Jamestown

The Shadow War Chronicles, Book 2

By: Raymond Bayly

Narrated by: Rhys David

Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

The Shadows have come into the light....

Captain Blake Campbell of the Vega class destroyer Revenant and her crew might be unorthodox, but they have a reputation for getting the job done.

A year after the adventure that led them to the ancient alien Artificial intelligence boxes and the creation of the Rangers.

Blake and crew travel back to Croatoan, and what they find will change the course of the galaxy forever. The empire and their shadow overlords are targeting humanity. The Rangers, along with the newly liberated Croaton people, must race across galaxies and save humanity from extinction from the malevolent masters of the empire.

©2019 Raymond Bayly (P)2019 Raymond Bayly

Great Second Installment

This was a great, fast paced continuation of book one. This book development the solid base from book one and moved us closer to understanding and the resolution. So many times the middle book in a series acts merely as a bridge to get from point a to point b (understandably). However, I am always impressed when an author is able to bring character development and exciting story developments to the second book. Very much looking forward to the third book and following these characters in to the next adventure.

Now, the obligatory, "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Better than the first book, could still be better

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I struggled with the star rating for this book, wishing it was out of 10 rather than 5. It is a 3.5 star book, I gave it a 4 star because of the marked improvement over book 1, which was a solid 3 star book.

I liked this book, quite a bit actually. The characters were more solidly written than book 1. The motivations were more mature and realistic. The plot was more consistently executed, with a focused goal in mind and the story didn't wander on its way to the end. Even if some characters did encounter extra problems along the way, which seemed to be more for extending the story, rather than to be a organic part of the plot.

Having said that, it wasn't quite a 4 star book. There was little combat, and what was was over in an instant. Too many narrative branches running in parallel made for not enough time in each branch to be satisfying. Blake's crew branch was possibly the shortest of all, meaning the supposed to be main character, took a mostly back seat in this book.

There was also something missing. The book was interesting, the characters likable (even the villains) and spending time with them was not a chore. The story flowed well and didn't seem to bog down too much. But none the less I found myself not quite hooked enough to be truly engaged. I think it has to do with the writing style. It is a mostly serious book, with a smattering of humor, and I think that's the problem. If it was a little funnier/funner than it would be much better, and if it was more serious it would be better. But riding where it is, it just misses its mark. Not by much, but doesn't quite hit home. At least with me.

Narration by Rhys David was, again, meh. Fine, better than the first book, but mostly because there was less human women in this book to give deep manly voices too. His soft tones and gentle almost whispers do make for some touching moments, at times.

All in all, a book that is better than the first, but still has room to grow. If you read the first, and liked it, you may like this one. Just beware, the story is not centered around the humans, so there is less Blake time.

I look forward to the next book, and hopefully the author continues to grow this series.

The Rangers in New Adventures

The 2nd installment in this series is far more intense. Combining familiar characters with new. Your definitely on edge throughout waiting to see what happens next. I do miss the humor, but still a fantastic listen.
The author and narrator are such a good fit for this story.
This audio was given to me free, and I voluntarily gave this review..

Intriguing Military Sci Fi Mystery

Story opens well, with much character involvement. Several political machinations are involved with the actual motives not revealed until later.
The Narrator was extremely professional with an excellently edited performance, great vocal pressure!
I would recommend this audiobook to ages 17 and older due to violence.
I was given this audiobook for free and I freely give it my rating and opinion

Awestruck and entertaining

I am blown away by the writing and voicing over of this book. This is a great continuation of the Raymond’s first book Revenant. I couldn’t stop listening to this story unfold before me often sitting on the edge of my seat. I loved how the characters grew, developed and learned from their experiences. I anxiously await the third installment of this series to see if Blake and his crew can save the galaxy and them selves from the empire.

Not disappointed

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good:
• As with the first one, I like the AI and aliens.
• I’m a sucker for character development, and I was not disappointed here.
• The author kept a swift clip throughout the book that made it hard to put down.
• I still can't get over the naming scheme xD I grin every time it's brought up.

Not so good:
• I would have liked to see more action.
• The female voices weren’t… the best. Not bad, to be clear. I don’t know how it could have been better without a second narrator. The narrator did well, though.

Looking forward to book 3!

Mass Effect meets Battlestar Galactica

Bayly writes the spiritual successor to Mass Effect with plenty of space based combat thrown in on top.

Bayly continues to tell a character focused story of people just trying to survive in a galaxy that's falling apart around them. The details and emotions that Bayly write make his work a joy to read or listen to.

Rhys David is phenomenal. One of the best narrators I've laid ears on in all my time listening to audiobooks. His mastery of mimicking speech patterns and creating voices is absolutely superb. Add to that his ability to inject feeling into the exposition makes him a must listen for audiobook fans.

If you like awesome space battles, political intrigue, and human/alien drama this book is up your alley.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent Sci-fi space adventure

Jamestown is as good as the first book, Revenant. In Jamestown, the plot thickens and the Revenant crew ends up dealing with something bigger and badder than they bargained for. Emotions run high and alliances are questioned.
This is one of my new favorite series. Can't wait for the next installment!

At my request, I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book.

I loved this book. The characters development was well done as each character grew and learned from their experiences. Really loved the character development and the depth of them.