Dawn of Chrysalis

The Origin of F.O.R.C.E., Book 2

By: Sam B. Miller II

Narrated by: John Pirhalla

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The human race is in trouble. After narrowly claiming victory in the first invasion, an assault by advanced militaristic aliens armed with light speed capable spacecraft is a continuing threat. Even so, Chrysalis is in danger, and Whatsit is determined to rescue his fellow Chrysallamans. It's a task he knows he cannot accomplish without the help of his human brethren. With the threat of future attacks looming, the humans will have to decide whether it's best to go on the defensive at home on Earth or take the fight to its source and save the Chrysallaman race.

©2016 Sam B Miller II (P)2017 Sam B Miller II

Loved it

Loved the first book. Was excited to continue. It didn't disappoint. Just loved it.

The narrator gave a great performance. Very enjoyable.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Another winner

More please ! Interesting storyline and characters. I want more !

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

Decent book

Where does Dawn of Chrysalis rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'd put it in the middle. He has many unimaginative names for things like absorbisteel and armorium. Both are materials used on hulls.

Any additional comments?

Dawn of Chrysalis
Here's how I rate

On narrator
5= good read speed, good pronunciation, appealing voice/voices.
4= an issue with one of the above
3= many issues
1-2 I couldn't finish because of his voice


Story
5= good plot, keeps my attention, it doesn't ramble along, good character development
The rest follows a similar to narrator


"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Cool Sci Fi book

What did you love best about Dawn of Chrysalis?

Once again, Sam B. Miller II and John Pirhalla take us on a wonderful storytelling science fiction ride in their continuation of “The Origin of F.O.R.C.E series”

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to choose when I liked them all

What about John Pirhalla’s performance did you like?

As he narrated the first book in the series. It helps keep the same feeling within the series and I thought he did an exceptional job with the first book. His narration of this book was of the same quality as the previous one

Any additional comments?

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

Outstanding follow-up to first book!!!

This was a great continuation of the original story. I have to say, I'm typically not a fan of alien stories. They are usually too far out there for me. But this one was probably the closest to a real possibility that I've ever heard. I know it's fiction, but I like at least a bit of realism and feasibility.

Although the story was great, I found myself shaking my head a few times, specifically when the three different species were interacting through dialogue. It occurred to me that the humans would make reference to something that most likely, the other species would have no idea about, but it was passed by as though they all knew about what was mentioned. This happened on several occasions and took away some of the credibility for me. But it was still a wonderful tale.

All of the characters were described in good detail and the dialogue was engaging and funny at times. I especially enjoyed the continued banter between Dr. Heinbaum and MacPherson.

One thing I found particularly interesting is the way in which Miller approached describing the technology and the way in which it worked. He was somewhat detailed with reasoning and sound justification as to why such a thing might work. It made the story that much more believable.

The narration was really good. Pirhalla did a great job setting the tone and articulating the different characters through his many different voices. He really brought the characters to life.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Good listen for fans of soft sci-fi

Dawn of Chrysalis: The Origin of F.O.R.C.E., Book 2 is a fun, easy listen for fans of soft sci-fi (Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific accuracy, this book is the opposite of that).

As someone who did not read the previous book in this series, There are a couple back stories that I feel I would have a more in-depth understanding of but I did not ever feel that I was ever lost or missing information needed for the enjoyment of this book. Since I did not read book 1 though I cannot state where this picks up exactly. I found the characters humorous and entertaining, I especially liked Whatsit!

The one thing I would say could have been better is that I felt like the humans were a little too "Mary Sue" in that there was not really any situation where it seemed the odds stacked against them or there was real danger as they seemed to figure an easy way out of most situations and be smarter, stronger, and faster than any enemies they faced.

The narration by John Pirhalla was done well making this an enjoyable read. I would definitely be interested in listening to more books by this author and/or narrator!

Great addition to the series

Any additional comments?

Great addition to the series. I could go on and on about this book and series…bottom line…. It's definitely worth your time and credit. The story pulls you in immediately and keeps your attention until the end. It's a well written, very entertaining story that flows smoothly with great characters, plenty of action and suspense, a few surprises and a little humor along the way. On top of that it has fantastic narration. What else can you ask for.

It's a series that I would recommend. Start with the first book in the series. Sometimes you can jump into a series in the middle and be fine. Even though the author gives you a kind of recap woven into the first chapter filling you in on some details, it's worth it to listen to the whole series.

The story is full of great well rounded characters although I have to say Whatsit is my favorite. He is a larger than life character. McPhearson is a close tie…. You can't help but love that Scottish sense of humor and sarcasm.

Who pulled your chain chatty Kathy…. the humor came at the most unexpected times and was delivered spot on. I burst out laughing several times and received some strange looks.

