What do you think?
Rate this book
The Athena Operation
The entire universe is being purged. Seraph Aydrian is the furthest thing from a model soldier. He's one reprimand away from a dishonorable discharge. Time off from the military didn't sound so bad. But when the seythra betray the universe and start killing everyone indiscriminately, Seraph knows he is going to have to fight for every second he continues breathing.Forced to band together with soldiers, mercenaries, and civilians, Seraph is tasked with leading the fight against the seythra. He must uncover the sinister plot of why the most-trusted species in the universe turned on everyone at the height of their respect and accomplishments.Can Seraph and his team put a stop to the chaos and destruction? Or will the seythra put them among the numbers of the dead they've amassed?Don't miss The Athena Operation, the first of The Athena Operation series by Dalton Cortner! This military sci fi novel will have you fully invested and engrossed!
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2016
2 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Dalton Cortner
8 books5 followersDalton Cortner is the author of "The Athena Operation" series.
He was an avid reader as a child, devouring any book he could get his hands on. This translated into writing his own stories in his teens, and ultimately publishing his first novel "The Athena Operation" in 2016.
Dalton spent the next several years writing--and reading--to help hone his craft and add to his writing toolbox. It provided to be an invaluable experience. He was able to grow as an author and plans to release several of those books, plus new novels he's writing.
In 2019 the prequel short story "Forsaken Earth" was released, adding another entry into The Athena Operation series.
Dalton crafts his stories with a precise balance between character and world-building, and strives to not lose the reader's attention for even a second.
Originally from Wichita, KS, he now lives in Harrisburg, PA with his loving wife Alyssa, their two dogs Lacey & Sport, and two cats Leia & Binx. He is hard at work on his next story.
He was an avid reader as a child, devouring any book he could get his hands on. This translated into writing his own stories in his teens, and ultimately publishing his first novel "The Athena Operation" in 2016.
Dalton spent the next several years writing--and reading--to help hone his craft and add to his writing toolbox. It provided to be an invaluable experience. He was able to grow as an author and plans to release several of those books, plus new novels he's writing.
In 2019 the prequel short story "Forsaken Earth" was released, adding another entry into The Athena Operation series.
Dalton crafts his stories with a precise balance between character and world-building, and strives to not lose the reader's attention for even a second.
Originally from Wichita, KS, he now lives in Harrisburg, PA with his loving wife Alyssa, their two dogs Lacey & Sport, and two cats Leia & Binx. He is hard at work on his next story.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 6, 2017
I gave The Athena Operation 3 stars. Although the author has a wonderful imagination, I didn't find myself anxiously engaged in the story or wanting to read "just one more chapter". However, I attribute that to my own short attention span and not Dalton Cortner's writing ability. The story just didn't pull me in enough to get past chapter 6.
I wish Dalton all the best in his future writing career!
I received a complimentary copy of The Athena Operation from the author for an honest review.
Check out my other book reviews on my Laughably Inane Blog at http://nicholasadamswrites.weebly.com...
I wish Dalton all the best in his future writing career!
I received a complimentary copy of The Athena Operation from the author for an honest review.
Check out my other book reviews on my Laughably Inane Blog at http://nicholasadamswrites.weebly.com...
July 18, 2016
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
The Athena Operation is a unique, spellbinding novel that is refreshing yet manages to stay true to the more classic tropes of science fiction. One of the highlights for me was that the story didn’t get too technical – one of the things I often find off-putting about science fiction is getting lost in technical explanations. Here, the story and plot flowed well, and I found any explanations were short and to the point, and easy to understand.
Seraph Aydrian, our main character, is tasked with leading an army of soldiers, mercenaries and civilians against the assault of the seythra – a race of strong-willed aliens that have declared war against the rest of the universe. Because of the large number of seythra and the fragility of trust between factions, races and planets, it will be the toughest battle of Seraph’s career.
