ATLAS 2

ATLAS, Book 2

By: Isaac Hooke

Narrated by: Peter Berkrot

Length: 14 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The desperate battle on far-flung Geronimo may have ended in a qualified victory for the elite MOTH soldiers in their devastating, atomic-powered ATLAS mechs... but the cost was a massive one, paid in blood. Rade Galaal, graduate of the toughest military training in the universe, barely survived the terrifying mission in deep space that claimed the lives of the two people he couldn't afford to lose: a comrade who was more than a brother, and someone who was his whole world.

Lost, broken, and questioning his place as a MOTH and as a man, Rade faces a new crisis when an enemy force - a terrifyingly familiar one - threatens the future of humanity itself. Entering human territory from the depths of uncharted space where Rade lost everything, this massive alien vessel wears the face of death.

Once the nightmarish invader begins threatening total annihilation, can Rade and his team hope to prevail... or even survive?

©2014 Isaac Hooke (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Isaac Hooke is a Genius, Peter Berkrot a Maestro

If you could sum up ATLAS 2 in three words, what would they be?

Thrilling Military SciFi: that’s ATLAS 2 in 3 words.

What other book might you compare ATLAS 2 to and why?

It’s no wonder so many real life military love this series, from Captains to Commanders: the book is reminiscent of John Scalzi's Old Man's War, or Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. A group of elite special operations commandos, called the MOTHs, pilot ATLAS mechs, and go through extraordinary trials and adventures on other worlds. The tech is awe inspiring and realistically described (as much as SciFi tech can be), both manmade and alien.

What about Peter Berkrot’s performance did you like?

Peter Berkrot added another layer to the story, and brought it brilliantly to life. It’s amazing what he can do with his voice, how he can switch from a British accent, to a African American slang, to Indian, and back again in a couple of breaths. Berkrot definitely brought the tension up a notch, as well as bringing charm: he even enhanced the humorous scenes.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was mesmerized by the combat scenes, both in space with the ATLAS 6’s in an asteroid belt, as well as the great combat scene on the surface of the Tau Ceti moon, and the ATLAS 5 vs. 6 fight. I cringed during the torture scenes and losses, and I cheered during the triumphs. I definitely laughed out loud several times during more humorous scenes, even though this is a serious military Sci Fi.

Any additional comments?

Clearly, Isaac Hooke has a promising, long literary career ahead of him, and Peter Berkrot is an incredible voice actor. Looking forward to listening to ATLAS 3!

overacted

read the book. liked the book. listened to the recording and tried not to cringe. way over acted to the point of silliness. sounded like high school drama class. good book. mediocre audio.

could have been better

struggled to finish. I was getting bored need a little more action. a bit confusing at times.

It's ok

Not great, but ok. The narration is not very good at all. The story is interesting, but not overly compelling.

Excellent series, loved the new narrator too.

I loved the First book in the series, and had really high expectations of the second book. I was not disappointed. I loved this one too. This book takes place in a future that is not to far fetched to imagine. The United Countries (UC) are in a territorial dispute with the Sino-Koreans (SK) on earth and in space. Unfortunately for them both, a much more advanced race is looking for more territory too. IN fact, this unknown race is MUCH more than they seem, and look unstoppable. Well, Rade Gallal and his MOTH (SEALs in space, basically) brothers aren't going to just stand around and let that happen. he story is well written, the characters are well developed, and there is another storyline to the main one about a character left behind enemy lines. Compellingly written, with characters that are flawed but likable, struggling to succeed in extreme circumstances. The torture scene shows the true resilience of the human spirit. If you are a fan of Robert Heinlein, Michael Z. Williamson, or David Drake, you will like these books.

Great story!

Great story line, excellent military references, fairly technical although could be more detail. Recommend!

More Rade!

The story continues to be very good. This book has a different narrator. The new narrator is still good but very different. The change was jarring. I took off a star for that. That probably isn't fair to the new narrator, but it was a significant change.

Guilt, guilt, guilt

The overriding character trait held by all of the characters in this book is guilt. Guilt that they survived when others didn't, guilt that they were not omnipotent brings incapable of completely controlling the battlefield, and guilt for things the OTHER side did. This would have been okay if the characters were working through it, but no, it's just unending guilt. It's so pervasive that it is unclear why at the end of the book the main character doesn't decide to eat a bullet.
Outside of the guilt, we get to see more about the bad guys. The description of who and what they are is original, though even after a couple readings of that section I'm not sure I fully understand it.

Good but not as good as the first book

The start was a bit of a chore at the book has no ending.
Still a well written story with cool tech and interesting characters.

Yes,yes indeed

Another winner. excellent ending. Characters are excellent. I really enjoyed reading this book. next book time! lol