The Misfit Soldier by Michael Mammay
Started: 11/3/23
Finished: 11/10/23
Another space military story, totally new characters (not part of the Planetside series), with a mystery and a rescue and a soldier who has lots of side hustles going on. Fun.
military
Planetside, Spaceside, and Colonyside by Michael Mammay
Started: 9/1/23
Finished: 9/15/23
A trilogy of well done space military mysteries, likable main characters, really good narrator for the audiobooks. I flew through these and then emailed the author because I thought he did these so well. Dad would have liked them, I think.
2034 by Elliott Ackerman and James G. Stavridis
Started: 7/28/21
Gave up: 7/28/21
I’m not sure exactly what the problem was here, but I was forcing myself through every page, and then I quit. Life’s too short!
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Started: 11/24/19
Finished: 12/1/19
Military SF with some weird circular time travel and a narrator who doesn’t know what’s going on, with a prisoner interrogation going on as a framing device, and really, I liked it. I’m not sure it got fully explained, or maybe I need to read it again, but it reminded me of Starship Troopers, and I liked it.
The Cold Between by Elizabeth Bonesteel
Started: 3/27/19
Finished: 4/1/19
Space military! Kind of. It’s the military part that threw me a bit. They all have military ranks and a chain of command, but the way they interact and feel about each other is NOT military. I couldn’t decide if it meant the author just didn’t know what she was talking about, but then it occurred to me that their mission is a bit more Star Trek than military, and that shift made it work for me. I liked it. Planning to read more in the series.
Points of Impact by Marko Kloos
Started: 1/8/19
Finished: 1/11/19
Book 6 in the Frontlines series. It’s book 6 of 6, but it clearly isn’t the end. I’m happy to believe there will be more. I’ve been enjoying this series.
Fields of Fire by Marko Kloos
Started: 1/7/19
Finished: 1/8/19
Book 5 in the Frontlines series. Have I mentioned that these are all written in the present tense? I always notice when the book starts and then stop noticing because I’m in the story.
Chains of Command by Marko Kloos
Started: 11/12/18
Finished: 11/23/18
Book 4 in the Frontlines series. Still fun, still good. Revenge with a dash of moral ambiguity.
Angles of Attack by Marko Kloos
Started: 11/8/18
Finished: 11/12/18
Book 3 in the Frontlines series, light space military in the not-too-distant future. Fun and easy. Reminiscent of Starship Troopers, but nearly every space military novel told from the point of view of a soldier is.
The Black Company by Glen Cook
Started: 10/11/18
Gave Up: 10/13/18
I’d been looking forward to reading this – grimdark fantasy series with a mercenary army – but the writing style was impossible. I wasn’t getting any information about the characters, the action scenes were muddled. I couldn’t tell what was happening, who it was happening to, or why I should care. Good reasons to give up reading it.
Lines of Departure by Marko Kloos
Started: 9/7/18
Finished: 9/11/18
Book 2 of the Frontlines series. The adventures of Andrew Grayson in the space infantry continue!
Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos
Started: 9/3/18
Finished: 9/5/18
The first in the Frontlines series, future military, reminiscent of Starship Troopers, but in a good way. Easy read.
Ironclads by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Started: 6/23/18
Finished: 6/24/18
Alternate history where the World Wars ended with the corporate takeover of countries and militaries, and a soldier is sent off to recover the son of a ruling businessman who was taken prisoner. Good idea, but the pacing and the writing didn’t do it for me.
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Started: 4/15/18
Finished: 4/20/18
This one was odd. I liked it, but the technology in this universe is, I think, deliberately inscrutable. It could be really interesting – it relies on calendars, dates, and the population’s belief in those calendars – but the way it’s described is not clear at all. The characters are interesting, and the plot is interesting, but there’s a space battle and how it’s being waged might as well be in Greek.
I was really looking forward to this one, too.