A new threat is on the horizon just adding to the suspense of what will happen next. It does end a bit of a cliffhanger setting up the next book which I am really looking forward to.

John Pirhalla did a fantastic job with the narration. Nice voice that is easy to listen to for long periods of time. Clearly spoken with a nice even pace. Great character voices. Perfect tone and delivery of the humor. He brought the characters and story to life through his narration. Very enjoyable.

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

Cool Sci Fi book, but start with book 1

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

So, the first book missed my radar but I figured since a review copy was free, I'd give it a shot. As other reviewers have stated, it would be best to start with the first book. I really felt like I was missing a lot of references and it took me quite a while to get into the actual story. This is in no way a detraction on the book. It is my fault for starting at the second book. Once I did get into it, through, I was hooked. Its a great space opera style series and I'll probably use one of my next credits on book one and then play this one again so I can catch all I missed the first time.

Review Dawn of Chrysalis

I'm hooked! This series by Sam Miller is captivating. I thought the first book was great, and was glad to have the opportunity to listen to "Dawn of Chrysalis". This book keeps the intensity and page turning action coming along with the entertaining quirks of each character. Once again John Pirhalla shows us why he is one of Audible's best narrators. He brings the story and characters together into life.
The only thing I don't like is having to wait for the next book in the series:-)
“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

Everything you loved in the first, but better

Once again, Sam B. Miller II and John Pirhalla take us on a wonderful storytelling science fiction ride in their continuation of “The Origin of F.O.R.C.E series”, “Dawn of Chrysalis” the second book in this series. Like my review of the first, I give this book an overall five-star rating for its unique and powerful storytelling capabilities along with delightfully developed characters and excellent narration. Whatsit is one of those characters that just seem to make you happy no matter your mood. If you are one who enjoys light-hearted action-packed science fiction stories balancing action and excitement with characters you will actually care about, then the “Dawn of Chrysalis” is a book I would highly recommend you pick up. Be aware, this is the second book in a serial series, so you will want to make sure to read the first one before diving in to the second. Also, this book ends with a cliffhanger, so if you are not one who likes waiting for the next book to be released, I recommend you wait a bit. I’m unsure of the total number of books planned for the series, but I will be listening to the next one when it is released!

I was happy the author included a small prologue before jumping into the story to help remind me of the highlights that took place in the first book. It allowed me to quickly enter into the story and not wonder what occurred or how it fit together while listening to new details. I was pleased to see the author kept the same main characters along with all the banter and fun they had between one another in the previous book. I felt right at home diving into this book. The book contained the same humor and light-heartedness I remembered from the first, however this one also had a more serious or heavy feel to it. Not only do we have many of the same characters, we are introduced to a number of new characters. Relationships grow, and for others they are destroyed in an instant. The book included additional romantic elements I do not remember from the first, but these do not overshadow the main goals of the team and their struggle to endure.

The characters not only face the same enemies they had in the first book, but in this book, they face ones that are even more powerful and ruthless. They have to devise a new plan to see if they can defeat this new enemy or they will become forced servants. This book included bigger ships, bigger battles, bigger teams, along with much improved technology required to survive in an ever-hostile universe. I smiled to hear that Whatsit continues to wear his tan colored sombrero, a green overcoat, and his black boots. Not something one would expect an erect lizard creature to wear, but it seems to fit his personality. I also laughed out loud when I found out one of his favorite earth delicacies, you will have to read the book for find the answer to this one. I want to give credit to the book’s cover art as it really fits the look and feel portrayed in the story itself.

The book contains some light use of language that could be considered vulgar to some, but nothing that would be offensive or considered four-letter words. There is some high-level implied sexual content, but as with language this is not something that would be considered obscene or over-the-top. A few scenes also contain graphic violence that may not be appropriate for very young readers; yet nothing excessive.

I was happy to hear John Pirhalla narrate this book, as he narrated the first book in the series. It helps keep the same feeling within the series and I thought he did an exceptional job with the first book. His narration of this book was of the same quality as the previous one, and I would have expected nothing less. I did notice during times of silence a slight compression or noise resembling cassette tape hiss, I believe this is more related to the method of audio compression either by Audible or when recorded. Nothing preventing someone from listening and enjoying the book. I did not notice any other audio artifacts or issues while listening. The voices were distinguishable, accents done well, and volume consistent.

If you enjoyed the first book, this is one you will want to pick up and continue the journey. If you have not picked up the first book and you like well-written science fiction stories, I recommend you grab and read the first one before moving on to this book. You really need to have a good understanding of the events from book one to enjoy book two. I myself look forward to book three and will be listening to it when released in audiobook format.

Disclaimer: The reviewer received this book at no charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for posting a non-bias review.