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Epic #1
Dawn of Destiny
Some men go to war for the glory. Some men go to war to escape. For Scott Remington, war is entirely different. It is a belief. It is a calling. It is a destiny. Leaving everything behind-his fiancée, his future, his life-he embarks on a mission of faith into a battle he can barely understand. This is his story. This is his war. This is only the beginning.
425 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2006
94 people are currently reading
729 people want to read
About the author
Lee Stephen
11 books56 followersAuthor of the award-winning Destiny's Edge series, Lee Stephen has carved a place for himself where science-fiction and faith intersect. He is a native of Des Allemands, Louisiana, where he lives with his wife, Lindsey, his three sons, Levi, Lawson, and Linden, and their dog, Cocoa-Grace. In addition to writing, Lee has worked in emergency preparedness since 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
September 13, 2009
The Good -- There is much to like in Lee Stephen’s first novel, Dawn of Destiny. As first attempts go this is a cracking effort, and its real strength is that it never tries to be more than it is, and what it is, emphatically, is an adrenaline fueled military sci-fi action-adventure.
Stephen has a talent for writing action, and the four times Scott Remington and his mates go into battle, Dawn of Destiny becomes a book that can’t be set aside. Whether they are crashing a minivan through an Bakma warship’s cargo bay, stalking necrilids (nasty, insectoid aliens) through a dark high school at night, or fending off a full scale invasion of the Novosibirsk facility, the EDEN (Earth Defense Network) operatives engage in battles that can be believed in. People are wounded, people die, and there is a real sense of danger for the characters, a lack of safety that imbues each new action sequence with serious stakes, which can’t help but draw a reader in.
And Stephen does one better by making sure we actually care about the characters he places in danger. The story revolves around Scott Remington, a rookie fresh out of the Philadelphia EDEN Academy, who believes God has led him to EDEN for a purpose. As the story unfolds, “Remmy” meets and keeps some friends, meets and loses some others, and even sows the seeds of future animosities. The supporting cast is developed fast enough and well enough for us to care about them, particularly the core of David Jurgen, Becan and Jayden. They are flat characters in the Forster sense of the word, but in an action shoot-‘em up that will suffice so long as we’re given enough to make us like them, and Stephen does that.
The Bad -- It isn’t all positive, however. My biggest disappointment is the one-sidedness of it all. There are three alien races attacking Earth in Dawn of Destiny, the Ceratopians, the Bakma and the Ithini (the classic, bug eyed, grey skinned aliens from abduction dreams), but we know nothing about them. There are no characters from those races, no hints of their cultures, just descriptions of how they look and how they fight. Perhaps this will change as the books go on, but it is always tough for me to swallow that those who make up the other side in any combat are just plain bad, and if things don't change that is what we'll be asked to do.
It is to Stephen’s credit that Scott Remington wonders about the motives of those he’s killing, but so far it isn’t enough.
Also (and this may seem like a silly complaint to some) the lack of vulgarity in the story is off-putting. Replacing the usual expletives with “Veck!” “Trashin’!” or “Flickin’!” may be nice for the censors, and it may make some parents happy, but there are also readers for whom it will be a distraction. I happen to be one of them. When Bakma plasma bolts are scorching holes through armor, “veck” doesn’t really express the pain, horror and anger the way it should. There are times when this really hurts the verisimilitude of the story, and that's a shame.
The Ugly -- Again, this could change, but as it stands Dawn of Destiny’s portrayal of alien races falls into the classic Sci-Fi / Fantasy trap of inhering racism. The characters may not seem racist (and they certainly have no racist tendencies amongst their fellow humans), but the attitudes they hold towards those there are killing certainly are. It is one thing to hate one’s enemies; it is another thing to see one’s enemies as monsters. Seeing them as the latter makes them inferior, perhaps morally, perhaps physically, but inferior to those who are observing them and killing them. This often leads to a hierarchy of
races in speculative fiction, with humans as generally good (with the exception of one or two individuals) and the “others” as evil. If Dawn of Destiny was standing alone, this would be tough to overlook, but there is hope that this will not stand in Outlaw Trigger and Hero. A Bakma soldier and the Golden Lion share a moment after the Battle for Novosibirsk, after all, and that moment hints that something better is building slowly. I hope it is.
The Undecided -- Which leaves me with three things I am undecided about. First, Scott’s faith is a huge part of his character, and in this first book it works well. He is a Christian man struggling with his faith in the face of war. That’s good. But there are hints that he has been called to battle by God, that he is “destined” for something. And if it goes in that direction, if it moves beyond his personal struggle and becomes a deus ex machine...well, judgment currently reserved. Second, General von Thoor is evil. It is not supposed to matter that his actions get results. It is not supposed to matter that his decisions make military sense even when they are unpalatable. What matters is that he is bad, that there are rumors of murder, and that his men wear black body armor. Like Scott Remington, von Thoor seems “destined” for something, but in his case it is to be the arch-villain of the tale. I hope that his evil is more palpable before his destiny is fulfilled...so, judgment currently reserved. And third, the women in Dawn of Destiny get to be medics, girlfriends, wives, and objects of rescue. If they are important to Scott, either directly or indirectly, they are important to the story, but I’d like to see them take on some more significant role than the roles they currently have...again, and for the last time, judgment currently reserved.
