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Expeditionary Force #11
Brushfire
Peacetime can be a rough adjustment for the battle-hardened Merry Band of Pirates.
Especially when aliens don’t get the memo that the shooting is over.
Especially when aliens don’t get the memo that the shooting is over.
392 pages, Paperback
First published December 15, 2020
About the author
Craig Alanson
32 books3,692 followersIf you want to stay up to date on releases, receive promotion alerts and speak to me directly, please join my Facebook Page:
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My Bio:
Craig Alanson used to create financial reports for a large IT services company. Writing fiction at nights and on weekends, he finally independently published three novels on Amazon. Within 6 months of his first ebook release, he was able to quit his day job and pursue a full-time writing career.
The breakout success of Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, Book 1) reached new heights when Podium Audio released it in audio format, narrated by Audie Award Winner R.C. Bray. The Columbus Day audiobook was a huge hit, and a finalist for an Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year.
The ExForce series, as it is known to fans, has gone on to 10 books/audiobooks, many of which have hit the NYT best-seller list, with a 11th book releasing June 2021 and 14 books planned.
Craig has also published a spin-off series, ExForce: Mavericks; an ExForce audio drama, Homefront; a fantasy trilogy, Ascendent; and a young adult space opera, Aces. Craig lives in Virginia with his wife, who loves him even though he perpetually refuses to clean the garage.
https://www.facebook.com/Craig.Alanso...
My Bio:
Craig Alanson used to create financial reports for a large IT services company. Writing fiction at nights and on weekends, he finally independently published three novels on Amazon. Within 6 months of his first ebook release, he was able to quit his day job and pursue a full-time writing career.
The breakout success of Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, Book 1) reached new heights when Podium Audio released it in audio format, narrated by Audie Award Winner R.C. Bray. The Columbus Day audiobook was a huge hit, and a finalist for an Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year.
The ExForce series, as it is known to fans, has gone on to 10 books/audiobooks, many of which have hit the NYT best-seller list, with a 11th book releasing June 2021 and 14 books planned.
Craig has also published a spin-off series, ExForce: Mavericks; an ExForce audio drama, Homefront; a fantasy trilogy, Ascendent; and a young adult space opera, Aces. Craig lives in Virginia with his wife, who loves him even though he perpetually refuses to clean the garage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
December 17, 2020
How to write a review for book 11 of this series
Frankly, if you’ve made it this far in the series, there is only 2 ways this can go. It’s either a let down or simply more of the stuff that kept you coming back for book 11.
It’s more of the good stuff. You’re gonna enjoy the roller coaster ride. If anything, you will be mad (unless you read this review in a couple of years) that you now have to wait for book 12....
And I am furious. Are there any pharmaceuticals that render sleep obsolete so that writing can be done faster???
Frankly, if you’ve made it this far in the series, there is only 2 ways this can go. It’s either a let down or simply more of the stuff that kept you coming back for book 11.
It’s more of the good stuff. You’re gonna enjoy the roller coaster ride. If anything, you will be mad (unless you read this review in a couple of years) that you now have to wait for book 12....
And I am furious. Are there any pharmaceuticals that render sleep obsolete so that writing can be done faster???
January 2, 2021
First 2/3 of the book felt like an extremely long epilogue to wrap up things from the previous book, almost nothing happening except for some fan service, then it seems like the last 1/3 will at least be action, nope lasts a couple chapters then it gets into the typical how will we get out of this, oh lets use this Deus Ex to get out of it, only to be in another dire situation waiting for the Deus Ex machine to finish charging to let them do it again.
Then it seems oh good we are about to get some action/revenge, and the book ends.
This book continues the running issue of the series, not much character development they are still relying on the same jokes and interactions for 10 books ago, to have some crisis happen which was created in the previous book and using a Dues Ex to get through the crisis, which will set up the next books crisis.
Then it seems oh good we are about to get some action/revenge, and the book ends.
This book continues the running issue of the series, not much character development they are still relying on the same jokes and interactions for 10 books ago, to have some crisis happen which was created in the previous book and using a Dues Ex to get through the crisis, which will set up the next books crisis.
February 11, 2021
Man, the story continues and I continue to keep on freaking loving it. R.C. Bray is a beast and he is perfect for this. This book was meant to be listened to because he was made for these characters.
But that ending had me all like wtf that's it?? Why you gotta do that! Makes me wonder if book 12 will be the last. Serious question though...
How can I become a member of Skipistan?
But that ending had me all like wtf that's it?? Why you gotta do that! Makes me wonder if book 12 will be the last. Serious question though...
How can I become a member of Skipistan?
January 10, 2021
Hello, fellows.
