Ex Supra

by Tony Stark

This is the story of the war after the next war.
In 2035, an AI-driven disinformation campaign turned us on ourselves. We became the enemy's first strike weapons, and as we set fire to our own country, the People's Liberation Army seized half of the Pacific. From the first combat jump on Mars to the climate change-ravaged jungles of Southeast Asia, EX SUPRA blends the bleeding edge of technology and the bloody reality of combat. In EX SUPRA, the super soldiers are only as strong as their own wills, reality is malleable, and hope only arrives with hellfire. Follow John Petrov, a refugee turned CIA paramilitary officer, Captain Jennifer Shaw, a Green Beret consumed by bloodlust, and many more, as they face off against Chinese warbots, Russian assassins, and their own demons in the war for the future of humanity.

Genres: Fiction

531 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2022

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

This needed a better editor. Some interesting ideas about emerging tech and capabilities for the next decade, but bad characters and worse dialogue throughout.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.33 Stars out of 5 Stars. I’ll say it, the front cover is sick. Looks like a war is raging in space. Major sci-fi vibes. I’m ready for Matthew McConaughey to be diving out of the sky to take out Matt Damon on Mars.

However, this thing turned out to be the complete opposite. Starting off in a battle for Taiwan really piqued my interest, but as the book fell out of the scope of reality, so did my spirit to continue reading. Major issues with character development made this novel a 1 dimensional battle scene scattered across time and space. Additionally, the Tarantino format of the chapters made it hard to follow and down right not fun at times.

With all of that being said, when the battles raged, the book was fun and the pages flew. Stark clearly had a great grasp at the feel of war and battles, but his characters really left something to be desired.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simultaneously really fun and very scary. It does a great job of speculating on trends just past their logical conclusion in a way that I think is very productively thought provoking. I think his treatment of “AI” is my favorite part - especially regarding the societal dynamics and the potential for understandably misguided Ludditism (fear of killer robots while ignoring surveillance capitalism). “The Missiles on Maple Street are Fake News” was easily my favorite chapter, with the Buffy reference (I’m assuming) being the cherry on top. The Sierra was, if on the cheesy size, masterful.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting premise and logical use of both technology and geopolitical trends to weave a fascinating story of the near future. Fast read and fun to boot. I couldn’t help but think there’s exposition missing, as the book moves at breakneck speed - like it wants to tell the story so badly that it doesn’t care about details where they would matter.

There’s also pretty significant editing gaffs for a printed work.

Four stars because it is fun and easy military fiction read, but it had more potential.

[Kwinten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in 1 go. Story is like World War Z but then with Chinese instead of Zombies. Future can be a dark place...

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant! Needs serious editing though

[David Musgraves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Turns out that rapid-fire smash cuts is not a way to tell a story.