Audible Book Review: Breakthrough: The Great Martian War, Book 2 by Scott Washburn

This is a good sequel which brings the reader/listener into a tense battle for survival of the species.
Breakthrough: The Great Martian War, Book 2
By: Scott Washburn
Narrator: Ray Greenley

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
Series: Great Martian War, Book 2
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:01-11-17
Publisher: Winged Hussar Publishing
Genre: Alternate History, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
This is the second of the three-part series covering the opening salvo of the Great Martian Invasion. US forces recover from the initial shock of the Martian invasion of the Southwest and attempt to set up a defensive line along the Mississippi. The best minds in the US try to come up with ways to defeat the Martians using the little captured technology available to them. Meanwhile, President Roosevelt tries to rally world leaders to aid in stopping the invaders.
©2016 Scott Washburn (P)2017 Scott Washburn

Review:
I enjoyed coming back to these characters. The conflict continues between the Martians and the 1909-10 version of the US forces under the commander in chief, Theodore Roosevelt.

The Americans are improving their technology, but it is still not enough. They may have a few successful encounters but the battles are still being controlled by the Martians. The Martians target the transport systems (railroads) in order to limit the tanks and other equipment that the humans can bring to the fight.

The story follows the primary characters from book one, both US and Martian. Andrew Comstock has been promoted and is still working in the ordinance department to help develop improved weapons that can increase the American chances in the war. He travels from D.C. to Niagara Falls to observe Tesla testing the Martian lasers. Then he travels to Santa Fe where he is commanded to head a force in the field.

The young farm girl who survived the battle in book one has become a nurse who longs to fight the Martians up close and personal. She is very close to the front lines and involved in caring for physical and mental injuries inflicted upon prisoners who are rescued from the Martian home hold.

Qetjnegartis is a Martian warrior in the home hold who is fighting for his race. He has a “bud” (an infant) whom he is training as one of the replacement corps. The Martians have their own reasoned strategy as they fight for survival and, sadly and frighteningly, elimination of the human population.

Mr. Washburn writes a convincing and engaging plot. He has developed likeable characters, US and Martians. The story has good action and interesting social growth and interaction. I recommend this to fans of the original story (War of the Worlds) and those who enjoy engaging sci fi. I look forward to more in the series.

Audio Notes: Ray Greenley does a wonderful job with the narration. He provides strong, distinct voices and carries the action forward. The narration enhances the story for me.

I received this Audiobook from the narrator as a follow up to the first book. :-)

Audible Book Review: The Great Martian War: Invasion by Scott Washburn

This is an engaging continuation and enhancement, based on the original story by H.G. Wells.

The Great Martian War: Invasion
Written by: Scott Washburn
Narrated by: Ray Greenley

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:10-27-16
Publisher: Listen2aBook.com
Genre: Sci Fi, Alternate History
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Following the initial Martian invasion of England, President Theodore Roosevelt tries to prepare the United States for the potential of another Martian incursion. As the possibility of a stronger invasion is increasingly clear, the US government tries to mobilize nations to share information and technology to defend humanity. Newly minted ordinance officer Andrew Comstock has been placed in charge of developing new technology that has to be tested on the fly in a race against time if humanity is to survive.
©2016 Vincent Rospond (P)2016 Vincent Rospond

Review:
I must admit to being a bit confused when this started with Theodore Roosevelt as President. I was thinking of the radio broadcast from the 1930s. However, that was a broadcast adaptation of the original H.G. Wells’ novel, The War of the Worlds, which was written in 1897 and set in England. Recognizing that, this story fit right in as a sequel following the events of the original war.

This story is set in the United States in 1907- 08. It ranges from President Roosevelt and his advisers in Washington, to a teen farm girl running from the Martian machines in Arizona/New Mexico area. These characters are connected through the primary character, Andrew Comstock. Andrew is a quickly rising young officer who is involved with bringing the new weapons, tanks and armament, from the labs and factories to the battle field. One of the most interesting elements, I thought, is the point of view shared through the Martian characters which is set up as an effective hook in the prologue.

The early portion of the story focuses on the United States attempting to prepare for a second invasion by the Martians. Interestingly, the author also shows the thoughts of the Martians reacting to the wins and losses during the first wave of the invasion. The weaponry issues, failures and successes, are fitting for the time and totally believable.

The storylines of the characters are natural and engaging. The characters, human and alien, are developed with relatable personalities and none of them are one hundred percent heroic. They manage sometimes to stumble into successful maneuvers. Sharing the battle from the view of the Martians evoked some compassion even while still presenting them as the enemy.

The story moves briskly, first with backstory development, then progressing with good action.
It has an appropriate closing while leaving more battles to be faced in the next book. I plan to continue to see what happens next.

Audio Notes: Ray Greenley does a fine job narrating. He provides good, varied voices for the characters and conveys the fear, arrogance, awe and other emotions through the performance. The narration voice fit the time period nicely. Listening to this enhanced my enjoyment of an interesting story.

I received this audio title from the narrator through AudioBook Boom for an unbiased review. It qualified for 2016 Audio Challenge.