Deathtrap

Expeditionary Force Mavericks, Book 1

By: Craig Alanson

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 15 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

The human soldiers stranded on the planet Paradise have been recruited into an alien legion to do the dirty jobs that the high-tech species won't do. Their first mission is to kick the enemy off a backwater planet no one cares about. It's a simple assignment, except everyone has a hidden agenda, and the planet could become a deathtrap.

©2019 Craig Alanson (P)2019 Blue Heron Audio

What a great spinoff!

Craig Alanson proves in this book that you don't necessarily have to have a shiny beer can to cause some really crazy "stuff" to happen to an unsuspecting universe at the hands of some really devious humans! I am so happy I bought this! With Craig Alanson writing and R.C. Bray narrating, what could possibly go wrong?

Excellent spinoff series

I was worried that this spinoff might suffer from not having Skippy around for comic relief. But it’s great. The plot moves rapidly and it’s even more engaging than many of the expeditionary force books. It probably helps if you’ve read the expeditionary force books, however, since there isn’t much character development in this book. It’s good if you know the characters involved.

really wanted to like this book

I love the Skippy and Col. Joe books and wanted to love the Mavericks but I can't. The plot is sooooo slow. The characters are lifeless. I really don't care about these people and I am halfway through the book.

I think what bothers me is that there is no main character. With the expeditionary force, you have Joe and Skippy. An excellent team!

With the Mavericks, it's like watching a bunch of secondary characters in the story. I need somebody I can cheer for. somebody that I can connect with. I'm not getting that here.


So....I won't be finishing it.

Jates may be as funny as Skippy!

I did say 'may be', Skippy is still the best. But, Jates does have some great lines, go Mavericks! Another great story.

Love this universe Mr.Alanson created

I am straight up addicted to the Expeditionary Force series. I've been hooked from the start.

Nothing great about it

Unfortunately, I really think this story is done. I really enjoyed the original few books however the last one in the series was. a stretch and I believe this book is as well. Others have commented that this book is as funny as the original expeditionary force book but I completely disagree. Yes, it has a few funny moments, however, that's all. I finished the book for the sake of finishing it however nothing great here. A good book maybe but I believe this series is over. Sorry, I really was hoping this would be a step back into the original 4 or 5 expeditionary force books but it was not.

As always, RC BRAY did an amazing job which helps a little.

Surgun Jates

OMG it was such a joy listening to this book. Surgun Jates with a drill sergeant sense of humor is a great new addition to these books. I loved the story, it was wild and all over the place. Filled with nail biting scenarios and tons of comic relief. This monkey is impressed

Sloooow...

Have read all of Craig Alanson's books, and have loved the Expeditionary Force series. Sadly the loss of Joe & Skippy in the Maverick series slows them down quite a bit. This one is much too full of the political explications of the layers of galactic politics. Even though I'm familiar with the several layers, they were still confusing. And the laborious descriptions of political intrigues and complications with Verdkrist and various sub clans of the Kristang, big the book down. it is also mildly annoying that the author seems to need to play politically correct cards in making sure that women are put in most positions of leadership.There are occasional bursts of interest, when the intrigue turns into battle and the technology is used effectively. I only bought the book because I have fallen in love with the characters in the previous oned. But if this were my first introduction I would not probably buy others.

RC Bray... Good

there was so much more laughter in this book...
I don't like to write reviews but Skippy told me too..

so here you go... you shiny beer can...

Now Rated “R” listener beware

This book was awesome! I may have laughed and enjoyed this one then all the past great books in Craig’s series. I will purchase and continue raving about this author. But... The intensity of language has gone up to a new level. I cannot listen to this audiobook in the car with my young children. I only caution adults to be aware of your audience.

This series is now my all time favorite SiFi. I am also a responsible father. Make your own call and have fun.

The Mavericks Have The Stage!

