Germline Audiobook By T. C. McCarthy cover art

Germline

The Subterrene War, Book 1

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Germline

By: T. C. McCarthy
Narrated by: Donald Corren
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Germline (n): the genetic material contained in a cellular lineage that can be passed to the next generation. Also (slang): secret military program to develop genetically engineered supersoldiers.

One hundred years from now, Russia and the United States are at odds again. This time the war has gone hot. Heavily armored soldiers battle genetically engineered troops hundreds of meters below the icy, mineral-rich mountains of Kazakhstan.

War is Oscar Wendell’s ticket to greatness. A reporter for the Stars and Stripes, he has the only one-way ticket to the front lines. The front smells of blood and fire and death—it smells like a Pulitzer.

But Kaz changes people, and the chaos of war feels a bit too much like home. Hooked on a dangerous cocktail of drugs and adrenaline, Oscar starts down a dark road he won’t be able to turn back from.

©2011 T. C. McCarthy (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Adventure Hard Science Fiction Military Science Fiction Fiction War

Critic reviews

“Compelling…. Recalling the work of Remarque, Willi Heinrich, and especially Michael Herr, McCarthy’s delirious narrative avoids cliché and raises intriguing questions about what it means to be human.” ( Publishers Weekly)
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I couldn't stop listening. I started reading the book a few years back, but the book disappeared from the duty desk.

Amazing just simply outstanding

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loved this book. I'm sure you could never understand what anyone who has been thru a war goes thru. this title helps paint a picture of not only the physical struggle( bombs, bullets, and disease) but also the psychological battles people have to face during and after a war. losing loved ones, adjusting to any sort of normal life after. the author has used a theater of sci fi future war and by doing so hooked me from the start.

psychological action romance.

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I have no problem with the writing in this book. It is written well. The only thing I do not like about the book is sometimes in flashbacks, the transition is not clear enough. This may have been intentional due to the nature of the narrator, but it still made it difficult to follow.

Book ratings are subjective. Objectively, this is an excellent book. It delves well into what happens to people in war. I have not experienced it myself, but it feels authentic. What I have seen from the outside of soldiers that have served in wars, it seems realistic.

And that is my SUBJECTIVE reason for giving this book 2 stars. Objectively, I would probably give this 4 stars, subjectively... the subject matter is too foreign to me, to odd, and to... real. I tend to read/listen for escapism. This book is brutal reality, and just... not MY type of book.

So take this as a SUBJECTIVE opinion, and don't ignore this book if it is your type of book.

Difficult to review

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I think fans of science fiction--and in particular, military scifi--deserve accurate pronounciation of terms. It is "core-man," NOT "cores-man," and yes, I know how it's spelled. The "s", just like the "p" is silent. There were other mispronounciations as well, but this one just screamed out at me every time I heard it. There are no acceptable excuses. I don't blame the reader, who in every other regard did a fine job. No, I blame the producer and the director. Take some care and pride in your work. I paid good money for this audiobook. I deserve the words to be pronounced correctly.

Great Story Marred by Poor Performance

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This book really surprised me, and once the story had me I couldn't put it down (well, pause it I suppose). The story was excellent, the characterization superb, and the portrayal of the conflict very realistic. It reminded me very much of my first reading of Micheal Herr's Dispatches. The narration was spot on, and perfectly in-tune with the personalities in the story. Probably one of my best purchases thus far on Audible.

A Truly Engaging Story

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