Black Ops

Expeditionary Force, Book 4

By: Craig Alanson

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The elite crew of the pirate ship UNS Flying Dutchman had a simple mission: determining whether the Thuranin are sending another starship to Earth. Along the way, they became sidetracked by securing a future for the UNEF troops on the planet Paradise. When asked whether Earth was now safe, their ancient alien AI responded "Not so much"...now they have to deal with the consequences.

©2017 Craig Alanson (P)2017 Podium Publishing

Love these books

It’s so refreshing to be confident I am going to love a book before I buy it and have it come true. My wife is not following this series, but I am able to play portions for her that I particularly enjoy (such as when skippy introduces his Lord Skippy avatar) and she is instantly involved and wants to continue listening. Definitely recommend (except don’t use a credit on the short 5 hour book “trouble in Paradise” as I don’t think it’s worth it and you don’t miss anything by skipping it.)

Fantastic series

I really am enjoying this! All hail Skippy the Magnificent! Love the narration.

Author tends to repeat himself a bit. Like he wrote multiple versions of a conversation and instead of picking one, puts them both in in different parts of the book.

Craig Alanson and R.C. Bray are a dynamic duo

The galaxy that Craig Alanson has created is packed full of action, science, space travel, and comic relief. Traveling in their stolen pirate ship and facing impossible odds is all in a day's work for Joe Bishop and his shiny beer can, Skippy. R.C.Bray.....wow. I can't say it enough, this guy can narrate. The Expeditionary Force series was the first time I'd heard the man. Since then I've expanded my library with titles that this Mr. Bray narrates. These two could conquer the galaxy with the force of their respective arts. Overall a perfect 5 stars for these two. Thank you for reading this and remember to TRUST THE AWESOMENESS.

Getting old. Earth needs to advance a bit.

It's basically the same story line repeating. No advancement. Earth still hoping not to get discovered. It is really, truly getting old. I hate not giving 5 stars to a book read by RC Bray - but of course his narration is still 5 star.

Short

I have read the other books, this one is a little slow and repetitive. There are some new achievements. by the team, some action in a planet dominted by the lizards but it is all very slow comparing with book one and two, these books were the ones I liked best. I did like boom three as well but dividing the book in two was awkward and expensive... Overall for.those who are listening the series it is a must read. My son sometimes listen with me and he does like it specially the AI and its special voice.

Hooked

Reader beware once you start this series you will not stop.

I am far beyond hooked to this series. And I cannot wait for the next book.

Enjoy

Trust the Awesomeness!

Skippy & the "Merry Band of Pirates" return for a thrilling confrontation with the nasty Lizards. I feel like this book took a little time to take off, i.e. get interesting. That's probably because it's book 4 and for me, I'm not a big fan of sequels but these books have been great! R.C. Bray does an awesome job of narrating once again.

It you're reading this than it's highly likely you've read the previous three books. If you want to know how the story ends then I guess you have no choice! Its not as awesome as the first book but it's NOT a waste of money/credit either.

There is one thing that kinda annoyed me. I'll write it below as I must warn that it may be a slight SPOILER for someone.

!SPOILER ALERT! Stop reading as this may tell you something you don't want to know yet.

-----------SPOILER BELOW------------------

I don't like how the reader is left hanging at the end. It was too abrupt of an ending and sorta feel like I'm being forced to pay for the remainder of the book. That being said, it's still enjoyable and I'm also glad there will be a fifth book. ENJOY!

Great story

I like the voice and voices used by the narrator. My only complaint is the Austrian sounds more Asian than European.
The story moves quickly enough to keep my interest and not so technical that I have no idea what they’re talking about. I guess being a hairless ape plays into this.

Bad Reviews are NOT Helpful

If you have made it this far in the series, ignore the few negative reviews that idiots seem to rate as “helpful”. When a book has 99% 5 star reviews, why are we even reading the 1%?! People will always hate on something, especially if it’s a masterpiece. If you’ve made it this far, don’t hesitate to listen to this.

I hope these stories never end because they keep getting better and better.

5 STAR WORTHY

MORE SKIPPY AND JOE Please! NOW

This series of books has rapidly turned into my all time favorite. Please never stop writing because my life won't be complete without SKIPPY AND JOE and the Merry Band of Pirates.