Audible Book Review: Contact Front, Drop Trooper, Book 1 by Rick Partlow

I wanted a space story and I liked the action and interaction in this military space story.

Contact Front
Drop Trooper, Book 1
By: Rick Partlow
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

Length: 8 hrs
Release date: 04-28-20
Publisher: Aethon Audio
Genre: First Contact, Military, Space
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's summary
Go to war or go to jail.
For small-time street hustler Cam Alvarez, the choice is simple. He has no family, no friends, no place in the world...nothing to lose. When his latest con results in the death of a cartel hitman, Cam opts to join the Marines and leave Earth to fight a vicious alien enemy.
Drafted into the Marine Drop-Troopers, Cam discovers there’s one thing he’s even better at than running street-con games, and that’s killing the enemy. Wrapped in an armored battlesuit, Cam finds purpose amidst the horror and destruction of the war, and the opportunity for a new sort of friends and family...if he can break the habits of a life spent alone, trusting no one.
And, if he can survive....
Rick Partlow returns with another kickass military sci-fi epic. It's perfect for fans of Jay Allan, Jasper T. Scott, and Scott Bartlett.
©2020 Aethon Books (P)2020 Aethon Audio

Review:
Cam grew up in the foster care system and made some bad choices along the way – not that he had much choice. He gets caught in another crime and when he won’t give up his girlfriend as the accomplice, he is given a choice: go to war (as a Marine) or go to jail.

As he learns basic skills, Cam does well at controlling the armored battlesuit and he is soon assigned to the Drop-Troopers. Cam finds that he finally has something he is really good at and even though not all of his troop members are supportive, he does get encouragement from superiors as he improves. One old habit they have to break in Cam is working alone and trusting no one. They have to teach him that he and his teammates can only survive by working together.

Not all of the characters are nice and not everyone survives, but I enjoyed the action of the story and the growth that Cam achieves. There are some surprises and twists that keep the story interesting through the end. I would be interested in reading more in the series. I recommend this to readers who enjoy space military action.

Audio Notes: James Patrick Cronin does a fine job with the narration. I could distinguish each character voice and I liked the clear energy James brings to the story. The narration added to my enjoyment of the book.

Source: 12/17/2020 Audible Sale –$5.00. This qualifies for 2023TBR and 2023Audiobook goals.

#NetGalley Audio Book Review: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

Entertaining but not gripping.

Mickey7
by Edward Ashton
John Pirhalla (Narrator)
Katharine Chin (Narrator)

Listening Length: 9 hours and 16 minutes
Audible.com Release Date: February 15, 2022
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Space
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.0.

Mickey7, an "expendable," refuses to let his replacement clone Mickey8 take his place.
Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.
Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.
On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.
Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.
That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.

Review:
Mickey7 is an “Expendable”. After bad gambling put him into debt to a loan shark, Mickey wanted to get off planet quickly. His friend Berto is going on a colonization expedition and Mickey, having no special skills to offer a space mission, volunteers to take the only open spot– the job of an “Expendable”. That means he gets all the dangerous jobs that are likely to get him killed. The twist is that his memory is “backed-up” and he is brought back as a clone. Mickey figures he can “live with” this arrangement.

When Mickey meets the commander on the mission he learns that not everyone agrees with cloning, and the captain is a strong opponent. Other members of the expedition don’t like the idea much either, especially if they think the Expendable is likely to duck hard work if he can.

The expedition is exploring an ice world, Niflheim, where they have discovered large, vicious snow ‘worms’ they name Creepers. The ship already suffered damage on the journey and Mickey is now Mickey7. On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 falls through a deep ice crevice. He calls for his friend to rescue him, but Berto says it is too dangerous and he can just come back as Mickey8. Mickey7’s girlfriend is prepared to come get him, but Mickey7 doesn’t want to put her at risk. Expecting to die, Mickey7 is surprised when he gets help getting back to base. Mickey7 slips into his room only to find Mickey8 in his, now their, small bed.

If it is discovered that there are two clones out at one time, the captain will surely kill them both. The pair must juggle their existence, sharing half-rations, rotating jobs, room time, and trying to avoid contact that would reveal their deception. Of course, it isn’t long before the juggling causes trouble. But there is more than just that. It appears that Mickey7’s exposure on the way back to base has had some strange effect on his neuron system. This causes problems at first but soon turns into a saving grace for Mickey7.

I found the story idea intriguing and wanted to really like it. Unfortunately, I didn’t find Mickey to be a very likeable character. Even though he volunteered to die for the expedition, he isn’t a self-sacrificing person. No, he is much more self-centered and his relationships seem shallow to me. I did like the twists near the end but I found the ending to be weak and unsatisfactory. The story has some entertainment value but didn’t pull me in. Others may find it more enjoyable.

Audio Notes: John Pirhalla and Katharine Chin share the narration performance and I liked their voices. Pithalla seemed to capture the weak nature of Mickey’s character while Chin conveyed the quirky natures of the female characters. The audio performance enhanced the story for me.

Source: 2022 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2022Audiobook and 2022Alphabet goals.

#NetGalley Audiobook Review: Fall of the Core by Ryk Brown

This is an interesting story with intrigue until the end.

Fall of the Core
by Ryk Brown
Narrated by Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 15 hours and 21 minutes
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Adventure, Artificial Intelligence, Science Fiction, Space
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.

