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Ember of War
Contains Crude Language, Alien Blasting, and Sex.
Lee’s too wild for the military, but too good at his job to get rid of. The government's solution is to banish him to the outer planets until he’s deemed civilized. His latest attempt at rehabilitation has him signed on with an outpost colony. He hates ranching. He hates taking orders from his boss. But he likes shooting aliens. Luckily, the planet he’s on is about to face a full blown infestation.
Lee’s too wild for the military, but too good at his job to get rid of. The government's solution is to banish him to the outer planets until he’s deemed civilized. His latest attempt at rehabilitation has him signed on with an outpost colony. He hates ranching. He hates taking orders from his boss. But he likes shooting aliens. Luckily, the planet he’s on is about to face a full blown infestation.
- GenresScience FictionAmazon
72 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2017
27 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Stephan Morse
14 books83 followersStephan Morse was born the year 1983 in San Diego. The next fifteen years were spent slowly escaping California and surviving a public education system. Thus far he's made it to the Seattle (WA) region with little desire to go further. When not trying to shove words together into sentences Stephan spends time reading, catching up on sleep, and otherwise living a mundane life.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 26, 2017
My New Year resolution: Write shorter goddamn reviews. It's not NY yet, but let's try one :-)
Rare are the books where I rate the author more than the narrator. Whatever the writing, usually the narrator gives their best to work with what they've given.
Well... Ben Tyler didn't.
Truth be told, Stephan Morse didn't provide him with an award-winning script either. Still, I expected a lot more. Jokes and sarcasm could have been delivered much better.
After reading the synopsis I expected something like this...
Didn't happen, but the story was good nonetheless. A short story that could easily be made into a (much longer) sequel or a series.
Soo... do I even talk about the story in a short review? Or is there no time/space?
Hm. Let's make some :)
Lee, an army reject, was sent to help with planetary colonization. Just be present, protect the settlers if there's any need, and be bored most of the time.
And the entire novel was therefore slow. Not a lot of action was present, and when things started happening -- it was all over the place. Could have been done better.
So, Lee was bored most of the time. Well, at least those times when he didn't pilot the mech-suit or bang the colony administrator.
Oh, that second thing was graphic. Very graphic.
I don't think I've read anything like this before in any Sci-Fi or Fantasy novel. After the scene, I did go back to check the genre :-)
Now, I'm not a God-fearing fanatic, nor do I use words such as 'heck' or 'gosh' to avoid being struck down in a divine manifestation of anger by the Almighty One, but this was just too much :-)
Overall, this isn't something to write home about. Yet it's short enough to be a fairly good introduction to a longer, proper, #1 novel in this series.
As it is, 3.36 stars out of 5.
See? Short review! Barely over 300 words!
I rock *flex*
Merry Christmas!
I got this book for free by the author. Thanks for the copy!
Rare are the books where I rate the author more than the narrator. Whatever the writing, usually the narrator gives their best to work with what they've given.
Well... Ben Tyler didn't.
Truth be told, Stephan Morse didn't provide him with an award-winning script either. Still, I expected a lot more. Jokes and sarcasm could have been delivered much better.
After reading the synopsis I expected something like this...
Didn't happen, but the story was good nonetheless. A short story that could easily be made into a (much longer) sequel or a series.
Soo... do I even talk about the story in a short review? Or is there no time/space?
Hm. Let's make some :)
Lee, an army reject, was sent to help with planetary colonization. Just be present, protect the settlers if there's any need, and be bored most of the time.
And the entire novel was therefore slow. Not a lot of action was present, and when things started happening -- it was all over the place. Could have been done better.
So, Lee was bored most of the time. Well, at least those times when he didn't pilot the mech-suit or bang the colony administrator.
Oh, that second thing was graphic. Very graphic.
I don't think I've read anything like this before in any Sci-Fi or Fantasy novel. After the scene, I did go back to check the genre :-)
Now, I'm not a God-fearing fanatic, nor do I use words such as 'heck' or 'gosh' to avoid being struck down in a divine manifestation of anger by the Almighty One, but this was just too much :-)
Overall, this isn't something to write home about. Yet it's short enough to be a fairly good introduction to a longer, proper, #1 novel in this series.
As it is, 3.36 stars out of 5.
See? Short review! Barely over 300 words!
I rock *flex*
Merry Christmas!
I got this book for free by the author. Thanks for the copy!
November 27, 2017
This is a short audio it is filled with a lot of good writing. Lee’s rehab isn’t going so well, he doesn’t like to listen to orders that he doesn’t agree with. He has a problem with standing down and wants to take control shooting as many aliens as he can which gets him more than he bargains for.
