Audible Book Review: Forging Zero: The Legend of ZERO by Sara King

This is a good space sci fi.
Forging Zero: The Legend of ZERO
By: Sara King
Narrated by: Liam Owen

Series: Legend of ZERO, Book 1
Length: 21 hours and 54 minutes
Published: December 17, 2013 by Sara King
Genre: First Contact, Science Fiction, Space Exploration
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

The Legend of Zero begins the epic journey of 14-year-old Joe Dobbs in a post-apocalyptic universe following a massive alien invasion of Earth. The oldest of the children drafted from humanity's devastated planet, Joe is impressed into service by the alien Congressional Ground Force - and becomes the unwitting centerpiece in a millennia-long alien struggle for independence.
Once his training begins, one of the elusive and prophetic Trith appears to give Joe a spine-chilling prophecy that the universe has been anticipating for millions of years: Joe will be the one to finally shatter the vast alien government known as Congress. And the Trith cannot lie. But first Joe has to make it through bootcamp.

Review:
Joe Dobbs accidentally got impressed into service by aliens who take children to train as expendable military forces. Joe is 14 which is above the age they take but he got pulled into the ship after he attacked the aliens. Bootcamp is hard. The alien troop leaders are pretty harsh and most of them would be glad to kill Joe in training. But one supervisor has received a prophesy that makes him think that Joe is part of the future to destroy the Congress government. This creates a quandary because he isn’t sure if he wants to allow Joe to fulfill the prophesy or just kill him now.

As the oldest of the captured children, Joe tends to take care of the younger kids. His small team of kids begins to look up to him and trust him to lead them safely. But at some point they are going to find out that he has kept his prophesy a secret and some may see that as a betrayal.

I did have a little confusion early in the story trying to figure out which of the aliens were good and which bad. I enjoyed the relationships that developed between the children. The level of growth in Joe’s personality, and reluctant determination to shield his team, was intriguing. Initially this seems like a good story for young people, but then it adds suffering, sexual content, and graphic violence that might not be comfortable for all readers. I became invested in the characters and was sad when they became disillusioned and separated.

The author tells the story from Joe’s view and the reader, like Joe, is unaware of a lot of the political intrigues that are going on. The last quarter of the book rushes forward in time, skipping a lot of the time during which Joe’s character and position change. This was a bit awkward and disappointing. The end leaves the door open for more adventures but I am sorry that the books are not available in audio format. It is less likely that I will continue with the series in digital. I recommend this to fans of first contact and space exploration stories.

Audio Notes: I enjoyed the narration by Liam Owen. The voice and energy fit the characters for the most part – I’m not so sure there was strong distinction among the alien characters. I am very glad I had this on audio and wish the next in the series was available in audio format.

Source: 11/28/2016 Audible Sale. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, 2023Alphabet, and 2023Numbers goals.

Audible Review: Annihilation: Love Conquers All by Saxon Andrew

This is entertaining and reminiscent of comic book superheros v alien villains.
Annihilation: Love Conquers All
Written by: Saxon Andrew
Narrated by: Liam Owen

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
Series: Annihilation (Andrew), Book 1
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:03-26-14
Publisher: Saxon Andrew Publishing LLC
Genre: Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Annihilation: Love Conquers All offers humor and a tale of enduring love against the backdrop of galactic war on a grand scale.
Tag, an exceptional young human living in Central City on the planet Earth, tries to keep his powerful, one-of-a-kind skills undetected by leading an ordinary life and staying under the radar. But one day, on the way home from school, Tag's compassion leads him to make a decision that alters the course of his life - and history.
The Alliance of Worlds, which includes Earth as a ruled non-member, has decided that humans are to be annihilated as an example to anyone who discovers an ancient alien technology, even though there is no proof against them. The Alliance thinks fifty thousand warships can do the job. Unfortunately, the humans are not cooperating with their plan and one young human who has fallen in love will change everything...
In this epic story, author Saxon Andrew takes us into the future and the lives of human and nonhuman characters alike. Along with a hearty dose of battles and spaceships, this is a story that offers humor and a tale of enduring love against the backdrop of galactic war on a grand scale.
©March 2011 Saxon Andrew (P)2014 Saxon Andrew Publishing LLC.

Review:
Tag lives in Central City on planet Earth which is a planet that does not have member status but is under the control of The Alliance of Worlds. Tag’s parents realized that he had special skills and warned him not to use them in school or public where others might see him. The human society determines each persons job and right to marry so it is important to work within the system. Tag’s skills are exposed when he first tries to help a friend at school and then must escape a gang attack on the way home. Tag fears he will be punished so he goes into hiding. Three years later Tag’s hideaway is discovered and he must run again. This time he steals a private space ship in hopes of finding refuge far away.

Unfortunately a massive hunt brings Tag down on the moon where he stumbles into forbidden ancient alien technology. The Alliance of Worlds has ruled that any people who discover the forbidden technology must be annihilated to prevent them from possible use or testing or advancement from the technology. Although they can’t be certain that the warning signal came from Earth they have decided they will still destroy the planet as an example.

A near-by Alliance member, the Cainth Empire, are thrilled to be called on to take on the task of supposedly preparing Earth for detainment while they really stall for enough warships to attack the planet. A Cainth general has a personal vendetta against Earth and is looking for any opportunity to attack.

The Cainth swoop in on an Earth Colony and the results of occupation are not pretty. The Cainth believe they can easily overcome the Earth’s puny ships. But Earth has more resources, including Tag’s special powers and a surprisingly powerful ‘friend’, than anyone knows. And the humans are not going to stand by quietly while their world is attacked.

I have to admit I changed my opinion on this story several times. The beginning held some interest as I was curious to see what would happen to Tag. Then I decided the story had shifted into ‘superhero/villain’ comic book mode and I wasn’t sure if I liked that. Yet as I continued to listen I was drawn in by the action and the likeable characters. The romance is sweet but not really a big element. Yes – there is some elementary comic book level writing and plot line but, Hey, it makes for fun entertainment.

I am on the fence as to whether I will pick up the second book in the series. There are just so many books to try. I do recommend this for readers who enjoy superhero, good v evil stories.

Audio Notes: Liam Owen conveys a light voice tone which fits with the younger characters. His voice of the opposing alien characters is rough and a 'comical' villain style, all of which fits the story. The narration makes this more entertaining.

I pulled this from my Audible Library from August 2014. It qualifies for my Audio Challenge.