, it does get weirder. Enjoy finding out; I sure did.
Why? Because he was so POWERFUL in Beast form. Sure, it was a costly transition, but it did bring him a great benefit as well.
I know that's not a unique reaction; else, why do kids like to dress up as the Incredible Hulk? Why do Anne Rice's vampires have fan clubs?
Now, in this book, we are given some fighter pilots as our population under consideration. I would put forth the idea that they aren't exactly pudding-hearted people in the beginning, but that they have a deep love for the adrenaline rush available in a cockpit. My own dad was a career pilot, flying freight and people all over the world, and I KNOW he was different in the pilot seat than in the chair at the dinner table, although some characteristics remained no matter where he was.
Two particular pilots, Lieutenants Lance Baker and Sofia Jimenez, are chosen to take part in a need-to-know (and you don't need to know YET) save-the-Earth mission. They are normal for fighter pilots, which may mean abnormal in other roles; it definitely means that they aren't wall-flower types. And when they discover that without their knowledge, and certainly without their explicit permission, they have received brain modifications that will allow them to form a mind-machine interface (MMI), their reactions are mixed, but powerful.
Such a drastic (and we might also say sneaky and unethical) operation is not without justification, however: aliens with superior technology have appeared in the solar system, and wiped out what few forces might have mounted a defense against them. Baker and Jimenez aren't the only persons affected by the invasion, obviously. The governments of the USA, Russia, and China are forced to form a partnership, with each contributing technology, materiel, and personnel to an effort to effectively confront the alien threat.
They are, however, in a unique class with other fighter pilots tasked to form an MMI with a new super space-fighter (with some atmospheric capability), the F-77B. The most remarkable characteristic of these new fighters is not the combined space-and-atmosphere function, however; it's the MMI capability.
At least, that's what the military-industrial complex (always behind adoption of new equipment) wants the space force to BELIEVE. It turns out that for some pilots, the rush of experiencing the interface is so seductive, they never want to leave.
Bad things happen. Pilots are lost. Baker and Jimenez are replacements; and, along with the routine low-level harassment given to the New Guy, they are both assigned to an F-77B that has suffered a pilot loss in the past.
Wait until you get to the weird part. Yeah, it does get weirder. Enjoy finding out; I sure did.
March 19, 2023
Disjointed
I love Chris Kennedy's book, the 4HU is chock full of dual authored books and those are brilliant. This one, however, is not.
It is plagued by far, far too many superfluous words, that add nothing to the story itself. I've skipped so many pages and still missed nothing. The dialogue is ponderous at times.
The concept isn't anything novel - unknown aliens come to destroy humanity, first round they win, we then come together and hold hands and try to fight back.
The characters aren't really likeable and it takes around 5/6 chapters before anything meaningful happens. I'm unsure if the protagonist was deliberately written so poorly with the decision making of a retard. He is told not to reveal something to a specific person, from whom the info was kept previously for a reason. But he does it anyway, and results in him being taken for disciplinary. It's written to eventually save his life, it is still a stupid way of writing drama. There's a also a few inconsistencies story wise and those are small but silly if you notice it.
I'm in two minds about this series, based on the number of books, there's obviously people who enjoy it. Perhaps I'll pick up book two sometime, hoping the writing gets better. One is quite disconnected from the story and characters.
I love Chris Kennedy's book, the 4HU is chock full of dual authored books and those are brilliant. This one, however, is not.
It is plagued by far, far too many superfluous words, that add nothing to the story itself. I've skipped so many pages and still missed nothing. The dialogue is ponderous at times.
The concept isn't anything novel - unknown aliens come to destroy humanity, first round they win, we then come together and hold hands and try to fight back.
The characters aren't really likeable and it takes around 5/6 chapters before anything meaningful happens. I'm unsure if the protagonist was deliberately written so poorly with the decision making of a retard. He is told not to reveal something to a specific person, from whom the info was kept previously for a reason. But he does it anyway, and results in him being taken for disciplinary. It's written to eventually save his life, it is still a stupid way of writing drama. There's a also a few inconsistencies story wise and those are small but silly if you notice it.