The Mavericks, of course, evolved out of Alanson's most excellent 'Expeditionary Force" series and for the most part, have been considered by some to be something of a sideshow getting in the way of the main act in the form of Joe, Skippy and the Merry Band of Pirates. But you know, Alanson has created this wonderful universe with its own intriguingly mysterious history and populated it with an absolute panoply of weird and wonderful alien races. Their zany cultures, especially the Guraptha (I'm sure I've spelled that wrong) with their fabulous gambling habits, their politics, their sheer imperfections and their seemingly infinite variety mean there is more than enough space out there for the Mavericks and the Pirates to explore. It would be a real waste to only base one series in amongst all that lot.

It's also definitely a good move to split this series off into one in its own right. Understandably some were put off when the original series departed from the Joe and Skippy show to concentrate on the Mavericks so now people have a choice. Being me I choose both. The only cautionary note that I would sound is that if you are coming to all this fresh it would be much better to start with the Expeditionary Force series as you will miss so much of the background and some of the nuances of this might pass you by otherwise. And to be fair, if you don't like that series, you likely won't like this one either.

What you get with both is lots of action, lots of Alanson's trademark humour and of course bravura performances from the one and only RC Bray. I have written so many good things about that man and his narration in so many different reviews that I am almost dreaming of the day when he gives a bad performance so that I can slate him for it. In truth it remains but a dream because once again he is simply excellent.

Quite how Alanson manages to turn out books of this length quite so freqently and to this high standard is difficult to imagine. It is clear from his entertaining author's note at the end that he loves what he is doing and is prepared to put in the hard yards to be successful. All I can say is more power to his mighty writer's elbow!

Jates is the man (OK, lizard... Whatever)!

This book was, in a way, Craig's "do or die" for the series. People like ExForce because of the Asshole Supreme, 1st class, and there were more than a few complaints about a portion of the Book 6 of the ExForce being "Skippy-less". However...

Main characters from the "Mavericks" (Book 6 of ExForce main series) are all there, and some of them evolved into pure gold. The plot is great, believable and has just the right ratio of build-up vs. action. Deathtrap hits big, hits hard and, most importantly, hits funny! With all due respect to the beer can, but I think this was actually the funniest book Craig has ever written (and anyone who read ExForce books knows they are funny as well as engaging).

Don't miss out on this one just because there's no Skippy. Relax, buy, and trust the awesomeness - Craig's writing and R.C. Bray's narrating awesomeness!

Alanson really stepped up

You might have thought the ExForce series was getting a little stale, but this book completely revives the universe Alanson has created. This book has a lot of original humour and interesting plot points which unveil a much broader, underlying story. This is accompanied by fresh views on existing characters from all species.

I would highly recommend continuing with this series as I can see this series expanding to more than just books, and it would be a shame to miss the full ride.

Awesome break from Skippy & Joe funtime

You know how the mojo moves sometimes?

Bit like when the Simpsons starting dropping off right when Futurama started?

I get some of the feelings for this, I do love Skippy but deathtrap felt like a more rounded story.

To be honest - Mr brays interpretation of nert danderff is enough for 5 stars.

Next step - homefront audio drama 🤠

Best expeditionary best I’ve had.

Really liked it. Bored with Skippy and quite happy to have a story without him for a change.

Another Winner From Alanson

As soon as I saw the release of Death Trap: Expeditionary Force mavericks, I purchased it. Suffice it to say, it was a book I did not have to peruse reviews before deciding to get. I have read all previous instalments in this epic and wonderfully written series to date and given the designation that this was book 1, it was clear that the second group of heroes based on the planet Paradise merited their own series. We first saw this group get their own story with book 4.5, I think it was, in the main Expeditionary Force series. Clearly Alanson had written the series thus far so well that this band of planet bound humans along with a teenage Ruhar deserved a book of their own. Likely due to how well that story was received and the vast potential for growth, it didn't surprise me to see that the Mavericks now get their own series. The universe Alanson has created in these books makes for plenty of scope for material and with such a skilled writer at the helm things are looking excellent.

There are few authors that I ` look forward to their next book with such anticipation. Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth series springs to mind as well as his void trilogy as other such examples of the regard I have for Craig Alanson's work. Unlike Hamilton, Alanson has injected humour into his stories that adds a touch of real humanity to his characters. I was so pleased to see our furry, socially awkward at times and lovable alien friend in the form of Nurt play a part in this book.

