Steel Breach

Steel Legion, Book 1

By: Casey Calouette

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

A battalion of convicts...

Fifty secondhand armored vehicles...

A desperate scramble to hold the line...

The Vasilov Worlds are on the edge of human space. They have fought a war for 35 years against the insectoid Kadan that they have no intention of ending. It's too essential to a society where the only social movement is via battle promotion. Then it all changes when the Kadan nearly annihilate the front lines.

Vasilov Officer Colonel Cole Clarke has just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. Now that he has learned how the Sigg fight, he's bringing that knowledge to the Vasilov Military, plus an entire battalion of secondhand Sigg armor purchased on the scrap market. But instead of a fresh battalion of troops, he's assigned a penal battalion filled with convicts. The Vasilov Military doesn't accept change easily, even when they need it.

What would happen if an entirely new style of warfare came onto the battlefield? Could a strike force of secondhand armor trump the defensive doctrines they'd used for 35 years, or would they be doomed to failure and death on the icy planet Lishun Delta?

One squadron of armor. One colonel. A thousand of the worst convicts in the Vasilov Military. Will they be up to the task?

©2015 Casey Calouette (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Riveting

Casey Calouette is a new author for me. Thought I would give the first book in the series a try and see if I like it. The genre is military sci-fi. The book grabbed my attention right away and kept it all the way to the end.

The Vasilov worlds are on edge of human space and have been at war for 35 years against an insectoid race called Kadan. The protagonist is Vasilov officer Colonel Cole Clarke. He just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. He has learned how the Sigg fight and wants to introduce that knowledge to his own military. He has also brought back some second had armor from the Sigg military. The military does not want to change so assigned him to a penal battalion filled with convicts. They are stationed on the icy planet of Lishan Delta. On a hot day it is great to read a story about an icy world.

Calouette has created realistic battle scenes this seems to be his forte. The story is less about the technology and more about the people. The story is dialogue and action driven and light on description and back-story. I assume Calouette will develop the characters more as the series goes on. It is well written and entertaining. Jeffrey Kafer does a good job narrating the book.

Death before dismount!

What made the experience of listening to Steel Breach the most enjoyable?

Its a story that I think many who have done time with, or have friends who have served in any mounted unit will find many great moments with. It brings back sparks and whispers of the cramped, dark box that is home, warmth and comfort, despite it being a small, smelly box. The performance of the reader was, quite well, and fit the theme.

What other book might you compare Steel Breach to and why?

It, reminds me a bit of the Freehold series, but, mostly due to the similarities that both display in therms of mounted operations.

Which scene was your favorite?

Death before dismount.

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

Yes. And I did so. I was not a productive man that day.

Any additional comments?

Please sir, can I have some more?

The war

A good sci-fi book about loyal men and the heroes amongst them. This book was fun to read!

annoying, predictable, anachronisms galore

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Nothing. the story was poorly planned and I found myself rolling my eyes constantly

What could Casey Calouette have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

world build before writing

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He didnt

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

disappointment

Any additional comments?

I couldn't get past the first 2 hours