Devastation Class

By: Glen Zipper, Elaine Mongeon

Narrated by: Sophie Amoss, Steven Barnett

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

An annihilation force of invading aliens. Human civilization on the brink of extinction.

Earth’s only hope - seven cadets and the legendary starship they were never meant to command.

No matter the cost, they will stop at nothing to survive. No matter the odds, they will fight to save their future.

The distant future. Earth’s Alliance forces have emerged victorious from a brutal nine-year war with the mysterious Kastazi - a vicious, highly advanced alien race. In the dawn of a new peace, the Alliance Devastation Class starship California embarks on a mission of science and learning with a skeleton crew of seasoned officers, civilian students, and inexperienced military cadets in tow.

For JD Marshall and Viv Nixon, gifted cadets and best friends, the mission holds special meaning: It offers an opportunity to prove themselves and begin to escape the long shadows of their legendary war hero parents.

Suddenly ambushed by a second wave of invading Kastazi forces, JD and Viv make the impossible decision to spearhead a mutiny to save the California and everyone on it. In command and quickly out of options, they are forced to activate the ship's prototype Blink Reactor - an experimental technology they expect to send them to the safe, distant reaches of space. When their escape transports them to a reality they don’t recognize and reveals unimaginably terrifying secrets, they must fight their way home to save not just everyone they love but also humanity itself. Standing in their way are an insurmountable enemy, saboteurs from within, a mystery eons in the making, and the fabric of time and space itself.

©2020 Glen Zipper and Elaine Mongeon (P)2020 Blink

Critic reviews

"Devastation Class looks to be a new classic YA series: gripping, pacey, and action-packed. It reminded me in the best way of the universe-building stories of Heinlein and Card. The cliffhangers matter in this one, so looking forward to the next!" (Alex Winter, director (Panama Papers, Showbiz Kids, and Zappa) and actor (Bill and Ted Face the Music)

"Devastation Class has everything I look for in a book - great characters, action, humor, and a lot of heart. Sci-fi fans across the spectrum are going to love it. I can't wait to see where the series goes from here." (Gregory Jacobs, producer of Contagion and Edge of Tomorrow)

"I cannot stress this enough - Devastation Class was just good fun. And right now that's worth traveling to the moon and back for." (Laura Bradley, writer, The Daily Beast)

Great SciFi!!

The story is very well written and told. The shifting perspectives from one to one is great but at times can be a bit jarring if you’re not fully paying attention.

Vocals from the narrators were decent well paced and timed. Steven seems to command a better overall sense of narrating either when it comes to characters or a sense of urgency and sound control, whereas Sophie had either some technical issues and less energy or lack interest in the characters she was portraying, not that she did bad but there were dynamic differences in performance.

Overall definitely should give this book at the very least a once over. I know I’ll be listening again for any nuances that I missed on my first run.

A gripping listen

Devastation Class is perfectly written to bring readers into the characters perspectives and the action surrounding the cadets. It is gripping and heartfelt with the action kicking in from the start. This truly is reminiscent of a John Hughes Film, and I cannot wait to see where this new franchise takes us.

Read it in print

What????
Spoiler alert: The story involves time travel and those plots leave me utterly lost and confused. Which, in turn, means I don't really care what happens to the characters.

I'm guessing this is one that's better read in print than listened to. Fewer distractions and you can flip back and forth to keep track of what's going on. Good luck.