New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance brings another action, adventure, and suspense-filled story to transport readers out of this world. In a world gone crazy, it is often the humans who are at fault, seeking answers to questions we are not yet ready to understand...
Lt. Commander Joshua Manson's focus on his career has taken him to many places, just not the one he has always dreamed of going into space. His sometimes controversial methods during missions have given him the reputation of being a soldier who doesn't always play by the rule book. A summons to Washington, D.C. after a challenging mission leaves him questioning if he'll have a career at all; but once there, Josh is surprised when he is offered the chance of a lifetime, to command a mission in space to investigate an unknown object. The more he learns, the more determined he is to lead it, even if it means a one way ticket.
Cassa de Rola's family has lived for centuries in the quiet valley where they farm. Her family has tried to remain untouched by the growing unrest between the intergalactic military forces fighting for control over their planet. All of that changes when an unusual object falls from the sky and Cassa finds a strange male in the container. She knows that taking him in will endanger the lives of everyone close to her, but she can't leave him defenseless.
Now, the military forces on both sides want to discover the origins of the container and its missing contents. When the fight between the Legion and the Gallant Order escalates to all-out war, a new rebel leader emerges from the stars that will change the galaxy, and Cassa's life, forever.
S.E. Smith is an internationally acclaimed, New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of science fiction, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.
I'm so disappointed in this book. I usually love stories by S.E. Smith, but this one didn't really seem as much of a romance as it was a science fiction novel. Sure there were a couple of sexy scenes thrown in, but that's what it felt like they were 'thrown in' to ensure this would be considered romance.
I didn't feel the chemistry between the main characters Josh and Cassa. There was this one point, and I'm not sure it's because Josh realized he was never going back to Earth, but Josh tells Cassa that he wants her forever. However it wasn't until way AFTER that point that he realizes that he loves her. Now, ladies and gentlemen, as a connoisseur of romance novels I feel that the acknowledgement of LOVE precipitates the declaration of being together FOREVER. Now it just feels that he is set on 'settling' for Cassa because he can't go back home to Earth and he realizes that he needs to have someone to help him navigate this new world for him to survive, instead of finding love and exciting that he's going to have his mate with him while he navigates this new world.
Also, the story started off real well, but then I got lost in all the action. All that part kinda turned me off and I actually skipped sections to figure out what happened in the end. And the sad thing i that skipping these parts, I don't feel like I lost the gist of the storyline.
It looks like this is going to be a series with the this first book about Lieutenant Commander Joshua Manson (Captain of the Gliese Mission). It looks like the person getting the next book is about Lieutenant Commander Ashton Haze (Gliese Pilot). Then I'm sure we'll see Julia Marksdale (Mission Specialist - Navigation/Contact Support), Dr. Mei Li Hú (Mission Specialist - Computer Science/Biology/Environmental Systems), and Sergi Lazaroff (Mission Specialist - Mechanical Engineering/Payload/Weapons). Hopefully the next books won't be as disappointing as this first book, but I'm definitely going to be reluctant to shell out $4 per book if the story was as week as this one.
I listened to this audio with RU. I like most of S.E. Smith's books but this was a miss for me. An object has been spotted in space. Five people are sent to investigate the object that turns out to be a series of rings. So I thought this was going to be a Stargate story. The ship gets sucked into the gates and thrown into another solar system where people already speak English. Complete with the evil Legion and the rebellious Gallant Order. The story turned into Star Wars complete with a visit to a funky alien bar on a desert planet to a secret rebel base on an ice planet. I didn't feel the romance between the earth Commander Josh and Cassa, the budding Gallant Order knight. They went from strangers to sex to saying 'I love you' with few tender moments in between. They just navigated one dangerous situation after another. It was more of a space opera than a romance.
I like a good science fiction now and then. Some disappoint but some check all the boxes and I’m a happy camper. Command Decisions was not great but it was fun. Well, some of it. -The setup was fun. -The human astronauts were cutouts from every other book/movie but they worked out enough. -The Beings/Aliens they encouraged have been seen before but they were still enjoyable. -Fighting the good fight with fun, cohesive action scenes. Yes! -A female with balls and brains. Check! -A romance...wait, what?!?! Smith didn’t have a strong sense of time so they’re connection was out of left field and totally unbelievable. Will I read the next book in the series? Yes, but it’ll have to wait until I’m in the right mood.
