Format: Kindle EditionChange
Price:$3.99
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on November 21, 2015
This was the first book of Elliott Kay that I read.
I like other writers like Jay Allan + John Ringo + Jack Campbell, and in my opinion Elliott Kay is placed somewhere between them all: not as immersive&tragic as Jay Allan (Portal Wars), no fast-paced action nor funny situations as with John Ringo (Troy Rising + Looking Glass + Black Tide Rising) and not as realistic&detailed as Jack Campbell (Lost Fleet), but he never gets too far from them.
The characters and places that are involved aren't many, and the main ones are described well, so people that forget easily names (like me) won't be confused.
The book starts a bit slow but after a while I didn't have to push myself to keep on reading and at the end I did not think that the story was stretched.
A part of the story has certain similarities with some other books (don't remember right now the names of the other authors) but I never had the feeling that it was a copy.
Great! I'm now reading the second book (25% read) and so far it's good (nothing big has happened yet).
I like other writers like Jay Allan + John Ringo + Jack Campbell, and in my opinion Elliott Kay is placed somewhere between them all: not as immersive&tragic as Jay Allan (Portal Wars), no fast-paced action nor funny situations as with John Ringo (Troy Rising + Looking Glass + Black Tide Rising) and not as realistic&detailed as Jack Campbell (Lost Fleet), but he never gets too far from them.
The characters and places that are involved aren't many, and the main ones are described well, so people that forget easily names (like me) won't be confused.
The book starts a bit slow but after a while I didn't have to push myself to keep on reading and at the end I did not think that the story was stretched.
A part of the story has certain similarities with some other books (don't remember right now the names of the other authors) but I never had the feeling that it was a copy.
Great! I'm now reading the second book (25% read) and so far it's good (nothing big has happened yet).
on June 20, 2014
I had a lot of trouble with the initial world premise - that corporations have taken over to such a degree that everyone lives their lives in virtual debt slavery, and that a compulsory and rigged education system means that there is no escaping it. I could accept a majority of worlds with this system, but it's dropped like an omnipresent Truth. And the test was literately so rigged, it seemed both stupid and unfeasible in anything less then a fascist police state.
Early on I was WAY more interested in the 2nd point of view, a cruise line engineer who gets captured and joins the pirates, but rather then developing into a free destiny vs corporate control story, the pirates spiral down into a moral cesspool - not unrealistic, just sort of depressing, as it kind of seems like every group that exists sucks on some level.... I suppose the politicians, both sides really, seem comparatively ok
After this, things began to get a little better. Sure, main character is a little too perfect, but he's humble and downtrodden enough to remain likable. I'm also a big fan of mil-sci-fi and training up of characters, and it had that in spades. While his ship mates were mostly all jerks, I suppose they got their just desserts - the the solo act taking on hundreds of pirates stretched credulity, but on the other hand I have always liked die hard. The throwing off the corporate yoke at the end in conjunction with the award ceremony seemed too sudden and contrived, but it got rid of my biggest issue for the next book to come
Early on I was WAY more interested in the 2nd point of view, a cruise line engineer who gets captured and joins the pirates, but rather then developing into a free destiny vs corporate control story, the pirates spiral down into a moral cesspool - not unrealistic, just sort of depressing, as it kind of seems like every group that exists sucks on some level.... I suppose the politicians, both sides really, seem comparatively ok
After this, things began to get a little better. Sure, main character is a little too perfect, but he's humble and downtrodden enough to remain likable. I'm also a big fan of mil-sci-fi and training up of characters, and it had that in spades. While his ship mates were mostly all jerks, I suppose they got their just desserts - the the solo act taking on hundreds of pirates stretched credulity, but on the other hand I have always liked die hard. The throwing off the corporate yoke at the end in conjunction with the award ceremony seemed too sudden and contrived, but it got rid of my biggest issue for the next book to come
on October 10, 2013
First, let me say this book is not quite what I thought it would be, and that the plot synopsis on here is somewhat misleading. Here's a better synopsis:
** The protoganist, Tanner, a top-level college graduate, would otherwise have a bright future in biochemistry ahead of him ... except that through an unfortunate crisis in his life right before an exit exam, his hopes are dashed and he's pushed into joining the navy (this is sci-fi, so that would be the SPACE navy) to hold off a mountain of debt. It's there that Tanner's life truly changes, and through a grueling series of trials in basic training and in his newly found military life, Tanner becomes a new man ... but not without scars **
Basically, this book is NOT about the debt (even though the summary on here makes it sound like that); it's also not your standard "super-marine drops in to save the day, makes it back home in time for supper" military thriller. This is not a galaxy spanning shoot 'em up book, it's not a near-future techno-thriller or anything like that. The title is somewhat misleading as well ... strictly speaking, it does reflect a theme in this novel: in order to have some of their excessive education debts forgiven, under-performing graduates are compelled to join the military. The protoganist's situation fits this bill ... but only through an unfortunate circumstance; he's otherwise quite intelligent, and once in the navy, portrayed many times as being much more technically competent than those around him. And he's about the only one unwillingly joining the navy. Between the synopsis and the title, I was thinking this was a story about the poor being forced into military service ... it's actually nothing like that at all.