Mr Tyler kept me laughing with his different character voices. The cooks were something else. Lee is a very dry man but has a little humor what makes him more funnier is that he thinks his speaker is off and it isn’t. His boss female voice was great as well as the child’s. He gives you a wide range of tones and voices all are very different. It is very easy to know who is talking and what they are feeling. There is no background noises, no repeating of words and if any breaks were taken I could not tell. The volume never changed from one chapter to the next it was a very clean and clear audio that I really enjoyed. For me the narrator really bought the story to life, I had no trouble picturing the aliens or the characters trying to save their way of life as well as their life. He really did a wonderful performance.
The plot was good, the story very believable. I had no trouble buying into it. I loved the bricking between Lee and his boss. I would call it foreplay lol. I enjoyed the characters, loved the humor and really was hooked. There is a little romance not over powering but very nicely written. The author uses no fillers at all but gives the reader action from the start until the end. The ending was a little surprising but ends well. I would have liked it to have gone on a little longer to see how Lee’s boss took to the outcome but it was a good ending.
Mr Tyler kept me laughing with his different character voices. The cooks were something else. Lee is a very dry man but has a little humor what makes him more funnier is that he thinks his speaker is off and it isn’t. His boss female voice was great as well as the child’s. He gives you a wide range of tones and voices all are very different. It is very easy to know who is talking and what they are feeling. There is no background noises, no repeating of words and if any breaks were taken I could not tell. The volume never changed from one chapter to the next it was a very clean and clear audio that I really enjoyed. For me the narrator really bought the story to life, I had no trouble picturing the aliens or the characters trying to save their way of life as well as their life. He really did a wonderful performance.
The plot was good, the story very believable. I had no trouble buying into it. I loved the bricking between Lee and his boss. I would call it foreplay lol. I enjoyed the characters, loved the humor and really was hooked. There is a little romance not over powering but very nicely written. The author uses no fillers at all but gives the reader action from the start until the end. The ending was a little surprising but ends well. I would have liked it to have gone on a little longer to see how Lee’s boss took to the outcome but it was a good ending.
December 13, 2017
( Format : audiobook )
"The sh*t kicker"
For a short story, this certainly packs a punch. Staring full blast with a retired soldier reduced to herding beef clomps on a far flung territory colony, angry at the useless equipment and anxious to put paid to the creatures stealing from the herd. Lee is noisy, wants to do things his way, be a soldier again. They won't let him.
Then two colonists go missing...
And the pace increases, the tension builds to a verbal explosion.
The whole is complemented by Ben Tyler's narration: forceful and loud, he perfectly components the textual description of Lee, the frustrated soldier and the fast pacing of his delivery matches the speed of the story. Tyler's voicings of the other protagonists is clear and distinctive, an overall good performance which carries the listener along.
I received a complimentary copy of Ember of War from the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom and it exceeded my expectations, given the brevity: in a few simple sentences a full backstory is lightly sketched in as well as the tale of Lee and the colony. (There is also an intense sex scene in the mid to latter stages of the book.) It succeeds as a small snapshot of life in a far flung colony of the United Planets and as the portrait of man for whom there is no longer a comfortable place to be.
"The sh*t kicker"
For a short story, this certainly packs a punch. Staring full blast with a retired soldier reduced to herding beef clomps on a far flung territory colony, angry at the useless equipment and anxious to put paid to the creatures stealing from the herd. Lee is noisy, wants to do things his way, be a soldier again. They won't let him.
Then two colonists go missing...
And the pace increases, the tension builds to a verbal explosion.
The whole is complemented by Ben Tyler's narration: forceful and loud, he perfectly components the textual description of Lee, the frustrated soldier and the fast pacing of his delivery matches the speed of the story. Tyler's voicings of the other protagonists is clear and distinctive, an overall good performance which carries the listener along.
I received a complimentary copy of Ember of War from the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom and it exceeded my expectations, given the brevity: in a few simple sentences a full backstory is lightly sketched in as well as the tale of Lee and the colony. (There is also an intense sex scene in the mid to latter stages of the book.) It succeeds as a small snapshot of life in a far flung colony of the United Planets and as the portrait of man for whom there is no longer a comfortable place to be.
October 23, 2017
Lee's a former soldier, banished to an outpost planet to ranch the hilariously named beef clops. Everything in the colony is breaking down, and the raids on his herd by the local predators aren't helping Lee's temper. When two of the colony's residents go missing, Lee has the chance to relive his former glory and shoot up some aliens.
Sci-fi isn't my usual genre, but I'm really glad I picked this one up. God, it was funny, the beginning chapters had me cracking up and rewinding every few minutes. There's cursing, and explosions, and sex, and more cursing, and shooting, so if that's not your taste, steer clear. Lee is a foul-mouthed Clint Eastwood style space cowboy, and I loved it when he finally met his match. There's no wasted space in this read, the author sketched a lot of character into this novella. It was a huge change from his LitRPG Continue Online series, and I'd recommend them both.