Now that all my praise and complaints are over, I can finally say the most important thing: this book is a good read. It shows great promise for the rest of the series; it creates a believable future Earth and an alien threat that feels genuinely threatening; and it is emotionally satisfying up to and including its final note.
Dawn of Destiny isn’t great literature, but it is an entertaining book. And that is more than enough to make me want to continue, but it also sets up some serious expectations for the books to come. Let's hope Lee Stephen fulfills that promise.
Stephen has a talent for writing action, and the four times Scott Remington and his mates go into battle, Dawn of Destiny becomes a book that can’t be set aside. Whether they are crashing a minivan through an Bakma warship’s cargo bay, stalking necrilids (nasty, insectoid aliens) through a dark high school at night, or fending off a full scale invasion of the Novosibirsk facility, the EDEN (Earth Defense Network) operatives engage in battles that can be believed in. People are wounded, people die, and there is a real sense of danger for the characters, a lack of safety that imbues each new action sequence with serious stakes, which can’t help but draw a reader in.
And Stephen does one better by making sure we actually care about the characters he places in danger. The story revolves around Scott Remington, a rookie fresh out of the Philadelphia EDEN Academy, who believes God has led him to EDEN for a purpose. As the story unfolds, “Remmy” meets and keeps some friends, meets and loses some others, and even sows the seeds of future animosities. The supporting cast is developed fast enough and well enough for us to care about them, particularly the core of David Jurgen, Becan and Jayden. They are flat characters in the Forster sense of the word, but in an action shoot-‘em up that will suffice so long as we’re given enough to make us like them, and Stephen does that.
The Bad -- It isn’t all positive, however. My biggest disappointment is the one-sidedness of it all. There are three alien races attacking Earth in Dawn of Destiny, the Ceratopians, the Bakma and the Ithini (the classic, bug eyed, grey skinned aliens from abduction dreams), but we know nothing about them. There are no characters from those races, no hints of their cultures, just descriptions of how they look and how they fight. Perhaps this will change as the books go on, but it is always tough for me to swallow that those who make up the other side in any combat are just plain bad, and if things don't change that is what we'll be asked to do.
It is to Stephen’s credit that Scott Remington wonders about the motives of those he’s killing, but so far it isn’t enough.
Also (and this may seem like a silly complaint to some) the lack of vulgarity in the story is off-putting. Replacing the usual expletives with “Veck!” “Trashin’!” or “Flickin’!” may be nice for the censors, and it may make some parents happy, but there are also readers for whom it will be a distraction. I happen to be one of them. When Bakma plasma bolts are scorching holes through armor, “veck” doesn’t really express the pain, horror and anger the way it should. There are times when this really hurts the verisimilitude of the story, and that's a shame.
The Ugly -- Again, this could change, but as it stands Dawn of Destiny’s portrayal of alien races falls into the classic Sci-Fi / Fantasy trap of inhering racism. The characters may not seem racist (and they certainly have no racist tendencies amongst their fellow humans), but the attitudes they hold towards those there are killing certainly are. It is one thing to hate one’s enemies; it is another thing to see one’s enemies as monsters. Seeing them as the latter makes them inferior, perhaps morally, perhaps physically, but inferior to those who are observing them and killing them. This often leads to a hierarchy of
races in speculative fiction, with humans as generally good (with the exception of one or two individuals) and the “others” as evil. If Dawn of Destiny was standing alone, this would be tough to overlook, but there is hope that this will not stand in Outlaw Trigger and Hero. A Bakma soldier and the Golden Lion share a moment after the Battle for Novosibirsk, after all, and that moment hints that something better is building slowly. I hope it is.
The Undecided -- Which leaves me with three things I am undecided about. First, Scott’s faith is a huge part of his character, and in this first book it works well. He is a Christian man struggling with his faith in the face of war. That’s good. But there are hints that he has been called to battle by God, that he is “destined” for something. And if it goes in that direction, if it moves beyond his personal struggle and becomes a deus ex machine...well, judgment currently reserved. Second, General von Thoor is evil. It is not supposed to matter that his actions get results. It is not supposed to matter that his decisions make military sense even when they are unpalatable. What matters is that he is bad, that there are rumors of murder, and that his men wear black body armor. Like Scott Remington, von Thoor seems “destined” for something, but in his case it is to be the arch-villain of the tale. I hope that his evil is more palpable before his destiny is fulfilled...so, judgment currently reserved. And third, the women in Dawn of Destiny get to be medics, girlfriends, wives, and objects of rescue. If they are important to Scott, either directly or indirectly, they are important to the story, but I’d like to see them take on some more significant role than the roles they currently have...again, and for the last time, judgment currently reserved.