Despite the oddly misleading title, this book is actually really good. The author maintains a consistent, gritty feel to the universe he's setting up. This is very much a sci-fi book, but doesn't get bogged down with glitz and glamor and the shiny iPhones of the future; the tech and time period are not the stars of this novel. There are all kinds of sci-fi technology represented in this novel, but they are mentioned casually as to keep the reader's focus on the characters and events. Basically, think of "Firefly" here: it's not about the ship, it's not about space, it's about the people.
At it's core this book is about one man's struggle to cope with a dramatic shift in his life-plans, and, as a result, to find himself. In this regard, the character's struggles with his fellow servicemen and those he left behind when he joined the military can be all too relatable for a lot of recent college graduates. When the story reaches it's final tense moments, the author actually does a fantastic job of conveying the protoganist as still being just a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time, as still struggling with his own personal demons. Despite the intensity of what the character must do, the reader can still very much relate to his struggles, and feel sympathy for him.
My only real complaint with this novel was that the author tends not to convey the passage of time very well. At first this is easy to work with; it amounts to a brief bit of confusion on the reader's part, then a realization within a few paragraphs that it's now hours or days later. Further into the novel, however, there's an increasing number of scenes where it feels like the author MUST have cut out a dozen pages or an entire chapter during post-editing. For example, in one scene, a new sensor contact is omniously introduced, a character shows some surprise, end of chapter and then ... it's suddenly months later, with little or no mention of what that was about. In fact, I still don't understand the purpose of that scene if it lead to nothing. Another example: the chapter cuts out with a group of bad guys in a tense hostage negotiation with someone they want to capture alive ... next chapter begins months later, and then it's not until a chapter or two AFTER THAT in which you get some brief explainations as to whatever became of that stand-off.
Overall, this failure to hold to a consistent or at least well related time-lapsing does not break the narrative style of the story. But it is quite frustrating, and for awhile during the final third of the novel, I was starting to falter in whether I would finish the book or not. It was at about that point, though, that the novel enters its climatic scene.
Final word: this is a good book, if mostly because it's so atypical in style. The author purposely bucks several narrative cliches during the course of the story (at one point, this elicited a laugh from me, and a realization that the way the author handled it is the way that EVERYONE should in fiction). This is most notable in the portrayal of the protoganist: he's not a meat-head, he's not a nerd, he's not a man with a broken past, he's not any number of soldier stereotypes. This is part of what makes this novel so captivating. I say, give this book a try even if you're not a big fan of sci-fi or military thrillers.
** The protoganist, Tanner, a top-level college graduate, would otherwise have a bright future in biochemistry ahead of him ... except that through an unfortunate crisis in his life right before an exit exam, his hopes are dashed and he's pushed into joining the navy (this is sci-fi, so that would be the SPACE navy) to hold off a mountain of debt. It's there that Tanner's life truly changes, and through a grueling series of trials in basic training and in his newly found military life, Tanner becomes a new man ... but not without scars **
Basically, this book is NOT about the debt (even though the summary on here makes it sound like that); it's also not your standard "super-marine drops in to save the day, makes it back home in time for supper" military thriller. This is not a galaxy spanning shoot 'em up book, it's not a near-future techno-thriller or anything like that. The title is somewhat misleading as well ... strictly speaking, it does reflect a theme in this novel: in order to have some of their excessive education debts forgiven, under-performing graduates are compelled to join the military. The protoganist's situation fits this bill ... but only through an unfortunate circumstance; he's otherwise quite intelligent, and once in the navy, portrayed many times as being much more technically competent than those around him. And he's about the only one unwillingly joining the navy. Between the synopsis and the title, I was thinking this was a story about the poor being forced into military service ... it's actually nothing like that at all.