I really enjoyed Seraph. He’s not perfect, in fact he has quite a few flaws, but I found him all the more enjoyable because of those flaws. The writing was fast-paced, and the plot held quite a few surprises.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science-fiction, and I look forward to the sequel.
The Athena Operation is a unique, spellbinding novel that is refreshing yet manages to stay true to the more classic tropes of science fiction. One of the highlights for me was that the story didn’t get too technical – one of the things I often find off-putting about science fiction is getting lost in technical explanations. Here, the story and plot flowed well, and I found any explanations were short and to the point, and easy to understand.
Seraph Aydrian, our main character, is tasked with leading an army of soldiers, mercenaries and civilians against the assault of the seythra – a race of strong-willed aliens that have declared war against the rest of the universe. Because of the large number of seythra and the fragility of trust between factions, races and planets, it will be the toughest battle of Seraph’s career.
I really enjoyed Seraph. He’s not perfect, in fact he has quite a few flaws, but I found him all the more enjoyable because of those flaws. The writing was fast-paced, and the plot held quite a few surprises.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science-fiction, and I look forward to the sequel.
June 11, 2016
Good read
Enjoyed this book a lot! Couldn't put it down. Highly Recommend this book. Can't wait for the next one to come out. Thanks
Enjoyed this book a lot! Couldn't put it down. Highly Recommend this book. Can't wait for the next one to come out. Thanks
December 8, 2020
I got asked to review this, and was given a copy of the book, so take that as you will.
I like military sci fi, for whatever reason, I find that the people writing that genre do a good job. Maybe it's because the authors and I have some common interests or background, whatever it is, I tend to enjoy most of the genre, but sometimes people just don't get it right.
This isn't the case in Athena Operation. You're tossed in pretty quick, with the side plot being first up, and establishing that something big is about to happen, before heading over to the main character, who establishes some bona fides as a space soldier, and fleshes out a little bit of the universe. This does take me into one of the few negatives, which is names.
Naming is a bitch for sci fi books. No one wants a detailed sci fi universe filled with guys named Mike, Pete or Jimmy, but in this case, two of the bigger named hero's have names that kind of step on each other. Might not be a problem for you, but I do my reading late at night, in bed, exhausted, and it did make me do some flipping back and forth to figure out who was who. You get used to it though, and the rest of the introduced characters don't have any issue.
I genuinely liked the world building. My current number one favorite military sci fi series is Galaxies Edge. That series has fleshed out an amazing universe, but it also has about 15 books in it. Athena has some real potential as a building block for expanding the stories coming out of it.
The plot is pretty straightforward. Things happen, people react. The author throws a few curves along the way, I thought it was going to be a straight duo book, leans into a team up. Some characters that you think would live die, including one I thought was pretty interesting and could have been a plot point in the future.
At the end of it, the best review I can give is that I bought the sequel, and I'm looking forward to it. I don't have time to read more then 2 books or so at a time, so the fact that this is now firmly in the rotation, means I'd tell a friend to pick up a copy and get into it.
I like military sci fi, for whatever reason, I find that the people writing that genre do a good job. Maybe it's because the authors and I have some common interests or background, whatever it is, I tend to enjoy most of the genre, but sometimes people just don't get it right.
This isn't the case in Athena Operation. You're tossed in pretty quick, with the side plot being first up, and establishing that something big is about to happen, before heading over to the main character, who establishes some bona fides as a space soldier, and fleshes out a little bit of the universe. This does take me into one of the few negatives, which is names.
Naming is a bitch for sci fi books. No one wants a detailed sci fi universe filled with guys named Mike, Pete or Jimmy, but in this case, two of the bigger named hero's have names that kind of step on each other. Might not be a problem for you, but I do my reading late at night, in bed, exhausted, and it did make me do some flipping back and forth to figure out who was who. You get used to it though, and the rest of the introduced characters don't have any issue.