Once again, Alanson has come up with an excellent story and the action comes thick and fast once the story allows for it. I just love Alanson's prose style, it's so natural, flowing and doesn't waste words to get to where we need to be.

I spotted the dialogue homages to Star Wars in one scene where an enemy commander had to clear an incoming shuttles older security code. I like these little nuggets of nods to other science fiction and such use of fictional characters was used to humerus effect by the Sergan Jaites character.

Topping off this superb story is, of course, the amazing narration of R. C. Bray. I am so glad this superb narrator has committed to this series. i cannot think of any other who could possibly do these books justice so with Alanson's writing and Bray's narration we have the perfect combination for the ultimate medium for this story. I've said it before and shall repeat myself here when I say that the audio book format has to be the way the author intended for his stories to be delivered. Reading the print version just cannot be nearly as entertaining.

OK, so now I'm going to do that thing I often do with my reviews, speak to some errors I noticed that should have been caught by that thing publishers used to do, proof reading. The way I look at it, if I can find typos then so can those paid to do so. Here's what I found:

Here is a list of the discrepancies I spotted.

* Puddles rather than paddles.
* A scene where a destroyer is under attack becomes a frigate before being described again as a destroyer.
* A his rather than her.
* Irritation rather than imitation.

Let me make this clear, none of the above detract in any way from the book and the errors found represents a tiny fraction of the books wordage but I do find such things bother me. I don't see this as Alanson's fault, I hasten to add. We are all human and mistakes are going to happen. The more you write, then more such things will occur. That's why publishers proof read or so I used to believe.

Anyway, minor and perhaps rather anal observations aside, Death Trap is another top notch read from Craig Alanson. His consistency in the quality of his stories and writing is remarkable and it is clear this is a man who has natural writing and story telling abilities. My only slight worry is that he burns himself out. He is now a full time author having given up his regular job recently so is perhaps now under the pressures of publisher contracts to produce certain numbers of books within a time frame. I hope this isn't going to cramp Alanson's natural style.

Some of the best and most entertaining science fiction around and puts to shame some of the junk we get these days produced by Hollywood

Fantasy Sports, Humanities Ace in the Hole!

Jesse & Shauna stumble onto one of the most valuable bits of tech in the galaxy, the Alien Legion gets shipped off to pacify a backwater planet that no one wants, Admiral Tashallo makes a return doing what he does best with classic Jeraptha wagering, Dave & Jates go on a joy ride that ends in a brawl, the Legion find they have been set up all along and end up trading information to humanity's most unique cultural pastimes in the galaxy, in exchange to being rescued by the Jeraptha; fantasy sports...

Like most spinoffs, it's not as good as the original series but still well worth the read/listen and still is very relevant to the later main ExFor series. The main thing it is lacking over the main series is a certain beer can, which is both a good and bad thing as it makes this spinoff different enough that it isn't the same exact story as the main series with a different setting which many spinoffs are. Overall this book is still excellent and very entertaining and if you've been reading the main ExFor series, it isn't something you should skip over even though you could if you really wanted to blitz the main series.

Another great sci-fi saga from Craig Alanson!

Keep them coming! WRITE FASTER!!! I need to know what happens and if they finally get back to earth!!!!! DON’T KEEP ME IN SUSPENSE, MY HEART WON’T TAKE IT!!!!!!!

Excellent Expeditionary Force story

I was worried that Skippy and Col Joe Bishop would not be in this story. Perhaps just another way to squeeze a dime out of the series. BUT NO... this is a great story with great characters and it stands well along side the others. Great job Craig. RCBray awesome as ever. Can’t wait for next installment

The only problem with these books....

If you have a sci-fy itch...
A need for interesting and grounded characters
Or even a joy of original story telling with action and spot on sarcasm and humour then please please pick up or listen to these books.
The story is both epic and personal.
The main characters are likeable and indeed lovable.
The narration is fantastic !!
The only problem with these books is having to wait for the next release!