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Doom Star #2
Bio-Weapon
Humans are the warheads in a lethal contest of missiles vs. long-range beams in deep space. The desperate Homo sapiens of Earth launch their experimental beamship. Its ultra-tracking and breakthrough technology allows it to out-range the Doom Stars. The Highborn want that ship. They send swarms of missiles, knowing few will reach it. In the nosecones are their secret weapons—Free Earth Corps heroes from the Japan Campaign. Launched from the giant missiles like shells in a shotgun, Marten Kluge and his friends must ride their torps into the particle shields and storm aboard the beamship or die in the cold vacuum of space. BIO WEAPON is the story of a suicide ride to hell through a techno blizzard of war.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2010
157 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn Heppner
147 books569 followersYou can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 21, 2015
I'm going to struggle through this series. I'm having trouble both with the story and with the narration. The conversations between characters are immature, almost like Gooneys in Space. The story (I'm just starting book 4) reminds me of the drama experienced in a typical high school with the brains, brawns, jocks, druggies, and beautiful people all saying nah nah nah sticks and stones to each other. Even the science in the fiction is absurd in many cases.
As for narration, unfortunately Ely Miles isn't helping the situation. Not too many colonels or gunnery officers or Praetors are going to whine or complain with wavering, almost crying voices and mewl like little children scared by the boogie man under their bed. Yet that is how Ely interprets many of the characters.
So, no recommendations for reading this series. If you make it past book 2 then maybe you're like me... already paid for the sequels.
As for narration, unfortunately Ely Miles isn't helping the situation. Not too many colonels or gunnery officers or Praetors are going to whine or complain with wavering, almost crying voices and mewl like little children scared by the boogie man under their bed. Yet that is how Ely interprets many of the characters.
So, no recommendations for reading this series. If you make it past book 2 then maybe you're like me... already paid for the sequels.
March 12, 2017
Poor editing
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Bio Weapon (Doom Star Book 2) (Kindle Edition)
Many reviews complain about the editing, spelling, missing words, repeated phrases and sentences in this series. Welcome to modern publishing, education, computers and their programs in place of real editors. I have done a good bit of editing and it is difficult. That said, this is worse than normal. However, the book is still pretty good space opera.
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Bio Weapon (Doom Star Book 2) (Kindle Edition)
Many reviews complain about the editing, spelling, missing words, repeated phrases and sentences in this series. Welcome to modern publishing, education, computers and their programs in place of real editors. I have done a good bit of editing and it is difficult. That said, this is worse than normal. However, the book is still pretty good space opera.
January 12, 2022
This is a solid follow up to "Star Soldier" and the ongoing war between the human Social Unity (SU) (left wing dictator ship) and the High-Born (super soldiers crated by SU that rebelled). Add to the mix a group of humans that have been re-educated and now fight for the High Born there is a lot of strands to the story.
SU have a new super battleship that is being sent to attack the Sun Works Ring around Mercury which is being used by the High-Born as their manufacturing base. The High-Born send Shock Troops in missiles to board and capture the battleship. Will technology or brute force be victorious?
Alongside this we have various characters unhappy with their lot in the relevant dictatorship they find themselves, some knuckle down and try to remain invisible others try to rebel on both sides the secret police are hell bent on stopping them. Underlying theme is the question of whether the human will to life is stronger than any form of conditioning that can be applied to a person. The narrow view of secret police is cleverly highlighted by the fact that when discussing a defeat there is never a consideration that the enemy had better tactics, troops or was simply luck - no according to them there must have a been treachery among the leaders otherwise they could not have been defeated.
SU have a new super battleship that is being sent to attack the Sun Works Ring around Mercury which is being used by the High-Born as their manufacturing base. The High-Born send Shock Troops in missiles to board and capture the battleship. Will technology or brute force be victorious?
Alongside this we have various characters unhappy with their lot in the relevant dictatorship they find themselves, some knuckle down and try to remain invisible others try to rebel on both sides the secret police are hell bent on stopping them. Underlying theme is the question of whether the human will to life is stronger than any form of conditioning that can be applied to a person. The narrow view of secret police is cleverly highlighted by the fact that when discussing a defeat there is never a consideration that the enemy had better tactics, troops or was simply luck - no according to them there must have a been treachery among the leaders otherwise they could not have been defeated.