Despite the oddly misleading title, this book is actually really good. The author maintains a consistent, gritty feel to the universe he's setting up. This is very much a sci-fi book, but doesn't get bogged down with glitz and glamor and the shiny iPhones of the future; the tech and time period are not the stars of this novel. There are all kinds of sci-fi technology represented in this novel, but they are mentioned casually as to keep the reader's focus on the characters and events. Basically, think of "Firefly" here: it's not about the ship, it's not about space, it's about the people.
At it's core this book is about one man's struggle to cope with a dramatic shift in his life-plans, and, as a result, to find himself. In this regard, the character's struggles with his fellow servicemen and those he left behind when he joined the military can be all too relatable for a lot of recent college graduates. When the story reaches it's final tense moments, the author actually does a fantastic job of conveying the protoganist as still being just a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time, as still struggling with his own personal demons. Despite the intensity of what the character must do, the reader can still very much relate to his struggles, and feel sympathy for him.
My only real complaint with this novel was that the author tends not to convey the passage of time very well. At first this is easy to work with; it amounts to a brief bit of confusion on the reader's part, then a realization within a few paragraphs that it's now hours or days later. Further into the novel, however, there's an increasing number of scenes where it feels like the author MUST have cut out a dozen pages or an entire chapter during post-editing. For example, in one scene, a new sensor contact is omniously introduced, a character shows some surprise, end of chapter and then ... it's suddenly months later, with little or no mention of what that was about. In fact, I still don't understand the purpose of that scene if it lead to nothing. Another example: the chapter cuts out with a group of bad guys in a tense hostage negotiation with someone they want to capture alive ... next chapter begins months later, and then it's not until a chapter or two AFTER THAT in which you get some brief explainations as to whatever became of that stand-off.
Overall, this failure to hold to a consistent or at least well related time-lapsing does not break the narrative style of the story. But it is quite frustrating, and for awhile during the final third of the novel, I was starting to falter in whether I would finish the book or not. It was at about that point, though, that the novel enters its climatic scene.
Final word: this is a good book, if mostly because it's so atypical in style. The author purposely bucks several narrative cliches during the course of the story (at one point, this elicited a laugh from me, and a realization that the way the author handled it is the way that EVERYONE should in fiction). This is most notable in the portrayal of the protoganist: he's not a meat-head, he's not a nerd, he's not a man with a broken past, he's not any number of soldier stereotypes. This is part of what makes this novel so captivating. I say, give this book a try even if you're not a big fan of sci-fi or military thrillers.
on January 27, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this military SF novel. Be warned that it's part of a series, so if you don't like loose ends at the end of a book you shouldn't pick it up. (If you just stop before the last scene, it comes to a satisfying conclusion.) The story line relied a little too heavily on the stupidity of the enemy in a few places, for my tastes, and if you think too deeply about the world of the novel, it doesn't quite all hang together - how can so little societal change have occurred in 250 years, and during a time period when humanity has spread to many planets? But if you accept the world for what it is, the story is extremely engaging, the action is a ton of fun, the characters are sympathetic, and the central conflict (student loan debt!) is one many modern readers can identify with. There's enough here that's different from the many other milSF books I've read to make it interesting, too.
on March 14, 2013
I also picked this up off an Amazon recommendation given the solid reviews and trivial price. I easily got my money's worth. The writing is solid, the universe and themes well-conceived, and the action fast and fun. The characters are slightly stereotyped, and the dialog occasionally corny, but no worse than you'd expect from this genre. In style it reminds me of Walter Jon Williams' military sci-fi novels and -- though I haven't read it in decades -- The Forever War. Yes, the hero triumphs over seemingly insurmountable odds, but what else would you expect? A particularly nice touch is the way that Kay develop a bit of motivation (and story) for the antagonists. Another nice touch is that Kay doesn't let us lose sight that war and glory ultimately comes at the cost of human lives. This is a second novel? I'm impressed and look forward to more from Kay.
on September 6, 2014
What I would have liked to know before I bought this book. (no spoilers)
1. What type of book is it: adventure, action, drama, etc? This is a military sci-fi story.
2. What is the story about, in general? The story is about the adventures of Tanner Malone. He is a young man that is forced to enter the military in hopes of paying off his ridiculous expensive student debt just as his home system enters tumultuous times.
