Marines: Crimson Worlds

By: Jay Allan

Narrated by: Jeff Bower

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

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

Falls a little short but not way short

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I did end up liking the book but I think the book needs a rewrite. It has a lot of the information about the world we're in presented more then halfway through the book. It should come closer to the beginning and needs to be spruced up a bit. It reads like a boring history book. The first half to 2/3 of the book was also very choppy, most of the book didn't have any kind of flow. One sentence ended... then another began. Second half was much better though to be completely fair to the author having a more experienced or just better narrator would've have done wonders. In audio form it is hard to tell if it was bad writing or just bad narration.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was a bit predictable but a good setup for the next book. Though I could have done with out the numerical names of the characters in the last act, but I get it.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He was not the best. His character voices were mostly annoying and his own was very barely better. It reminded me of students reading aloud during class in high school. Each sentence had the same rhythm. It made it difficult to get drawn into the story. He also had some HORRIBLE mispronunciations. Repatriations being pronounced as Rep-A-Tree-A-Shuns was the first big one. There wasn't a lot of them but they were big ones that forced you to use context to know what was going on.However he got better. The last 1/3 of the book was much better. I could be wrong but he seemed inexperienced and I would expect him to be better in the next book. First part of the book I was hoping that the next book had a different narrator but by the end I wasn't worried. Keep your chin up Jeff Bower.

Could you see Marines: Crimson Worlds being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Absolutely! Actually there have been many movies and shows that could be from the same or similar universe. Kind of Starship Troopers meets Firefly.

Any additional comments?

Despite all the negative comments I've listed I enjoyed the book, and I will be listening to the next one. Also having just finished B.V. Larsons "The Dead Sun" from the Starforce series I may have been overly critical. Mark Boyet is an amazing narrator and I loved the Starforce series so much I may be hating on Jay Allen, and Jeff Bower more then they deserve for not being as good in my mind.

Top floor performance!

This was my second Audiobook I listened to and it sold me on the idea of listening to the book instead of reading it. Just kidding, I will always be a reader, but the audiobook was a killer of an experience I wouldn't have missed for anything. The story kept me listening at every opportunitie I could manage timewise and the reader was topnotch, just perfect for the story, I didn't want the story to end! I have since purchased the rest of the books in the series with an eye out for the audiobooks.

Solid

Narration can be a bit monotone and the Marine voices sound nothing like I would expect. it does get better towards the end but maybe I just got used to it. It's a solid story with good action. This first book paints a great beginning and I look forward to the next book.

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.

Good Book, bad narrator

Where does Marines: Crimson Worlds rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is a middle ground book for me. It could have been so much better with a good narrator/

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

Anyone, he is has no inflection, he is manna tone. He brought this book down

OK Story Awkward Narrator

Read the title, this review requires fifteen words I guess. Five four three two one.

Hard to listen too

Story line was great. Narrator was so monotone it drove me crazy trying to make it to the end. Sorry but he needs to get rid of the poor boy voice and command his audience.

Good story, poor narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The time spent was enjoyable, which is my primary barometer for a good book and the story was good. But the poor narration made listening difficult.

What other book might you compare Marines: Crimson Worlds to and why?

Starks War, and B.V. Larson's Star Force series are relatively comparable. But their narration far outperforms this novel.

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

I think Mark Boyett would have been a better narrator for this novel. His cadence and tone are good for military novels.

Could you see Marines: Crimson Worlds being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I cant really see this as a movie or TV series.

Any additional comments?

I really tried to ignore the narration as much as possible. The most irritating part was that more often than not the narrator makes statements sound like questions. Almost Valley-Girl-esque. He does it everywhere, and seemingly randomly. He also over dramatizes mid sentence which is extremely distracting. Like listening to a valley girl William Shatner overacting a children's story.

first in a series.

love Allen's series. the narrator did a good job of changing voices to keep the characters separated. good flow.

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.