I have a mixed feeling about this book the whole series: on one hand, I have managed to finish reading it, on another hand - I started being less and less interested continuing reading the series. I was kind of intrigues by the previous book expecting more complex plot, more detailed characters and... The first third of the book felt like the ending of the previous one - action/plot lines being wrapped up and I was just skipping the pages. Then, suddenly, the book burst into action and I was spending my free time reading it, eager to know how it would finish. Still, in my humble opinion, the main issue with a direction everything is going is that whatever "Merry band of pirates" keeps escalating problem for the Earth. Bishops looks like a teenager running amok the galaxy pissing off higher and higher species! Come on! And again, somehow Gandalf Skippy helps "pirates" to save their arses and the Earth! If I were a teenager, I would enjoy reading these books, however, I am not and I am going to give up reading this series. I think it will be enough for me just to read a digest of the next book on Wiki or something like that just out of curiosity.
Sorry, Joseph and Skippy! Wish you well.
Best regards,
Rustam.
I have a mixed feeling about this book the whole series: on one hand, I have managed to finish reading it, on another hand - I started being less and less interested continuing reading the series. I was kind of intrigues by the previous book expecting more complex plot, more detailed characters and... The first third of the book felt like the ending of the previous one - action/plot lines being wrapped up and I was just skipping the pages. Then, suddenly, the book burst into action and I was spending my free time reading it, eager to know how it would finish. Still, in my humble opinion, the main issue with a direction everything is going is that whatever "Merry band of pirates" keeps escalating problem for the Earth. Bishops looks like a teenager running amok the galaxy pissing off higher and higher species! Come on! And again, somehow Gandalf Skippy helps "pirates" to save their arses and the Earth! If I were a teenager, I would enjoy reading these books, however, I am not and I am going to give up reading this series. I think it will be enough for me just to read a digest of the next book on Wiki or something like that just out of curiosity.
Sorry, Joseph and Skippy! Wish you well.
Best regards,
Rustam.
May 26, 2024
Jau kārtējo reizi iepriekšējās Armageddon grāmatas ietvaros Džozefam ‘’Džo’’ Bišopam, mākslīgajam intelektam Skipijam kopā ar pārējiem pašiesauktajiem pirātiem izdevās paglābt Zemi no īstermiņa draudiem, bet ar katru reizi tā vien šķiet jauni draudi cilvēces eksistencei uzrodas ātrāk un vēl nopietnāki nekā pirms tam. Turklāt jebkurus plānus sarežģī fakts, ka viņu darbības pagaidām vēl nedrīkst ļaut citām sugām, it īpaši vispēcīgākajām Maxolhx (kaķveidīgi)un Rindhalu (zirnekļveidīgi), ka cilvēces rīcībā ir kaut kas tik spēcīgs kā Vecajo radīts AI.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
March 24, 2021
This book was a complete let down.
After a thrill ride that was book 10, this book drones on about unimportant and frankly uninteresting details of bringing the Emily Perkins story into the Skippy story.
Too much time is spent with nobody's from the enemy, learning their back story, etc, only to have a brief encounter and discard.
Too much time following too many characters around and catching up, exploring what future roles may have for them etc.
None of this is bad, in itself and can make for some interesting world building. But not when it makes for 3/4 of a 20 hour book. 15 hours of nothing happening. Mostly info dumps of useless trivia about serious characters, with little humor.
When finally something does happen, its fun and interesting, but not worth the wait.
The voice narration is excellent, as I expect from RC Bray.
All in all, this book is basically just "Meh". It's not terrible, but it's not particularly all that good either.
After a thrill ride that was book 10, this book drones on about unimportant and frankly uninteresting details of bringing the Emily Perkins story into the Skippy story.
Too much time is spent with nobody's from the enemy, learning their back story, etc, only to have a brief encounter and discard.
Too much time following too many characters around and catching up, exploring what future roles may have for them etc.
None of this is bad, in itself and can make for some interesting world building. But not when it makes for 3/4 of a 20 hour book. 15 hours of nothing happening. Mostly info dumps of useless trivia about serious characters, with little humor.
When finally something does happen, its fun and interesting, but not worth the wait.
The voice narration is excellent, as I expect from RC Bray.
All in all, this book is basically just "Meh". It's not terrible, but it's not particularly all that good either.
June 26, 2020
Why are we able to rate a book that is not released yet?
February 2, 2021
“Brushfire” started with just a little too much gung-ho bravado and vengeance to be palatable. Yes, I get that you want to set up a particularly strong high to create the drama that delivers full bore in the final acts, but the blood lust and arrogance actually made Bishop’s character unlikeable; and for that reason I can’t give the book 5 stars. Once it became preachy, political and opinionated, I almost gave up. I’m glad I didn’t, because those final acts really delivered. Yes, it was all a bit deja vu, a “greatest hits” tour de force, but boy was it entertaining.
