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The Red: First Light (The Red Trilogy) Mass Market Paperback – June 30, 2015

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Linda Nagata (Author)
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Linda Nagata (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 84 customer reviews
Book 1 of 3 in the Red Trilogy Series
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Product Details

  • Series: The Red Trilogy (Book 1)
  • Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Saga Press (June 30, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1481440934
  • ISBN-13: 978-1481440936
  • Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Fast moving military techno-thriller
By Clyde M. Wisham Jr. on April 17, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
"The Red: First Light" is a military techno-thriller placed in the near future. The main protagonist, Lt. James Shelley, leads a squad of soldiers tasked with interdicting and killing terrorists in the Sahel. These are enhanced soldiers. They have received implants for communication and sensing and have exoskeletons that give extra strength and mobility. (Think something part way between present-day boots-on-the-ground grunts and Robert Heinlein's mechanized infantry in "Starship Troopers".) Lt. Shelley also has something extra. He seems to have a precognitive gift. He sometimes "knows" when something is about to happen. Some of his team whisper that god talks to him. (Call it the King David connection.) But, is it god or something else?
This book is violent and fast moving. It explores technologies that are evolving now and their impact on warfare and politics. It also has some romance and sex (integral to the story), and there some very strange forces at play. (Can't say much more without spoilers.) This is a good and exciting book. Recommended for those who like military SF.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Lots of interesting ideas that get swamped by MilSF
By Ian Mond on April 9, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
There’s a point, just before the halfway mark of The Red: First Light, where it looks like Nagata is about to pull the rug out from underneath the reader. What starts off as your average military SF novel, with a side order of cynicism, suddenly shifts gear. Our hero, Lieutenant Shelley, is ordered to meet with defence contractor, power broker and arms dealer Thelma Sheridan. She says to him:

"You are being used, Lieutenant. For what purpose remains unclear, but there is a force at large in the world interfering in the affairs of Man. We built its house, when we built the Cloud. Now it moves among us, bleeding through every conflict, every transaction, watching, manipulating – and it does not have our best interests in mind."

Soon after this meeting with Sheridan, there’s speculation that this same force – an emerging AI – may be using a reality TV show about Shelley and his Unit to influence the thoughts of the millions watching the series.

For a just a moment it seems that Nagata is going to dispense with the ‘Military’ and focus on the SF as she narrows in on the idea of an emergent AI using the media and the narrative of reality TV to influence the population.

But that thread never really goes anywhere. Yes, the Red – as the AI is referred to – is a constant presence throughout the rest of the novel, a sort of dues ex machina that pops in and out of the plot when required, but the philosophical crunchiness of an accidental AI manipulating the populace through the press and reality TV shows, is lost in all the shooting and righteousness and nuclear explosions.Read more ›
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Tightly Written Near-Future Sci-Fi, Smart Characters, and Interesting Questions
By E. White on April 19, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The Red: First Light is a tightly-written, near-future sci-fi thriller which takes current world events and fast-forwards them a decade or two into the future to give author Linda Nagata's answer to the question "What would the world be like if the military-industrial complex continues to tighten its grip on world governments?" and, without giving away too much, "what will happen when computers and software finally outstrip our ability to understand what they are doing?"

First off, the description on the back cover does not come close to hinting the scope of the globe-trotting adventure and the trials her main character, LT James Shelley. While Linda's book starts in the African Sahel, it also depicts skirmishes on American soil, and in remote tundras. All the while, mysterious forces bigger than even the private military contractors are guiding LT Shelley along a path he's not entirely sure will end well for him, but he's fated to follow, lest tragedy befall him and those who surround him. You also won't find out whether it's good for him, either...on Charlie Stross' blog, Linda told fans this would be a trilogy, so you get to spend even more time with Shelley as the over-arching mystery unfolds. I say this, because a second look at the book reveals there are clues sprinkled all over--you just have to be watching for them.

Going back to the near-futureness of the novel, it seems Linda may have miscalculated how many decades in the future her book is taking place in...her book is coming alarmingly close to becoming alternate history! Mali (the African warzone, not the south-Asian tropical paradise) has started heating up, drawing international forces and the attention of the United States.Read more ›
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A gripping action-adventure which kept me on the edge of my seat
By illegiblescribble on May 16, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
This novel was nominated for a Nebula Award. I can see why: It's a science-fiction buffet, with something for most any type of SF-lover.

The story is set in a near-future, when the world essentially runs via interconnectedness in "The Cloud". Wars have become highly commercialized and commoditized: they are openly started and perpetuated by Defense Contractor Companies as a way of generating revenue, profits, and power. But one mercenary, in charge of an elite fighting force, discovers that there may be an even more powerful, mysterious presence (The "Red") pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Fans of Military SF can enjoy the battle action and the characters, who "speak" with an authentic military voice and attitude. Fans of the "science" part of SF will be interested in the explanations of communications, nanotech, armor, and weaponry -- which are detailed enough to provide a believable basis for the story, without becoming tedious in their intricacy. Those who appreciate thoughtful analysis of world politics, Big Business machinations, and sociological implications can also find plenty of substance here. There is also a bit of a relationship side plot, which the author manages to explore without (thankfully!) descending into sappiness.

The book has a satisfying ending, but it is clearly also a setup for The Red: Trials, the next book in the series (which I will be reading as soon as it is released).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

I wish that I liked Linda Nagata's books more than I do

I've been reading Linda Nagata's books for decades, so obviously there's something that keeps me coming back. Read more

Published 8 days ago by Ian K.
These books are way too good.

It's been a very long time since I have read such a wonderful SF book. This book has fabulous, non-stop tension. Read more

Published 11 days ago by adrianne
Frighteningly plausible speculative action literature

This galvanizing work reminds us that we are really not understanding the risks of the increasingly self-programming commercial softwares that massively and invisibly influence our... Read more

Published 13 days ago by Tracy P. Omdahl
Enjoyable Read, some things wrong with the military aspect.

Good story, good twisting plotline, good writing. One thing keeping it from being 5 stars: (and a caveat here, this probably goes for IT guys reading cyber fiction, police... Read more

Published 19 days ago by Dave
This may be my favorite Earthbound military SF ever.

This may be my favorite Earthbound military SF ever. That sounds like higher praise than it is, at least slightly, since, mostly, I skip military SF entirely unless space travel or... Read more

Published 21 days ago by Peter Dimitriadis
Shelley knows...

WOW, what a ride! I did not know what to expect of this book but man, full of surprises and suspense and drama and action. Read more

Published 21 days ago by John J. Knight
Thrilling and a little frightening.

This book was a great thrill-ride set in a frighteningly plausible near-future where the very wealthy are nearly untouchable, the military industrial complex provokes wars to help... Read more

Published 27 days ago by Erik DeBill
Fun read, too much Hoo-rah

As another reviewer aptly put it, interesting ideas lost under too much military. I would have liked a little introspection from the main character.

Published 1 month ago by Justin Derbes
Loved it!

Cyberpunk military scifi. Loved it!

Published 2 months ago by Amazon Customer
Four Stars

Good

Published 2 months ago by Ray Dougherty

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