I'm in two minds about this series, based on the number of books, there's obviously people who enjoy it. Perhaps I'll pick up book two sometime, hoping the writing gets better. One is quite disconnected from the story and characters.
July 2, 2022
Alien visitation turns ugly and the Revenge seeks them out with novel pilots
An alien ship arrives near Jupiter and the Americans send a carrier to investigate. However the aliens aren't interested in talking and destroy them.
Earth is currently divided into American, Russian, and Chinese forces and each has technological developments that combined could lead to an impressive force to try and find the aliens homeworld. Aboard the Revenge are new F77B fighters that are controlled by an uplink to the pilots brain allowing for faster responses and control. However officially the fighter doesn't exist due to pilots going crazy and wanting to stay up linked as it is a fully immersive experience.
Two new pilots head to the Revenge and find out these ships do exist and they are due to fly them! The story follows their attempts to fly the ships, fight the aliens, find their homeworld, find out what happens when people go crazy and why Irons appeared to die in her ship for no reason, all while the Revenge tries to live up to its name....
An action-packed story with intrigue, suspense, daredevil flying and advanced tech. An entertaining read that is unputdownable.
An alien ship arrives near Jupiter and the Americans send a carrier to investigate. However the aliens aren't interested in talking and destroy them.
Earth is currently divided into American, Russian, and Chinese forces and each has technological developments that combined could lead to an impressive force to try and find the aliens homeworld. Aboard the Revenge are new F77B fighters that are controlled by an uplink to the pilots brain allowing for faster responses and control. However officially the fighter doesn't exist due to pilots going crazy and wanting to stay up linked as it is a fully immersive experience.
Two new pilots head to the Revenge and find out these ships do exist and they are due to fly them! The story follows their attempts to fly the ships, fight the aliens, find their homeworld, find out what happens when people go crazy and why Irons appeared to die in her ship for no reason, all while the Revenge tries to live up to its name....
An action-packed story with intrigue, suspense, daredevil flying and advanced tech. An entertaining read that is unputdownable.
July 26, 2022
As many who have seen my profile I have been reading the Messenger series by J.N. Chaney and the algorithm recommended Uplink Squadron. Turns out its a great book and the start of a series. So now I am stuck waiting for the next one to come out.
A couple years back, Aliens came to Earth and they destroyed a Carrier group and all its fighters. They immediately pulled out and retreated. Russians, Chinese and Americans decided that in order to protect Earth they needed to work in conjunction not apart. A single Carrier and its complement of Fighters was launched. A space and atmosphere capable fighter was selected for the mission. Its main capability is that the pilot can immerse himself into the system making tasks faster and intuitive. A major issue is discovered, the pilots lose themselves in the system and lose their minds.
Lets just say what follows is more "Ghost in the Machine" then you ever would have expected. I loved it.
A couple years back, Aliens came to Earth and they destroyed a Carrier group and all its fighters. They immediately pulled out and retreated. Russians, Chinese and Americans decided that in order to protect Earth they needed to work in conjunction not apart. A single Carrier and its complement of Fighters was launched. A space and atmosphere capable fighter was selected for the mission. Its main capability is that the pilot can immerse himself into the system making tasks faster and intuitive. A major issue is discovered, the pilots lose themselves in the system and lose their minds.
Lets just say what follows is more "Ghost in the Machine" then you ever would have expected. I loved it.
November 22, 2022
Wow - what a read
Ok - so here’s the ‘drill’. The earth is just starting its burgeoning space exploration when the vanguard are stopped and destroyed. Cue - leadership mission to unite the earth to face this threat and the story bounces along accordingly…
But this is not the key storyline - ohhh no. The storyline is a lot more complex with earth’s forces taking tentative step towards finding out exactly what they are up against..
The storyline in this tome is quite unique with the author managing to reflect the doubts of the reader with key characters in the book…
What is done well is the ‘ride’ of discovery you go on as the pages turn and the tale unfolds into what is actually a very good read.
So - if you like space opera and enjoy ‘believable’ stories then grab this and have a read - I found it hard to put down and hope you do too.
