Stark's War

By: Jack Campbell

Narrated by: Eric Summerer

The United States of America reigns over Earth as the last surviving superpower. To build a society free of American influence, foreign countries have inhabited the moon, taking advantage of the natural resources to earn their own riches. Now, the U.S. military has been ordered to wrest control of Earth's satellite from their rivals. Sergeant Ethan Stark must train his squadron to fight in an airless atmosphere at one-sixth normal gravity against a desperate enemy. Ensuring his team's survival means choosing between which orders to obey - and which to ignore.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction written and read by author Jack Campbell.

Stark's War was originally published as "by John G. Hemry".

Battle stations! Listen to more in the Stark's War series.©2000 John G. Hemry (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Intriguing

This story was intriguing and unique it's presentation. It's an idea that almost all in the military has dealt with when dealing with officers or senior enlisted wanting to make the next rank. I found it to be a great story the way how it played out because of how Stark is allowed to develop. I really did find some of the conversation very visual as it went on because I could see people really saying some of the responses. I did find it a little odd that I didn't see any curse since enlisted or just infantry in general likes to curse from what I have seen of them.

Great Read

Great read, went though the whole series, can't wait to see what comes next from Jack Cambell.

Noisy narrator

Narrator seemed to be dehydrated while narrating. He would make swallow noises at random which sort of ruined the flow of the story. Interesting take on what the future could hold. Highly unlikely though. Will purchase sequels to see where the story goes.

Very Good Listen

First listened to the Lost Fleet Series and could not get enough. Finished the series and had to get more from Jack Campbell.

Stark's War, although done before The Lost Fleet, is as good and I enjoyed the whole book.

Good action, overly simplistic

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The concept of the complete ineptitude of all officers, yet all enlisted are geniuses in waiting and the world would better if only they were in charge just got old. The situation is true and does happen, but the blanket, overall assumption and presentation that it was a constant in the universe just made it hard to suspend belief enough to enjoy the story.

Had the issue been a small collection of ignorant officers (and with the remoteness of the moonbase it could have been pulled off) it would have been more believable, but by making it sound as if the entire military organization was that bad all the time it just came across as unrealistic.....and this is from someone who loves SciFi and Fantasy.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jack Campbell again?

Yes, I still love the action scenes even if the overarching story is not plausible.

What about Eric Summerer’s performance did you like?

Loved it.

Do you think Stark's War needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

If the overall theme is the same by the third book it will just be too boring.

This a good start to a really good series!

Jack Campbell/ John G. Hembry has come to dominate my library! I just can't get enough of his stories. This first book is a little jarring, mostly because it doesn't play into or off of any of his later series. So if you've listened to the likes of The Lost Fleet/Beyond The Frontier/The Lost Stars series, there are no recognizable names or places such as exists in the Genisus Fleet. But that is not a bad thing! It's just takes a little getting used to. All in all a great cautionary tale for mils and civs alike.

The author really knew what he was writing about!

This is a great book. I spent 22 years in the military as an enlisted (E8) and retired in 1977. It really outlines the incompetence of some of the Officer Corps. I was amazed that the author was actually a retired officer himself. I remember the times after I taught some junior officers how to accomplish a task only to be told that I didn't know what I was talking about. Unlike Starks' situation other lives weren't involved. In my opinion the author should still be in the Navy teaching other junior officers what side their bread is buttered on. This book can be satisfying to previous enlisted by seeing that they are not alone in their beliefs. I recommend this story highly.

Good, but preachy

Kudos to Campbell for admitting in his prologue that this a "if this goes on" story. That takes some of the sting of the preachy nature of some of the monologue and dialogue, but not entirely.

A story that clearly has its roots in several of my favorite Heinlein books: If This Goes On, Starship Troopers, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, at least that's how I see it. It also has the ring of Tim O'Brien's books based on his Vietnam experiences.

Admittedly this was his first book, and he states he would change things if he was writing it now.

An easy listen though, on to the next one!

Editing Error!!

I love the trilogy. only problem I have with this book is you can hear the narrator swallowing all throughout the book. It is very annoying to me and makes me want to throw my phone up against a wall. Could have edited out all the swallowing and it would have been perfect.

"If This Goes On ..."

This is an "if this goes on" story. Campbell wrote this while serving in the Navy at the Pentagon and this story illustrates a couple of the problems he saw. The first problem is the increasing separation of the military man and the civilian. That being if one of your parents didn't put in their twenty your didn't join the mil. Campbell takes this problem and increases it to portray the way he believes things could go in the future. The other problem is micromanagement in the military. That being the top brass sitting back in their offices and giving exact instruction the grunts on the ground and not allowing ingenuity.
Campbell expands these problems and puts them in a world were the US of A is the top dog with no one able to compete with them economically on earth. This leaves one logical alternative the moon.
However this book is not really about the war on the moon it is about the problems in the military. There is lots of action and fighting, but the book is not about that its about the culture.
I hope you enjoy Stark's War