3. What/Who is the target audience? The target audience is adults and young adult males.
4. How is the proofreading? Pretty good, I did find one or two errors but they seem kindle based, as if the formatting glitches in some places.
5. Is there character development? Yes. The main protagonist is well written with realistic goals in mind. He is gifted with a very realistic emotional brittleness that makes him human and a compelling hero. Many supporting characters also have particular quirks that exhalt their individuality as the story progresses.
Where this book truly shines is in its antagonists. There are different types of antagonists; from the personal to the impartial to the martial. Some antagonists in this book have aspirations, reasons, dreams and lives. They aren't just prop scenes, but believable individuals making choices that build them as enemies. Other antagonists are sociopolitical and help provide the general setting for the grand scale contentions that envelop the characters. Only one memorable antagonist is one dimensional and cliché.
6. Are the characters likable? Yes. The main protagonist is likable because he feels both real and almost accidentally impressive. It's a very compelling pull when the story is able to provide scenes of greatness that feel believable as well as human. This is impressive.
7. Does the story keep its pacing? Yes. Even the exploration of the sociopolitical contentions is interesting. I really enjoyed this read in many levels: hero, political, intrigue wise, etc. Action is fast paced, cool and exciting.
There is boy/girl interaction but it feels very adult and reasonable. That is to say, the situations don't allow for a lot of romance and the bit that does appear feels honestly swayed by the pressures of the developing military drama.
8. Do you have to suspend disbelief? Well, I imagine some things are kind of `James Bond' impossible, but darn it ... they are well written enough that they feel compelling and entertaining.
9. Is the book worth the asking price? Yes. $3 for a good read and space sci-fi that tries to keep it generally real. I think this might be a good $4-$6 read.
In conclusion: This is a compelling story in many levels. The main protagonist is strong and weak in equal measure. He's someone that I could emotionally invest myself. I like the sociopolitical reasons behind the brewing conflict. I like many of the antagonists because they help mesh out both the general plots behind the scenes but also because they have background and realistic reasons for choosing their paths. The action scenes are well written and flow quite well. The pacing is usually quick and focused. There are one or two spelling errors, but they feel like kindle glitches not editing errors. The price is cheap and affordable at $3. Though the story isn't grandiose in scale, it doesn't try to be. It focuses on a more human and realistic story that impresses with its thorough thought and build up. Very good book.
4.2 Stars
1. What type of book is it: adventure, action, drama, etc? This is a military sci-fi story.
2. What is the story about, in general? The story is about the adventures of Tanner Malone. He is a young man that is forced to enter the military in hopes of paying off his ridiculous expensive student debt just as his home system enters tumultuous times.
3. What/Who is the target audience? The target audience is adults and young adult males.
4. How is the proofreading? Pretty good, I did find one or two errors but they seem kindle based, as if the formatting glitches in some places.
5. Is there character development? Yes. The main protagonist is well written with realistic goals in mind. He is gifted with a very realistic emotional brittleness that makes him human and a compelling hero. Many supporting characters also have particular quirks that exhalt their individuality as the story progresses.
Where this book truly shines is in its antagonists. There are different types of antagonists; from the personal to the impartial to the martial. Some antagonists in this book have aspirations, reasons, dreams and lives. They aren't just prop scenes, but believable individuals making choices that build them as enemies. Other antagonists are sociopolitical and help provide the general setting for the grand scale contentions that envelop the characters. Only one memorable antagonist is one dimensional and cliché.
6. Are the characters likable? Yes. The main protagonist is likable because he feels both real and almost accidentally impressive. It's a very compelling pull when the story is able to provide scenes of greatness that feel believable as well as human. This is impressive.
