• Marines: Crimson Worlds

  • By: Jay Allan
  • Narrated by: Jeff Bower
  • Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (659 ratings)

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Marines: Crimson Worlds  By  cover art

Marines: Crimson Worlds

By: Jay Allan
Narrated by: Jeff Bower
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Publisher's summary

Erik Cain joined the marines to get off death row. The deal was simple; enlist to fight in space and he would be pardoned for all his crimes.

In the 23rd Century, assault troops go to war wearing AI-assisted, nuclear-powered armor, but it is still men and blood that win battles. From one brutal campaign to the next, Erik and his comrades fight an increasingly desperate war over the resource rich colony worlds that have become vital to the economies of Earth's exhausted and despotic Superpowers.

As Erik rises through the ranks he finally finds a home, first with the marines who fight at his side and later among the colonists - men and women who have dared to leave everything behind to build a new society on the frontier, one where the freedoms and rights lost long ago on Earth are preserved.

Amidst the blood and death and sacrifice, Erik begins to wonder. Is he fighting the right war? Who is the real enemy?

Now Included: A sneak peak at Crimson Worlds II: The Cost of Victory. Read the first three chapters, immediately following the end of Marines in this Kindle edition.

Crimson Worlds II: The Cost of Victory - Available Now!

Crimson Worlds III: A Little Rebellion - December 2012

©2012 Jay Allan Books (P)2012 Jay Allan Books

What listeners say about Marines: Crimson Worlds

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    52
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    241
  • 4 Stars
    176
  • 3 Stars
    117
  • 2 Stars
    49
  • 1 Stars
    32

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Refreshing

If you could sum up Marines: Crimson Worlds in three words, what would they be?

Peculiar, Entertaining, Promising

What was one of the most memorable moments of Marines: Crimson Worlds?

What I like about this book and in turn what has endeared me to this series is the cast, the universe, and the potential. Allan has created a fascinating universe for his characters a world that I would love to explore.

Did Jeff Bower do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Bower is not my favorite narrator, his performance was so jarring that the first time I started to listen to this book I put it down in disgust within a few minutes thinking that I had purchased a poorly written, poorly pronounced piece. I came back to the series last week and ended up falling in love. That being said, you may find Bower a little different or annoying at first be sure to listen to the sample before you buy!

Any additional comments?

Viewed by itself this book is perhaps mediocre. Yet, I am truly a sucker for space opera and after reading this book and its sequel I have to say I absolutely love this series. Before you buy let me break down why I love this book and why this series is worth spending your time on, and then let me tell you what to watch out for!

What I love:

The fiction that this story occupies is deep, far deeper than we are immediately exposed to. I got the distinct impression that the author has a grand vision of what the universe looks like in his world (More on this later)

I see amazing potential in this series that it has not yet reached and I am basing alot of my enjoyment on that. I hope that the author follows through on the hints he is leaving and does this series justice.

If you like these books you might like this one too:

Old Man's War
Legacy of the Aldenata
Troy Rising
Prince Roger
Armor
Star Force

One major difference: Marines: Crimson Worlds is Human vs Human



Things I don't like:

It isn't the best writing. I love it and I'm a sucker for it but this is scifi pulp its fun and enjoyable and I think that this series has the potential to transcend that classification but with only book one and two out this series is currently only delivering the title: Marines + Crimson Worlds (Blood).

If you are looking for a deep read or an epic space opera I think you might be more satisfied with a different title however, if you are like me and you want some unique action with solid characters in promising new world give it a shot.

My verdict:

If you are new to scifi or space marines there might be better options to start off with. If you are a grizzled veteran like me, dig in I think you will love it. You need to love this genre to love this book.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Fair story, annoying voice get used to it

What disappointed you about Marines: Crimson Worlds?

The narrator's voice is jarring and the tone put me off almost immediately. His diction and the way he reads the book just don't do it for me.

What was most disappointing about Jay Allan’s story?

Didn't feel the story was very well fleshed out. There isn't any connection or real character building. The listener/reader will have to put effort into seeing the protagonists views and the main story guidelines. Marines is good for one listen and done.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

His tone and involvement in the book were obvious, dull and jarring. The use of electronic voice changers to enhance the story was a cheap ploy to make his rendition better.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Noise for your ears while you do heavy physical labor.

Any additional comments?

Very disappointed in this purchase. The sample clip was not a good representation of the narration or story.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

"We'll leave the light on for you..."

Any additional comments?

The story itself is actually a good story. No, it's not original, offhand "Old man's War" by John Scalzi comes to mind, but still an entertaining listen. I actually enjoyed the story in and by itself. But...Two chief complaints, first the narrator. This story just does not fit his voice. He reminds me of the "Motel 8"'s commercial voice over actor saying "...and we'll leave the light on for you...". not a rough and tumble type of voice your expecting. Second, the second half of the book is really only about 3 hours long, the rest being the first 3 chapters of Book 2. I didn't appreciate the abrupt ending and was about 30 minutes into the organizational flow chart before I realized the book was over. I will read Book 2 eventually, but I will need to listen to a couple of other books with different narrators just to adjust my listening comfort agian. I do recommend the book, but with patience as a virtue.Rooster

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, a little hard to listen to though.

