The First Casualty

Jump Universe #1

by Mike Moscoe

Two green draftees of the Society of Humanity. Two career soldiers invested with the cause of the United Colonies. These four soldiers on opposing sides of battle are about to discover the true nature of this terrible war--a quest for profit--from the high command of both sides. What they will risk is nothing less than their lives. For although truth is the first casualty of war, it won't be the last.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

325 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Currently writes under the pseudonym Mike Shepherd

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I noticed a few months ago that this series is going to be back in print and I got excited when I saw the first one in the bookstore. I loved the Kris Longknife series, and I had high hopes for this. I enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. The beginning was pretty slow, though. I kept getting confused with all the different points of view. You have the 3 main characters, and then at least 4 secondary characters each get the spotlight a few times throughout the book. The second half of the book is a lot better when the action starts to pick up and the story starts to come to a point. I'm definitely going to pick up the next one because I still want to know what happens. If you're new to this world, you may try starting with the first Kris Longknife novel. If you're a stickler for chronology, it's a decent introduction, even with the whole host of characters.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Kris Longknife series so thought I would give this series by Shepherd a try. I discovered that the story was first published in 1999 under the name of Mike Moscoe. The book apparently is the prequel to the Kris Longknife series.

In this story we learn about Major Ray Longknife and his wife Senior Pilot Rita Nuu. They are both career military. Ray is wounded in battle and loses his legs. He is awarded the highest award for valor. Rita returns after being declared dead. Ray’s military career is over so with the help of Rita’s father, a wealthy industrialist’ he goes into politics.

We also follow the story of Lt. Mary Rodrigo and Major Terence “Trouble” Tordon. Also featured is merchant Captain, now Navy Captain, Mattim Abeeb and his crew. Abeeb and crew make a “jump gate” at full speed while in a battle and end up across the universe and have to find their way home.

I am not sure what they are fighting about and who is the good guy and the bad guy. I have figured out the “Society of Humanity,” which is the earth side of the conflict, is fighting the “Unity Party” of the rim worlds. Ray Longknife was fighting on the Unity party side, I think.

The book is well written and fast paced. It appears the Shepherd is building his characters and not explaining much about what is going on. I am looking forward to the next book and hopefully will learn more about the war. This is a fun military Sci-Fi story. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Michael M. McConnohie does a good job narrating the book.

[Jeffrey Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Military sci-fi story following four different characters; Mary Rodrigo, miner drafted to be a marine, and Mattim Abeeb, merchant skipper drafted to be a combat commander, on the side of "society of Humanity, which is also the "Earth" side of the conflict. On the other side (the Unity Party) are Ray Longknife, Marine commander, and Rita Nuu, combat pilot.

As others have said, the plot is all over the place. The narrative switches between the characters on a whim. The placement of chapters is arbitrary and does nothing to alleviate the confusion. World building is weak; not stopping to have a character launch into exposition is fine, but introducing concepts at the same time they become integral to the plot isn't good either. I never actually got a good sense of how big the war was, how long it had been going on, or what the stated goals of each side were. There was supposedly a big, bad conspiracy running through the middle of it too, but I couldn't describe any details of that with a gun to my head.

Frankly, most of the story seems to be written as filler. There are four narrative arcs that feel fully fleshed out: the first battles in ground and space, the "lost in space" segment, and Wardhaven standoff. Those stories are engaging and interesting, full of good descriptive action and real character behavior. Everything else feels like it was done on assignment; it looks the way its supposed to and fits into the story where it's expected, but it feels hurried, as if the author was told it needs to be there but he wasn't really interested in writing it.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Jump Universe book

An interesting military/SF book. We have point of view characters on both sides of the war, and indeed on both sides of the same battles between Unity (out in the newly settled colonies) and Earth (plus the heavily settled original colonies). And, unsurprisingly, a lot of untruths floating about.

It involves miners putting their skills to military use, highly educated recruits sent out as grunts, a "sour" jump (one you don't come back from), a marriage, a woman being shot for sedition and her family being billed for the bullet, field promotion, sharing a table to avoid empty seats, a wartime wedding, and more.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 1st book in the Jump Universe series by Mike Moscoe/Mike Shepherd. For those of you who have read the Kris Longknife books, events in these books take place before Kris was ever born. This one tells the story of how Ray Longknife (Kris's great grandfather) meets Rita Nuu ( Kris's great grandmother), marries her , brings down a dictator and ends a terrible war between the Society of Humanity and the Unity. All these events are later referred to in the Kris Longknife books. I recommend this book to fans of Space Opera/Military Science Fiction and Fans of the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd/Mike Moscoe.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a science fiction war story. It follows four main characters - two from each side of the war - as it unfolds. Major Ray Longknife and his wife Senior Pilot Rita Nuu Longknife are on the Unity side of the conflict. Asteroid Miner turned drafted Marine Mary Rodrigo and freighter owner turned drafted captain of a warshop Mattim Abeeb fight for the Society of Humanity.