There were some memorable set pieces and great gags (the audiobook gag in particular was well delivered by Bray as expected). If you can forgive some missteps in the first act, this is a worthwhile read.
There were some memorable set pieces and great gags (the audiobook gag in particular was well delivered by Bray as expected). If you can forgive some missteps in the first act, this is a worthwhile read.
July 1, 2024
Finally, we are winning winning winning, I think?
From the very beginning, I like the fact that we are getting revenge but not in a blood thirsty way .We're thinking political wise.And the fact that all the different types of alien beings know human existed and we're bad asses.
I love that!!!!
When Joe and the Valkyrie went to get the humans off paradise, it so interesting because they actually had their own family. I wish they had talked more about that situation. The keepers storyline is still so annoying, but I never realized women are also among them.
Joe finally gets his romance. He finally gets his woman, and I like the fact that she was black. And of course they had a topic about the race situation which I did not mind, actually still enjoyed it.
So the beginning and the middle of this book were smooth sailing.The humans finally winning however, the ending got very serious. There is so much life-threatening situation. It happens so quickly that it keeps me at the edge of my seat.
From the very beginning, I like the fact that we are getting revenge but not in a blood thirsty way .We're thinking political wise.And the fact that all the different types of alien beings know human existed and we're bad asses.
I love that!!!!
When Joe and the Valkyrie went to get the humans off paradise, it so interesting because they actually had their own family. I wish they had talked more about that situation. The keepers storyline is still so annoying, but I never realized women are also among them.
Joe finally gets his romance. He finally gets his woman, and I like the fact that she was black. And of course they had a topic about the race situation which I did not mind, actually still enjoyed it.
So the beginning and the middle of this book were smooth sailing.The humans finally winning however, the ending got very serious. There is so much life-threatening situation. It happens so quickly that it keeps me at the edge of my seat.
February 7, 2021
all reviews in one place:
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Joe Bishop used the elder weapons card on the hostile aliens that would wipe out any life in the universe, this way everyone loses, so everyone has incentive to behave. Doing so he assumed Earth would be safe. Well… Safe-ish. They’re still going with the beta site plan, just in case. And… Well, he he, you’re not going to like where this is going.
My Opinion: Of course it’s good. By now, does anyone expect any less? The book is packed with tension, explosions, more tension, some hope to keep you reading, great humor, and utter dread for every character ever.
night mode reading ;
skaitom nakties rezimu
About the Book: Joe Bishop used the elder weapons card on the hostile aliens that would wipe out any life in the universe, this way everyone loses, so everyone has incentive to behave. Doing so he assumed Earth would be safe. Well… Safe-ish. They’re still going with the beta site plan, just in case. And… Well, he he, you’re not going to like where this is going.
My Opinion: Of course it’s good. By now, does anyone expect any less? The book is packed with tension, explosions, more tension, some hope to keep you reading, great humor, and utter dread for every character ever.
August 10, 2023
August 2023
Just when you think it's ok to relax somewhere like Bali with your girlfriend . . . nope.
I kind of slogged thru the last bit of this, not really completely believing that the Maxolhx would spend so much time negotiating with the Valkyrie. But I have to say I was once again amazed at the way physics works with some earlier incidents.
This was a good re-read.
May 2021
Good, my mind is completely refreshed just in time for the release of Book 12. RC Bray is absolutely brilliant at bringing this story to life. This whole story brings up the idea of a cold war and mutual destruction. I hadn't realised the history of the world when it comes to this. "Brushfires" are essentially saber rattling with loss of life. Power is a heady thing for humans and I doubt we'll ever get rid of needing just a little more. World domination and all that. In real life, it's a thing.
I loved the arc of Joe and Margaret - finally! Finally they're on track! Alanson will doubtless kill her off at some point but I'll level rail guns at him when and if the time comes. Mr. Alanson, you just can't kill Margaret so just give up that notion right now. Our Florida contingent will not be happy!
Can't wait for the next book. Like I said before, this just never gets old. The setup for the next book and those devious, hilarious Jeraptha are just priceless.
December 2020
IT NEVER GETS OLD.
Just when you think it's ok to relax somewhere like Bali with your girlfriend . . . nope.
I kind of slogged thru the last bit of this, not really completely believing that the Maxolhx would spend so much time negotiating with the Valkyrie. But I have to say I was once again amazed at the way physics works with some earlier incidents.
This was a good re-read.
May 2021
Good, my mind is completely refreshed just in time for the release of Book 12. RC Bray is absolutely brilliant at bringing this story to life. This whole story brings up the idea of a cold war and mutual destruction. I hadn't realised the history of the world when it comes to this. "Brushfires" are essentially saber rattling with loss of life. Power is a heady thing for humans and I doubt we'll ever get rid of needing just a little more. World domination and all that. In real life, it's a thing.
