Operation Enduring Unity, Omnibus Edition

By: R A Peters

Narrated by: Kevin Clay

Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

This collection includes all three standalone Operation Enduring Unity novels merged into a single edition.

Welcome to the future of America. Land of chaos and home of the ambitious....

A botched assassination on the eve of Election Day throws the routine transfer of presidential authority on its head and the American government into chaos.

With Congress and the Supreme Court locked in a constitutional standoff, rabble-rousing state governors fueling the fire, and shadowy opportunists pulling strings, the nation teeters on the verge of a second civil war.

While the politicos play their chess games, the pawns refuse to sit idly by. Sometimes the tail doesn't just wag the dog but can strangle it.

©2015 Richard A Peters (P)2015 Richard A Peters

a lot of very interesting and worthy sub-plots

The US is plunged into a 21st Century Civil War through a constitutional crisis. When the incoming president selected by the congress is assassinated, the lame-duck president is retained by the sitting congress. He slowly transforms into a dictator and then a despot. A desperate alliance of Western states and Florida fight back led by the governor of California who becomes the self-appointed president of the United Republics of America (URA). The battles turn bloodier at each turn, going from skirmishes to all out decimation of civilians and infrastructure. So much harm has been done, it is difficult for the two sides to forgive and come together. One side must prevail or the Civil War will destroy the entire nation.

All three volumes of the story are included here in one compendium.

This action based novel series is written for the military enthusiast, complete with acronyms and arcane weapons descriptions. The author continues to explain what they mean throughout the novel and how they influence the outcomes of the battles, but still it is directed at the initiate, not the layman. Others will often be confused and possibly bored.

It is difficult to determine if this is a satire or not. It seems to vacillate between the two. The military and historical detail is finely developed, perhaps overly so. The characters, on the other hand, are caricatures of evil archetypes (like the greedy banker sexually aroused by her growing power). A full quarter of the story is devoted to military detail with almost no character or plot development. If you are a military enthusiast, this should be interesting enough. As a story, it is difficult to follow and even tedious at times. Once this groundwork is laid and the characters are developed, it becomes much more entertaining. Strangely enough, many of the characters are dropped as soon as they are introduced. Their bungling and complete misunderstanding of political events makes one think this is a satire, except for the seriousness of the violence.

There are a lot of very interesting and worthy sub-plots going on that keep the story going. The insatiable greed of the war financiers, for example, and a desperate populace caught between doing what is right and saving their own skins. Unfortunately, unless you are a military buff, this may not be enough to keep you interested.

Kevin Clay does a very good job with his performance and is a pleasure to listen to.

This is a story for military enthusiasts and US government and corporate greed-head haters. For those with less experience or interest in military minutia, you might be better off looking elsewhere. The story can get hard to follow and detailed to the point of tedium. There is great potential to this story buried in a less-than-believable plot.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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Exciting from the beginning!

Would you consider the audio edition of Operation Enduring Unity, Omnibus Edition to be better than the print version?

Definitely! The narrator was one of the best that I've ever heard. He was outstanding!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. There was always something exciting going on, especially since they are on the verge of a civil war.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Clay – was your favorite?

I didn't really have a favorite. I liked all of them because all of the characters were brilliantly done!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Lots of action.

Any additional comments?

I am really surprised that the audio version of this book got worse reviews than the printed version. I don't think that some of these people actually took the time to listen to it, because it's a very good book, and I don't usually even like this genre. The narration really topped it off for me too. I will be looking at more of RA Peters books from now on.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com"

When it *all* hits the fan ...

This collection includes all three standalone Operation Enduring Unity novels merged into a single edition. Welcome to the future of America. Land of chaos and home of the ambitious.... A botched assassination on the eve of Election Day throws the routine transfer of presidential authority on its head and the American government into chaos. With Congress and the Supreme Court locked in a constitutional standoff, rabble-rousing state governors fueling the fire, and shadowy opportunists pulling strings, the nation teeters on the verge of a second civil war. While the politicos play their chess games, the pawns refuse to sit idly by. Sometimes the tail doesn't just wag the dog but can strangle it.

Although this is fiction, much of it reads like a textbook (or several) on subjects ranging from modern warfare tactics, strategy and weaponry to political science and even insurrection management. It is not an easy set of books to read, and I found that I had to be extremely careful not to let myself be distracted. If one misses just a few sentences, one can become disoriented, and have to go back to catch up.

The writing was brisk, straightforward, and seldom emotional, which made those few poignant moments stand out dramatically. In addition this set of books has a huge cast of characters, most of them having cameo, but sometimes crucial roles. While there are some key characters whose stories are told, and who develop throughout the 3 books, the huge cast makes it difficult to identify with these key characters, at least in the ways that I’m used to. Still, I found, almost to my surprise, that, by the end of the story, I cared about some of them, and their fates affected me, particularly in one case.