7. Does the story keep its pacing? Yes. Even the exploration of the sociopolitical contentions is interesting. I really enjoyed this read in many levels: hero, political, intrigue wise, etc. Action is fast paced, cool and exciting.
There is boy/girl interaction but it feels very adult and reasonable. That is to say, the situations don't allow for a lot of romance and the bit that does appear feels honestly swayed by the pressures of the developing military drama.
8. Do you have to suspend disbelief? Well, I imagine some things are kind of `James Bond' impossible, but darn it ... they are well written enough that they feel compelling and entertaining.
9. Is the book worth the asking price? Yes. $3 for a good read and space sci-fi that tries to keep it generally real. I think this might be a good $4-$6 read.
In conclusion: This is a compelling story in many levels. The main protagonist is strong and weak in equal measure. He's someone that I could emotionally invest myself. I like the sociopolitical reasons behind the brewing conflict. I like many of the antagonists because they help mesh out both the general plots behind the scenes but also because they have background and realistic reasons for choosing their paths. The action scenes are well written and flow quite well. The pacing is usually quick and focused. There are one or two spelling errors, but they feel like kindle glitches not editing errors. The price is cheap and affordable at $3. Though the story isn't grandiose in scale, it doesn't try to be. It focuses on a more human and realistic story that impresses with its thorough thought and build up. Very good book.
4.2 Stars
on November 29, 2016
I feel like all good military science fiction follows the gold standard of Heinleins Starship Troopers in that it is not just science fiction but also social science fiction. I think Haldeman did it with the Forever War. Scalzi took it to another level with Old Mans War. Marko Kloos is also doing it in the Frontline series. Kay is right there with them in that vein. Slow at first and at times throughout. Has your stereotypical boot camp drill instructors and experience. It also jumps around more than I expected . But in the end, Kay pulls it all together for an exciting finish that kept me up way past my bedtime in my efforts to try to finish it. Give it a shot.
on August 3, 2014
This is the ultimate nerd becomes the hero (should be all caps and lots of exclamation marks). The central character, Tanner Malone, is the engine for the book. He is relatively complex and somewhat developing. Elliott Kay does create an interesting future world where current social trends are moved toward extremes - corporate power, a semi theocratic government, and a burdensome in extremus student debt problem. The later part of the book is a mythic hero fights evil foes tale. I found it entertaining and fast paced, but a bit unbelievable.
on October 27, 2013
Kay takes a unique look at a possible future. In this future, giant corporations run everything but the government itself, with the government in turn contracting for most of their services with these corporations. Not at all too far fetched of an idea.
The protagonist finds himself in overwhelming debt from not scoring well enough on the final standardized test of his corporate schooling. He does what many poor, in-debted people do and joins the military. A hard working, intelligent young man he finds himself conforming to the military life as we follow him through a grueling basic training and off to his first assignment.
Meanwhile, evil pirates are plaguing the space between the stars and looting the ships and ransoming the crews.
Our hero and the pirates inevitably come together and in spectacular fashion! Kay does a truly superb job of rendering action sequences.
The characters of this book, good and bad, are three dimensional, real people. The dialogue is very believable and you grow to become comfortable with them, even the "bad" ones seem to have their human sides.
The pacing is a hair slow at first, but as the book continued, by the time I got to the 60% mark, I couldn't put it down and it became a gripping page-turner.
This is an excellent early go for a self-published writer. I greatly look forward to sequels.
The protagonist finds himself in overwhelming debt from not scoring well enough on the final standardized test of his corporate schooling. He does what many poor, in-debted people do and joins the military. A hard working, intelligent young man he finds himself conforming to the military life as we follow him through a grueling basic training and off to his first assignment.
Meanwhile, evil pirates are plaguing the space between the stars and looting the ships and ransoming the crews.
Our hero and the pirates inevitably come together and in spectacular fashion! Kay does a truly superb job of rendering action sequences.
The characters of this book, good and bad, are three dimensional, real people. The dialogue is very believable and you grow to become comfortable with them, even the "bad" ones seem to have their human sides.
The pacing is a hair slow at first, but as the book continued, by the time I got to the 60% mark, I couldn't put it down and it became a gripping page-turner.
This is an excellent early go for a self-published writer. I greatly look forward to sequels.