I loved the arc of Joe and Margaret - finally! Finally they're on track! Alanson will doubtless kill her off at some point but I'll level rail guns at him when and if the time comes. Mr. Alanson, you just can't kill Margaret so just give up that notion right now. Our Florida contingent will not be happy!
Can't wait for the next book. Like I said before, this just never gets old. The setup for the next book and those devious, hilarious Jeraptha are just priceless.
December 2020
IT NEVER GETS OLD.
March 25, 2021
I have read this whole series (13 books????) in a couple of months. Why?
* It's an easy read
* It's fun (even if the Skippy and Bishop show is getting VERY tiresome)
* It's quite dumb scifi and that's prretty much what I needed after a whole year of pandemic
* It's an easy read
* It's fun (even if the Skippy and Bishop show is getting VERY tiresome)
* It's quite dumb scifi and that's prretty much what I needed after a whole year of pandemic
June 6, 2022
BRUSHFIRE is the 11th book of Expeditionary Force and the first following up a massive upheaval of the series' premise: that Earth was unknown to the rest of the galaxy and primarily kept safe by everyone assuming there was nothing interesting going on there. Well, that's no longer the case and our heroes have to deal with the fallout (despite that being the title of the next book).
I really liked the first half of the book where everything seems to be optimistic. I was so wrapped up in having a win that I didn't see the inevitable twist coming. I have to give congratulations to Craig Alanson for coming up with such a delightfully twisted shift in the story. I am very invested in where the story will go next.
I really liked the first half of the book where everything seems to be optimistic. I was so wrapped up in having a win that I didn't see the inevitable twist coming. I have to give congratulations to Craig Alanson for coming up with such a delightfully twisted shift in the story. I am very invested in where the story will go next.
December 20, 2020
Skippy the Magnificent does it again...
I read all the mixed reviews, but I have to say, I enjoyed this installment very much. It has turned out to be one of my favorites in the series so far. I love how Earth’s position in the Universe is finally progressing up the leader board but, at the same time fighting for survival! The banter between Skippy and Joe feels fun again! I look forward to book 12 and hope the series advance in the direction I anticipate or not. I am going to read it anyway! I am sure Craig Alanson will continue to surprise and delight me once again!
I read all the mixed reviews, but I have to say, I enjoyed this installment very much. It has turned out to be one of my favorites in the series so far. I love how Earth’s position in the Universe is finally progressing up the leader board but, at the same time fighting for survival! The banter between Skippy and Joe feels fun again! I look forward to book 12 and hope the series advance in the direction I anticipate or not. I am going to read it anyway! I am sure Craig Alanson will continue to surprise and delight me once again!
December 15, 2022
3.5+
This series starts out a bit slowly but it warms up as it goes on. I'm currently listening to book #13 and I'm enjoying the series a great deal. Its strength is its characters, for the most part, and one of the main characters is hard to warm up to.
Although I will rate the books individually, here at book 13 I call it a four star series.
*Bulk Input Day
This series starts out a bit slowly but it warms up as it goes on. I'm currently listening to book #13 and I'm enjoying the series a great deal. Its strength is its characters, for the most part, and one of the main characters is hard to warm up to.
Although I will rate the books individually, here at book 13 I call it a four star series.
*Bulk Input Day
January 30, 2021
And the saga continues. Looks like I’m hooked for the long haul
January 15, 2021
This series has a very strong hold on me. Another book that I've read just as it came out, amazing read! Funny and witty, like the ones before, the story goes on and nothing is the same.
January 31, 2021
There was some good and some not so much in this story. There are chapters spent on a romantic interlude that really did not interest me in the least. It was made bearable by Skippy interjecting humor, but to be fair, in keeping with the rest of the story so far, it really did not need to be there. Offsetting this, both the opening and the concluding chapters were worth the price of admission and were more in keeping with prior entries. This leads me to suspect that Craig told his story and found it coming up short so he may have padded it out some. I can live with that, so long as it is not repeated, as keeping the pace up this long cannot be easy. Additionally, where we are left leaves things wide open for the usual breakneck pace to resume in the upcoming books.
So, we enter this story with Bishop and company seemingly in a good place, what with an uneasy truce in effect but, as the universe does not like Joe, it screws with him yet again. Things go sideways and peril ensues. As noted above, it takes things a while to get to that point, but when they do we are in familiar territory with our upstart AI working hand in glove with the monkeys to try and survive. I cannot say much more without giving things away, except that bad things happen.
This is, hands down, the weakest entry in the Expeditionary Force saga, and could easily have been told in half the time. Why then did I give 4 stars? Really, I would have gone with 3.5, but I did laugh out loud several times and had a good time with the last third of the book so I rounded up. I can confirm though, that the set up for the next novel promises to be both dire and exciting, harkening back to the earlier adventures, so it was certainly enough to keep me wanting more.