The story is filled with space battles and political intrigue. Each of them comes to learn that the wars they are fighting are designed for profiting some wealthy special interest groups on both sides of the conflict.

I liked the action and adventure and liked getting to know the four main characters. I found the worldbuilding to be interesting. I liked the idea of gates that travel great distances quickly and that are still not understood. I liked that Captain Abeeb and his crew discover a whole new star system when they accidentally enter a jump incorrectly. I liked the way they found their way home and the way the powers that be wanted to hide Abeeb's crew's discovery.

I liked the romance between Ray and Rita and the way they were willing to do the hard thing as long as it was the right thing.

This is the first book in a six-book series, so I wasn't surprised that things were left unresolved. I'm eager to read more in the series to follow their adventures and lives.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prequel series to the Kris Longknife saga is a good kick-off to the King Ray / Trouble era. There are many characters interwoven from multiple POVs, but it's handled deftly, and the transitions are clearly marked.

Partly because of the way the final battle plays out, there is a lack of intensity in some of the threads. However, it's still a good space-opera.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two-thirds are all over the place, but it really picks up in the last third.

[Mistress OP · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is extremely unfocused because of that we as a reader never gain the give a damn about the characters the author is lavishing attention on. it's not a character count issue it's a focus issue. you got an extreme long action scene without stakes for the reader. we haven't been invested much and this is the kind of scene that's used in the middle or end of the story. it's EXTREMELY hard to keep reading even as a kris Longknife fan.

had it been a run and gunfight in a canyon we could have the "building" scene required for this long action piece to work. lots of options here. It's hard cos he's a talented writer. the audiobook reader is "working hard as hell" but.. ya.. bit of a hot mess so far. hr. 1:45.00 in.

2 hrs. Im starting to see what and why. i think the author wanted it all and it's the kinda concept you have to work up. i really feel ungrounded in this series i dont think i'll get grounded until i make it out of early 1999-2001 writing. make it into 2014. writing series. might skip ahead.

[J.c. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series of books. I enjoy the characters and the storyline. The only reservation I have is if you are not familiar with this universe and the people who populate it, the story jumps between a couple of different characters and the actions they are involved in. This can get a tad confusing if you are a newby to Mike Moscoe/Shepherd. Each storyline is well written and action packed, so it is totally worth sticking it out and finding the rhythm of his writing.

[Ladyhawke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give it a bit!!

Man… i hated that it changed povs so much !! Plenty military jargon didn’t care for. And longknife’s part seemed unnecessary and superfluous. But hooooney what a ride!! More about Mary and Mattim and the author makes us, forces us to like them. And we do!! Pretty soon yur sitting up going oh my gawd what finna happen ?!?!? The action is on point! Some mistakes on realism but it doesn’t detract at all! Heading off for the next!!

[Sydney Blackburn]

DNF no rating. There was nothing about this book I particularly disliked, but I had to put it down for some reason and promptly forgot about it. Like I picked it up today and was surprised to realize I'd read (half of) it already. When you put a book down that far into it and FORGET ABOUT IT...well, it wasn't for me. This is a note to self if I forget to delete this one from my TBR--self, you have easily a hundred other books on your TBR to choose from.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was tempted to rate this higher because the opening battle sequence was pretty good, but then it begins to wander off track - if ever there was a track. Randomly jumping between various characters has never been a strong cohesive literary device - in my opinion. Even if there is a weak attempt toward the end to intersect the various lives. The sociological behavioral goop hardly seems germane. Not always easy to track on the two parallel stories.

[Tammy Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was fun to read. Kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would be happening next. I enjoyed the characters and nothing could be guessed ahead of time. Great writing! I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Michel Sizaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to reading the next one

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good use of characters.
Fun read.
A young Ray.
A young Rita.
Crossy on the other side.
Can't wait unil we get everyone one we know all together.

[Freyja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of action in this prequel. It changes viewpoint from one side to the other. It does so a bit too frequently for my taste. The characters are well-written and interesting.

[Mark Sheinbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a military scifi series. A little better than the others in my opinion because there is more focus on the politics.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am half way through and I am rapidly losing interest. Why are they fighting over a moon?

[Fred Genualdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good space opera book

Book starts fast and keeps your attention. Author sets up realistic world of the future and wearing factions. I enjoyed the book and will read the sequels.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I thought I was really going to like this book. The story opens en medias res and with a tense battle underway I was drawn in, willing to wait for an explanation. But none was really forth coming. We jump from one set of characters to another, in which they are either in battle, getting ready to do battle, or recovering from battle. It was like watching one endless action sequence with no clear person or result to root for.

There was some attempt at characterization, but it is quite superficial, with the characters little more than tropes. In lieu of character development we get reams of dialog detailing the imaginary workings of futuristic war machinery and vessels. Oddly, on both sides of the battle, the new recruits are the ones that save the day while the experienced soldiers are played for fools. So we get some newly enlisted miners trouncing a seasoned captain and merchant marines saving the day while the actual trained military leaders flounder. This is all very silly and undercut the realism that the novel seemed to be striving for.