More like a 3.5 I did like this book. It kept me interested. I really liked the characters, and the adventure was great. With all that being said, I think it could have been much better if the author would have filled in the missing parts.
My main issue is how much the book skips forward. It's like everything is on fast forward. An example of this: I hated how mushy gushy the man got when talking about his love interest. He knew her for a month, but we didn't get any insight into that month at all. It's so frustrating. Maybe if the author wouldn't have skipped that whole month, I could be down with this. But seriously! They meet, then like the next page is a month later and he kisses her for the first time. ??? how does the author think that makes sense? At least get me interested in them being a couple. There are many more examples of stuff like this. I understand it's hard to fill in big spaces of time. I just feel this book would have been MUCH better if it wouldn't have skipped around so much. It may needed to be split up into two books, but I would have preferred that.
Like others have said, I got a lot of reminders of Star Wars while reading, which was annoying because the similarities are easily avoidable. The biggest reminder is the weapon they use. It sounds very similar to a lightsaber. I even started imagining it as one because it sounds so similar. Also the way they sneak onto a ship, the droid on the ship, the bar they go into, etc etc etc.
This book is honestly the worst book I've ever read. At some point, I only kept going because I was curious how bad it would get - and it kept getting worse and worse. Stereotyped Asian and Russian characters? Check. Incredibly cheesy dialogue from a jock fighter pilot moonlighting as an action hero? Check. Black best friend racial trope? Yep. Sci-fi that is incredible nonsensical that it makes you question where the science is? Lets see... aliens in far away galaxies that happen to speak English, a fighter pilot who happens to be able to fly space ships he's never seen before, 5 escape pods that are programmed to find the nearest habitable planet and they somehow all go in different directions, just a few of many oddities in this universe. Hating on the class nerd like it's high school all over again? Oh yeah. Blatant plagiarism from Star Wars? There is that too. Delicate woman lead? Yeah. Chauvinist male lead who would never hurt a lady? Cliche after cliche. Definitely the worst book ever.
Loved the story, absolutely in love with the characters. The science is good and spot on as far as modern technology takes us.
The ONLY problem I had, and I admit I had to keep putting the book down and grit my teeth, is the improper use of the word galaxy instead of star system. It's a big difference with a huge distinction, especially in sci-fi. Interstellar travel, or travel between stars, is capable to any society with a sufficient amount of knowledge and technology. Intergalactic travel, or travel between galaxies would require extensive use of wormholes because of the vast amounts is space involved. The space between stars is extremely vast. The space between galaxies is stupidly vast.
I felt this story was more plot driven than character driven as in other books by this author in the past, however, it was excellent in pacing. I loved it. I would like some explanation later as to why they speak the same language.
Many of the reviews for this book indicated that this book was not "typical S.E. Smith" but as I read this book I felt that this book was not typical SciFi. The emphasis seemed to be on the romantic relationship between Josh and Casse. Sure, I have read science fiction with romantic elements but this one seemed preoccupied with articulating Josh's love for Casse. The sex between them and their mutual attraction is also very prominent - to the point of distraction. If I didn't know better, I thought I was reading a romance novel. That is when it dawned on me that S.E. Smith is known for romance novels.
Josh is a member of a 5-person crew on an Earth spacecraft that is sent to investigate an artifact in space. Apparently defective, they manage to repair it only to discover it is a gateway to another part of the galaxy with the trip destroying their ship and forcing each into their respective escape pods. They had arrived in an area of space with multiple planets containing sentient life. Josh's escape pod lands on one of the planets. He is taken in by the Galant order which is a rebel group against the legion. He finds Casse and her family and is drawn into their cause.
I found this book to feel oddly similar to Star Wars. These rebels are facing an indomitable force in the legion led by the director.
Interestingly, or maybe not, people on these planets are humans. They speak English too. There is some hint as to the reason for this but given that the planet Earth hosts many different languages, it seemed too coincidental that this society (presumably 100's of lightyears away) speaks English.
Not a bad book but not a great book. I was distracted when Josh seems to constantly say "I love you", "You are an amazing woman", "Do you know how amazing you are?" or "This is forever Casse". It got a bit repetitive. From my perspective, I didn't sign on for a romance novel.
There are two more books in the series but not for this reader.
So, at first I was thinking "okay, this is cool. going to be a 'first explorers in space'" type story. Then a "star gate" got mentioned, and it made me immediately hesitant. But it only called it a "star gate" once, so I got over it.
Next up, at the vineyard on the far off planet. Cue me: "Oh cool. This is gonna be like that Farscape episode "I, E.T." where Crichton and fellow crew land on an alien planet, and Crichton gets his first other world experience, and it was like all the classic Aliens have landed type stories from the 1950s. - I was okay with this.
As soon as the vineyard started burning, a niggling little voice in my head said "Okay, this is... a Star Wars trope." (the her farm has been destroyed, and her family is dead so she has nothing left but to go on an adventure and fight the big bad space government trope)
And then it went down hill from there. After that it pretty much ripped off Star Wars: A New Hope to a ridiculous level. Even so much as at the end, Josh even says "You just need a hat and you'd look like Harrison Ford". (Or something like that. I've blocked it out a bit, and I can't go look as I was listening to the audiobook)
Then I came and looked at other reviews, and yeah... totally not just me feeling like the author ripped of Star Wars.
Now, this wasn't awful. I'm sure it would have been quite exciting and enjoyable, if you've never read (there are a lot of books) or watched Star Wars before.
I did like that it wasn't the normal S.E. Smith "Alpha male alien needs female". I liked how Josh was the alien (see above comment of "I, E.T.").
I liked how there was no "Little One" endearments from the Hero to the Heroine. (That got really old in the Alliance series)
I almost feel like I should put this on the Star Wars bookshelf lol.
If you want a sci fi story this could be for you but not want I want to read from one of my favourite authors. Though interesting in its own way and with a LOT of action (maybe too much), it will not be one I reread. As much as I love Ms Smith’s books, this series is not for me. I have deferred reading it for ages knowing it was probably not going to be for me but finally sat down and picked it up. I just felt it was fast forward and lots of information overload which is typical of a new series but the lack of romance and connection between Josh and Cassie just made it a poor story. It felt like he settled for Cassie once he realised he would never be returning to earth, (he wasn’t anyway as it was a one way mission) as she was the only one he knew, not because he loved her. That came later.
I read the first three reviews here and can’t believe the bad or mediocre reviews. I bought all three published in paperback just because I wanted to get away from the e-raeder for a little while. I finished the first in less than 24 hours and loved it. I have the the third and now wait for the second as it seems to have come from a different seller on amazon and I didn’t realize that. I can’t wait for the second to be delivered. This story drew me in from the first page and I hardly put it down. I have read other books by SE Smith and while I loved a few most were not worth reading. Not so with this story. It’s not has hard core in the sex as some of her other books I have read but the plot is great and throw in the little romance she did include for the two main characters and I found it to be one of the best books I have read lately.
Command Decision by S.E. Smith is everything a reader wants in SCI/FY. The Author has done a great job with World building and connecting the characters and different relationships between planets. As the Legion is taking over the galaxy, it is met with resistance and thus creating the start of a War amongst the different planets. Joshua Manson has a career he loves but once he is sent on his latest mission he never dreamed of this outcome. Cassa de Rola's family has tried stay under the radar of the Legion as they continue life on their farm. When Joshua's mission goes wrong and he and his pod land near Cassa's farm, there is no staying under radar now. I love that Cassa is not your helpless female but is right next to Joshua fighting for life and the ones they love.
Great start to a new series. Josh and Ash are a great team as navy pilots chosen to go into outer space to check out something spotted on a picture ten years before. Josh meets Casa and is instantly taken with her... this is done at her vineyard on a distant planet. What amazes me is that they all speak the same language no matter what planet they land on. Unless I missed something in the book about how that is possible????
This is an unabashed hashup of Star Trek and Star Wars. We have our heroes emulating the crew of Star Trek: Enterprise going where no human has gone before, but falling accidentally into a galaxy far far away where they become the equivalent of Jedi. The author inserted her signature brand of romance and action and we have a sci-fi romance that I would not hesitate to recommend to Star Wars fans.
Love at first sight? Almost like Sleeping Beauty being woken from her casket. Only this time, it's Sleeping Beauty waking her Prince. Instant love. Can't you feel it? There wasn't much heat between between Josh and Cassa, but the action was great. I don't have a lot of hope for more heat in the second in the series, but we will see. Yes, it's good enough to continue, but if you are looking for a hot romance, this is lacking.
This is the first story of this series and it was very good! The author created some fantastic characters.😁 I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next story. Hope it's as good!
Urght. Meek female lead whose character concept is pretty much just "female". Possessive and sexist male lead (which reader is apparently supposed to think is somehow romantic and hot? Nope.) and just so very very boring. This book is basically just a collection of scifi tropes.
To go where no man has gone before... literally, then the crew of 5 get sucked into a black hole and encounter the conquering aliens who already aren’t prepared for humans from Earth. SE Smith writes great books.
Was not expecting to have this book turn out like this. Has mix of Stargate, Star Wars and other great sci-fi series. Loved the couple and the surprises I experienced like I was there. Can not wait to next book
I started this book over a year ago, left it and read something else. I revisited it, and all I can say to the author is never ever try to parallel the works of "Star wars"
When reading a romance space story, please suspend reality when reading it. I thought the story was good and very entertaining. Looking forward to the next two books in the series.
This author sure knows what she’s doing with her stories. Characters are always interesting and blended in with a great story. Off to read the next in the series.
Reading Command Decision is reminiscent of watching Star Wars. You have your evil galactic warlord out to conquer the galaxy. There are the rebel forces, the Gallant Order eeking out a living on the various worlds and fighting back from the shadows. The Knights of the Order fight with weapons that require unique attributes in the warriors that wield them. Prepare for a tale of action, adventure, and romance.
The tale starts with the discovery of something amidst the stars… something unnatural in the cosmos that intrigues an astronomer. Years later, after much study and massive preparations a group of humans from Earth plot to set their course into the stars to discover the mysteries this unnatural occurrence holds. But when the initial crew meets with an untimely accident and death, a new crew is needed. Enter Lieutenant Commander Joshua Manson, a former astronaut’s son and his best friend Lieutenant Commander Ashton “Ash” Haze. Every dream of reaching the stars is about to be realized and then some. They and a team of three other scientists are about to launch Project Gliese 581g into the stars to discover what the phenomenon means to the people of Earth. They each know that this trip may very well be a one-way trip… a portent of things to come as they discover that the unknown object is none other than a non-functional stargate. When repairing the stargate leads to their being sucked into its vortex and hurtled across space, tearing the ship apart in the process, the possibilities of returning home becomes less than slim to none. If not for their life pods, their very existence would be nonexistent. Now scattered to the deepness of space their pods seek out habitable planets on which to land… unfortunately, not the same one. Each planet has its natives and its own set of dangers. Joshua Manson finds himself on a planet with deadly wildlife. His rescue by Cassa de Rola is most definitely fortuitous.
The daughter of a Gallant Order Knight General, Cassa at first appears to be a peace loving pacifist. But for all her pacifism, she is definitely her father’s daughter. Trained as a warrior she is no slack at warring when the occasion demands it. While she has every appearance of being a quiet farmer raising her younger brother at her father’s side, beneath it all she’s a genius hacker through and through. When the Legion comes calling in a search for the man that fell from the sky, their search wreaks havoc, death, and mayhem. In the aftermath of destruction, Cassa and Josh seek sanctuary in the midst of the rebels. On the run, they race the clock when it comes to finding Josh’s teammates.
Josh finds a new home and purpose in the rebels and Cassa. For the first time, he’s found forever in the arms of a lover. Cassa has put away her pacifism and stands strongly at his side fighting for the freedom of their people. Command Decision: Project Gliese 581g is epic in its promised adventure and glory as a series. It may be reminiscent of Star Wars but it holds its own in the scheme of things. So if galactic wars of good and evil surrounding a romance appeal to you, you’re going to love Command Decision. *****Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions*****