So, we enter this story with Bishop and company seemingly in a good place, what with an uneasy truce in effect but, as the universe does not like Joe, it screws with him yet again. Things go sideways and peril ensues. As noted above, it takes things a while to get to that point, but when they do we are in familiar territory with our upstart AI working hand in glove with the monkeys to try and survive. I cannot say much more without giving things away, except that bad things happen.
This is, hands down, the weakest entry in the Expeditionary Force saga, and could easily have been told in half the time. Why then did I give 4 stars? Really, I would have gone with 3.5, but I did laugh out loud several times and had a good time with the last third of the book so I rounded up. I can confirm though, that the set up for the next novel promises to be both dire and exciting, harkening back to the earlier adventures, so it was certainly enough to keep me wanting more.
January 3, 2021
I LOVED THIS BOOK
I LOVE SKIPPY!
Hopefully you’ve read the previous 10 books so you’ll know what to expect. There’s fan service. I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat at times, I guffawed!!
The alien species are coming into their own & really getting fleshed out. I’m happy with how the aliens are being developed.
Skippy and Bray are perfect!
The banter between Joe & Skippy is great.
I was glad that the relationship that blossoms is sort of put on hold & at one point I really thought it wasn’t going to work but I was pleasantly surprised. I’ll be happy if that side story is relegated to a tiny dark corner of a chapter in future books since it’s new and feels a little YA angsty to me though I would like to hear what drew them to each other and what they have in common on a deeper personal level.
I like the strong females & smart men as they balance the Bishop/Skippy dynamic and it continues in this book. I’m glad Perkins is back!
This was a great addition to the Skippyverse!
If you haven’t started this series yet you should read to at least chapter 11 in Columbus Day before you make any final decisions. I feel like this is such a guilty pleasure for me up there with The Age of Madness trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, Zombie Fallout series by Mark Tufo and if I had to I’d compare the humor to Red Dwarf. Fun fun fun!!
The audiobook ends with a shocker so I hope Mr Alanson is writing writing writing!!
I LOVE SKIPPY!
Hopefully you’ve read the previous 10 books so you’ll know what to expect. There’s fan service. I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat at times, I guffawed!!
The alien species are coming into their own & really getting fleshed out. I’m happy with how the aliens are being developed.
Skippy and Bray are perfect!
The banter between Joe & Skippy is great.
I was glad that the relationship that blossoms is sort of put on hold & at one point I really thought it wasn’t going to work but I was pleasantly surprised. I’ll be happy if that side story is relegated to a tiny dark corner of a chapter in future books since it’s new and feels a little YA angsty to me though I would like to hear what drew them to each other and what they have in common on a deeper personal level.
I like the strong females & smart men as they balance the Bishop/Skippy dynamic and it continues in this book. I’m glad Perkins is back!
This was a great addition to the Skippyverse!
If you haven’t started this series yet you should read to at least chapter 11 in Columbus Day before you make any final decisions. I feel like this is such a guilty pleasure for me up there with The Age of Madness trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, Zombie Fallout series by Mark Tufo and if I had to I’d compare the humor to Red Dwarf. Fun fun fun!!
The audiobook ends with a shocker so I hope Mr Alanson is writing writing writing!!
January 2, 2021
yes. Yes. YES. MORE LIKE THIS PLEASE.
I've reviewed nearly every book in the Expeditionary Force series, including the side tales. The series was in major decline, I'd nearly given up on it. The first two acts of Freefall were excellent, but the remainder was insufferable. This book is everything I liked about the early Freefall, and it just keeps up that pace and feeling.
Payback, politics, absurd *and awesome* Jeraptha, intrigue, romance (finally), and most importantly, PROGRESS.
The pace is brisk, scenes never bog down in dull details, the story really moves. It's a page turner too, I listen to RC Bray's amazing narration while smoking a cigar in the hot tub, usually for about 90 minutes per night. I find myself having to force the stop, I just want to keep listening and revel in the story.
Mr. Alanson, sir, if you're reading this review, I'm not going to apologize for my harsh critiques of Homefront [7.5], Armageddon [8], Valkyrie [9], Critical Mass [10], nor the back 2/3 of Freefall. Those all had problems. This volume suffers from none of that. It was such an unexpected pleasure to hear your words, erasing my fear this would be another tedious slog. You've done it, you won me back.
5 well earned stars for keeping me thoroughly entertained, start to finish, with none of that bitter aftertaste found in less premium beercan shenanigans.
Kudos, sir, you've really outdone yourself; truly you have.
I've reviewed nearly every book in the Expeditionary Force series, including the side tales. The series was in major decline, I'd nearly given up on it. The first two acts of Freefall were excellent, but the remainder was insufferable. This book is everything I liked about the early Freefall, and it just keeps up that pace and feeling.