Now that all my praise and complaints are over, I can finally say the most important thing: this book is a good read. It shows great promise for the rest of the series; it creates a believable future Earth and an alien threat that feels genuinely threatening; and it is emotionally satisfying up to and including its final note.
Dawn of Destiny isn’t great literature, but it is an entertaining book. And that is more than enough to make me want to continue, but it also sets up some serious expectations for the books to come. Let's hope Lee Stephen fulfills that promise.
September 21, 2009
Full disclosure: I received this book as a gift from the author.
There's something refreshing about a boots-on-the-ground alien invasion of Earth. When aliens darken our doorstep, they seldom need to send troops down to pacify the population, probably because any species advanced enough to have interstellar spaceflight capability will also have some pretty terrible weapons. Why send wave after wave of soldiers when some well-placed bombs and a few destroyed satellites will accomplish the same goal? That's the conundrum at the core of Dawn of Destiny, the first book in the Epic series. Three alien species—the Bakma, the Ceratopians, and the Ithini—and their minions have been haranguing the Earth Defense Network (EDEN) for nine years now, but to what end?
Scott Remington, the protagonist, rises quickly through the ranks after facing several pitched battles from which he manages to emerge the hero (or at least not die). This earns him the admiration of his fellow grunts and begrudging respect from most officers—but not all. Scott's competence could quickly grow annoying; thankfully, Stephen compensates by including plenty of people who think that, "Remington is overestimated by everyone." And when Scott does save the day, it's always with a plan that makes sense in the context of the situation, managing to make fantastic battle scenes seem realistic. This balanced perspective keeps Scott from becoming a larger-than-life action hero and plays counterpoint to the book's science fiction conflict of human versus alien.
In general, I loved Stephen's characterization. Scott's companions have diverse background stories and interesting but not one-dimensional personalities and quirks. Some of them, like Jayden, start out stoic and gradually warm up, even manage to find a girl. Others, like the experienced cop, David, and Scott himself, already have signficant others and must struggle to balance their long-distance relationships with their lives in EDEN. And then you've got Becan, who verges on succumbing to the "lovable Irish rascal" trope except that he has genuine moments of weakness—and tenderness too.
As antagonists, the Bakma aren't characters so much as character devices. We really only get to interact with one, and it has a bit part. Indeed, although this book concerns an "Alien War," the aliens play a small role in it. This perplexes even the main characters, who spend a great deal of time speculating on the motives of the Bakma and their fellow aliens—why wage a ground war when they clearly have the ability to simply wipe out humanity from orbit? Dawn of Destiny sets the stage for the rest of the series to explore this all-too-important question, but at the expense of reducing the primary villain to an abstraction. As a result, throughout the numerous combat scenes I couldn't shake the comparison with Starship Troopers out of my head, unfair though it is.
There are a couple of humans who serve as articulate antagonists in the aliens' stead, however. EDEN's highest level is a council of "judges," who are desperately searching for a technological edge over the highly-advanced aliens. Intrigue among the council causes the death of one judge after he stumbles onto a secret his colleague apparently wants to keep secret. I'm looking forward to discovering what this secret is, and what ramifications it's going to have for Scott and his friends. Also, there's the taciturn and unapologetically brutal General Thoor. Borderline psychotic, and definitely a sociopath, he's one piece of bad road, doing whatever it takes to ensure victory. The order to promote Scott to epsilon comes from Thoor himself, pointing toward a creepy, and rocky, future relationship between these two.
Aside from its presentation of the Bakma, Dawn of Destiny falls short in one more aspect of characterization: there's a dearth of badass female heroines. Yes, there's a couple of developed female characters, but they always seem to have support roles—combat medic and wife. And we all know doctors can't fight (wives sure can, but that's neither here nor there...). I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of capable women added to the roster alongside Scott and his current cadre.
I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but also absent are major expletives, which have been downsized and replaced with less profane alternatives, such as "flick" and "veck." This blatant attempt to avoid profanity sticks out like a sore thumb against the otherwise honest and gritty landscape of war. Characters get their fingers blown off, but they don't swear (or at least, Jim, it's not swearing as we know it). Set in the far future, or far far away (BSG and Farscape, I'm looking at you) this would be acceptable and even clever. As it is, it got distracting, particularly during some of the scenes that were supposed to evoke suspense and dread. In one scene, the protagonists are hunting flesh-eating bug aliens in an abandoned school—no power, no plans, no backup. It's the perfect recipe for horror, old-school B-movie alien horror, and then suddenly the characters start saying things like, "I hope to flickin' God" and the moment is gone.