Ok - so here’s the ‘drill’. The earth is just starting its burgeoning space exploration when the vanguard are stopped and destroyed. Cue - leadership mission to unite the earth to face this threat and the story bounces along accordingly…
But this is not the key storyline - ohhh no. The storyline is a lot more complex with earth’s forces taking tentative step towards finding out exactly what they are up against..
The storyline in this tome is quite unique with the author managing to reflect the doubts of the reader with key characters in the book…
What is done well is the ‘ride’ of discovery you go on as the pages turn and the tale unfolds into what is actually a very good read.
So - if you like space opera and enjoy ‘believable’ stories then grab this and have a read - I found it hard to put down and hope you do too.
September 20, 2022
Rejected for language
Amazon is clueless and careless about recommendations to their Kindle Unlimited readers.
The first thing I do after downloading a book is use the Search feature for several crude words. (Sorry, but if I put those words in this review it would not meet Amazon "standards" and the review would be REJECTED. Fact. )
Well, guess what. "Uplink Squadron book 1" by J.N. Chaney and Chris Kennedy gets too many hits for such searches. Why Amazon continues to recommend such books to me is inexplicable. I've read every day for 227 weeks in a row according to Reading Insights. (87 titles in 2022.) They could know what I read - or do NOT read- if they tried.
Amazon is clueless and careless about recommendations to their Kindle Unlimited readers.
The first thing I do after downloading a book is use the Search feature for several crude words. (Sorry, but if I put those words in this review it would not meet Amazon "standards" and the review would be REJECTED. Fact. )
Well, guess what. "Uplink Squadron book 1" by J.N. Chaney and Chris Kennedy gets too many hits for such searches. Why Amazon continues to recommend such books to me is inexplicable. I've read every day for 227 weeks in a row according to Reading Insights. (87 titles in 2022.) They could know what I read - or do NOT read- if they tried.
June 1, 2023
DNF @ 50%. Action sequences were excellent but failed to make up for the lack in the rest of the story. A single conversation was enough to make three diametrically opposed nations ally with each other, and I got serious Anakin Skywalker-level “my significant other is a thing for me to own” vibes from Petrov.
The concept of an “uplink squadron” is interesting and the benefits and drawbacks of it seem reasonable enough, but the characters felt like they were just marionettes of the authors, not people in their own right with their own distinct voices. Will not continue the series, but may try the authors’ other works.
I received a free copy of this book from Prime Reading.
The concept of an “uplink squadron” is interesting and the benefits and drawbacks of it seem reasonable enough, but the characters felt like they were just marionettes of the authors, not people in their own right with their own distinct voices. Will not continue the series, but may try the authors’ other works.
I received a free copy of this book from Prime Reading.
June 7, 2022
Uplink Squadron. J.N.Chaney, Chris Kennedy
An alien species is bringing havoc to Earth, destroying anyone who crosses their path. Their technology is superior. America, China and Russian band tog ether and form a survival pack. They utilize each others technology to form fighters capable of engaging the aliens and begin to score victories against a foe that greatly out numbers them. They are called The Uplink Squardon, the tip of the spear. They are the only fighters to protect the aliens from invading Earth. A stupendous read!!!
An alien species is bringing havoc to Earth, destroying anyone who crosses their path. Their technology is superior. America, China and Russian band tog ether and form a survival pack. They utilize each others technology to form fighters capable of engaging the aliens and begin to score victories against a foe that greatly out numbers them. They are called The Uplink Squardon, the tip of the spear. They are the only fighters to protect the aliens from invading Earth. A stupendous read!!!
June 11, 2022
if you like dogfight in space spaceship combat, with a twist you will enjoy this book
I enjoyed the book very much for what it is, a top gun in space. But of course with the authors who wrote this book there is a twist a sentient intelligence within the ship. The action is fast paced the characters of believable and enjoyable. The only thing I did not like and the reason I won’t give it a five is the book ended on a cliffhanger. I always believe each box stand on its own. If you like the story enough you will read the next book in the series. Which, I will
I enjoyed the book very much for what it is, a top gun in space. But of course with the authors who wrote this book there is a twist a sentient intelligence within the ship. The action is fast paced the characters of believable and enjoyable. The only thing I did not like and the reason I won’t give it a five is the book ended on a cliffhanger. I always believe each box stand on its own. If you like the story enough you will read the next book in the series. Which, I will
June 19, 2022
4.5 stars
Two fine authors, one very good book #1.