A freelance reporter struggling to get into the "big time"....
A rookie officer starting her career in public safety....
A cargo ship captain trying to outlive a terminal illness that has no cure....
A bounty hunter returning a long-hunted fugitive to Earth....
A terrible plague that threatens to destroy the human race....
The 25th century is not starting off very well.

Review:
The four main characters are facing a bio and digital virus that has them on different paths to the same destiny. The reporter wants to question the connection between the viruses over the objections of her production manager. Because she is willing to push a little, a mysterious entity contacts her and pushes her further through intimidation that includes putting an interview guest to death in her presence.

The rookie officer is lucky to get a smart, experienced, and mentoring partner. He helps her manage the day-to-day issues as matters intensify during the early days of fear and social chaos. After being suspended due to possible exposure to the virus, she is shocked to have her great (great?) grandfather show up at her door to give her an alternate future.

The space cargo ship captain has been extending his life by living in space while hoping that a cure for his terminal illness will be discovered. When faced with the potential death of most humans on Earth, and who knows where else, the captain determines to meet his (great?) grandson and offer him the chance to live off-world. He is surprised to meet his great (great?) granddaughter instead but still wants her to join him.

A very tough, bounty hunter has a prisoner on the cargo ship. She plans to deliver him to authorities on Earth and receive her bounty. Unfortunately, by the time the ship is approaching Earth, the bio and digital virus is close to eliminating the authority chain and penal facilities.

These four come together late in the story, joining resources with a gang boss to make a last-ditch effort to save the human race. Ironically, they may have to rely on the character who started the virus.

This is my first book by this author, so I had no conflicting series or expectations to overcome as some reviews seem to mention. There is some environmental ‘preaching’ and debate regarding the possible dangers of AI sentience. I didn’t let any of that bother my enjoying the story. The story is set in the 25th century where all things are (mostly) peaceful on Earth and there are many inhabited planets and space colonies.

I found it interesting following the different threads until they met. I appreciated that the intrigue continued until the end which had a bit of a last-chapter twist. I would be interested to know what happens to the survivors and how the other planets fared. I recommend this to fans of AI issues and space sci fi.

Audio Notes: I have enjoyed the narration of Jeffrey Kafer on other books, and he delivered well on this story too. He provides distinct voices and energy so that there was no confusion in the characters. I actually selected the audiobook because of Kafer and I am glad that I had the opportunity to listen to this.

Source: 2022 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2022NetGalley, 2022Audiobook, and 2022Alphabet goals.

Audible Book Review: Sovereign by Jeff Hirsch

It's not gripping but it is an interesting listen, suitable for younger readers.

Sovereign
By Jeff Hirsch
Narrated by: Jesse Einstein

Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
Release date: 01-31-19
Publisher: Audible Originals
Categories: Adventure, Children's Audiobooks, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Content 3.75; Narration 4.0.

Jeff Hirsch, the mastermind behind such dark YA dystopias as The Eleventh Plague and The Darkest Hour, goes interstellar with Sovereign, a middle grade Audible Original voiced by Jesse Einstein, who listeners have called "first-rate."

Micah Cole has been in deep space for four years now. While his parents chase their obsession with finding intelligent life deeper and deeper into the universe, Micah can’t help but dream of the friends he’s left behind and counts the days until the family returns to Earth. When a devastating meteor shower nearly destroys the Coles’s ship, Micah is separated from his family and stranded alone on Sovereign—a vast planet of raging rivers and towering forests. If Micah ever wants to see his family or his home again, he’ll have to learn how to survive on this hostile alien world. Armed with only his wits and determination, he’ll have to battle the elements, his own deepest fears, and a strange presence that might just hold the key to his parents’ obsession—and be his ticket back home.
©2019 Jeff Hirsch (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Review:
Micah is a young teen who has been ‘dragged’ off to space exploration with his parents. He misses his friends from middle school and often dreams of getting back to them. His parents are set on their obsession of finding intelligent life beyond earth. They have found at least one unique species but continue to push on to the next planet.

A meteor storm forces Micah’s parents to send him off in a lifeboat to a nearby planet that they probed and found suitable for life. He is stranded on Sovereign hoping his parents will be able to make quick repairs and return for him. In the first few days, Micah’s lifeboat is caught in a flash flood while he is outside. Now he has to struggle for shelter and supplies on an alien world with unknown elements. Micah knows he can send a distress call if he can reach the probe his parents sent before the storm. But he will have to travel over rivers and forests to get to the high mountain. As the days pass, he survives hostile attacks and is imagines his best friend from childhood is exhorting him to get up and keep going. Is Micah’s friend a memory or a strange presence helping him to survive?

I had to remember that Micah was just an impulsive teen when he made so many unwise choices that get him into trouble. Fortunately, luck is with him and then an unexpected friend. I appreciated the creative world building of the planet and creatures – friendly and dangerous. There is also a bit of a nice message as the story moves toward its conclusion. I found this to be entertaining for a quick read/listen. I recommend it for younger readers or those who might want to spend six or so hours that don’t require intense attention.

Audio Notes: Jesse Einstein does a good job with the narration. He captures the youth and immaturity of Micah as well as the energy of the story. For me, the narration helped the story move along.

Source: 2/10/19 Free Audible Original. This qualifies for 2021TBR and 2021Audiobook goals.