Stephen could also work on his exposition. Occasionally, it's oddly-timed and awkwardly-poised as paragraphs dumped by the narrator after the subject comes up in dialogue. Although this is subjective, I actually prefer it when the exposition is light in the first half the book and then gets heavier later on, once my attention has been captivated by the characters and the story itself. Drop me just enough hints to keep me interested, but I don't need to know about, say, the comparative xenobiology of the Bakma, Ceratopians, and Ithini. It's not a big issue, in that it never compromises the story's unity or breaks up the frequent action scenes that tend to crop up once every couple of chapters. Still, it's something I hope improves as the series continues.
In that same vein, I would have liked to learn more about Earth's culture in this universe. We get some minimal glimpses at what the media is like when Scott does a press conference after winning a prestigious military award; beyond that, we get precious little idea of what civilian life is like on war-torn Earth. How are people coping with nine years of constant alien attacks on major cities? What's this doing to the global unity supposedly in place when the aliens first showed up? Did world peace come with a three-for-one deal, bringing us solutions to world poverty and world hunger as well? Or does humanity face more than just the threat of alien invasion? Certainly, I don't expect Dawn of Destiny to spell everything out for me. In some areas, however, it's rather sparse.
By far, the best part of this book is its action. Stephen writes a mean combat scene. Eschewing overly-flowery descriptions of scenery in favour of clear, crisp tactical overviews of a situation, Stephen's action scenes are always fast paced and high stake. From the moment Scott and his comrades enter the combat zone, we know they're in danger; with each new mission, however, Stephen manages to keep the challenges varied enough that it doesn't get boring. I've been known to get lost during combat scenes because I don't have a good conception of how the battle is unfolding ... not so here; I feel like I'm there, watching through someone's HUD. In many ways, Dawn of Destiny is a favourable mix of movie and video game, a little bit cutscene and a little bit rock and roll—er, I mean action. It's intense and everything you expect from a book in a series called Epic.
So far, the Alien War is more an excuse for conflict, which provides a backdrop for combat scenes and character development. Dawn of Destiny comes in a shiny sci-fi package, but it's more properly a military thriller than thought-provoking science fiction. Did Dawn of Destiny wow me? No. But it did make me laugh at times, and it did provide me with a good afternoon read.
My reviews of the Epic series:
Outlaw Trigger →
There's something refreshing about a boots-on-the-ground alien invasion of Earth. When aliens darken our doorstep, they seldom need to send troops down to pacify the population, probably because any species advanced enough to have interstellar spaceflight capability will also have some pretty terrible weapons. Why send wave after wave of soldiers when some well-placed bombs and a few destroyed satellites will accomplish the same goal? That's the conundrum at the core of Dawn of Destiny, the first book in the Epic series. Three alien species—the Bakma, the Ceratopians, and the Ithini—and their minions have been haranguing the Earth Defense Network (EDEN) for nine years now, but to what end?
Scott Remington, the protagonist, rises quickly through the ranks after facing several pitched battles from which he manages to emerge the hero (or at least not die). This earns him the admiration of his fellow grunts and begrudging respect from most officers—but not all. Scott's competence could quickly grow annoying; thankfully, Stephen compensates by including plenty of people who think that, "Remington is overestimated by everyone." And when Scott does save the day, it's always with a plan that makes sense in the context of the situation, managing to make fantastic battle scenes seem realistic. This balanced perspective keeps Scott from becoming a larger-than-life action hero and plays counterpoint to the book's science fiction conflict of human versus alien.
In general, I loved Stephen's characterization. Scott's companions have diverse background stories and interesting but not one-dimensional personalities and quirks. Some of them, like Jayden, start out stoic and gradually warm up, even manage to find a girl. Others, like the experienced cop, David, and Scott himself, already have signficant others and must struggle to balance their long-distance relationships with their lives in EDEN. And then you've got Becan, who verges on succumbing to the "lovable Irish rascal" trope except that he has genuine moments of weakness—and tenderness too.
As antagonists, the Bakma aren't characters so much as character devices. We really only get to interact with one, and it has a bit part. Indeed, although this book concerns an "Alien War," the aliens play a small role in it. This perplexes even the main characters, who spend a great deal of time speculating on the motives of the Bakma and their fellow aliens—why wage a ground war when they clearly have the ability to simply wipe out humanity from orbit? Dawn of Destiny sets the stage for the rest of the series to explore this all-too-important question, but at the expense of reducing the primary villain to an abstraction. As a result, throughout the numerous combat scenes I couldn't shake the comparison with Starship Troopers out of my head, unfair though it is.
There are a couple of humans who serve as articulate antagonists in the aliens' stead, however. EDEN's highest level is a council of "judges," who are desperately searching for a technological edge over the highly-advanced aliens. Intrigue among the council causes the death of one judge after he stumbles onto a secret his colleague apparently wants to keep secret. I'm looking forward to discovering what this secret is, and what ramifications it's going to have for Scott and his friends. Also, there's the taciturn and unapologetically brutal General Thoor. Borderline psychotic, and definitely a sociopath, he's one piece of bad road, doing whatever it takes to ensure victory. The order to promote Scott to epsilon comes from Thoor himself, pointing toward a creepy, and rocky, future relationship between these two.