April 3, 2019
Good read while traveling. Not sure why 20 or more words are required. Others who travel may enjoy short reads of this nature. Words words words words
Good read while traveling. Not sure why 20 or more words are required. Others who travel may enjoy short reads of this nature. Words words words words
Good read while traveling. Not sure why 20 or more words are required. Others who travel may enjoy short reads of this nature. Words words words words
June 28, 2017
An excellent story. Its a new twist to science fiction tales for me. I highly enjoyed the book.
January 1, 2020
Only ok
It’s an ok book - Vaughn is more about the fighting than the science fiction - to each his own
It’s an ok book - Vaughn is more about the fighting than the science fiction - to each his own
February 26, 2020
Great Read!
This book was good from start to finish. Mr Heppner, I salute you. I am now starting on Battle Pod.
This book was good from start to finish. Mr Heppner, I salute you. I am now starting on Battle Pod.
September 5, 2020
Excellent
Enjoyed it very much, keep up the good work. Minimum comment requirement of customers is illogical and counterproductive. XXxX xxxxxx
Enjoyed it very much, keep up the good work. Minimum comment requirement of customers is illogical and counterproductive. XXxX xxxxxx
November 25, 2010
The Doom Star series of books are one of the best sci-fi book series I've read in a very long time!
They're set in the distant future where Earth and most of the inner planets in our solar system are ruled by the communist Social Unity, who brutally repress their subjects. The main character, Martin Kluge, starts the first book by escaping the Sun Works Factory, an enormous space station ringing Mercury. He flees to Earth where most people live in giant cities buried miles deep into the ground.
As bad as things are under the Social Unity rule, they could get worse, and very quickly they do. The SU rulers had previously created a genetically enhanced super race called thr Highborn, designed to be their army and fight their wars for them. Unfortunately for the SU, the Highborn rebelled and attached the SU and an interplanetary war began.
If they SU were the worst sort of communists, the Highborn took more or less the opposite approach, admiring the Nazis of 20th century Earth, emulating the German assumption that they were of a superior race. Genetically speaking, the Highborn were right, being bigger, stronger, and smarter than normal humans.
Kluge hasn't been getting along very well on Earth and when the Highborn attack it first helps save his life. He soon finds himself drafted into a human army fighting on the Highborn side of the war, but between the Nazi-like Highborn and communist Social Unity, neither side are the "good guys". Kluge wishes nothing more than to find another option, possibly on Mars, home to a group of humans who have rebelled against SU but have not (yet) fallen to the Highborn, or maybe to the outer planets where there are rumors of free humans remaining...
Having finished books one through three very quickly, I cannot wait for book four to be released.
They're set in the distant future where Earth and most of the inner planets in our solar system are ruled by the communist Social Unity, who brutally repress their subjects. The main character, Martin Kluge, starts the first book by escaping the Sun Works Factory, an enormous space station ringing Mercury. He flees to Earth where most people live in giant cities buried miles deep into the ground.
As bad as things are under the Social Unity rule, they could get worse, and very quickly they do. The SU rulers had previously created a genetically enhanced super race called thr Highborn, designed to be their army and fight their wars for them. Unfortunately for the SU, the Highborn rebelled and attached the SU and an interplanetary war began.
If they SU were the worst sort of communists, the Highborn took more or less the opposite approach, admiring the Nazis of 20th century Earth, emulating the German assumption that they were of a superior race. Genetically speaking, the Highborn were right, being bigger, stronger, and smarter than normal humans.
Kluge hasn't been getting along very well on Earth and when the Highborn attack it first helps save his life. He soon finds himself drafted into a human army fighting on the Highborn side of the war, but between the Nazi-like Highborn and communist Social Unity, neither side are the "good guys". Kluge wishes nothing more than to find another option, possibly on Mars, home to a group of humans who have rebelled against SU but have not (yet) fallen to the Highborn, or maybe to the outer planets where there are rumors of free humans remaining...
