Steel World

Undying Mercenaries, Book 1

De: B. V. Larson

Narrado por: Mark Boyett

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…someone had to do their dirty work for them, their fighting and dying.

I, James McGill, was born in 2099 on the fringe of the galaxy. When Hegemony Financial denied my loan applications, I was kicked out of the university and I turned to the stars. My first campaign involved the invasion of a mineral-rich planet called Cancri-9, better known as Steel World. The attack didn't go well, and now Earth has entered a grim struggle for survival. Humanity's mercenary legions go to war in Steel World, best-selling author B. V. Larson's latest science fiction novel.

©2013 B. V. Larson (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Spot on military sci-fi. Fast paced story with plenty of plot twists. Larson creates a vast interesting universe and his main character is worth rooting for over and over again, literally.

What did you like best about this story?

The complex interstellar politics are intertwined with action packed battle scenes in ways that never detract from the vivid rawness of the story.

What does Mark Boyett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Boyett had a good range of characters voices. I enjoyed the rhythm and pace of his performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me want more novels in this series.

Any additional comments?

It was like watching a great sci-fi film. I'll be impatiently waiting for the sequel.

Days of our Lives in space

It isn't a bad book, and let's face it, thousands of people watch DOUL but I found the main character annoying. He was petulant, whiny and angry. He says "I don't get angry easily". Really? Compared to what? North Korean dictators and reality TV stars maybe.
No more in this series for me, thanks.

Great read

I started with reading BV Larsons Swarm series and was only moderately satisfied with it. This new series shows how far BV has come as an author and has a great cast of characters and a strong story throughout.

Here is a great scifi military

Would you consider the audio edition of Steel World to be better than the print version?

Probably, but there is something to say for what your own imagination will do for voices and characteristics.

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

Like Starship Troopers, and Mass Effect, Steel World is character driven, soft science. and soft military. It's not like Jurassic Park or Sphere by Michael Crichton where there is 80% real science that needs to be explained. All technologies, space travel and weapons, are represented as is. No hard science. It is also soft military: no jargon and no weapon specs.

What does Mark Boyett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought what is most important for a reader to bring: A reasonable performance. No odd pauses, no stiff dialogue. He never takes you out of the story with a bad performance.

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

For Sure. I like scifi a lot, but this is my favorite kind. Where the drama of the character dynamics, and in this case the terrible stress of war, is the focus. Not the environment. I like hard scifi, and some, though few, hard military books. But I prefer a good story adventure over a realistic experience.

More like Tin World

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Most of the story.

Would you ever listen to anything by B. V. Larson again?

In a pinch i would.

Do you think Steel World needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Heck No! Let sleeping dogs lie.

Any additional comments?

I was really disappointed. other reviews i read implied this was a great book. i was looking forward to an exciting Space Opera. What i got was a basically silly and boring. you know it isn't worth it when through out the story you keep thinking "oh come-on now!
some of the characters were a little compelling, and yes, i did finish it but I would only recommend this book as a last resort.