Aside from its presentation of the Bakma, Dawn of Destiny falls short in one more aspect of characterization: there's a dearth of badass female heroines. Yes, there's a couple of developed female characters, but they always seem to have support roles—combat medic and wife. And we all know doctors can't fight (wives sure can, but that's neither here nor there...). I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of capable women added to the roster alongside Scott and his current cadre.
I don't want to make a big deal out of this, but also absent are major expletives, which have been downsized and replaced with less profane alternatives, such as "flick" and "veck." This blatant attempt to avoid profanity sticks out like a sore thumb against the otherwise honest and gritty landscape of war. Characters get their fingers blown off, but they don't swear (or at least, Jim, it's not swearing as we know it). Set in the far future, or far far away (BSG and Farscape, I'm looking at you) this would be acceptable and even clever. As it is, it got distracting, particularly during some of the scenes that were supposed to evoke suspense and dread. In one scene, the protagonists are hunting flesh-eating bug aliens in an abandoned school—no power, no plans, no backup. It's the perfect recipe for horror, old-school B-movie alien horror, and then suddenly the characters start saying things like, "I hope to flickin' God" and the moment is gone.
Stephen could also work on his exposition. Occasionally, it's oddly-timed and awkwardly-poised as paragraphs dumped by the narrator after the subject comes up in dialogue. Although this is subjective, I actually prefer it when the exposition is light in the first half the book and then gets heavier later on, once my attention has been captivated by the characters and the story itself. Drop me just enough hints to keep me interested, but I don't need to know about, say, the comparative xenobiology of the Bakma, Ceratopians, and Ithini. It's not a big issue, in that it never compromises the story's unity or breaks up the frequent action scenes that tend to crop up once every couple of chapters. Still, it's something I hope improves as the series continues.
In that same vein, I would have liked to learn more about Earth's culture in this universe. We get some minimal glimpses at what the media is like when Scott does a press conference after winning a prestigious military award; beyond that, we get precious little idea of what civilian life is like on war-torn Earth. How are people coping with nine years of constant alien attacks on major cities? What's this doing to the global unity supposedly in place when the aliens first showed up? Did world peace come with a three-for-one deal, bringing us solutions to world poverty and world hunger as well? Or does humanity face more than just the threat of alien invasion? Certainly, I don't expect Dawn of Destiny to spell everything out for me. In some areas, however, it's rather sparse.
By far, the best part of this book is its action. Stephen writes a mean combat scene. Eschewing overly-flowery descriptions of scenery in favour of clear, crisp tactical overviews of a situation, Stephen's action scenes are always fast paced and high stake. From the moment Scott and his comrades enter the combat zone, we know they're in danger; with each new mission, however, Stephen manages to keep the challenges varied enough that it doesn't get boring. I've been known to get lost during combat scenes because I don't have a good conception of how the battle is unfolding ... not so here; I feel like I'm there, watching through someone's HUD. In many ways, Dawn of Destiny is a favourable mix of movie and video game, a little bit cutscene and a little bit rock and roll—er, I mean action. It's intense and everything you expect from a book in a series called Epic.
So far, the Alien War is more an excuse for conflict, which provides a backdrop for combat scenes and character development. Dawn of Destiny comes in a shiny sci-fi package, but it's more properly a military thriller than thought-provoking science fiction. Did Dawn of Destiny wow me? No. But it did make me laugh at times, and it did provide me with a good afternoon read.
My reviews of the Epic series:
Outlaw Trigger →
Read
April 14, 2021A lot of writers are passionate about their work. It’s a career requirement really. That enthusiasm on the part of Lee Stephen translated from the outset when I received all three of his books in one envelope. Inside the front cover of each one was a different and separate dedication to me, personalising forever these books. So many books I receive are simply slipped into an envelope and mailed off without a second thought. I truly felt Lee had mailed something of himself to me. With this charming sentiment, I sat down to read.
‘Dawn of Destiny’ is clearly labeled ‘Epic – Book 1’, a nice warning that you’re heading into a series. Of eight total planned books, three are finished. Earth is involved in a war with three distinct aliens and we don’t know why. There are the Bakma, Ceratopians and the Ithini. While the Bakma and the Ceratopians never attack together, the Ithini have been seen with both. The author takes several opportunities to speculate on the anthropology and supposed hierarchy of the alien species, building a world and tantalizing the reader with details. Everything we know about the aliens reflects what the characters themselves know. It’s a puzzle that will eventually play out over the proposed eight books.