Payback, politics, absurd *and awesome* Jeraptha, intrigue, romance (finally), and most importantly, PROGRESS.
The pace is brisk, scenes never bog down in dull details, the story really moves. It's a page turner too, I listen to RC Bray's amazing narration while smoking a cigar in the hot tub, usually for about 90 minutes per night. I find myself having to force the stop, I just want to keep listening and revel in the story.
Mr. Alanson, sir, if you're reading this review, I'm not going to apologize for my harsh critiques of Homefront [7.5], Armageddon [8], Valkyrie [9], Critical Mass [10], nor the back 2/3 of Freefall. Those all had problems. This volume suffers from none of that. It was such an unexpected pleasure to hear your words, erasing my fear this would be another tedious slog. You've done it, you won me back.
5 well earned stars for keeping me thoroughly entertained, start to finish, with none of that bitter aftertaste found in less premium beercan shenanigans.
Kudos, sir, you've really outdone yourself; truly you have.
December 23, 2020
Saves the best stuff for the end, again
I have read all of the EF books and have enjoyed all of them. Alanson has created another book that I couldn't put down... after I got through 60% of the book. It starts well, right where the last book leaves off, making you happy for the Merry Band, then it dies off. He obviously was setting everything up, but it was too much, over selling aspects that you knew were setting up a big swap.
Well, what a swap it was! Once I hit that last 50% of the book, I couldn't put it down and finished the rest in one sitting. Great book for 75% of it. A perfectly fine book for that other 25%.
I have read all of the EF books and have enjoyed all of them. Alanson has created another book that I couldn't put down... after I got through 60% of the book. It starts well, right where the last book leaves off, making you happy for the Merry Band, then it dies off. He obviously was setting everything up, but it was too much, over selling aspects that you knew were setting up a big swap.
Well, what a swap it was! Once I hit that last 50% of the book, I couldn't put it down and finished the rest in one sitting. Great book for 75% of it. A perfectly fine book for that other 25%.
December 26, 2020
Ok, lets be honest about this book. Its two parts. There is a mushy waffly oh so boring first half that can only be described as character development filler. Possibly the most boring set of pages in the entire series. I want the hours I wasted on listening to the first half back please. Perhaps angling for a TV show or movie Craig? because it sure didn't add anything to the plot. Then there is the incredible gut wrenching rollercoaster second part that is possibly the most dramatic sequence written in the series so far. So whatever you do, don't miss it. Are there illogical plot holes and decisions made, absolutely, some so large you can drive a solar system through them, but I suspect Craig really just wanted to have our heroes get into a sticky situation so they could extricate themselves out of it.
So that said, its a riveting second half, but oh too short. If the first half of waffle could have been condensed to a quarter of the size it is, we would have had a far more completely entertaining book that moved the story along just that little bit further. As it is, half the issues created in this book have been left hanging, now waiting for June 2021... I can't bear it...
So that said, its a riveting second half, but oh too short. If the first half of waffle could have been condensed to a quarter of the size it is, we would have had a far more completely entertaining book that moved the story along just that little bit further. As it is, half the issues created in this book have been left hanging, now waiting for June 2021... I can't bear it...
May 8, 2021
Not the best book in the series. The first 2/3 of the book have basically no actual plot movement or world-building; it's all largely extraneous, often repetitive, dialogue. And dialogue is not the author's strong-suit. It could have covered all of the important points in at least half the space. It honestly just felt like padding to justify the book. That said, Skippy was a fair bit less obnoxious than in past books.
It also has a lot of sexism going on. Not outright, but in the "look at me, I'm not sexist, see how not sexist I am... and also here are the clearly defined gender roles, look how men are oblivious to everything and women are emotional and only care about looks" way. I gave up and skimmed a bunch of that part of the book.
The last ~1/3 of the book is very good, though. It is a single ongoing nail-biter that I really enjoyed.
Overall, it was meh. I expected bad dialogue (and the annoying main duo) going into it, but it didn't have enough of the stuff that makes these books worth reading to justify a better rating.
It also has a lot of sexism going on. Not outright, but in the "look at me, I'm not sexist, see how not sexist I am... and also here are the clearly defined gender roles, look how men are oblivious to everything and women are emotional and only care about looks" way. I gave up and skimmed a bunch of that part of the book.
The last ~1/3 of the book is very good, though. It is a single ongoing nail-biter that I really enjoyed.
Overall, it was meh. I expected bad dialogue (and the annoying main duo) going into it, but it didn't have enough of the stuff that makes these books worth reading to justify a better rating.