Having finished books one through three very quickly, I cannot wait for book four to be released.
February 12, 2011
This is a great follow-up to the first book, Star Soldier. Marten Kluge is caught in a web not of his own making, trying to stay alive as forces gather on various sides. Marten is just a man, but he exerts himself to be more than that -- to be a free man.
I think the only thing I'm not crazy about in this series is the lack of strong, sympathetic women characters. That, of course, is something that has been an sf problem (and probably a general literature problem) for a long time. There are three women we might like -- Marten's mother, and Nadia Pravda, and Osadar Di. Marten's mother is killed in book one, so all we have are his memories. Nadia Pravda is initially blackmailed into helping Marten escape, but she and Marten develop a relationship, at least of convenience, and he misses her when war plans prevent him from meeting her as they'd planned.
Still, every other woman is distasteful -- Major Orlov in book 1, for example. Osadar Di isn't around long enough for us to get to do much more than feel sorry for her, although we do feel for her.
Once again, the military and political machinations are intriguing and many-faceted, and the reader can't wait to find out who does what next.
I think the only thing I'm not crazy about in this series is the lack of strong, sympathetic women characters. That, of course, is something that has been an sf problem (and probably a general literature problem) for a long time. There are three women we might like -- Marten's mother, and Nadia Pravda, and Osadar Di. Marten's mother is killed in book one, so all we have are his memories. Nadia Pravda is initially blackmailed into helping Marten escape, but she and Marten develop a relationship, at least of convenience, and he misses her when war plans prevent him from meeting her as they'd planned.
Still, every other woman is distasteful -- Major Orlov in book 1, for example. Osadar Di isn't around long enough for us to get to do much more than feel sorry for her, although we do feel for her.
Once again, the military and political machinations are intriguing and many-faceted, and the reader can't wait to find out who does what next.
November 10, 2013
Vaughn Heppner's second outing in his "Doom Star" series tones down the organized warfare and increases the personal stakes for hero Marten Kluge. In "Bio-Weapon," Marten's life just got worse. Now his superiors want to geld him and his successful soldiers after surviving a grueling battle in the first novel in the series. Marten's dilemma is that life sucks from every angle. He hates the Social Unity system that has earth in its political talons. The Highborn super-soldiers created by the Social Unity leadership are no better. They think of humans as "premen," worthy only as canon fodder in their battles to take over the earth. The Highborn rebelled, and their success appears inevitable. The bio-weapon in the title refers to a Highborn battle tactic to use their deadly human soldiers as anti-spacecraft weapons, shooting them at massive velocity at Social Unity's secret and deadly ship that can shoot a proton beam from 30 times the distance of Highborn capability. Marten is in this group. His wits keep him alive somehow, and he becomes one of the baddest fighters in the galaxy. But disaster lurks at every step. Highborn gelding or Social Unity, which makes communism practically right-wing. Neither appeals. He's got to do his own thing. Seriously intense, all the way through.
December 9, 2010
I have very mixed feelings about this whole series.
The author is clearly not polished. Much of the writing is quite good, then I'll come across an incorrect word usage (verses vs. versus, used repeatedly), awkward sentence construction, or just something a bit weird that a good editor would correct. Which leads me to believe that these are self-edited and self-published.
The overall plot is interesting, although it has some holes. The characters are a bit shallow/cardboard, as well.
And that said, I've read the first few books in the series because I wanted to see how it all comes out.
The author is clearly not polished. Much of the writing is quite good, then I'll come across an incorrect word usage (verses vs. versus, used repeatedly), awkward sentence construction, or just something a bit weird that a good editor would correct. Which leads me to believe that these are self-edited and self-published.
The overall plot is interesting, although it has some holes. The characters are a bit shallow/cardboard, as well.
And that said, I've read the first few books in the series because I wanted to see how it all comes out.
May 10, 2016
Anticipation and then success but in separate ways!
