Koban: The Mark of Koban, Volume 2

By: Stephen W. Bennett

Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer

Length: 22 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Book 2 of the Koban Series

Already faster and more powerful than the last 17 species that they have destroyed or subjugated, the Krall have set their sights on humankind. Aftertesting humans on their future home world of Koban and finding them worthy opponents, the Krall start a war of slow extermination with the rest of humanity. The war is intended to last generations as they apply their own version of "natural selection" to cull their weaker warriors in combat, purifying the Krall gene pool with their finest warriors for breeding. Why? The Krall desire to rule the galaxy someday, from their future home world of Koban, where the impossibly fast and powerful animals have proven to be too fast and strong for them to match. Only through the attrition of war will the Krall perfect their bloodline to become the masters of Koban. When the Krall departed Koban to start their war with humanity, they destroyed the protections that kept their prisoners safe. They left the human test subjects to fall victim to high gravity, and the deadly predators. Big mistake. The bio scientist left behind enhanced the human genome with Koban genes, forming the next generations of humans. They are becoming what the Krall sought to be. The fastest, most powerful species in the galaxy. The men and women trapped on Koban, locked in a struggle for their own survival for twenty years, return to the stars to help defend Human Space. The Krall have had their way with human worlds, killing when and where they wish. Outnumbered, the new Kobani will now take the war to the Krall.

©2013 Stephen W Bennett (P)2014 Stephen W Bennett

Great Series

I enjoyed the entire series so much! A keeper! I marked on my calender for a do over.

The "science" in Science Fiction plus great plot

This is an exciting series. Not perfect, but really interesting because a lot of thought has been put into technical and biological innovations and human ingenuity.

The fantastic sound effects of the revised narration of Book 1 are missed. The banter between characters is still the weak point of the book, but the innovative uses of science, genetics, and tech stuff makes up for areas the author can improve on. Also, maybe the author can do less repeating and explaining of what has happened before or what is happening now and give the readers some credit for having some intelligence. It really drags down what should be an action scene to insert so many lengthy explanations and reminders.

With regard to narration, the "acting" was very good. But, mis-pronounced words could have been caught by an editor - for example - the word "envelop" (to surround, like the atmosphere of a planet) was pronounced "envelope." But, this seems to happen too often in audiobooks and hopefully at some point someone will care enough to insert some type of editing or quality control in the creation process of audiobooks.

And, it is strange to have characters from Book 1 lose their accent (like Thad going from an old gruff tough military man with a tinge of Eastern European or Russian accent in Book 1 to a younger man with a bland American accent in Book 2) In Book 2, too many characters without accents or distinct inflections in on a consistent basis made it harder to tell who was talking. Sometimes everyone started to sound the same. In Book 1 it was a lot easier to distinguish between characters.

Yet, the story is so interesting, the concepts and surroundings and broad scope so fascinating that this is an audiobook that is hard to turn off. I'm looking forward to Book 3.

Excellent sequel, totally engaging

Best SF book I've read in a long time. It is original yet familiar, predictable but riveting and oh so satisfying. Bennett has clearly read all the masters from the golden age of science fiction to the present. He has learned their lessons well.

The narration is light years ahead of the first book. Audible and the author would sell many more Koban books if Eric narrated book 1. Maybe a do-over is in order. The first book's narration is so badly off-putting that many people give up on it. I thought about chucking it in several times until the story grabbed me by the neck. It's terrible that many miss out on this book because of the first book's whacked out narration.

It is difficult to believe that the creator of this masterful epic spent decades in the soul rending competency and creativity desert known as the Federal Aviation Authority. I lament the loss of that body of literature the world lost while Mr. Bennett was not spinning yarns. Thank goodness he's writing now! Where is book 3 Audible???

Great story. Much better narration!

I'm glad I stuck with this series. Although the writing isn't extraordinary, the story was a lot of fun. There could be better character development, and the characters' reactions could be more realistic. Overall, the plot kept my interest, and I look forward to the next installment. The new narrator gave a much better performance. Plus, no more horribly disruptive growling/chortling snorts!

Great!!!

What did you love best about Koban?

The "Kitties" and the new Kobani-Human's. You will love this delightful series. Lots of action, folk's you want to spend time with. Any age can enjoy this series and it is interesting and excites the imagination. Can't wait for the next audio book. Soon I hope.

Out Standing 2nd Book

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

This novel is at the top of my list. Its only been out on the market for a week and I've listened to it twice.

Any additional comments?

Listening to this novel always makes me want to read the 3rd book. I can't wait for the 4th book to someday be released on the kindle and eventually on audible. Keep up the great work.

WOW

Would you consider the audio edition of Koban: The Mark of Koban, Volume 2 to be better than the print version?

The audio version is a wonderful addition to the Koban universe

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite Character is The Tiger Lily... Sneaky sardonic, and brilliant.

Which scene was your favorite?

Basically all the comedic scenes are really good and placed just right for full effect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end. IT signifies that the life of the Kobani, is just getting started.

Much better than book 1

If you could sum up Koban: The Mark of Koban, Book 2 in three words, what would they be?

Much better listen.

What does Eric Michael Summerer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I hated the narration of book 1. I felt it greatly distracted from the story. This narration was much more enjoyable.

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

Ready to download book 3 at the half-way point.

I'm loving this series!

Book 2 really took off for me in this series and a lot has started happening that made me cheer! If you want a great epic Sci-Fi adventure then this will deliver. I like the narrator and am so enjoying the story and the series. I'm in the middle of book 3 now, gobbling them up like chocolates!

Great storyline

Something new and exciting. Author keep up the great work. I will be purchasing every book.