Into the Looking Glass

Looking Glass Series, Book 1

By: John Ringo

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Formerly of the 82nd Airborne Division, New York Times best-selling author John Ringo brings unmatched authenticity to his military science fiction.

When asubatomic physics experiment causes a massive explosion, interdimensional gateways open in Florida - and aliens pour out. Some intend to bring Earth to its knees. Others seem willing to help, but will annihilate the planet if Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller can't stop the menace from spreading.

©2005 John Ringo (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"This thoroughly enjoyable ride should appeal to techno-thriller fans as well as to military SF buffs." ( Publishers Weekly)

Totally cool

This is just such a great adventure, with so much humor and I have to say nifty ideas. I loved how although religions were mentioned, with this story line being very scientific, it did not intrude in either a positive or a negative way. I loved how the main character was a scientist with a thought pattern that could have gotten him gelded and no idea how to fire a gun.
I do have something to point out, I haven't really read huge amounts of SciFi recently however i have noticed that the Southern Hemisphere doesn't seem to exist on these worlds. Can perhaps new/old Authors take note?

Can't say it any better than "Mike from Mesa"

April 2019, I just finished this book. I think Mike said it first and better than I can.
I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. John Ringo is a fun author to listen to.
Please Click on "HELPFUL" to Mikes review, if it is helpful.

Like Mike I will move onto book number 2.

Way different...

This series is very hard to rate for me. I think I've "read" everything Ringo has written when it comes to Sci-Fi (and Pseudo-Fantasy), but this series, while obviously "Ringo-Ish" was just different from what I'm used to. I bought the book some time ago, and within the first 3 hours I had to put it down as "Just too plain silly to finish". Recently I tried listening to it again during a "Book Slump" when I couldn't find anything that seemed to catch my eye, and this time I just gutted-on through it.

At the finish, I immediately came to Audible and bought book 2... and then book 3, and just now got book 4.

The Books have some "just plain silly parts" scattered through them, and a Metric TON of quips and quotes from just about every major Sci-Fi movie made, but I walked away from each book wanting to continue on with the series ASAP, and I found myself with my ear-buds in while working around our ranch, and I also missed a lot of sleep listening to the books in bed... Can't ask for much more than that I guess!

Great book.

I liked this alot,original,technical,and just entertaining all around. This book moves along enough to really keep you listening. Skip TV tonight and turn on this book.

Enter the Boson

I recently listened to Into the Looking Glass written by John Ringo and narrated by L. J. Ganser.

When a sixty kiloton explosion wipes out the University of Central Florida it's pretty obvious you are about to have a bad day. On the positive side, the local military troops aren't detecting radiation, thus they are able to rule out nuclear weapons and meteor strikes don't match what happened either. On the negative side some sort of gateway stands in the rubble and an army of hostile aliens start pouring out of it. These aren't the kinds of tourists you want to attract to Florida for spring break.

Narration: L. J. Ganser has an accent that is clipped, however he stretches his syllables ever so slightly. His accent is clear and easy to understand and he does a decent job of reading this book.

Conclusion: This is a bit of a military scifi thriller, with science taking a center stage. It does take some liberalities with the science, however, a note from the author indicates he is aware of it. Overall it's quite a fun book and is enjoyable to read.

Awesome

John Ringo never disappoints. If you want politically correct, you can skip this. If you don’t like firearms, patriots and hard men making hard choices, skip it. If you honor our fighting men and women, believe that the American dream exists still today, and dream of a nerd fighting to defend it, buy for one credit.

Better than expected

I was not expecting too much from this one, so I was pleasantly surprised. Once you get past the "BS factor" it's a pretty fun story, if not too intellectually demanding.

Always good listening

This is about the 4th time I have listened to the book. Still picking up some things I missed previously. One of my favorite series. Always a treat. Voices are great for the characters. Just wish the series had gone beyond the 4th book.

Another great John Ringo book.

if you have enjoyed any other John Ringo books, then you will assuredly like this one as well. It is his usual light style and interesting Sciece Fiction. How many homages to other SF works can you spot?

The action made this book go!

First, if your hoping for something like Troy Rising don't hold your breath. I really enjoyed the Troy Rising series, but this did not live up to that.

The best moments of this book was when the focus was on Mike O'neil. The switching between so many characters really slowed this book down. It also made the book a lot harder to follow. I found my self just waiting until it swtiched back to Mike O'neil.

The narrators performance was very good. He brought some positive things to the story and didn't hurt it in any way.

All in all not amazing but a good listen. Listening to the next book and assume it will get better.