‘Dawn of Destiny’ follows the beginning of Scott Remington’s military career. While not unexceptional, Scott is not your typical ‘hero’. He’s not singled out by any special trait or personal history. His only marked difference is his faith, which he credits not only with the decision to join EDEN (Earth Defense Network), but clarity of purpose allowing him to engage the enemy with a clear conscience. Not being of a religious nature myself I found Scott’s faith, which does not overwhelm the book but merely adds a dimension to his character quite palatable and even believable. Otherwise, he is a normal guy, a regular recruit who will get his chance to shine through action, just as it happens in real life.
The writing is great for a first novel. The structure of the plot and the devices used to divulge information about the characters and aliens are effortless and never awkward. Though I would stop short of calling the writing brilliant or literary, it has the effect of never distracting you from the story. I consider that good writing. As far as characterization goes, there are a few stereotypes, but I’m happy with those, familiar characters are often the lifeblood of a good book and in supporting roles can help flesh out the more unfamiliar types. The plot was, as expected in any decent military science fiction book, action driven and well described. There was ample down time for character development. My only complaint would be the ending. While it works as a tidy break point between books one and two of a series, it precludes this from ever being read as a stand-alone novel. It’s a small thing, a personal observation. I will say that towards the end of the book there are hints of another plot line, a conspiracy among the higher echelons of EDEN that does whet the appetite for book two – which I happen to have right here – stay tuned for the next review!
‘Dawn of Destiny’ is clearly labeled ‘Epic – Book 1’, a nice warning that you’re heading into a series. Of eight total planned books, three are finished. Earth is involved in a war with three distinct aliens and we don’t know why. There are the Bakma, Ceratopians and the Ithini. While the Bakma and the Ceratopians never attack together, the Ithini have been seen with both. The author takes several opportunities to speculate on the anthropology and supposed hierarchy of the alien species, building a world and tantalizing the reader with details. Everything we know about the aliens reflects what the characters themselves know. It’s a puzzle that will eventually play out over the proposed eight books.
‘Dawn of Destiny’ follows the beginning of Scott Remington’s military career. While not unexceptional, Scott is not your typical ‘hero’. He’s not singled out by any special trait or personal history. His only marked difference is his faith, which he credits not only with the decision to join EDEN (Earth Defense Network), but clarity of purpose allowing him to engage the enemy with a clear conscience. Not being of a religious nature myself I found Scott’s faith, which does not overwhelm the book but merely adds a dimension to his character quite palatable and even believable. Otherwise, he is a normal guy, a regular recruit who will get his chance to shine through action, just as it happens in real life.
The writing is great for a first novel. The structure of the plot and the devices used to divulge information about the characters and aliens are effortless and never awkward. Though I would stop short of calling the writing brilliant or literary, it has the effect of never distracting you from the story. I consider that good writing. As far as characterization goes, there are a few stereotypes, but I’m happy with those, familiar characters are often the lifeblood of a good book and in supporting roles can help flesh out the more unfamiliar types. The plot was, as expected in any decent military science fiction book, action driven and well described. There was ample down time for character development. My only complaint would be the ending. While it works as a tidy break point between books one and two of a series, it precludes this from ever being read as a stand-alone novel. It’s a small thing, a personal observation. I will say that towards the end of the book there are hints of another plot line, a conspiracy among the higher echelons of EDEN that does whet the appetite for book two – which I happen to have right here – stay tuned for the next review!
February 6, 2017
Not very good. The cliched plot has been done countless times before, and very often much better than it has been done here. The writing style is juvenile and all "tell, don't show". The dialogue is awful, cheesy and unrealistic and much of it is superfluous to the story, as are many scenes in the book. The characters are one dimensional and don't really develop during the course of the story, and the plot is completely predictable and not very good anyway. I even guessed which character was going to be killed later on the first time he appeared in the story. The author shows no knowledge of military ranks, procedures or tactics and neither do his characters, human or alien. Every pitched battle consisted of each side finding some cover and blasting away until none of the other side could fight on. I also got tired of reading about people bleeding after being hit by plasma blasts that were so hot they scorched their armour. Something I couldn't figure out (because there is no reason or explanation beyond that it suited the author) was that, while the aliens were making pin-prick attacks against a whole planet filled with potential human soldiers the defending humans were always outnumbered and outgunned. Nor do they seem to have heard of artillery. I'm guessing the author is keeping the secret of who the enemy aliens really are, why they are attacking earth (and how they have even managed to attack, let alone defeat, anyone when they are so militarily inept) for a "big reveal" in a later book, because there wasn't even a hint of any reason in this one. It was probably the only thing I had even a small interest in throughout the story but isn't going to tempt me to buy any more of the series to find out. Wading through this story was much more of a chore than a pleasure and I'm still not sure why I didn't give up long before the end. It certainly wasn't because I was enjoying it.
