• Swarm

  • Star Force, Book 1
  • By: B. V. Larson
  • Narrated by: Mark Boyett
  • Length: 10 hrs
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (7,707 ratings)

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Swarm  By  cover art

Swarm

By: B. V. Larson
Narrated by: Mark Boyett
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Publisher's summary

Earth arms marines with alien technology and builds its first battle fleet! Kyle Riggs is snatched by an alien spacecraft sometime after midnight. The ship is testing everyone it catches and murdering the weak. The good news is that Kyle keeps passing tests and staying alive. The bad news is the aliens who sent this ship are the nicest ones out there.

A novel of military science fiction by best-selling author B. V. Larson, Swarm is the story of Earth's annexation by an alien empire. Long considered a primitive people on a backwater planet, humanity finds itself in the middle of a war - and faced with extinction.

Battle stations! Listen to another Star Force novel.
©2010 B.V. Larson (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Swarm

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,671
  • 4 Stars
    2,673
  • 3 Stars
    936
  • 2 Stars
    281
  • 1 Stars
    146
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    4,189
  • 4 Stars
    2,118
  • 3 Stars
    568
  • 2 Stars
    86
  • 1 Stars
    48
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,316
  • 4 Stars
    2,292
  • 3 Stars
    981
  • 2 Stars
    285
  • 1 Stars
    151

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

The worst book

It is poorly written. The main character is supposed to be a computer scientist and says he has to talk to the AI with specific word selection. He says, "Hey would you color the enemy red or something." Really?!
The main character spends so much time monologuing and thinking stupid things the reader gets frustrated. And when his kids die he just hooks up with a girl immediately. Terrible book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Feels like a rough draft of Undying Mercenaries

Bit simplistic and certainly more of a "slapped together" or, more likely, inexperienced feel than Undying Mercenaries. Also, a bit cringy/immature in most interactions/conversations, particularly if the other person is a woman.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not Good. Bogs down in bombastic combat madness

Gung ho, killem all! The sex, Then Gung ho, killem all! Those alien$ -- they got it coming.

The style is repetitive and and, you know--- sex and killem all!

I listened to the whole book as an exercise in critical thinking only to end up less intelligent and unconvinced of the value of the sex descriptions. And hey, I like sexy stories; But did not like this.

I've got over close to 400 books in my library; and have been reading fantasy and sci-fi for 6 decades. But on this one-- I guess I'm a sissy.

Want a war in space-- read The Forever War. Like war stories? Read Achtung Panzer, Six Armies in Normandy, or A Bright Shining Lie.

Did I mention that the Gulag Archipelago and Cancer Ward is are great books?

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Average Joe saves the Universe

This is a review for the entire series as a whole, rather than just the first book. I find that the first book is rather misleading as far as the main character and the storyline in general. By book 2, you start to realize that the main character is not exactly as you thought he was in the beginning, because you expect an MC in this kind of series to be strong and intelligent, maybe with some flaws, but overall a superhero kind of guy. Riggs kind of convinces you that he will develop into this kind of character in the beginning, but with each new book, you see more and more that he's just a bumbling idiot who doesn't realize that he's a bumbling idiot and thinks he's actually really smart. Watching him sort of wander around causing his subordinates to go white in the face every time he blurts out some new crazy idea is by turns entertaining and hair-pullingly frustrating. Listening to the mind-bogglingly out of touch stuff that he sometimes pours into his internal monologues has made me want to quit the series more than once. That said, I keep... coming... back... for more. I've actually listened to this series at least 6 times (I'm a chronic re-listener) and have made it a little farther in each time. I actually didn't realize that book 9 is the final book until after I bought it. Books 10+ are apparently a spin-off but I have decided just to not go there x'D. Lots of space battles and aliens and evil alien machines, so if you're mostly in it for that kind of thing, you're golden. If you go into it expecting any kind of character development or even any closure for any but the main character at the end, then you may want to look for a series with a bit more depth.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A little dark

Story is a little dark, but so is war. Four star overall due to a couple skips in recording. Missed the first one but 2nd one is at 9:30 in chapter 37.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

I legitimately cannot believe the reviews here...

Honestly, if this is what it takes to make 7k+ people swoon I'm doing something wrong...this was terrible! come on guys...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

intense with a twist not you typical space war

This story caught me totally off guard. Great narration and story with a profound twist. The hero suffers deep personal loss, struggles, fights, succeeds, wins against all odds or does he...This is the twist

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If you like sci-fi.. This book is for you!

I couldn't put the book down. I listened to it straight through. The narrator is excellent, the storyline is interesting and no plot holes.

This is truly a unique story well told. I don't believe that I have ever read another sci-fi novel / story remotely like this. It is not the same over used plot used one more time. This story is original and new and different. I can promise you this, you don't see it coming folks!

Peace and joy this holiday season. I pray that you oh, and your family, have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Pastor Mark Honas

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Expected better: B- for author, A+ narrator

I have read BV Larson’s Undying Mercenary series, and I know he is capable of character development, interesting personalities and clear, energetic storylines. This lacks all three- at first, understand this novel has potential and is okay for a mindless stream while doing other stuff. But the protagonist is a forgettable computer professor who suddenly becomes an expert military commander. Zero personality. The energy is okay, but characters are indistinctive and barely up the stakes. What is frustrating is the unclear expectations of this storyline— it’s just a mindless stream of battle after battle, no clear understanding of how each battle moved the story forward. His romance so unfitting in the midst of his children just dying. Perhaps the most personally angering portion of this novel for me is the father’s minimal reaction to his kids deaths. Author gives a few mentions of his anger but then easily moves. His acceptance of the machine as a tool is not well earned, the father needed to go through the stages of grief throughout the novel. Not more than a few minutes after his kids’ mutilation he sees a naked girl and thinks about how hot she is, which made the lead a very flaky shallow and unlikable character. “I’m just a man” is not enough. It makes me wonder if the author knows what it is like to have children. That impact of losing children at the beginning of the novel should have continued as an emotional rage through the novel, passing through the stages of grief. Instead the emotion is barely felt after his “tests” are complete; Unsatisfying and frustrating leftover emotions remain at the books end. Which is a shame because the beginning was intriguing and the intellectual challenge of controlling the ship fun.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good book but frustrating mc.

Good story and great performance. The mc on the other hand is frustrating in disposition, smart but stupid. This one thing I can't digest and noticed as common across many BV Larson books.

This is what I can't stand about the MC... a heroic, skillfull and a tactical genius BUT lets unworthy and often heartless people take the majority of credit while undermining his achievements to save humanity. Maybe someone else likes this kind of emotional rollercoaster.

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