One of the things I really valued about this set of books (and there were many) was that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out the author’s own political stance. Just when I thought I had it, he changed something, and made a point that would have been diametrically opposed had I been correct. I came to the conclusion that, despite the extremely and highly charged political subject matter involved, the author was determined to be both objective and rational. The result is a well written, technically rich, fascinating study in modern Statecraft …how it works, and what can make it deteriorate into violent chaos. The author pulls absolutely no punches when describing the effects of battle, and there are some nightmare producing graphic descriptions of what weapons, both projectile and chemical do to the human body. No, they weren’t pleasant to read: yes, I think it was right that they should be included, because it is right that we understand what war really *is* and what happens to human flesh and bone.

The narrator did a truly excellent job with this book, and managed to provide enough variation in his character voices to enable me to tell most of them apart. More to the point, he was consistent in his character representations throughout the 3 books, so that each character maintained his or her own tone, rate of speech and inflections.

I give the book 5 stars, not because I enjoyed it (it is emphatically not escape reading) but because it is a monumental piece of work, and because it was so well done and, at least in my opinion, so relevant and valuable. I also give the narrator 5 stars for a truly Herculean effort, and his maintenance of professionalism throughout.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review through the courtesy of AudioBookBlast dot com.

American Anarchy

What made the experience of listening to Operation Enduring Unity, Omnibus Edition the most enjoyable?

I liked how three woman characters evolved gaining respect and power. I liked the lessons regarding responsibility. I liked how one especially evil person met his/her end. I liked the message of forgiveness and healing.

What other book might you compare Operation Enduring Unity, Omnibus Edition to and why?

I don't have a book in mind but I do have a movie in mind. The movie is called Idiocracy.

In the movie an average IQ solider is sent to the future and he ends up being the smartest person in the world because the more intelligent people practiced birth control and the idiots overpopulated and took over the world.

In this book all the idiots are also in charge running things.

What about Kevin Clay’s performance did you like?

He did an over all good job.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was a long multi-volume book that required several sittings.

Any additional comments?

This is a satirical novel that I think some commentators took too seriously. It is also a fable as well as a modern day retelling of the civil war.

Starting with a blotched assassination and through a comedy of errors of political and military bumblings, sensational one sided news coverage (done for ratings and not accuracy) and the influence of big business and special interests; the U.S. is plunged into a civil war. The lame duck president's term is extended by congress and he is made out to be a dictator.

Things escalate with power hungry inept grandiose politicians and military leaders. Big business wanting to make war time profits fuel the fires and the news agencies wanting high ratings worsen the chaos with untrue sensationalized news reports.

When the president finally starts acting like the dictator he is accused of being stability finally occurs. One mislead idealistic female militia member finally gets enlightened and becomes a true heroine. Another female soldier who has more smarts leadership abilities and common sense than any of the military leaders comes to the attention of the president and is put in charge of a special department with power, which also helps to bring an end to the conflict. One intelligent talented female reporter finally gains the standing she needs to report the news in a way that is more objective. I thought it was interesting that three woman who were under valued low clogs in the begging of the book ended up being very influential showing more common sense, bravery, and influence than the original men who were in charge.

“I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot come”

A different Kind of Story

Okay, I was never able to tell whether this book was tongue in cheek or not. It was a dang good read though and I highly recommend it. The initial premise for the cause of the conflict was highly improbable but once past that it was exciting and kept me engaged until the very end.

Fun read

It's a fun book for the beach or a holiday, or just a long weekend

a bit disapointing

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

honestly i have no idea

Would you ever listen to anything by R A Peters again?

sure, i always like to give another chance

What three words best describe Kevin Clay’s performance?

adequated

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment about the story. i couldn't suspend my desblief enough to like the story.

Any additional comments?

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

I really wanted to like this book but didn't

As the title said I really...really wanted to like this story, but I did not. The premise is a modern day civil war in the US and sounds like a really interesting listen. So far so good.

My problems with this story begin right away. RA Peters (Author) seems to have a personal grudge against the following:

Soldiers, Police, Politicians, Business Owners, Working People, College Students, Religious Leaders, Militia Members, Any Gun Owner, The Media, Anyone dumb enough to watch the news...and the list goes on.

After about 8 hours in I began to wonder who this book was written for as he seemed to hate everyone. Every time a new character is introduced he seemed to go to great lengths to explain why they were stupid, evil, greedy or otherwise worthless.

It turns out that a majority of the reason the civil war begins and continues is because people keep making stupid decision. Not a typical character making the wrong decision, but just stupid decisions - over and over again. At a meeting in the White House the author points out that while making plans to invade Florida the General has an erection. While a TV producer is watching a battle on TV he has an orgasm in his pants. Every politician is fat, likes to put his feet on his desk and smoke cigars. Seriously? Everyone in the book is a caricature of the worst possible traits. I cannot remember a book like this where I hated every character.


Kevin Clay (Narrator) did a good job with this one. I like his voice and will listen to him again, but he couldn't save this one.

*This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

25 hrs to long!

What the "duck" was this? Oh i know. A boring Espionage book. Wow. I could not finish this to be honest. It is soooooo loooooong, and nothing happens! I heard around 50%, and i was like: When is this going to begin? *sigh*

I almost feel sorry for Kevin Clay. He is the best thing with this, and i liked his voice work, to bad he had to read this book!

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."