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Omni Legends - The Commander: Guardian of Utopia
The young privileged son Carter Sanders, who grew up on the human colony Utopia Beta, is drafted for military service. Together with new comrades, he learns to be a soldier in the following two years.
In the military base Osilon he learns close combat, the handling of weapons, new technologies and strategic basics.
Utopia is a militarily organized and corporate planet at war with another species. Between huge skyscrapers, muddy mines and the slums of the lower cities, the reality is completely different from what Carter knows.
During his training, he has to deal with hostilities, friendship, and love and learns more about himself. Mean instructors, difficult lessons, dangerous training missions, and an unexpected battle turn the thoughtful young man into a deadly fighter whose name becomes a legend even before his training ends.
This is the first book of the Omni Legends EN series.
In the military base Osilon he learns close combat, the handling of weapons, new technologies and strategic basics.
Utopia is a militarily organized and corporate planet at war with another species. Between huge skyscrapers, muddy mines and the slums of the lower cities, the reality is completely different from what Carter knows.
During his training, he has to deal with hostilities, friendship, and love and learns more about himself. Mean instructors, difficult lessons, dangerous training missions, and an unexpected battle turn the thoughtful young man into a deadly fighter whose name becomes a legend even before his training ends.
This is the first book of the Omni Legends EN series.
470 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 1, 2021
I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest evaluation of its merits. While the time break between the prologue and the first chapter was ill-defined and threw off my self of the overall timeline, the rest of the structure worked fine. I liked the development of the military training, but the hot young people sleeping with hot young people seems a bit cliched from my point of view. It was a bit of a mixed bag.
November 25, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for honest review.
I thought this was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Son of an elite government employee drafted into the military and forced to grow up, meeting challenges he never dreamed of. Good story!
I thought this was a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline. Son of an elite government employee drafted into the military and forced to grow up, meeting challenges he never dreamed of. Good story!
January 14, 2021
I loved this book! There is a lot between these covers. I loved the way the author stayed true to the Sci-Fi genre, but managed to incorporates thrills, drama, and even some laughs.
This is a book worth reading if you enjoy a good sci-fi ride. It is an adult oriented book that will take you on a quest and leave you wanting more.
This is a book worth reading if you enjoy a good sci-fi ride. It is an adult oriented book that will take you on a quest and leave you wanting more.
December 3, 2022
Great start to a new series. An unusual character finds himself in a world he knows nothing about and must grow up or die. The world building and the supporting characters all work together to add this author to my must read list.
December 18, 2020
A great start for a new series. Good action, plot, and characters to keep your interest. A must read for Sci-fi fans.
January 10, 2021
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I could not finish this book. The writing was too juvenile for me. And the MC just wasn’t very personable.
February 9, 2021
Interesting story and some good plot points, but I didn't enjoy the writing style.
November 25, 2020
Full Review Here
The Commander is the first in a series by Kevin Groh. Originally written in German, the books have recently been translated, which is how I was able to request an English version from Netgalley. The book is due out tomorrow.
I thought the premise sounded great. I love books where a naïve individual must find themselves, and discover what they are truly capable of while being thrown into impossible situations. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver.
Carter is the son of a wealthy and influential man. But even that power doesn’t stop him from being conscripted. Facing hostilities from his team-mates, Carter tries to fit in.
He’s a likeable enough character, but there’s no depth to him. Carter doesn’t struggle with anything: he comes from a wealthy background and picks up the skills and tasks assigned to them by the military with ease. He grows, but you don’t see that development and you certainly don’t go on the journey with him. He was flat, two-dimensional and annoying, which isn’t what you want for your main character.
The secondary characters fell just as short. Kelly is portrayed purely through the masculine gaze, falling apart when things get difficult and only appreciated for her beauty. Likewise, Leena is objectified by another recruit, and her hysterical nature undermines what could have been a strong character. The depiction of the female characters was particularly disappointing, although none of the men were all that, either.
The plot was all over the place. There are multiple time jumps throughout the book. These work – you couldn’t follow three years of training – but it did mean characters could suddenly do tasks they’d previously struggled with, and you missed the development.