After about 40 percent in, I realized that I simply don't have any interest in reading further. I did appreciate that the author had a balanced cast of strong, competent males and females. This is the first work I've read by the author and I understand that its not considered his best work, so I might give another of his books a try.

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Society of Humanity, more or less representing the “core” worlds, is at was with the “rim” worlds, where political power is wielded by a ruthless dictator. We follow protagonists from both sides of the conflict.

While it has some interesting battle scenes and good characterization, the plot is scattered and weak. As in the early Longknife books, I was left reeling by a rich backstory which wasn’t adequately fleshed out. I had to pay real attention to seemingly throwaway comments from minor characters to fill in the social and political background. The book did serve as a decent introduction to the next two installments, introducing the main players.

Note: Mike Moscoe is more well known under the pen name Mike Shepherd. The Society of Humanity series is set in the same universe as the Kris Longknife books, but several decades earlier.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1005

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in alternating viewpoints. Mary Rodrigo was a miner, was drafted and now she tries to lead her people safely through this war they don't want to fight. Ray Longknife has been raised to lead 2nd division, and he gets trounced thoroughly, leaving him practically crippled. Mattim Abeeb was a merchant, but has also been conscripted into this war between Earth and the colonials.
This story was much more confusing than the Kris Longknife books, it was difficult to keep track of who was on which side, though that may be because I know several years down the road they're all on the same side. This was an interesting look into characters mentioned in the Kris Longknife books, but it wasn't about the Iteeche War, it's set before that. I spent much of the book trying to figure out which characters came back in the later series.

[Jeffrey Jelmeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading my way through Mike's Kris Longknife series I learned that he originally wrote this trilogy, and this trilogy formed the foundation of the other series. Hungry to read more of his work I decided to give it a shot, and I am quite happy that I did as I have really enjoyed this volume. So many times in the successor series references are made to events that unfolded in Ray Longknife's time, and while no real details come out it is clear that they were important events that helped shape the future. Now I get a chance to see those events and learn some (many) of the details that are skirted past whenever the topic comes up on the Kris series. The hard part for me now is waiting to see if my local library can obtain a copy of the second book in the trilogy via Interlibrary Loan as they do not have a copy in their own inventory.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who have read the Kris Longknife books, this series was written prior to them and about her grandfather, Ray Longknife, amongst others.

A rousing tale about a merchant captain turned navy captain via the draft, a miner turned marine also via the draft, and a marine on the other side who wants no part of the medal given to him when he lost so many of his men.

A bit slow to start, but then the plot gets a head of steam, and it draws you in until the conclusion.

First in a trilogy, and I looked forward to the other three.

Bad news though for Mike Moscoe aka Shepherd fans who want to read the book; it's out of print. All three of my copies were ordered used, which is a shame as I'd like to give the author his due (read paycheck).

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed most of the Jump Universe series, and finally got around to this one. It's probably unfair to judge it in comparison to the later ones, but for the sake of potential readers, I'm doing it anyway.

On the plus side, most of the factors that other reviewers complained about did not bother me. For example, I found that the frequent context switches were done well enough that I was seldom confused (even though I normally dislike this technique). I also found few typos - perhaps they were fixed in this version.

On the negative side, I found that there were too many characters to be able to relate fully to any of them. This problem seems to have been corrected in later books in the series.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Jump Universe, a series written long before Kris Longknife appeared although it features many of her distant and not so distant ancestors!
I did enjoy this book which has two great female role model stars as well as two male role model stars. One of the male role models is disabled which allows a lot of emotions and needs to be explored in addition to the usual romance, military chain of command, and coping with loss rollercoaster of Shepherd's books.
I didn't enjoy this book (or series) as much as the Kris Longknife books which I can read over and over. However I will read the rest of the series and more as he writes (or rewrites) them.

[Mark Pitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major Ray Longknife and his wife Senior Pilot Rita Nuu fight for the colonists against the Earth. Mary Rodrigo was pressed into the Marines from being an asteroid miner by the Earth. The conflict is terrible fro both sides until Captain Mattim Aheeb's transcripted freighter makes a bad jump into a distant universe and figures out a way to return.
The first book in the Jump Universe leaves the strong possibility of more enjoyable books in the series. I plan on reading the second as soon as I find it.

[Zachary Wagoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out some what confusing, as there were several characters rapidly introduced into a confusing situation. Fortunately, I rarely give up on a book. The book quickly came into focus after the initial confusion and became a page turner. Was reading this at work and had a hard time putting it down to do the work. Some excellent characters and some familiar characters to anyone who likes the Kris Longknife series of books, written by the same author.

[Joe AuBuchon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Military sci-fi story seen thru the eyes of professional soldiers and unlucky draftees of opposing sides. Fast, interesting and interesting characters on both sides. Not quite as polished as his later work.
I have a bias toward early books in series as new characters are introduced and gradually fleshed out. The same is true in this series. I enjoyed The First Casualty (1) more than The Price of Peace (2) and both more than They Also Serve (3) but, all three books were worth reading.