SpecOps
Expeditionary Force, Book 2
By: Craig Alanson
Series: Expeditionary Force, Book 2
Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 03-07-17
Language: English
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Genre: Sci Fi, Space Opera
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0
Publisher's Summary
Colonel Joe Bishop made a promise, and he's going to keep it: taking the captured alien starship Flying Dutchman back out. He doesn't agree when the UN decides to send almost 70 elite Special Operations troops, hotshot pilots, and scientists with him; the mission is a fool's errand he doesn't expect to ever return from. At least this time, the Earth is safe, right?
Not so much.
©2016 Craig Alanson (P)2017 Podium Publishing
Review:
Colonel Joe Bishop never expected to be in a position of leadership, responsible as the captain of an alien starship and a team of Special Operations (Spec Ops) troops. But he is committed to fulfilling a promise to the AI that he ‘rescued’ from a storage room on an alien planet. He dubbed his AI friend “Skippy” and Skippy was able to help remove the alien threat that was invading Earth. In return for Skippy’s assistance, Joe agreed to take Skippy out to the ends of space to try to communicate with others of his kind or find clues to their whereabouts. The UN ordered that Joe take a Spec Ops crew and a team of scientists along on the mission. Joe disclosed to all the crew members that he didn’t really expect to ever return to Earth. Still, they accepted the chance to explore space even with the dangers they are likely to face.
Several possible AI stations are identified, and the ship sets off to investigate. They discover a site that has already been ransacked, one that has nothing and another that not only has AI artifacts but enemy aliens in the process of gathering them. The ship stumbles into an attack and has to hide to allow Skippy to make repairs. Meanwhile, a plan must be developed to avoid the enemy and steal the artifacts from their camp.
Skippy continually belittles the “monkey brain” humans and taunts his own mental superiority as he trades insults with Joe. Then he has to struggle when Joe comes up with workable solutions to problems. This makes for great bantering fun!
There are a handful of characters highlighted among the crew who are supporting Joe and the mission. There are moments of danger and bravery. There are losses and struggles for the mission and in the end they learn frightening news that sends them scampering back to Earth.
I enjoyed the mix of action and strategy brainstorming, but the best part is the nonstop snark from Skippy. I recommend this to readers who enjoy fun space adventure. I do recommend starting with book one, Columbus Day.
Audio Notes: R.C. Bray does another great job with the narration. He delivers distinct voices, AI snarkiness and consistent energy. I plan to continue listening to this series.
Source: June 2018 Audible Credit. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook Goals.
