Undaunted

Valkyrie Medevac Corps, Book 1

By: Jack Colrain

Narrated by: Eric Bryan Moore

Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Space marines never say die.

Commander Andrew Ritchie swore a vow to exterminate the insect-like aliens that devastated humanity. But when his latest battle turns into a rescue mission, Andrew’s medical background draws the attention of a high-ranking officer - who reassigns him to the Valkyrie Corps.

This new medevac unit is a game changer, combining Andrew’s skills as a a medic and a combat marine. State-of-the-art Valkyrie power armor allows him to annihilate aliens while simultaneously saving human lives, giving Earth’s forces a fighting chance against their ruthless enemy.

But the alien roaches aren’t about to scurry away in defeat.

When Andrew’s team plunges into a hot zone of death and destruction, the secret behind the enemy’s carnage is brutally exposed. Andrew and his squad must now serve up a dose of vengeance.

Or else their next battle may be their last…

©2021 Relay Publishing (P)2022 Relay Publishing

Even in space insecticide is needed

Bugs Bugs Bugs we've seen Space Troopers and Ender's Game. To know that are actient war transcend planetary origions has humanity in the far future inconters first contact with a cocrach-type race that has become invading humanity territories with zero-sum mentality.

When I had time to go over the time frame for the story I realized that there was a hugh plothole. The nugs stuck to a pretty simple war plans but the secound humanity uses the Valikreys they start using BIO-WMD and elaborate moves to infiltrate human commands. It made no sense to just change like that was to mugh to belief it should've been more drawn out but the author tried to up the combat to give the plotarmor meaning.

Has this continued the story did find it's foot in creativey of alien society building from ship design to armor for there race compared to humanity. this was what got what got yo me there not human so they would've developed technology approach to be suitable to aid them.

From they's two point the author bouth succeed and failed at story reasoning,but I loved the book anyway.

A Fun Military Sci-Fi Adventure

The story follows an elite combat medical unit/squad in the fight against the alien "roaches" where they are embedded into front line troops to "fix and return them to action" when they would otherwise need to be evac'd behind the lines. As expected, the characters are scrapy "black sheep/bad boys" with limited social skills. Of course, the bugs don't take this laying down ... evolving new threats to which the new valkyrie corp needs to adapt to. It was a fairly typical romp through the standard tropes for a miltitary sci-fi with the narration/performance earning this another star.

I was given this free review copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#Undaunted #TheSecretAudiobookClub

very good

Loved it !! this story. the narrator is so fantastic it's like your really there!! excellent overall

Excellent 1st in Series, Real Page Turner

I wish the next book in this Series was available on Audible Now, because I would start listening immediately!! Great Story, Wounderful Characters, and they are characters. Narrator does a Great job with the characters voices and the entire storyline. Highly recommend this book.

Starship troopers meets Warhammer meets D&D Cleric

There is certainly not a dull moment in the narrative (at best a suspenseful waiting for the storm) and the “helter skelter” plot- and cast- developments. This makes real sense under the premise that Humans are at (intergalactic) war. It’s an action book to be sure – but with a tingling sense of personal experience, present throughout the book. It feels “lived”, which gives the book a different, outstanding quality.

There were loads of “WOW! cool mechanics/plotdrivers” moments - but there were a couple of “wow – oogly eyes – really?” moments as well.

Commander Andrew Richie is a retired medic with a rough history, a bad attitude, and a hunger to kill bugs in an intergalactic war. We begin the adventure during a space battle that turns from bad to worse. Circumstances arise, where a high-level politician is impressed by Richie’s rogue manipulation of resources to rescue others and instead of being court martialed, Richie is reassigned to the Valkyrie Medevac Corps. The Medevac corps is a force multiplier - a high-tech hard-hitting combat force that also has the role of medics, armed with power suits that supply both bullets and bandages, so to speak.

We quickly find ourselves at the staging point for the new corps and after a scurry and a baptism in fire to impress “the brass”, the team is established in earnest. It gets plunged into the deepest reaches of a conflict, where the media gloss and the gritty truths of war clash, mingle and leave the team in a constant state of combat.

Here is one of my favorite aspects of the book: The way communication and misdirection shows its ugly head in the actions of both friend and enemy blurs the lines of truth. Some actors act decidedly for their own purpose, which adds a layer of…I think I’ll call it intrigue and bitterness. Only as events unfold is the true nature of the threat revealed.

As the team gets thrown into operational battle, they “unlock” more and more new tech to counter new threats and challenges. I love that the combat scenes do that – throw the team into new dangerous challenges, which require them to think on their feet. And boy do they get stuff done in a hurry. Albeit some of the developments make me feel as if there is an issue with the timeline which I can’t quite pinpoint. What I love is that there are intermittent breaks, where the team does get to consolidate – reboot, so to speak. I like that the book has a true “sci” feel, nothing too insane but just far out enough to make it exciting.

The character development feels slightly stereotypical– getting tempered by fire and experience. The anti hero team leader grows with the task, team members fall in line and do what they do best. For the most part it’s the team that gets hammered together, which is a classical war movie development. There is the gruff, gritty commander that doesn’t really believe in the corps but does his job (and well, I might add) and the “Mr. Myagi”-style brass man who uses the team’s tragedy - the personal desperation of being hit by the war, as a crucible, There are notable (plotspoiling) exceptions. It makes the first book feel like a staging area for what is going to come.

BUT! Having said that: It flows. It does not overshadow the nitty gritty setting of combat. So, I get a lot of what I wan to read about: combat healers.

The narration by Eric Brian Moore is solid. His natural tone is smooth and slightly whispery and yet he manages to modulate to match the different types of the cast – even the dog. Each character gets their own well-defined tone and pitch, which is fleshed out with accents and inflections to match the physical description we get. I love that. There were some passages (predominantly those where the dogs of war crack with personal anguish) where I felt it over the top – if fair, given the story arc. Moore’s performance never becomes “loud” (shouty) – which is not a bad thing – but a peculiar experience to me, in terms of combat scenarios where I felt there was a bit of “whisper shouting”.

The book is a fine stand alone, but certainly not a happy ever after – it begs to be continued with new adventures in the Medevac corps. Will I listen? You know what? Yeah, I will.
JB