January 1, 2015
Fun, quick, read, but in need of editing. A few too many misused words (the sun can no more peak over the dawn horizon than it can peek at noon); and what seem to be glaring errors about military life; plus the annoying English officer who uses phrases I've only ever heard in Canada and the Irish character whose brogue is transliterated atrociously. That, along with some sometimes wooden descriptive prose, make it a little hard to submerge yourself in the story. On the other hand, the relationships between the characters are well written.
The really annoying thing though is the complete lack of women with any agency—or even interest. In a cast of dozens, there are exactly five women. They're all beautiful—and they're all nurses (well, strictly, army medics, but you get my point...)
January 30, 2014
I got this one as a free download. I was wondering about this as a marketing technique. I got what I paid for.
That's a very negative start, but I was frustrated with many aspects of this book. It needed an editor or to be punched up as they say in the entertainment industry. There were holes in the plot, but those didn't bother me nearly as much as the world building. The military aspect of military sci-fi is key... and the military aspects of this book were lacking. The ranks below officer were created whole cloth yet the officers used the same terminology as our current military does (roughly). There was also the issue of the size of the military forces themselves. This seemed arbitrary and flexible depending completely on what was needed for the plot. There was always a question in my mind about how much "free time" the soldiers had. In my experience free time was only during the hurry up and wait portion of any mission and that didn't allow for lots of wandering around the post. The uniforms weren't clear in my mind. Neither were the armor nor the weapons. I often found myself thinking about the tactics I would use to wipe these units out handily, and I consider rooting against the home team a bad thing in a story like this.
Characters. The characters here needed as much background as the military did. There were lots of "typical" and not many "interesting". I didn't feel at all concerned for the characters and did not morn the loss of any of them. I struggled to care and I didn't connect. The hero's struggle with religion could have been handled better - I don't need to be beaten over the head with it. There was a lot of telling and not much showing from this story.
On the plus side, I did read the whole thing. That's more than I can say for some books. I don't think I'll be moving on to the next book.
That's a very negative start, but I was frustrated with many aspects of this book. It needed an editor or to be punched up as they say in the entertainment industry. There were holes in the plot, but those didn't bother me nearly as much as the world building. The military aspect of military sci-fi is key... and the military aspects of this book were lacking. The ranks below officer were created whole cloth yet the officers used the same terminology as our current military does (roughly). There was also the issue of the size of the military forces themselves. This seemed arbitrary and flexible depending completely on what was needed for the plot. There was always a question in my mind about how much "free time" the soldiers had. In my experience free time was only during the hurry up and wait portion of any mission and that didn't allow for lots of wandering around the post. The uniforms weren't clear in my mind. Neither were the armor nor the weapons. I often found myself thinking about the tactics I would use to wipe these units out handily, and I consider rooting against the home team a bad thing in a story like this.
Characters. The characters here needed as much background as the military did. There were lots of "typical" and not many "interesting". I didn't feel at all concerned for the characters and did not morn the loss of any of them. I struggled to care and I didn't connect. The hero's struggle with religion could have been handled better - I don't need to be beaten over the head with it. There was a lot of telling and not much showing from this story.
On the plus side, I did read the whole thing. That's more than I can say for some books. I don't think I'll be moving on to the next book.
February 3, 2015
ABR's full Dawn of Destiny audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
First thing that drew my attention about Dawn of Destiny was the fact that it was not available on Audible. According to Lee Stephen, Audible does something to the audio quality and he did not want to chance it being degraded in any way. Knowing that Audible is one of, if not the largest audiobook marketplace, I hope he doesn’t loose any of his potential audience.
Full of highly technical battles scenes that, literally, had me frozen on the edge of my seat. Leaving me with nothing else to do but breath a huge sigh of relief, with my heart pounding, when the action has subsided.
There were extended lengths of time between action sequences, for, I assume, character and story building. There are strong religious undertones and periods that will smack you in the face. I didn’t see this coming at all. Earth Defense Network (EDEN), the main character Scott prayed to God several times. While this was all done tastefully, I didn’t think that it added anything to the story at all.
Looking for a fast paced alien invasion military science fiction adventure? Dawn of Destiny will not disappoint.
The audio production was up there with the best “movie” style audiobooks I have listened to. Boasting 30 voice actors all on the top of their game. It is difficult to single any single one out as they all were very enjoyable.
The only fault I could find was the music. Often times being much louder than the performer, leading to me having no idea what was just said. Because of this interference I could not give this category a 5 star rating.
Audiobook provided for review by the author.
First thing that drew my attention about Dawn of Destiny was the fact that it was not available on Audible. According to Lee Stephen, Audible does something to the audio quality and he did not want to chance it being degraded in any way. Knowing that Audible is one of, if not the largest audiobook marketplace, I hope he doesn’t loose any of his potential audience.
Full of highly technical battles scenes that, literally, had me frozen on the edge of my seat. Leaving me with nothing else to do but breath a huge sigh of relief, with my heart pounding, when the action has subsided.