But it’s not the time jumps that threw me off. In the space of three chapters, Carter experiences a massive attack, is introduced to a potential villain who is being kept hush-hush, and discovers his father is hiding something. These literally take place back-to-back, within a space of a few days, but then are never mentioned again. Not even a hint about why there is a cover up on this bad guy. I’m assuming it’s setting up future books, but it threw me off.
There were also moments during their training where I had no clue what was going on. A few of the exercises left me completely baffled.
When it came to the pinnacle of the story – which, again, we seemed to have arrived at very suddenly – there was no tension. There was a threat, but I didn’t care. By this point, you know Carter can excel at anything he tries; therefore, he’ll deal with the threat and be home and dry before anyone else reacts. He’s called out on his arrogance, but this far through the book, there’s no way of redeeming it.
It’s a shame this book disappointed me. But with annoying main characters and a confusing plot, it just didn’t work. Not what I wanted for a first review of the year, but there we go.
The Commander is the first in a series by Kevin Groh. Originally written in German, the books have recently been translated, which is how I was able to request an English version from Netgalley. The book is due out tomorrow.
I thought the premise sounded great. I love books where a naïve individual must find themselves, and discover what they are truly capable of while being thrown into impossible situations. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver.
Carter is the son of a wealthy and influential man. But even that power doesn’t stop him from being conscripted. Facing hostilities from his team-mates, Carter tries to fit in.
He’s a likeable enough character, but there’s no depth to him. Carter doesn’t struggle with anything: he comes from a wealthy background and picks up the skills and tasks assigned to them by the military with ease. He grows, but you don’t see that development and you certainly don’t go on the journey with him. He was flat, two-dimensional and annoying, which isn’t what you want for your main character.
The secondary characters fell just as short. Kelly is portrayed purely through the masculine gaze, falling apart when things get difficult and only appreciated for her beauty. Likewise, Leena is objectified by another recruit, and her hysterical nature undermines what could have been a strong character. The depiction of the female characters was particularly disappointing, although none of the men were all that, either.
The plot was all over the place. There are multiple time jumps throughout the book. These work – you couldn’t follow three years of training – but it did mean characters could suddenly do tasks they’d previously struggled with, and you missed the development.
But it’s not the time jumps that threw me off. In the space of three chapters, Carter experiences a massive attack, is introduced to a potential villain who is being kept hush-hush, and discovers his father is hiding something. These literally take place back-to-back, within a space of a few days, but then are never mentioned again. Not even a hint about why there is a cover up on this bad guy. I’m assuming it’s setting up future books, but it threw me off.
There were also moments during their training where I had no clue what was going on. A few of the exercises left me completely baffled.
When it came to the pinnacle of the story – which, again, we seemed to have arrived at very suddenly – there was no tension. There was a threat, but I didn’t care. By this point, you know Carter can excel at anything he tries; therefore, he’ll deal with the threat and be home and dry before anyone else reacts. He’s called out on his arrogance, but this far through the book, there’s no way of redeeming it.
It’s a shame this book disappointed me. But with annoying main characters and a confusing plot, it just didn’t work. Not what I wanted for a first review of the year, but there we go.
August 21, 2019
Sci-Fi at its best
Carter Sanders has all the makings for a great protagonist: He has strengths, weaknesses, mysterious skills he doesn’t even know why he has them and he is very likeable. Seeing him growing closer to the other recruits while they live through their military training has been a lot of fun for me.
I especially love the universe the author has created, because there are so many aliens and planets that are ready for exploration in future books. I have read book 2 in German already and I can only recommend everyone to dive into this awesome story!
Carter Sanders has all the makings for a great protagonist: He has strengths, weaknesses, mysterious skills he doesn’t even know why he has them and he is very likeable. Seeing him growing closer to the other recruits while they live through their military training has been a lot of fun for me.
I especially love the universe the author has created, because there are so many aliens and planets that are ready for exploration in future books. I have read book 2 in German already and I can only recommend everyone to dive into this awesome story!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews