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The Year is 2040. The Marines have landed on Mars to guard the unearthed secrets of an ancient and dangerous alien race: Ourselves. Scientists have discovered something astonishing in the subterranean ruins of a sprawling Martian city: startling evidence of an alternative history that threatens to split humanity into opposing factions and plunge the Earth into chaos and war.
Planet by planet, galaxy by galaxy, the inhabited universe has fallen to the alien Xul. Now only one obstacle stands between them and total domination: the warriors of a resilient race the world-devourers nearly annihilated centuries ago.
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.
On the edge of the galaxy, a diplomatic mission to an alien planet takes a turn when the Legionnaires, an elite special fighting force, find themselves ambushed and stranded behind enemy lines. They struggle to survive under siege, waiting on a rescue that might never come. In the seedy starport of Ackabar, a young girl searches the crime-ridden gutters to avenge her father's murder; not far away, a double-dealing legionniare-turned-smuggler hunts an epic payday; and somewhere along the outer galaxy, a mysterious bounter hunter lies in wait.
Navy Corpsman Elliot Carlyle joined up to save lives and see the universe. Now he and Bravo Company's Black Wizards of the interstellar Fleet Marine Force are en route to Bloodworld - a hellish, volatile rock colonized by the fanatical Salvationists who desired an inhospitable world where they could suffer for humanity's sins. Their penance could prove fatal - for the Qesh, a strange alien race detected but still mysterious for six decades, have made violent first contact. Suddenly countless lives depend upon Bravo Company - perhaps even the fate of homeworld Earth itself.
Avalon was the flagship of the Castle Federation in the last war, now 20 years past. The first of the deep space carriers, no other warship in the fleet holds as many honors or has recorded as many kills. No other warship in the fleet is as old. Accepting the inevitable, the Federation Space Navy has decided to refit her and send her on a tour of the frontier, showing the flag to their allies and enemies as a reminder of her glory - and then decommission her for good.
The Year is 2040. The Marines have landed on Mars to guard the unearthed secrets of an ancient and dangerous alien race: Ourselves. Scientists have discovered something astonishing in the subterranean ruins of a sprawling Martian city: startling evidence of an alternative history that threatens to split humanity into opposing factions and plunge the Earth into chaos and war.
Planet by planet, galaxy by galaxy, the inhabited universe has fallen to the alien Xul. Now only one obstacle stands between them and total domination: the warriors of a resilient race the world-devourers nearly annihilated centuries ago.
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.
On the edge of the galaxy, a diplomatic mission to an alien planet takes a turn when the Legionnaires, an elite special fighting force, find themselves ambushed and stranded behind enemy lines. They struggle to survive under siege, waiting on a rescue that might never come. In the seedy starport of Ackabar, a young girl searches the crime-ridden gutters to avenge her father's murder; not far away, a double-dealing legionniare-turned-smuggler hunts an epic payday; and somewhere along the outer galaxy, a mysterious bounter hunter lies in wait.
Navy Corpsman Elliot Carlyle joined up to save lives and see the universe. Now he and Bravo Company's Black Wizards of the interstellar Fleet Marine Force are en route to Bloodworld - a hellish, volatile rock colonized by the fanatical Salvationists who desired an inhospitable world where they could suffer for humanity's sins. Their penance could prove fatal - for the Qesh, a strange alien race detected but still mysterious for six decades, have made violent first contact. Suddenly countless lives depend upon Bravo Company - perhaps even the fate of homeworld Earth itself.
Avalon was the flagship of the Castle Federation in the last war, now 20 years past. The first of the deep space carriers, no other warship in the fleet holds as many honors or has recorded as many kills. No other warship in the fleet is as old. Accepting the inevitable, the Federation Space Navy has decided to refit her and send her on a tour of the frontier, showing the flag to their allies and enemies as a reminder of her glory - and then decommission her for good.
In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....
Soldiers of the Terran Armor Corps wage war across the stars. Wired into mechanized battle suits, they fight the terrifying battles which must be won, no matter the cost. Their deeds are legend, their reputation feared by the enemies of Earth and her allies, but how the Corps forges young men and women into mighty warriors is shrouded by mystery. Roland Shaw lost his parents to war, he volunteers for the Armor Corps to honor their memory and discover just how far he can push himself.
The year is 2108, and the North American Commonwealth is bursting at the seams. For welfare rats like Andrew Grayson, there are only two ways out of the crime-ridden and filthy welfare tenements, where you’re restricted to 2,000 calories of badly flavored soy every day. You can hope to win the lottery and draw a ticket on a colony ship settling off-world, or you can join the service. With the colony lottery a pipe dream, Andrew chooses to enlist in the armed forces for a shot at real food, a retirement bonus, and maybe a ticket off Earth.
Growing up, Travis Uriah Long yearned for order and discipline in his life...he two things his neglectful mother couldn’t or wouldn’t provide. So when Travis enlisted in the Royal Manticoran Navy, he thought he’d finally found the structure he’d always wanted so desperately. But life in the RMN isn’t exactly what he expected. Boot camp is rough and frustrating; his first ship assignment lax and disorderly; and with the Star Kingdom of Manticore still recovering from a devastating plague, the Navy is possibly on the edge of budgetary extinction.
Jace Hughes is a Renegade. That means taking almost any job that comes his way, no matter the situation. So long as he can keep his ship floating, he's free to live the life he wants. But that all changes when he meets Abigail Pryar, a nun looking for safe passage out of the system. Too bad there's something off about the cargo she's carrying. Jace knows he shouldn't ask too many questions, but when strange sounds start coming from inside the large, metal box, he can't help but check it out. Big mistake. To make matters worse, he's being pursued by unknown ships - who want that cargo.
The Phage War had been a devastating conflict for the Terran Confederacy. Even with the destruction of their terrifying, implacable foe, humanity is still reeling. Political alliances are crumbling, and their mighty fleet is in tatters. There is nothing to celebrate, even after such a complete victory. They soon learn that there are other stellar neighbors - and they've been watching the conflict with great interest. One species comes with an offer of friendship and alliance, but humanity is weary and distrustful.
Dev Cameron joined the military to fly a starship but is rated unsuitable and grudgingly accepts an assignment with the ground forces, piloting a massive walking tank (a warstrider). But Cameron may yet get a chance at glory when he makes a discovery about the alien foes that could change the course of the war.
The year is 2162. Thirty-eight years after first contact, Lord Commander Grayson St. Clair leads the Tellus Ad Astra on an unprecedented expedition to the Galactic Core, carrying more than a million scientists, diplomats, soldiers, and AIs. Despite his reservations about their alien hosts, St. Clair is deeply committed to his people - especially after they're sucked into a black hole and spat out four billion years in the future. Civilizations have risen and fallen. The Andromeda Galaxy is drifting into the Milky Way. And Earth is most certainly a distant memory.
The Galactic Empire is dying and chaos and anarchy are breaking out everywhere. After a disastrous mission against terrorists on Earth itself, Captain Edward Stalker of the Terran Marine Corps makes the mistake of speaking truth to power, telling one of the most powerful men in the Empire a few home truths. As a result, Captain Stalker and his men are unceremoniously exiled to Avalon, a world right on the Rim of the Empire. It should have been an easy posting...
Seventy years ago, the interstellar supercarrier Ark Royal was the pride of the Royal Navy. But now, her weapons are outdated and her solid-state armour nothing more than a burden on her colossal hull. She floats in permanent orbit near Earth, a dumping ground for the officers and crew the Royal Navy wishes to keep out of the public eye. But when a deadly alien threat appears, the modern starships built by humanity are no match for the powerful alien weapons.
The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.
The Confederation has fought three wars against the forces of the totalitarian Union. Three generations of its warriors have gone off to war, held the line against the larger, more powerful enemy. Now the fourth conflict is imminent, and the Confederation's navy is on alert, positioned behind the frontier, waiting for the attack it knows is coming.
In the future, Earth's warriors have
conquered the heavens.
But on a distant world,
Humanity is in chains....
Many millennia ago, the human race was enslaved by the An - a fearsome alien people whose cruel empire once spanned the galaxies, until they were defeated and consigned to oblivion. But a research mission to the planet Ishtar has made a terrifying - and fatal - discovery: The Ahanu, ancestors of the former masters, live on, far from the reach of Earth - born weapons and technology ... and tens of thousands of captive human souls still bow to their iron will.
Now Earth's Interstellar Marine Expeditionary Unit must undertake a rescue operation as improbable as it is essential to humankind's future, embarking on a 10-year voyage to a hostile world to face an entrenched enemy driven by dreams of past glory and intent once more on domination. For those who, for countless generations, have known nothing but toil and subjugation must be granted, at all costs, the precious gift entitled to all of their star-traveling kind: freedom!
PAIN IS THE FEELING OF WEAKNESS LEAVING YOUR BODY.
Military Sci-Fi is not my forte, but I like to delve into other genre's from time to time, because I believe a good writer can successfully write about anything and you will enjoy it. I made it farther through this military Sci-fi then any other and believe fans of this type of story will love it. This has lots of futuristic gadgets, implants, creatures, and shoot-em-up scenes.
NUTS TO BUTTS, MAKE THE MAGGOT IN FRONT OF YOU SMILE.
What I liked the most was boot camp. I thought the narrator did an excellent drill instructor. At one point he told me I was in Company 1099 and I better not forget that. I then found myself committing Company 1099 to my memory. In other books of this bent, written by some famous authors, there are long sections on taking guns apart and explaining each piece to the reader. This did not have that and I preferred it that way. I still did not get into the story and have not found the author that can draw me into Military Sci-Fi, although Douglas came closer then anybody else.
The narrator has taken some huge hits by some reviewers and was liked by others. It seems that if you are extremely knowledgeable in the subject, then he miss pronounces enough names to make him irritating. I, not knowing enough, really enjoyed his work.
MARINES ARE TROUBLE SHOOTERS, THEY SEE TROUBLE, THEY SHOOT IT.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
The first thing I would like to say is I thought David Drummond did a wonderful job of narration.
Ian Douglas is one of my favorite authors. The Star Carrier series truly stands out and I have pre-ordered the next book in that series.
Star Corps starts out well. Earth as a space faring species with no FTL travel. Very interesting when it is used (Ian Douglas is good at it).
THEN, as the battle begins, we suddenly get a Wiccan religion thrown in. Huh? It is a completely made up religion (Wikipedia " It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and it was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant.")
The battles continue and are well written and narrated. But it seems that every myth known on Earth has it origins in space. While Stargate used that theme a bit, they did not attribute EVERY myth to visitors and even had a rebellion thousands of years before Christ.
According to the epilogue, the rest of the series will be looking at other mysteries and myths by Marine Expeditionary Forces.
I guess I like Sci-Fi that is futuristic, and not based on myths or needs chaplains for 72 different religions including ones more inventive than the myths they seem to explore.
I am not sure I will listen to the rest of the series to see if my thoughts are true. Oh, I have written negative reviews before. They always get thumbs down votes. Not sure why.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Ian Douglas and/or David Drummond?
I will be staying far away from Ian Douglas from now on. His writing was sub par in a genre with many authors that are not that good.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Imagine an overly enthusiastic news reporter's voice. Now imagine every character sounding just like that.
Any additional comments?
I made two attempts to listen to this book but never made it more than two hours in before disgust forced me to stop.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
If you're looking for some space marine war action just for entertainment purposes, then this does a pretty decent job of it.
The book is heavily focused on action, as you would expect, with little in the way of character development. The character who turns out to be the main character did have some time devoted to his backstory, and he does grow as a marine during the process of his first mission and the main conflict. There isn't really much more to say. It's chock-full of action, with enough violence to satisfy pretty much the most voracious appetite.
Like most, I didn't care for the narrator at all. He did a decent job with some of the accents, but his regular narration voice was just not pleasant to the ears. I hate to say that about someone, but it's just there. I don't think he's really suited for audiobooks.
This book didn't meet my expectations, and there was plenty of adult language and content. I don't plan to follow the rest of this particular series.
6 of 9 people found this review helpful
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
No one is going to enjoy this book if they have ever spent anytime as or around a Marine. I like the story, and I have loved the other books in this cycle but Mr. Drummond ruined this for me. A tip to any voice actor out there, learn the pronunciation of the lingo. Lejeune, is not pronounced LEJURNE, there is no invisible R! Lejeune is pronounces le-joon. As for UHRAH , there is no leading H! As for the range and inflection of the reader, its almost as bad as his pronunciation.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
PRONUNCIATION learn the lingo of the group the book is aimed at.
6 of 12 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
The narrator, mr Drummond, sounds like a crappy capt Kirk imposter. I mean, sure there are pronunciation issues like another review stated...but seriously who has not heard of friggin Camp Lejeune!!! (though in his defense wikipedia does list "lajurn" as a second way to say it) But even aside with the most common military jargon being screwed up, his voice is just horrible. The way his voice trails off at the end of sentences, not to mention the absolute worst character voices, really destroyed this book. I will be reading the other two books.
As for the book, if you have made it this far you are like me and just want to see what happens. Reading this series after Star Carrier is a complete let down!
*****in summary...Drummond is the worst book narrator I have ever heard!!!*****
2 of 5 people found this review helpful
I thought David Drummond did a great job narrating this book ... in fact,his voice is what drew me to the series. I'm not sure what people want ... I can only assume the average reader of this genre is a little younger and prefer a younger-sounding author?
The story is simple, the characters not too deep. But still, a lot of fun. Reminds me of the series "march upcountry" by ringo and weber.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
This book has everything you mite want, a good story, with lots of Action and Drama. Great Narration. It keeps your attention. Can't wait to start book 2.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
I liked the first series. I like this series just as much. What a fun and interesting way to meld our ancient myths into a futuristic story. Well done.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful
D. said it was great and he is right on (in my mind) most of the time. Lots of action, fast moving, great performance. Listened to the whole trilogy in just over a week. Couldn't put it down!!!
0 of 1 people found this review helpful