The narration was great, Ben Tyler fit my image of Lee perfectly. He lightened his voice for the female characters, and his accents were perfect. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
Sci-fi isn't my usual genre, but I'm really glad I picked this one up. God, it was funny, the beginning chapters had me cracking up and rewinding every few minutes. There's cursing, and explosions, and sex, and more cursing, and shooting, so if that's not your taste, steer clear. Lee is a foul-mouthed Clint Eastwood style space cowboy, and I loved it when he finally met his match. There's no wasted space in this read, the author sketched a lot of character into this novella. It was a huge change from his LitRPG Continue Online series, and I'd recommend them both.
The narration was great, Ben Tyler fit my image of Lee perfectly. He lightened his voice for the female characters, and his accents were perfect. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.
March 22, 2018
I had to quit reading this. It seemed promising, but the main guy acts too much like a cartoon caricature. And the author seems oddly unfamiliar with basic astronomy given that this is sci fi.
Examples: Saying that humans live “billions of light years” away from each other. This seems highly unlikely, given the size of the known universe. Also, using the phrase “the star of this galaxy”. That doesn’t even make sense at all, and shows a lack of basic knowledge of science.
I finally had to hang it up when one of the characters kept speaking in some kind of “cute” southern dialect, which is really poorly done. I’m sorry, I can’t read that. And it doesn’t appear to be worth continuing.
Not recommended.
Examples: Saying that humans live “billions of light years” away from each other. This seems highly unlikely, given the size of the known universe. Also, using the phrase “the star of this galaxy”. That doesn’t even make sense at all, and shows a lack of basic knowledge of science.
I finally had to hang it up when one of the characters kept speaking in some kind of “cute” southern dialect, which is really poorly done. I’m sorry, I can’t read that. And it doesn’t appear to be worth continuing.
Not recommended.
December 10, 2017
This book would be great as a novella within a series. It's clear that there is a lot of world building that has gone into this book, possibly too much, I felt like the book was trying to accomplish too much too fast and kind of skimmed things that could have been very interesting. The patch idea for example shows lots of promise but it's coverage left me with lots of questions and very few answers.
I liked it, but it needed more substance.
The narration was OK, a bit forced in places, the character voices were distinct.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I liked it, but it needed more substance.
The narration was OK, a bit forced in places, the character voices were distinct.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2017
Audiobook review: A cigar smoking former soldier placed on an outpost because he was too much for civilian life. There’s cursing, funny situations/comments, alien swarms to destroy, and a young damsel to rescue. An action packed short story. The narrator did a great job as well!
I was given a free copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given a free copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
December 1, 2017
One great adventure that takes hold of the reader and doesn't let go. I Loved it!!
January 6, 2018
Just ok
I found reading this book to be enjoyable, but glad it was just a short story. I think it would've been a better ending without the epilogue.
I found reading this book to be enjoyable, but glad it was just a short story. I think it would've been a better ending without the epilogue.
October 3, 2025
Space military colonization opera, soldier keeps fighting. Purchased from Kindle book from Amazon for free, read with the Alexa audio assist application.
Purchased on Jan 6, 2024.
Purchased on Jan 6, 2024.
July 9, 2021
I enjoyed it so much I want a series. The protagonist is a treat to experience.
November 30, 2017
Bit of a mixed bag with this story.
Overall its not too bad , however especially for about 50% of it I found myself not getting to grips with it, either because of the Story itself which just didn't seem to grip me , which I can't fault the writing as it seemed fine or the Narrator who seemed a little too fast even at 0.9 speed but far too slow at anything slower.
I can't quite put my finger on this story as I think overall its quite good especially the last 50% where I got more used to the Narrator Tyler ( pretty good although struggles with female voices I think, a not uncommon problem with male narrators) and the story seemed to flow a little better.
Story overall after I finished it was , yes that was ok I might read more of this.
Narration , yes I might try this narrator again on some other materials.
Size of audio may be why this didn't help as perhaps in ebook it works a little better for this size perhaps because we don't get a lot of time to bond with the material before completion.
Scored 4 stars across the board as this may just be me , sex and violence I think worked well with the story and the characters worked well within the frame of its work.
Overall its not too bad , however especially for about 50% of it I found myself not getting to grips with it, either because of the Story itself which just didn't seem to grip me , which I can't fault the writing as it seemed fine or the Narrator who seemed a little too fast even at 0.9 speed but far too slow at anything slower.
I can't quite put my finger on this story as I think overall its quite good especially the last 50% where I got more used to the Narrator Tyler ( pretty good although struggles with female voices I think, a not uncommon problem with male narrators) and the story seemed to flow a little better.
Story overall after I finished it was , yes that was ok I might read more of this.
Narration , yes I might try this narrator again on some other materials.
Size of audio may be why this didn't help as perhaps in ebook it works a little better for this size perhaps because we don't get a lot of time to bond with the material before completion.
Scored 4 stars across the board as this may just be me , sex and violence I think worked well with the story and the characters worked well within the frame of its work.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews