Annihilation

Love Conquers All

By: Saxon Andrew

Narrated by: Liam Owen

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Annihilation: Love Conquers All offers humor and a tale of enduring love against the backdrop of galactic war on a grand scale.

Tag, an exceptional young human living in Central City on the planet Earth, tries to keep his powerful, one-of-a-kind skills undetected by leading an ordinary life and staying under the radar. But one day, on the way home from school, Tag's compassion leads him to make a decision that alters the course of his life - and history.

The Alliance of Worlds, which includes Earth as a ruled non-member, has decided that humans are to be annihilated as an example to anyone who discovers an ancient alien technology, even though there is no proof against them. The Alliance thinks fifty thousand warships can do the job. Unfortunately, the humans are not cooperating with their plan and one young human who has fallen in love will change everything...

In this epic story, author Saxon Andrew takes us into the future and the lives of human and nonhuman characters alike. Along with a hearty dose of battles and spaceships, this is a story that offers humor and a tale of enduring love against the backdrop of galactic war on a grand scale.

©March 2011 Saxon Andrew (P)2014 Saxon Andrew Publishing LLC

I have listened to the fist three of this series.

Where does Annihilation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great listening. A classic Si/Fi opera. Cannot wait for all seven in the series

good book

What did you love best about Annihilation?

good story

What did you like best about this story?

good plot

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

wanted to listen in one sitting but was not able
this is one i would listen to over again

Good book young author

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

Fast pace

What other book might you compare Annihilation to and why?

Star wars, David weber, john ringo

What three words best describe Liam Owen’s voice?

Good bad editing

Any additional comments?

This is a good face pace story. For once earth has a leg up. A first book by the Author, and you can tell,. It's not annoying you can just tell. But it has a pace that keeps going. Not for the hard core who want to hear about the hard science behind ftl travel, or how they overcome challenges of astronavigation. But light sci fi at its better!

Great Story Telling!

This book was a grand tale with delightful characters and a fanciful story. The author brought the reader into the story through youthful experiences that triggered wonderful personal memories.

Outstanding! Must listen if you like Space SiFi

What made the experience of listening to Annihilation the most enjoyable?

This book started out slow and I almost gave up. A few chapters in it kicked into high gear. The characters stated to come to life. I had to listen on as I wanted to hear more of their stories.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like TAG he is the key character at first and then others develop around him. His depth of character is drawn deeper by each character he interacts with.

Have you listened to any of Liam Owen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first Liam Owen's series now I look for other books he has narrated.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book drew me in I found myself listening when ever a had a spare moment and even when the moments were not so spare.

Any additional comments?

I like this series. I stated it as a filler between other books and now I look forward to each new book in the series.

Some Sappy Dialogue

This book is worth a listen, especially in the beginning. The powers of the main character are described in a interesting way. Unfortunately, you may find the dialogue between the other main character (or significant other) to cause you to retch. Conversations with "Oh my darling" are, at points, laughable. The scifi is good, the romance is bad..IMO.

This was good!!

I purchased this book on a whim because it hit one of the sales on Audible. I normally don't go for sci-fi military novels, but occasionally I pick one up, so I did not have much expectation, I just thought it sounded interesting...but not interesting enough to pay full price. I was wrong about that. I admit, I had a very hard time turning this book off. I listened to the entire book within 36 hours. I even stayed up to 3am last night to finish it. The story is engrossing, although it is hard to tell you why exactly. Mr. Saxon's language is not particularly complex or impressive, but it remains compelling. Perhaps it is the very simpleness of how he tells this story that conveys the beauty of the protagonist's life.
The production, and it was a production, of the reading was top notch. The main author was complemented seamlessly with the various voices that portrayed the some of the characters. I don't think that there was a new voice for every character, just the main characters and I am pretty sure a few other voice actors were involved with creating them. But, unlike some other productions, this production did NOT forget to keep including the " said" (voiced by main reader) during the reading. To make it clear a sentence like "Bring up the star drive, said Captain Orvlosky" would have two voices, one voice would "be" Cpt Orvlosky and the second would be the main reader say "said Capatin orvlosky". In other productions that attempted this, the exchange would be clumsy with awkward breaks between the two voices. Not in this production. I really felt that the production was top notch.
The story itself is not nearly as maudlin as the title may lead someone to expect. This is not a "romance novel", there are no "heaving bosoms" or "swelling manhood". It is though, in part a love story, a love story between two very young characters (17 - 20). And I liked how the author kept the love story at a realistic level for two people of that age during the 3 years the book takes place. It is also a sci-fi military thriller with a philosophical bent. I will admit the aptitude with which each side was able to discern their opponents motives and actions was, at times, a bit over the top. But to be honest, I did not even mind it then.

Some reviews on Amazon criticize the language of this book (one in particular) and the supposed lack of skill of the author. Well, I hold a BA in English Lit. I see what they are talking about, but I think they are wrong in hating this book. I would have to label those reviewers as that type of reader who are a bit on the pretentious side. Where every book they read must drip with social comment and Shakespearean overtones. They can not appreciate a novel that simply tells a simple story. This novel tells a simple story, with simple language. And I think that is why the novel is so engrossing...perhaps the difference is in reading vs. listening. But I thought this was a great listen.

Space Opera ala the Old Masters!

I've found a gold mine in the Annihilation Series and the first book is a 24 carat nugget! I've loved the founding fathers of good sci fi because their works were unlimited in imagination. They didn't try to justify their ships to the nth detail-they just were! The stories were fun, open, full of the highest principals of humanity: love, honor, allegiance, fidelity. They not only gave us stars but they gave us the epitamy of what mankind would become! Well, move over E.E. "Doc" Smith, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Saxton Andrew is here wonderfully narrated by Liam Owen!

story felt rushed

The story felt rushed and the depth was missing. The science was more like magic, and the it was like the characters kept winning the lottery.

Most fun I have had in a long time.

It is such a fun listen. I could not put it down. If you just want to sit back and enjoy a story this is the one for you.