USS Hamilton: Ironhold Station

USS Hamilton, Book 1

By: Mark Wayne McGinnis

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

The surprise attack within the Auriga Star System was worse than brutal; it was heinous, leaving the US Navy's 3rd Fleet decimated.

Thousands of crew are reported dead, including the ship’s captain. Reluctantly, the young XO, Galvin Quintos, will be taking command of the fleet's crippled dreadnaught, the USS Hamilton, while doing his best to bring fleet survivors back to Earth. To make matters worse, there’s a murderer running loose on board the ship, critically low fuel levels, and the Grish are back, in fast pursuit and ready to finish what they’d started. Only by sheer luck - and a good measure of cagey smarts - will Quintos be able to rise to the challenge.

©2020 Mark Wayne McGinnis (P)2020 Podium Audio

Action-Packed Space Opera

USS Hamilton: Ironhold Station has some nice space-opera vibes while crossing some genres as it dips into a murder mystery, drama, and military sci-fi. I thought the story and world-building were great, and I enjoyed the plot, the characters (as outlandish as they were), and the sci-fi aspects of the book. The action and intrigue kept me engaged, and the various threads of the plot were woven together well. I'd pick up the next book in the series, especially if I can catch it on sale. James Patrick Cronin delivers a solid performance, and though I found a few of the voices used to be annoying or over-the-top, the overall narration was well done.

It wasn't without its flaws; some may be pieced as bigger issues than others. As mentioned before, the characters were interested and multifaceted, but some leaned toward absurdity with their character traits, irrationalities, and acceptance of everything that the plot tossed their way. Other issues, such as the absence of strict military protocol and unrealistic operating procedures aboard what is supposed to be a military warship, may also require some suspension of belief to enjoy the story. As I think full-on military sci-fi can get a bit stuffy and boring, I'll take the trade-off and enjoy the story as long as it doesn't get too ridiculous. And really, if you've read other books by McGinnis (like Ship Wrecked), how much serious, realistic military sci-fi were you expecting?

Fantastic

This book is an excellent start to a new series. I will continue with the next in the series.

Good story.

I found this book captivating and interesting. The plots were well thought out and the characters interesting. I found my self so drawn in that I could not put it down. I am looking forward to the next book.

Very Entertaining!

This was a very entertaining book, now off to book #2!

Give it a try.

very suspenseful and exciting

I really enjoyed the story going from a wide view to focusing to boots on the ground. I am a truck driver so listening to this makes my day so much more enjoyable.

I love the performance by James Cronin

my first audiobook but far from my last writing this after finishing book 2 aswell.