November 18, 2021
The Expeditionary Force series is always a fun read, but this time I had to knock down the score a bit, for two reasons. To begin, the first half of the book is a smorgasbord of topics that goes in about 19 directions, never really settling on any narrative thrust. It's sort of a "dump my opinions about everything into this book" situation. I happen to agree with the author's opinions, but the narrative flow is most definitely not smooth. The second reason is that the second half of the book is monumentally slow. How can the heroes be trapped by the bad guys for several weeks??? Just come up with a quicker solution and move on to the next book. So, there you go.
On the other hand, I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
On the other hand, I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
March 18, 2021
The first half of the book is just awful. Like, 0 star, DNF awful.
This part reads like a fan-fiction parody of the series, only that the author takes it seriously and tries to sell it. Like if you're watching Hot Shots, only they try to sell it as a serious movie with the pathos of Rambo. A plot written by 16 year old US bullies for 16 year old US bullies.
I powered through that part by skipping through paragraphs. Surprisingly the second half is actually quite good. Not brilliant, but a solid 4 stars. Suddenly, limitations and crisis mode is back and the crew and enemy are behaving more realistically. I'm actually looking forward to the next book! :-)
This part reads like a fan-fiction parody of the series, only that the author takes it seriously and tries to sell it. Like if you're watching Hot Shots, only they try to sell it as a serious movie with the pathos of Rambo. A plot written by 16 year old US bullies for 16 year old US bullies.
I powered through that part by skipping through paragraphs. Surprisingly the second half is actually quite good. Not brilliant, but a solid 4 stars. Suddenly, limitations and crisis mode is back and the crew and enemy are behaving more realistically. I'm actually looking forward to the next book! :-)
March 24, 2022
Half wanna be romance novel, half lame dragged out political mess that doesn’t even make sense.
That’s it in a nutshell, just buy it on audible and return it when you’re finished because it’s boring, only worth listening to to find out what happens to the pirates, and well guess what. I zoned out multiple times in the car while this was playing.
That’s it in a nutshell, just buy it on audible and return it when you’re finished because it’s boring, only worth listening to to find out what happens to the pirates, and well guess what. I zoned out multiple times in the car while this was playing.
April 5, 2021
One of the worse of the series. The beggining drags out and the main “problem” this time is so obvious there is NO WAY the characters should not have known. As it usually is, this book is kind of a setup for the next book. It is a must-read in the series, however you will most likely not enjoy it as much as some of the other books. Still a fun book though.
January 1, 2021
More Skippy, I need to have more Skippy :-)
January 9, 2021
Now, I'm an unapologetic Skippy fan, so it's tough to disappoint me here.
Again I loved the book and it somewhat managed to heal my wounds caused by the "Tolkien's eagles" solution to the whole extinction threat story line by just underhanded presenting a cache of elder weapons in the last book.
Yes, this might be the problem of creating too much expectations by a long story line telling me how impossible things are and then being unable to fulfill the high expectations, but I really did not like that solution. Or at least the implementation of the solution. Maybe if the search and fight for elder weapons had been it's own book...well, different book anyway, back to Brushfire.
So this is a new universe, where Humankind is suddenly a big player with a very small fleet and nothing much going for them but Skippy and...well, Skippy.
I liked how humans are portrait as trying to play by the rules they know, in a game they do not know, against players who have played for thousands of years and do.no.succeed.
Seriously, if that had worked, it would have been tough on my suspension of disbelieve.
The merry band of pirates has succeeded by playing against and without the rules that govern the war and I would not expect humanity to succeed any other way.
Do something new and unexpected. Do not play by the rules. The rules say "you dead!" anyway.
The book very plausible shows, that in this scenario, humanity would not stand a chance. The big players blink once, inhale twice and blow humanity out of the water. If there wasn't the merry band of pirates, the asshole elder AI and the monkey with the crazy ideas.
I feel like it is this "wild card" element that makes the series special and I love seeing it continue where I had feared that things might go into a more generic space opera direction.
I liked the social commentary, but found that the relationship between Joe and Margaret was handled...well, kind of meh. It started of kind of good (a bit too much emphasize on the "I'm a marine, but I'm also a woman" theme for my taste), but devolved in "had sex", "had sex again", "sex had been had" listings until it completely stopped for the last quarter.
It makes sense in the story and all, but why introduce a love story if it will be mostly happening off screen and the woman in his life basically looses her influence on the story once they "found each other"?
Feels like a lost opportunity. All too often the "will they, wont' they?" part of human relations is over-emphasized in fiction and the "stronger together" part is overlooked.
I'd like more Margaret Adams content, please!
The way Brushfire ended provides a lot of opportunity for this, so please, give Margaret her time in the spotlight. I know this is a bromance, but if you start with "bros before..." I'll hit you with a stick, monkey stile.
Otherwise the book continues the series' mix of humor, hard science and action elements and keeps providing solutions for problems that I did not think of, which I really enjoy.
I am, as always, very much looking forward to the next book!
Again I loved the book and it somewhat managed to heal my wounds caused by the "Tolkien's eagles" solution to the whole extinction threat story line by just underhanded presenting a cache of elder weapons in the last book.
Yes, this might be the problem of creating too much expectations by a long story line telling me how impossible things are and then being unable to fulfill the high expectations, but I really did not like that solution. Or at least the implementation of the solution. Maybe if the search and fight for elder weapons had been it's own book...well, different book anyway, back to Brushfire.
So this is a new universe, where Humankind is suddenly a big player with a very small fleet and nothing much going for them but Skippy and...well, Skippy.
I liked how humans are portrait as trying to play by the rules they know, in a game they do not know, against players who have played for thousands of years and do.no.succeed.
Seriously, if that had worked, it would have been tough on my suspension of disbelieve.
The merry band of pirates has succeeded by playing against and without the rules that govern the war and I would not expect humanity to succeed any other way.
Do something new and unexpected. Do not play by the rules. The rules say "you dead!" anyway.
The book very plausible shows, that in this scenario, humanity would not stand a chance. The big players blink once, inhale twice and blow humanity out of the water. If there wasn't the merry band of pirates, the asshole elder AI and the monkey with the crazy ideas.
I feel like it is this "wild card" element that makes the series special and I love seeing it continue where I had feared that things might go into a more generic space opera direction.
I liked the social commentary, but found that the relationship between Joe and Margaret was handled...well, kind of meh. It started of kind of good (a bit too much emphasize on the "I'm a marine, but I'm also a woman" theme for my taste), but devolved in "had sex", "had sex again", "sex had been had" listings until it completely stopped for the last quarter.
It makes sense in the story and all, but why introduce a love story if it will be mostly happening off screen and the woman in his life basically looses her influence on the story once they "found each other"?
Feels like a lost opportunity. All too often the "will they, wont' they?" part of human relations is over-emphasized in fiction and the "stronger together" part is overlooked.
I'd like more Margaret Adams content, please!
The way Brushfire ended provides a lot of opportunity for this, so please, give Margaret her time in the spotlight. I know this is a bromance, but if you start with "bros before..." I'll hit you with a stick, monkey stile.
Otherwise the book continues the series' mix of humor, hard science and action elements and keeps providing solutions for problems that I did not think of, which I really enjoy.
I am, as always, very much looking forward to the next book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2020
Simply Fantastic
Mr. Alanson has really returned to his roots in this book. Gone is the same repeated plotline with only a thin vinear of new material that cursed the last few entries in the series. This book introduces new characters, dangers, and plenty of plot twists while bringing back a few old favorites and letting them shine. The first half of the book feels like it is nothing more than filler but it builds up to a remarkable climax that has left me eager to dive into the next book. For fans that are growing tired of the series, give this one a final chance to bring you back into the fold, you won't be disappointed.
Sadly, I would feel I am not giving an honest critique without discussing a couple points. First, the author really tried to give some of the characters a bit more material and personality, and unfortunately I feel that while this worked for some, others felt like they became cliches or stereotypes of who they were (e.g. Adams). Second, it felt like many of the lessons skippy learned in the previous book were forgotten and put aside to continue his quirky asshole personality. While that is part of what made the series great at the start, it is starting to feel like only Joe is growing as a person and skippy continues to be used as the butt of a stale joke. I really hope that Mr. Alanson keeps working on this series and growing his skills, because if this book is indicative of the progression of his abilities, he will be one of this generation's best.
As a personal note to the author, thank you so much for putting the time and effort into keeping this story alive. In a year as dark as this one, your books have been a motivation to continue looking forward.
Mr. Alanson has really returned to his roots in this book. Gone is the same repeated plotline with only a thin vinear of new material that cursed the last few entries in the series. This book introduces new characters, dangers, and plenty of plot twists while bringing back a few old favorites and letting them shine. The first half of the book feels like it is nothing more than filler but it builds up to a remarkable climax that has left me eager to dive into the next book. For fans that are growing tired of the series, give this one a final chance to bring you back into the fold, you won't be disappointed.
Sadly, I would feel I am not giving an honest critique without discussing a couple points. First, the author really tried to give some of the characters a bit more material and personality, and unfortunately I feel that while this worked for some, others felt like they became cliches or stereotypes of who they were (e.g. Adams). Second, it felt like many of the lessons skippy learned in the previous book were forgotten and put aside to continue his quirky asshole personality. While that is part of what made the series great at the start, it is starting to feel like only Joe is growing as a person and skippy continues to be used as the butt of a stale joke. I really hope that Mr. Alanson keeps working on this series and growing his skills, because if this book is indicative of the progression of his abilities, he will be one of this generation's best.
As a personal note to the author, thank you so much for putting the time and effort into keeping this story alive. In a year as dark as this one, your books have been a motivation to continue looking forward.
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