I genuinely liked the world building. My current number one favorite military sci fi series is Galaxies Edge. That series has fleshed out an amazing universe, but it also has about 15 books in it. Athena has some real potential as a building block for expanding the stories coming out of it.
The plot is pretty straightforward. Things happen, people react. The author throws a few curves along the way, I thought it was going to be a straight duo book, leans into a team up. Some characters that you think would live die, including one I thought was pretty interesting and could have been a plot point in the future.
At the end of it, the best review I can give is that I bought the sequel, and I'm looking forward to it. I don't have time to read more then 2 books or so at a time, so the fact that this is now firmly in the rotation, means I'd tell a friend to pick up a copy and get into it.
March 14, 2017
I voluntarily reviewed this book and I have not been compensated in any way.
When the universe population are starting to suffer poverty and hardship, the once peace loving Seythra alien nation unexpectedly attack and declare war on the Confederate and their military. There appears to be no hope and there is little or no trust between people and nations anymore. Seraph Aydrian must lead a group of soldiers/mercenaries/civilians to try and stop the killing, the chaos and also importantly work out why this has happened.
This was a great story building up to an epic tale of of nations trying to exist together and how power and corruption can affect them all. The central characters were all well described and had what felt like real personalities. I really felt for the general population as the attacks and fighting spread and was hoping against hope that Seraph and the rest of his crew would be able to do something to save people. The book was well written and the plot hung together well and was suitably complex with some nice twists and turns.
When the universe population are starting to suffer poverty and hardship, the once peace loving Seythra alien nation unexpectedly attack and declare war on the Confederate and their military. There appears to be no hope and there is little or no trust between people and nations anymore. Seraph Aydrian must lead a group of soldiers/mercenaries/civilians to try and stop the killing, the chaos and also importantly work out why this has happened.
This was a great story building up to an epic tale of of nations trying to exist together and how power and corruption can affect them all. The central characters were all well described and had what felt like real personalities. I really felt for the general population as the attacks and fighting spread and was hoping against hope that Seraph and the rest of his crew would be able to do something to save people. The book was well written and the plot hung together well and was suitably complex with some nice twists and turns.
January 30, 2021
The universe is at peace controlled by the Confederate Chamber. But its now under attack from the seythra the oldest race, who have always been peaceful. Flawed Military commander Seraph’s must first escape from the planet Vidron currently under attack. To discover who is behind this invasion and how to counter it.
Strong start to what promises to be a great space saga. Good Characters with plenty of action with twists and turns. The story unfolds steadily and keeps you gripped from start to finish. Definitely recommend this book
Strong start to what promises to be a great space saga. Good Characters with plenty of action with twists and turns. The story unfolds steadily and keeps you gripped from start to finish. Definitely recommend this book
January 28, 2021
This was a kind of strange book. I’m not sure how to explain it, but something just didn’t read right to me. The story line is very good and has some really exciting parts. The author did request this review, but I bought the book from Amazon and I’m glad I did. I think this is the beginning of a series because the end didn’t come with this book.
You start of getting a glimpse into something two guys getting Operation Athena started off. Zane Silver and Aven Sabu are megalomaniacs who, for some reason, think they could run the universe much better than it’s ran right now. They lived on what was call a planet-ship hybrid which was the home world of the Seythra. Now, this is where it gets a little confusing. There seems to be three different species involved. The Seythra are huge, eight feet tall monsters, while the Othal seem to be more gentle and political. Then there’s the Fesar who, while part of this triumvirate, really want to be independent. I have no idea how Humans of Earth fit into this, but they are around. It’s also best if you don’t try to pay to much attention to what species anyone is because it doesn’t seem to matter in the end.
Next, we come to two of the good guys in Commander Seraph Adrian, a human, and Lieutenant Sadhis Loxai, both part of the Confederate military which enforces laws and such within this part of the universe. They are often put together for various mission since they seem to balance out each other. Serpah is very brutal and direct in his actions while Sadhis is more of a thinker and tries to solve things peacefully if possible. They are on a mission together at the start of the book and they will find themselves very much together for the rest of the story. You’ll eventually meet quite a few more characters as things get heated up with all of them finding themselves in the middle of a civil war!
The Seythra are the most militant of the three species. They have built up major military bases and forces on almost every planet in the Confederation. And now, they are being directed by Zane, Aven and Lahen to begin the process of exterminating every other species! They are brutal and thorough in their efforts. There isn’t another military force on any of the planets capable of really fighting back. Yet, Seraph and Sadhis do fight back and start something of a resistance movement. Their first objective is the huge Baryon, flagship of the Seythra! It's destruction would obviously be a devastating blow to the entire Athena Operation. But, they didn’t plan on stopping there. If successful in this first objective, they planned on taking down the Trini 5010, the Seythra planet-ship hybrid. Oh, and Seraph and Sadhis were just two of the five or six people they had to do these missions. Some weren’t even military!
So, needless to say there is a lot of fighting. I had some trouble keeping things straight in my head while reading the story. Maybe you’ll do better! I think having the name of so many things, like Seraph, Sadhis, Seythra, start with the same letter though me off a little bit. I just couldn’t keep the characters straight. And I also didn’t understand how humans could successfully fight off eight foot tall monsters as the Seythra were described. Yet, Seraph didn’t have any problem stabbing them or shooting them in the head. Still, the did what they had to do, but don’t believe they all survive! I’m not so sure how the second book will turn out, but it might just be interesting reading to see who comes out of this book and continues in the next.
I think this was the authors first book. The writing wasn’t just as polished as it could have been. It didn’t flow quite right. There might have been too many conversations going on, I don’t know, but it seemed to get very confusing at times. I also don’t know how anybody can be shot so many times and just get up and go again. Yeah, it mentions they had some kind of armor, but not all the time and it got pretty shot up in places. Anyway, it’s a good story that doesn’t end with this book so if you like what you read here, then please continue on with the series in the next book, “The Athena Operation II”, catchy title, right?
You start of getting a glimpse into something two guys getting Operation Athena started off. Zane Silver and Aven Sabu are megalomaniacs who, for some reason, think they could run the universe much better than it’s ran right now. They lived on what was call a planet-ship hybrid which was the home world of the Seythra. Now, this is where it gets a little confusing. There seems to be three different species involved. The Seythra are huge, eight feet tall monsters, while the Othal seem to be more gentle and political. Then there’s the Fesar who, while part of this triumvirate, really want to be independent. I have no idea how Humans of Earth fit into this, but they are around. It’s also best if you don’t try to pay to much attention to what species anyone is because it doesn’t seem to matter in the end.
Next, we come to two of the good guys in Commander Seraph Adrian, a human, and Lieutenant Sadhis Loxai, both part of the Confederate military which enforces laws and such within this part of the universe. They are often put together for various mission since they seem to balance out each other. Serpah is very brutal and direct in his actions while Sadhis is more of a thinker and tries to solve things peacefully if possible. They are on a mission together at the start of the book and they will find themselves very much together for the rest of the story. You’ll eventually meet quite a few more characters as things get heated up with all of them finding themselves in the middle of a civil war!
The Seythra are the most militant of the three species. They have built up major military bases and forces on almost every planet in the Confederation. And now, they are being directed by Zane, Aven and Lahen to begin the process of exterminating every other species! They are brutal and thorough in their efforts. There isn’t another military force on any of the planets capable of really fighting back. Yet, Seraph and Sadhis do fight back and start something of a resistance movement. Their first objective is the huge Baryon, flagship of the Seythra! It's destruction would obviously be a devastating blow to the entire Athena Operation. But, they didn’t plan on stopping there. If successful in this first objective, they planned on taking down the Trini 5010, the Seythra planet-ship hybrid. Oh, and Seraph and Sadhis were just two of the five or six people they had to do these missions. Some weren’t even military!
So, needless to say there is a lot of fighting. I had some trouble keeping things straight in my head while reading the story. Maybe you’ll do better! I think having the name of so many things, like Seraph, Sadhis, Seythra, start with the same letter though me off a little bit. I just couldn’t keep the characters straight. And I also didn’t understand how humans could successfully fight off eight foot tall monsters as the Seythra were described. Yet, Seraph didn’t have any problem stabbing them or shooting them in the head. Still, the did what they had to do, but don’t believe they all survive! I’m not so sure how the second book will turn out, but it might just be interesting reading to see who comes out of this book and continues in the next.
I think this was the authors first book. The writing wasn’t just as polished as it could have been. It didn’t flow quite right. There might have been too many conversations going on, I don’t know, but it seemed to get very confusing at times. I also don’t know how anybody can be shot so many times and just get up and go again. Yeah, it mentions they had some kind of armor, but not all the time and it got pretty shot up in places. Anyway, it’s a good story that doesn’t end with this book so if you like what you read here, then please continue on with the series in the next book, “The Athena Operation II”, catchy title, right?
April 26, 2017
The author requested that I review this book; however, it was only $0.99 on Amazon so I bought a copy out of my blog budget instead of having the author send me a copy. On with the review.
Good points first. If you enjoy military sci-fi then this would be a fun book to read. It was a good book, but not a great one. There's lots of action and some of the team members are pretty interesting folks. Some of the characters are definitely more interesting than others, kind of like life. The writing flows well and I only had a few minor proofreading notes overall that I'll share with the author, but for which I did not deduct points.
The action is good. The only line that really ripped me out of the book was when one of the characters holstered their knife instead of sheathing it. It always amazes me which things grab my attention and break the flow of the story. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters and will state that this book was just shy of being a really good book.
Unfortunately, we are now to the part where I tell you what I didn't like. The description of the book spends almost as much time on the background of why this all happens as the book did. It's mentioned that the economy is suffering, but very little time is spent on the topic. There's no real "showing" of poverty ripping the universe apart or anything of the sort.
I realize this is mostly a military sci-fi action book, but I think that if the author had spent a little more time shaping the universe this would have been a much better book. A lot of things seem to be glossed over and/or rushed instead of being expanded to enhance the story. As it is I come away with a decent amount of interest in the characters, but there was not enough plot for my liking. To each their own and all that. Maybe the rest of the plot is in the second book as it is set for a sequel. Happy reading.
Note: This review was originally published on my blog, https://tjhapney.wordpress.com/, and is worded as such.
Good points first. If you enjoy military sci-fi then this would be a fun book to read. It was a good book, but not a great one. There's lots of action and some of the team members are pretty interesting folks. Some of the characters are definitely more interesting than others, kind of like life. The writing flows well and I only had a few minor proofreading notes overall that I'll share with the author, but for which I did not deduct points.
The action is good. The only line that really ripped me out of the book was when one of the characters holstered their knife instead of sheathing it. It always amazes me which things grab my attention and break the flow of the story. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters and will state that this book was just shy of being a really good book.
Unfortunately, we are now to the part where I tell you what I didn't like. The description of the book spends almost as much time on the background of why this all happens as the book did. It's mentioned that the economy is suffering, but very little time is spent on the topic. There's no real "showing" of poverty ripping the universe apart or anything of the sort.
I realize this is mostly a military sci-fi action book, but I think that if the author had spent a little more time shaping the universe this would have been a much better book. A lot of things seem to be glossed over and/or rushed instead of being expanded to enhance the story. As it is I come away with a decent amount of interest in the characters, but there was not enough plot for my liking. To each their own and all that. Maybe the rest of the plot is in the second book as it is set for a sequel. Happy reading.
Note: This review was originally published on my blog, https://tjhapney.wordpress.com/, and is worded as such.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews