Lines of Departure

Frontlines, Book 2

By: Marko Kloos

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 9 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Vicious interstellar conflict with an indestructible alien species. Bloody civil war over the last habitable zones of the cosmos. Political unrest, militaristic police forces, dire threats to the solar system....

Humanity is on the ropes, and after years of fighting a two-front war with losing odds, so is Commonwealth Defense Corps officer Andrew Grayson. He dreams of dropping out of the service one day alongside his pilot girlfriend, but as warfare consumes entire planets and conditions on Earth deteriorate, he wonders if there will be anywhere left for them to go.

After surviving a disastrous spaceborne assault, Grayson is reassigned to a ship bound for a distant colony - and packed with malcontents and troublemakers. His most dangerous battle has just begun.

In this sequel to the best-selling Terms of Enlistment, a weary soldier must fight to prevent the downfall of his species...or bear witness to humanity’s last fleeting breaths.

©2014 Marko Kloos (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Fun Space Opera

I really enjoyed the first and second book in the series. This is a fast read. The author clearly has either experience in the service working with Combat Controllers and C2 functions (or has done a crap load of research). The protagonists explanation when he describes his job is exactly how CCs describes their jobs (I was in the Air Guard for 27 years and worked with CCs, they are badasses). He also had a pretty good handle on the military Intel and Command and Control functions and how F**ked up situations can get. On the slightly unrealistic side, most of the characters are pretty level headed, which has not been my experience, but I'll let it slide because it's not that kind of book. I only give the story 4 stars. Though it's a great story, none of the parts of it are particularly original. It's just a real solid story. I recognize the narrators voice from other audio books and he is perfect for this type of book.

A very decent space combat series…

This is the second book in what is currently a trilogy about warfare in the future and first contact with an alien species. The first book is "Terms of Enlistment." I read all three books pretty much in order within the space of a month, so obviously I enjoyed them. I'm not sure why I'm not raving about them, though. Possibly the story – – although engaging – – was a bit slow. The author knows what he's talking about when it comes to military stuff and I like the universe he created, but I couldn't shake the feeling that everything could've been compressed into one 20 hour book. Also, I got a little tired of the narrator by the end. Still, if a fourth book comes out, I will buy it and listen to it.

An amazing second edition

Finished this book in a single day, my boss wasnt impressed but I had a blast listening to it at work.

looks like the lankies are growing bigger and Harrier Balls by the year taking planet after planet that us humans have already begun to terraform and colonize.

The books ends with one question unanswered for me. What has happened to his fiance and why is he not then more worried about what has happened. Not wanting to give too much of this book away so I'm just going to stop now and go download the third one!

The Story Deepens

If you could sum up Lines of Departure in three words, what would they be?

Obviously more coming

What other book might you compare Lines of Departure to and why?

Michael Z. Williamson "Freehold" series for Buetner's "Orphan" series for combat and social awareness.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

My Gosh! Stop with the stereotypical raspy voice for almost all military.

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

Can't stay awake that long, or I would.

Any additional comments?

Read "Terms of Enlistment" first, if you can, although this novel does well enough as a stand-alone. Marko Kloos has revealed himself as quite the subversive, and I approve! He seems to think that sometimes, a society will endure a time when it is not the cream that rises to the top, but the ... well, you know.

In the first book of this series (may there be many more!) Grayson is a callow youth; not stupid, mind you, just living in a black and white world. He is optimistic in a world that is falling apart. In "Lines" he has begun to realize that he is those at the top are behaving with perverse stupidity, and he slowly comes to know that he has to do something about it or lose his self respect.

A weakness of the book is Kloos aliens: what makes them tick. Why are they so powerful and yet so apparently stupid. Humans are cockroaches to them, such is their technological superiority. They wipe us out like we would fumigate termites, and as easily. But I don't know of any termites that can band together to kill humans, or burn down a house rather than let you move in. The aliens inscrutability is taken too far. Wouldn't they make more effort to stop us from fighting back if they are so powerful? Maybe Kloos will explain this in the next book.

And there better be a next book. Our hero is likable and the writing is smooth and professional.

But please, again, narrator Luke Daniels, stop with the constricted throat rasping voice for all ground troops except our hero and his girlfriend. Even Sergeant Brianna sounds like a weight lifter. And apparently all the pilots speak in a rapid monotone or with a Tennessee twang. Oh, another choice for soldiers is that some sound like Squiggy from Lavern and Shirley. There are about 5 exaggerated voices that are used over and over again. Gets really annoying.

Having been so mean to our Narrator, let me say that his performance choices are very important, and can change the quality of the book. Luke Daniels is good! Just never let him do military voices again unless he broadens his repertoire.

A Different Plot

I have really enjoyed this series. Luke Daniels is a superb narrator and the book is fun to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction!

word

Get book, probably my favorite in the series. it is worth the listen. word word word word.

Like looking into the future..but with aliens.

A great series so far with a realistic and insightful look into what the state of the Earth could be like in the future with the rate of how much society is changing today and the military that revolves around it. Notions like planet colonization and deep space travel are brought to life in this novel, and everything is kicked up a notch once humanity discovers they are not the only species who are spreading across the galaxy. The military jargon might seem a little cliche and cheesy for those who are or have been enlisted, but the overall storyline is pretty exciting nonetheless.

Awesome

Great story very exciting. The story of a man who joins the military to escape the over crowded earth.

Excellent second book

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

In the 75th percentile

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

It was very good, not outstanding but much better than most

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Overall I can recommend this book and the series. I will be looking for more Mark Kloos

somewhat darker than expected

I understand strife is required for good drama but this just became depressing at some points.