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 Book Review: Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas by John Scalzi

This fun story made me think of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest, and The Thirteenth Floor.

Redshirts
A Novel with Three Codas
By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 06-05-12
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Sci Fi, Space Exploration
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0; Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.
Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.
©2012 John Scalzi (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Ensign Andrew Dahl is happy to be assigned to the Intrepid, the flagship of the space fleet in 2456. Andrew is put through a strange test with the ‘Box” to save Lieutenant Kerenesky. As he leaves the bridge, having saved the day, Andrew is surprised when he is confronted by a strange hairy wraith who appears out of the shadows. “Stay off the bridge. Avoid the narrative.” he is warned. Soon Andrew begins to question what is going on as he recognizes that every away mission results in the death of one of the new, lowly crewmembers while the captain, chief science officer, and handsome Lieutenant Kerensky survive the alien confrontations and heal quickly.

Andrew realizes that he and the other four new crewmembers are at risk of being expendable. In pursuit of what is going on, Andrew seeks out the hairy man who warned him. The hiding crewmember presents a wild theory that seems to play out in the next away mission. Andrew, his friends, and the mysterious wraith decide on an equally wild plan to save their lives. This plan will take them back in the past to approach the men they think can help change the pattern of events.

The story has a Star Trek ring to it but if you are familiar with Galaxy Quest (or The Truman Story), you can guess where the search of the ‘narrative’ takes Andrew. Is he in control of his own fate or is someone else controlling the events that will ultimately lead to his death? How deeply does the control run? The story is told in the third person, past tense, from Andrew’s point of view. There is a twist near the end of the book and as a conclusion, the author throws in a little bonus with three codas: in first person, a second person, and a third person view.

I enjoy the Old Man’s War series by Scalzi a bit more than this, but this is a quick, fun sci-fi filled with appropriate sci-fi irony. I recommend this to fans of easy, ironic sci-fi spoofs.

Audio Notes: Wil Wheaton is paired successfully with Scalzi’s snide humor. He delivers the characters with distinct voices and energy. His narration works to put me into the story. I am always happy to listen to this narrator.

8/4/19 Audible Sale $5.00. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Audiobook goals.

Book Review: Aether's Call by John Farr

This is strange sci fi.

Aether's Call
by John Farr

File Size: 2578 KB
Print Length: 158 pages
Publication Date: November 10, 2018
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
ASIN: B07KDXR5PC
Genre: Science Fiction, Space Exploration
My Rating: 2.0 of 5.0

Roy's just a conscripted cook on the Starr, the compound's first spaceship in decades. With Earth in ruins, the Starr speeds through the galaxies, hunting down those responsible for its destruction.
Meanwhile, Roy's stuck in the kitchen, missing all the action. It isn't until a beautiful woman involves him in her secret plan that things start to get interesting. She says it's the only way to save humanity. The only problem? It means committing outright treason.
Back on Earth, Roy's ex-wife Cynthia holds clandestine meetings with a renegade theorist. Amid the ashes of Philadelphia, they gather the equipment they'll need to remotely capture the Starr. And Cynthia knows what she's doing. She was on the Starr's development team.
Uma is the only science officer onboard the Starr. She feeds the captain the coordinates of enemy ships, and he trusts her completely. But maybe he shouldn't. After all, Uma works for the resistance. Or does she? Lately, she'd had the feeling that someone's been playing with her mind.

Review:
Society on earth is in ruin and dying. One space ship, the Starr, has been sent out to find enemies in the galaxy. Roy isn’t a smart or skilled man. His powerful ex-wife helped to get him conscripted to the Starr as a cook. Conditions on the Starr are dysfunctional at best, and the kitchen is a mess – literally. The kitchen staff have to retrieve food from a freezer whose tight, unrelenting cold tunnels can drive men insane. The only glimmer of hope that Roy has is his dreams of befriending Uma, the beautiful science officer, even though he knows she has no reason to be interested in him.

Meanwhile, back in ruined Philadelphia, Roy’s ex-wife, Cynthia, is part of the government privileged few who are entitled to use body guard chauffeurs to help dodge the dangers of the outside streets. Cynthia has secretly been working with a scientist and renegade theorist. The scientist is has helped developed a sick world and he has convinced Cynthia to sacrifice her own daughter as part of a strange plot to reach out to the Starr’s mysterious Aether engine and the galaxy beyond.

Roy’s kitchen mate is the ship's EMT who he is losing his mind over the freezer. When threats of suicide arise, the Captain drafts Roy to serve as alternate EMT. On more than one occasion the Captain becomes enraged at Roy and tries to eliminate him, but. to the Captain’s disgust, something always saves Roy.

Uma is acting in secret to prepare the ship for the power event from earth. On one of her trips into the bowels of the ship she discovers a strange creature on board. Another trip she comes across Roy with a surprise that she decides to share.

The Captain prepares to attack an enemy ship, dragging Roy along to serve as the EMT to triage the warriors as they fall. It is all very confusing and distressing to Roy (and the reader). At a point of crisis, Uma makes Roy promise to complete her mission.

I found this story to be disjointed and difficult to figure out. Sometimes sci fi is about the ride so I kept reading to understand where it was going. When it arrives at the ending, I was left with the reaction: "what in the world was the purpose?" The author uses some demeaning descriptions and none of the characters are particularly likeable, although Roy evokes some sympathy. There were several scenes that made sense and were engaging by themselves but there was a lack of cohesion, clarity and purpose in the whole.

I think the disjointed pieces could be made interesting if reworked, but for now both the journey and the ending are obscure and left me unsatisfied. I appreciate the ebook from the author for review, but I can’t say that I liked it. I can only recommend this to readers who would be interested in a bizarre tale of dystopia and space exploration.

Source: Author Request 2018. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Alphabet.