I really like scifi, I really like military fiction, this is a very good military scifi book, period. I am a very fast reader as my almost 3000 kindle books might show, many of which I've read several (or more) times. This story and characters are very good, well written and just fun reading.
I anxiously await book two and any more that may follow.
Thank you, and write faster!
Two fine authors, one very good book #1.
I really like scifi, I really like military fiction, this is a very good military scifi book, period. I am a very fast reader as my almost 3000 kindle books might show, many of which I've read several (or more) times. This story and characters are very good, well written and just fun reading.
I anxiously await book two and any more that may follow.
Thank you, and write faster!
June 22, 2022
Mostly OK
The technology opens some interesting and unusual options, though its implementation is rough at times. There is reasonable character development and yet by the end of this book only a few of those original cast members have survived. While winning against overwhelming odds can be exciting, it can also be tedious. This installment ends with a solid push into the next book.
The technology opens some interesting and unusual options, though its implementation is rough at times. There is reasonable character development and yet by the end of this book only a few of those original cast members have survived. While winning against overwhelming odds can be exciting, it can also be tedious. This installment ends with a solid push into the next book.
July 25, 2022
I Expected More
What I liked: The bonding of man and machine and the machine has personality and character.
What I didn’t like: How naive the nuggets were in the beginning and how they amazingly went from that to being tactical geniuses; I just expected better from the characters and a lot more “military maturity.”
Still, it’s a decent read for the first book in a series that I hope gets better.
What I liked: The bonding of man and machine and the machine has personality and character.
What I didn’t like: How naive the nuggets were in the beginning and how they amazingly went from that to being tactical geniuses; I just expected better from the characters and a lot more “military maturity.”
Still, it’s a decent read for the first book in a series that I hope gets better.
August 18, 2022
My thanks to Goodreads Giveaway for the ebook. The freebie did not influence my rating. What I particularly liked about the novel was after I got past the premise and science, it became a character driven story and was easy to read and connect with. The writing style reminded me of Andy Weir in the way the characters maintain a make it work and can do attitude in the face of adversity. I'm looking forward to the follow up book.
September 9, 2022
Great read
KNIGHT RIDER meets STEALTH in the quick paced action storyline. Most readers will need to search who/what KNIGHT RIDER and STEALTH reference means. Loved the realistic politics, logistics and sacrifices incorporated into the storyline. How a small alteration to the airframe that doesn’t assess all potential effects to the crafts operation can result in unforeseen results. This intriguing story compels you to keep reading!
KNIGHT RIDER meets STEALTH in the quick paced action storyline. Most readers will need to search who/what KNIGHT RIDER and STEALTH reference means. Loved the realistic politics, logistics and sacrifices incorporated into the storyline. How a small alteration to the airframe that doesn’t assess all potential effects to the crafts operation can result in unforeseen results. This intriguing story compels you to keep reading!
January 31, 2023
Story has a neat concept
What drew me to this story was what I saw on Facebook about it being like Top Gun and Starship Troopers. I could definitely see Top Gun in it. Also reminds red me of the tv series Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. I liked the concept of plugging into the aircraft and controlling it with your thoughts. I liked the aerial battle as well. There were times the story was a bit slow and a little weird, but overall a good read.
What drew me to this story was what I saw on Facebook about it being like Top Gun and Starship Troopers. I could definitely see Top Gun in it. Also reminds red me of the tv series Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. I liked the concept of plugging into the aircraft and controlling it with your thoughts. I liked the aerial battle as well. There were times the story was a bit slow and a little weird, but overall a good read.
April 10, 2023
From flight school to a secret unit designed to protect Earth. However, all is not as it seems. Some planes sent to the graveyard and others with strange stories. Being one of the new pilots in a pre-existing squadron, one has to prove themselves. Claiming that your plane is haunted by ghosts doesn’t lend to being able to handle the pressure. With many other pilots defeated in battle, can the ghost planes be resurrected in time to protect the planet?
#GoodreadsGiveaway
#GoodreadsGiveaway
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