A Hymn Before Battle

Legacy of the Aldenata

By: John Ringo

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 14 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

With Earth in the path of the rapacious Posleen, the Galactic Federation offers help to the backward humans - for a price. You can protect yourself from your enemies, but God save you from your allies!

©2001 John Ringo (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

I was sceptical...then I was finished!

Great story. Great performance. Military sci-fi adventure...is a fast listen. It took me a while to finally start listening, but I sure am glad I did...onto the sequel I go!

Great book

Great start to a great series - strong writing and good character development. Like starship troopers only with a much broader scope.

Good short story.

I really enjoy listening to this one I've been struggling a while to find something good. this story picks right up and grabs your interest and stays moving the whole time.

UBER CLASSIC!! Uber Classic Military SF...

UBER CLASSIC!! Uber Classic Military SF...
The only caution to those not familiar with military anacronyms could get lost, bored, and or overwhelmed. Great Story.

Good

This was a good story and I liked the narrator. I would have gave it 4 stars but it turned a little to much iron man flying through the air at the end.

War Never Changes

Great book. Easy to listen to and engaging along with something extra for vets.

A for effort, D for delivery.

More issues with pronunciation. Great Story and series though. Ringo has always been a favorite author.

Good God Ringo Quotes Kipling.

A lot of set up details and character development. Posleen gonna pay the butcher’s bill now that ACS are up and running.

Get Greedy. Stay Hungry. Step Up To The Table!

I've enjoyed a wonderful variety of scifi and fantasy audiobooks here at Audible over the years, but I need to preface this review with a growing personal preference when it comes to my audiobook selections.

The more I listen over the years, my tastes have further refined. Now it seems, I prefer a GREAT audiobook SERIES, when and IF it ever occurs, one that carries the great writing, storyline and character development MUCH further than a single audio telling. And, of course, the writer needs to be good. VERY good. So, you know what that means. Slim pickings. But.

When it DOES occur, it's wonderful. It's extremely satisfying. It's like watching The Walking Dead, my favorite television series. Some of the episodes are better than others, sometimes I get frustrated at the pace, sometimes I shout at the screen, in shock, joy, anger or disbelief, giving profound character advice or brilliant script opinions. My sometimes verbally graphic and demonstrative rantings at the characters or plot lines are as R rated as the show.

So, I'm becoming the frustrating guy at the dinner party that wants more than one serving of the turkey - There's one at EVERY dinner party. I want seconds. I want thirds. Fourth's, please.

It's all about me. Me, me, me.

So, if you feel the same way, seeking a greater and longer personal satisfaction in your listening experience, and like military scifi, this first in the series by John Ringo, a military and political scifi writer, is a launchpad that will definitely propel you into a twelve book series here at Audible that will keep your attention. The narrator adds just the right accents, both human and alien to the work, expressed with feeling and continuity.

Here's a brief overview that will get you started. Again, no spoilers, no secrets, no giveaways:

In the early 21st century, Earth is approached by a pacific federation of alien races in need of earth's warlike tendencies, soldiers to save them from a race of vicious predators who also threaten Earth as well and the federation itself. A multinational and elite army of warriors gather to protect both Earth and the universe. They quickly discover that their allies have their own dark agendas and unique challenges. Even some of the leaders of earth are puppets for a much larger plan that has yet to be revealed.

Ringo's first novel is a fast-paced scifi military action story personified, boiling with acidic humor, character and future technology development, political intrigue, military life, and extremely vivid battle scenes. It so well lays the groundwork for what's ahead, that I went for seconds, thirds, fourths and more. I've acquired ALL of the audiobooks in the series, and am thoroughly enjoying them.

So, get greedy. Stay hungry. Step up to the table, and get a heaping helping of Ringo's "A Hymn Before Battle."

I'm thinking you'll want seconds, thirds and fourths at this awesome audiobook party.

More Military then Sci-fi - written before 9-11

I have read (or listened) to most of Ringos stuff that is on Audible, The Looking Glass books and Troy Rising series, thing is I read Troy Rising first then The Looking Glass and now this set of books so if you are reading this review I would suggest that you start here and read them in order of release because things will get better and better with the latter books - thats not to say that this isnt a good book, but the latter series are better if for no reason then it takes place after Sept 11th.

Well thats the thing this book was written before Sept 11th, and while that doesent seam like a problem its a military sci-fi book and it takes place in the near future (or recent past as it is now) however since its before 9-11 there are dates and one actually in Ney York in Nov 2001, also there are references to how its hard to get people to join up and fight, or that they get a mission and it says whatever and someone remarks that they are at peace now so who could they be going to fight, also there are deserters from the military running off with guns and weapons, someone said its like the 70's all over again well not after 9-11 that would never happen anyone who signed up would never do that even in the face of aliens.

As for the story its pretty good, it actually gets much better near the end and aside from all the military jargon its something to check out for sure - much like what I have read of Ringos stuff this was written like a pot head was telling you a story, things jump around and there is emphasis on things that dont need it and things that do are passed over never to be herd from again, I sospose that in the next 43 books things could be hashed out but seeing how he did things before I dought everything will be worked out - there is this really huge Samoan Earnest Pappas (served in Vietnam) that should have been a main character but was never talked about in this book after he was half way through with his apparent mission, I hope he is in the next books