This second book in the series returns Martin Kluge to the Sun Works habitat surrounding Mercury. With some compatriots from his battles on Earth for the Highborn Martin undergoes Storm Trooper training. He also meets Nadia and they plan their escape to Jupiter. However, fate steps in and changes their future.
Another well written book. The storylines are well developed and weave a complex plot that makes this book hard to put down. Right up to the last pages the p!ot twists!
This second book in the series returns Martin Kluge to the Sun Works habitat surrounding Mercury. With some compatriots from his battles on Earth for the Highborn Martin undergoes Storm Trooper training. He also meets Nadia and they plan their escape to Jupiter. However, fate steps in and changes their future.
Another well written book. The storylines are well developed and weave a complex plot that makes this book hard to put down. Right up to the last pages the p!ot twists!
October 11, 2011
Good space warfare book. The first half is little slow with all the day-to-day life of Martin. But you get to experience what he is living through and his life since becoming a preman for the HighBorn.
Second half of the book is great once they get into the battle with the great laser platform from earth. Looking forward to book three. Can Martin make his way back to Earth. And what will happen with the SU.
Second half of the book is great once they get into the battle with the great laser platform from earth. Looking forward to book three. Can Martin make his way back to Earth. And what will happen with the SU.
May 7, 2015
high borns and shock troopers.
Shock trooper Marten and others are launched aboard a missile laden bomb of a vessel to intercept the Social Unity's battleship Bangladesh. Their mission is to capture or destroy it before it finishes its mission. Soon members of the troopers come to a split over how to deal with their future. Later - - - Read to find out. Another hard to put down book.
Shock trooper Marten and others are launched aboard a missile laden bomb of a vessel to intercept the Social Unity's battleship Bangladesh. Their mission is to capture or destroy it before it finishes its mission. Soon members of the troopers come to a split over how to deal with their future. Later - - - Read to find out. Another hard to put down book.
November 10, 2010
The second instance of the Star Soldier series has the same problems the first one (Star Soldier) presented: repeated passages, disposable characters, and clichés. Even then, it's an entertaining read if you can look past its flaws.
December 21, 2014
Marten is still alive!!!
More in the saga that. Is the life of Marten, former shock trooper... What awaits him after his lateslife altering adventure. I've already downloaded the next book in this series so I can find out.
More in the saga that. Is the life of Marten, former shock trooper... What awaits him after his lateslife altering adventure. I've already downloaded the next book in this series so I can find out.
July 19, 2015
Solid action but unlikable characters
Intense and fairly fast paced, but had a hard time caring or identifying with any of the characters. Nor did I care who was winning the war....
Intense and fairly fast paced, but had a hard time caring or identifying with any of the characters. Nor did I care who was winning the war....
October 18, 2016
Bio pod -- techno blitz
Enjoyable for me because so much of the technology seems that it could happen soon
Distances in space are vast and here we have solutions to high g maneuvering
Radiation is dealt with
So much fun
Enjoyable for me because so much of the technology seems that it could happen soon
Distances in space are vast and here we have solutions to high g maneuvering
Radiation is dealt with
So much fun
December 14, 2010
Jesus christ, have the third book ready too! This episode really hit its stride with the shock troopers. Fun read, and engrossing.
May 1, 2011
Follow up to star soldier... still reading... but gripping as it is.
June 20, 2011
This is an interesting take on the future. I really enjoyed reading it.
August 2, 2011
great development in the story action packed
August 18, 2011
I loved this book , though I wish they focused more action , and less on characters
October 7, 2013
the series gets better with each book
July 23, 2013
Great stories but the author seriously needs an editor. Spelling, grammar and punctuation errors plus poor sentence structure and repeat sentences fill the pages of these books.
September 16, 2013
Very good scifi book. Can only recommend it.
March 29, 2015
Very fast, interesting concepts, fun
Freedom of choice, equals, and other human concepts along with a much science and an interesting plot make this a fun read.
Freedom of choice, equals, and other human concepts along with a much science and an interesting plot make this a fun read.
January 17, 2024
i've been reading these since middle school, they're action-packed pulp and hopelessly silly at times, and they're really just a lot of fun.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews