Earth Strike

Star Carrier, Book One

By: Ian Douglas

Narrated by: Nick Sullivan

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

The first book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence.

There is a milestone in the evolution of every sentient race, a Tech Singularity Event, when the species achieves transcendence through its technological advances. Now the creatures known as humans are near this momentous turning point.

But an armed threat is approaching from deepest space, determined to prevent humankind from crossing over that boundary - by total annihilation if necessary.

To the Sh'daar, the driving technologies of transcendent change are anathema and must be obliterated from the universe - along with those who would employ them. As their great warships destroy everything in their path en route to the Sol system, the human Confederation government falls into dangerous disarray. There is but one hope, and it rests with a rogue Navy Admiral, commander of the kilometer-long star carrier America, as he leads his courageous fighters deep into enemy space towards humankind's greatest conflict - and quite possibly its last.

©2010 William H. Keith, Jr. (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Great book

If you could sum up Earth Strike in three words, what would they be?

Nice balance of technical details and story line. Enjoyed it throughout.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Which scene was your favorite?

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Any additional comments?

Great book. Really enjoyed it.

I originally read the Kindle version and enjoyed it enough to continue on with the series. I started to get busy and didn't have the chance to read as much so I decided I would listen to the audiobooks on my commute. Definitely a good decision. It helps that after you have purchased the Kindle version that audible drops off in price. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a space epic adventure.

Do not plan on putting it down

Excellent military science fiction, fast paced with just enough personal information about main character to enable emotional connection.

good for realistic sci-fi lovers

a touch wordy, but the narrator is clear enough to put at 1 1/2 speed

This is a Story that might be better to Read ...

... then in Audio. Initially I wasn't impressed until I realized that I had missed important details. Details that are sublime but make the story (and Author!) memorable. There are so many mediocre storylines where the an ancient alien race(s) fear the upstart humans and decide to destroy us to maintain status quo. if your willing to pay attention it us worth a credit for sure.

Surprisingly Outstanding

I almost didn't get past the first chapter of book one because at first it struck me as noting but space battle without enough story behind it - I was wrong. I like sci-fi that explores the possibilities of what might really exist in space and the near future. By the end of the first book, I realized that there is a very significant plot here and a great deal exploring what our galaxy might be like and what other civilizations may exist.

I like sci-fi with as little fiction as possible. I prefer that only the characters and events are fictional and that everything else, including the stars included in the story, and futuristic science be as real as possible and consistent with what we know today. This book delivers that better than any I've read.

After book two the story had me firmly entranced in a future that seems not only possible, but highly probable. I also appreciated that all the physics and astronomy used in the story was accurate, again I think more so than any other sci-fi author that I've read.

I just finished book three and I am stunned by the possible and probably future and state of the universe as described in this story. I really hope this become the next movie franchise. Works like this are how society as a whole can start to become more aware of what to realistically expect from the future.

Very good delivery of a fairly straight story

While the overall concept of galactic wars between humanity and aliens is not much different from the sci-fi novels out there... this one stands out for its heart-in-the-mouth narration of fighter combat.
It takes you literally into the viewpoint of a combat aviator twisting and turning through enemy combatants ... the exhilaration ... the excitement ... the destruction and the desperation
The misunderstood hero , the firm and stoic leader , the easy going mentor , the nasty rivals , the weird aliens and heartstrings action
This one has everything of a popcorn summer action movie
Keep it coming :D

Forget the Characters, Just Bring on the Action!

This seems to be Ian Douglas' new philosophical approach to storytelling in "Earth Strike", which starts a new series in a new fictional universe.

Seriously... The battle starts with the book's opening pages and takes up literally the first half of the book. After that, a short lull as the factions regroup (and we get our only short period of character-building), and then the second battle starts, running all the way till the end.

Does this work? Well, it depends on what you're going for. If you like reading military sci fi simply for the action (or watch movies simply for the mayhem and the explosions) then you will probably dig it. He writes action pretty well. There aren't many new technological ideas involved, rather an amalgamation of different tech and themes common to sci fi. Probably the most stand-out theme is that Douglas has figured out a way to make star fighters important again, giving him the excuse to write a highly "fighter pilot-focused" book. In fact, this book probably has the most starfighter action since the "X-Wing" series, albeit with much more powerful fighters fighting at near-relativistic speeds.

On the other hand, the lack of character development means you don't really engage with any of them that much, and this of course lessens the impact of the fighting itself. If you're hoping for a really deep story, look elsewhere. Furthermore, this imbalance in the time devoted to action vs worldbuilding makes me hesitate to recommend it to military sci fi fans. There are books out there that have the total "package" wrapped much more completely, including, I daresay, the X-Wing series itself.

Overall, this is a light, action-packed story that probably will appeal most to those who are already Ian Douglas fans.

Slow Men Working

This book crawls at the beginning, you feel almost no attachment to the characters until mid-way through the book, and Douglas takes way too long to set up the battles.

That said, the second half starts to pick-up and my initial distaste was overridden "just enough" for me to look forward to the next book (which has already been published).

Pretty good sci-fi!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to a friend because the story is quite interesting, keeping to a science fiction setting that is well developed.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the political setting just as much as the technical details which are explained in a way that the listener is able to keep up with.

What does Nick Sullivan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

NIck Sullivan is able to bring the book's characters to life by using his voice in a consistent way that allows the listener to easily keep up with the story.

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

This is not a book that inspires the urge to listen to the entire thing in a single sitting. Although I was interested in keeping up with the story, it was not too difficult to take a little break every once in a while. That may have something to do with the way I listen to books, though.