So far I am about 10 and a half hours into the story and I gotta say I really like the story, the world he built is great and the story sucks you in.

However the narrator is... To be honest he isn't the best. I see in some reviews people like the machine voices for the radios, and others don't. Personally I like when you add little touches like that.

My problem is that the narrator has this habit of making words sound like questions and he tends to be slow (speed up to 1.5 on the app helps a lot).

I guess all I am really trying to get across is that the story is great, but the narrator can be a bit hard to listen to.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

not good

What disappointed you about Marines: Crimson Worlds?

narration was horrible, he presented arrogance and boredom that did not allow me to get absorbed into the book, bad characters, I could not care about.

Has Marines: Crimson Worlds turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

Would you be willing to try another one of Jeff Bower’s performances?

never

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

disappointment

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story, poor performance

Would you try another book from Jay Allan and/or Jeff Bower?

The Story was well written and you can tell Jay Allan spent a lot of time creating and researching his worlds.

I found the story a little fast and not enough character development. Lots of action.

The performance was ridiculous; the narrator did little to further the story or the series.


What did you like best about this story?

That the book was thought out. Lots of research.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jeff Bower?

Someone meaner and nastier.

It needed a tough voice.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Average story but bad narration.

I am easy going when it comes to narration but Jeff Bower did not do a good job at all. His voices for males sound like females. Some characters sound like little girls and others just sound like they have a cold. To make things worse, there are sound effects, like echoes, for various voices. Why are there loooong silent pauses between chapters? Audiobooks should NOT have sound effects!

The story is average so far. It starts a little slow but picks up about half way through and spins a web for future plot lines. Overall it's an average story but with good potential.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

3,2,4

Sadly the narration was slightly off. hard to explain. A combination of oscilating volume of the narration possibly quality issue or it could have all been the narrator.
Gave me abit of a headache.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

The series story line is better than the books

These books are inconsistent. The overall story line of the series is wonderful and has kept me coming back through a couple prequels and this volume.

However, there are serious problems in the writing. Although I loved Darius Jax in Tombstone (#.25), I didn't even recognize the name here in this book, and how he and Erik Cain became friends is never mentioned or developed. That is the first writing flaw--even the main characters are thin and forgettable. Other people are mentioned, many die, and who cares since we never knew them anyway.

Another flaw in the writing is that there are all these tremendous battles full of courage and danger, and yet you cannot hear, see, or feel any of it. Stuff gets done but you don't care. You can yawn through it all.

This particular book is confusing in that the publisher's description says it includes a peek into number 2, but you have to guess when the current story ended. There are 20 chapters, the first and last are Audible intro and Thanks for Listening, so 18. You will think that the story ends after chapter 11 when it says "I would return to Earth, but she would never set foot on Earth again." But there's another sleepy chapter that ends on the cliff-hanger, "We are coming for you now." Then the next chapter is About Super Powers, so you don't know if the story is over or not. You figure it has but there are still 6 more chapters listed! After the dry as dust Notes on Military Formations which includes a materials and capabilities list of the armored suits (seriously?), and The Western Alliance, we come to a chapter featuring Admiral Augustus Garrett whom we met and totally forgot in Bitter Glory (# .5). Then, with no clue that the book is now over and you are getting the sneak peek into #2, we get to listen to chapters 1, 2, and 3. You have to figure that out on your own. It's a sad commentary that these last 3 chapters were actually the most interesting part of the book (because they aren't part of this book.)

Then there's the narration. The Audible reviewers here disagree on this one-- some really like Jeff Bowers, others don't. I don't. His voice is a great one when you have insomnia, which he probably couldn't pronounce. I am being harsh here, but narrators must be professional these days. Mr. Bowers can't seem to pronounce words over 3 syllables, and then he even adds syllables. Specifics: He pronounced "repatriation" as "REPpa- try-ation", "circuitous" as "SIR-kit-us", "intravenous" as "intra-veen-ee-us", and "mineralogical" as the astounding "minnie-airy-o-logical". Inexcusable.

Mr. Bowers' reading voice and his voicing for Erik Cain are horrendous, he's even boring himself. His falsetto voices for the very few females in the story would better suit Smurfs or 3-year-olds. However, I did like his character voices for all the other people in the story, but there is so little interaction, you don't get enough of a break from his regular voice. I even checked twice to see if there wasn't a second reader providing those different characterizations.

So, all in all, if you can stand the narration, and the many undifferentiated battles, and long descriptive readings, you should enjoy the story for the universe it is setting up. The premises are good, there're just too many disappointments in the delivery.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

inappropriate narration decent story

What did you like best about Marines: Crimson Worlds? What did you like least?

Story line is ok, not much of a twist you could pretty much guess what was coming

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Add more characters with different skills

How could the performance have been better?

More military like presentation.

Did Marines: Crimson Worlds inspire you to do anything?

NO

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