Asher's Fall: A Military Sci-Fi Adventure

The Descending Worlds, Book 1

By: Justin S. Leslie

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

A company of Space Rangers finds itself on the precipice of intergalactic war in a military SF novel perfect for fans of Starship Troopers and the Lost Fleet series.

Ben Dailey's Viper Company has one motto: Play hard and fight even harder. The crew is comprised of some of the most elite fighters in the Fleet, though occasionally overconfident and, some might say, obnoxious. So when Dailey is handed down a mysterious, high-security mission that's ostensibly a search-and-rescue for his once-upon-a-time academy rival turned brother in arms, he's convinced there's more to the job than meets the eye.

Soon, the USF Murphy is on its way to the edge of the Void—a mostly unexplored section of space on the outer reaches of the galaxy—to track down what happened to Capt. Rick Bearing and the Asher-5. But as Dailey and his crew discover more and more about the ruined ship they've been sent to investigate, they begin to realize there's something bad happening in the dark reaches of the system. Something alien. Something with potentially catastrophic implications for not just them but all of humanity . . .

Filled with heart-pounding battles, fast-paced wit, and unforgettable characters, and penned by an ex–armed forces leader, Asher's Fall is the explosive launch of a one-of-a-kind, high-octane military science-fiction series.

©2023 Justin S. Leslie (P)2023 Podium Audio

Great story, mediocre performance

The story elements (like most sci-fi) are familiar. What is important is how it is put together. This is a great story. Good characters, and mostly accurate military aire!
The reader is "meh" at best. I finished the book, but I don't think I'll be purchasing subsequent books if the same reader is selected. This story seems to have overwhelmed this gentleman's talents.

Asher’s Fall

Asher’s Fall by Justin S Leslie
The Descending Worlds Book #1. A Military Science fiction adventure.
Captain Ben Daily and his crew of Viper Company are sent on a secret mission to track down and find out what happened to Captain Rick Bearing and his crew and ship, the Asher-5. Ben’s crew are some of the most elite fighters in the Fleet. Soon the USF Murphy is on its way to the edge of the Void on the outer reaches of the galaxy. They are able to find the crippled and dead ship but soon realize there is something more there. Something dark and alien. Something with potentially catastrophic implications for all of humanity.

Heart-pounding battles with some sad, inevitable casualties and confirmation that spies or traitors have sold out our world.
It’s not all doom and gloom. There is quite a bit of slapstick humor including Sparky who looks most like a dog, but is an Alurian Battle Hound that can disappear and “shock” the aliens and mostly just cares about getting more ham to eat. There is also a sarcastic AI unit that goes by Alfred, has a British accent and likes television dramas.
It’s not the end of the adventure and that’s made clear. Fortunately the next two books in the series are already available.

🎧 I alternated between a paperback and an audiobook. The narration is performed by Luke Daniels who has done hundreds of similar books and is phenomenal at voices, emotional expressions and compelling the listener to pay attention. His catalog includes many NYT bestselling authors such as George R Martin, Kevin Hearne, Lisa Gardner, Harlan Coben, and Nora Roberts. Listening to this book, with Alfred and Sparky and all the various crew made me really appreciate how much acting and work must be involved in narrating a story. And bonus outtakes are included at the end!
I did move the speed to 1.5 for a closer match to my reading speed and conversational ear.

Pretty Awesome

Fast paced but very smooth and loved all the characters, definitely loved the camaraderie between the characters, reminded me of my time in the service.

Good story & characters- potential to be a better series

Good first book to the series, but it could be better. The characters are good, but I kept hoping for a little more - and definitely more character development. I did really enjoy the AI’s media puns and references, and the dog is fun, but not great, (see Duke, in Craig Alanson’s ‘Convergence’ series).

But as I said, it’s a good start to a series that can become great. So, I’m moving on to book 2 with high hopes.

Space! Action! Humor! and awesome narrator!

First book in series and I already cant wait wait for the next, the 12 hours went by waay faster than i thought possible

Worldbuilding has a great pace giving you story and information as you go without feeling like huge future info dump.
Great interactions and varied characters, you'll end up laughing at inside jokes with the people telling them,.
It's hard to pick a favorite character (At least for me), I just couldn't stop listening!

if you enjoy sci-fi, space action & humor you'll definitely enjoy this book!

Luke Daniels does great work bringing the words to life.