There were extended lengths of time between action sequences, for, I assume, character and story building. There are strong religious undertones and periods that will smack you in the face. I didn’t see this coming at all. Earth Defense Network (EDEN), the main character Scott prayed to God several times. While this was all done tastefully, I didn’t think that it added anything to the story at all.
Looking for a fast paced alien invasion military science fiction adventure? Dawn of Destiny will not disappoint.
The audio production was up there with the best “movie” style audiobooks I have listened to. Boasting 30 voice actors all on the top of their game. It is difficult to single any single one out as they all were very enjoyable.
The only fault I could find was the music. Often times being much louder than the performer, leading to me having no idea what was just said. Because of this interference I could not give this category a 5 star rating.
Audiobook provided for review by the author.
July 17, 2014
I was going to give this a "New Writer" rating of 2 as I can't give myself over to handing out a 1 to someone who is trying hard and still in development BUT then I see "Currently the best-selling independent sci-fi series in America" and from his website "Epic is the deepest, most gripping, most adrenaline-fueled series you’ve ever experienced." And you get a solid 1.
Colonels don't command and lead platoons into firefights and nothing made any damn sense in the set up of the command structure, logistics, or anything else going on in this thing. I'm about as much of an expert on military SF as one can be and I served in the military (a real one), and the author is way off base OR his writing is so bad he can't communicate his story effectively. The latter may be true as well as the characters are flat, generic, and un-engaging. And the reader is left to scratch their head trying to figure out what the point is.
If you can download this for free and you want to see what I am talking about knock yourself out, but certainly don't waste your money on this dog.
One woof.
Colonels don't command and lead platoons into firefights and nothing made any damn sense in the set up of the command structure, logistics, or anything else going on in this thing. I'm about as much of an expert on military SF as one can be and I served in the military (a real one), and the author is way off base OR his writing is so bad he can't communicate his story effectively. The latter may be true as well as the characters are flat, generic, and un-engaging. And the reader is left to scratch their head trying to figure out what the point is.
If you can download this for free and you want to see what I am talking about knock yourself out, but certainly don't waste your money on this dog.
One woof.
January 6, 2024
This was an unexpectedly wholesome military sci-fi. My brother bought it for me and gave it high praise, but he’s a guy of few words so I really didn’t know what to expect.
The MC, Scott, is a creative but not-super-skilled guy who enters a special international military branch put together to combat an unexplained alien invasion. Other new recruits are his primary companions throughout the book, though a few more experienced veterans join in as the book goes on.
Prayer and morals are given some emphasis in the book, and there are some nefarious plots going on in the background along with the ever-looming question of why the aliens have attacked and why have they attacked in the specific way that they have.
The different species of aliens and how they work and work together (or don’t) was a cool factor in this book.
Scott has a lady back home who he occasionally mentions but we never actually meet except through some worried phone calls.
There’s not a lot of focus given to backstories, but they’re there. Most of this book is plot, camaraderie between the teammates, and scattered fights with the aliens.
Overall I really enjoyed this read, it went by quick, and my only real pet peeve is how often the author used the phrase “couldn’t believe it.”
The MC, Scott, is a creative but not-super-skilled guy who enters a special international military branch put together to combat an unexplained alien invasion. Other new recruits are his primary companions throughout the book, though a few more experienced veterans join in as the book goes on.
Prayer and morals are given some emphasis in the book, and there are some nefarious plots going on in the background along with the ever-looming question of why the aliens have attacked and why have they attacked in the specific way that they have.
The different species of aliens and how they work and work together (or don’t) was a cool factor in this book.
Scott has a lady back home who he occasionally mentions but we never actually meet except through some worried phone calls.
There’s not a lot of focus given to backstories, but they’re there. Most of this book is plot, camaraderie between the teammates, and scattered fights with the aliens.
Overall I really enjoyed this read, it went by quick, and my only real pet peeve is how often the author used the phrase “couldn’t believe it.”
July 11, 2018
I’ve been on a big scifi kick recently. Little by little, the unread scifi shelves are dwindling while my fantasy shelves cry out for attention. But not today, fantasy, for I must read more military scifi! I’m not satisfied yet! I need more!
Or this is the killer. Dawn of Destiny happened to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Scott Remington is amazing. Everyone will tell you so. A new Academy graduate in Falcon Platoon, Scott isn’t entirely sure why he’s fighting in the Alien War besides the fact he felt God led him there. From the get-go Scott is destined for greatness; he’s even chosen to be part of an elite operative team. It doesn’t take long for the fresh-faced privates to find themselves dropping into Chicago and engaging an army of Bakma. When his CO is hurt on the way to backup another unit, Scott takes charge of the operation and, when he saves the other unit, even finishes their job by disabling a Bakma carrier ship.
This gains Scott his first promotion. Plus a medal.
The next time Scott and his comrades are called to action, it’s more of a tactical mission. They’re tasked with disposing of a few necrilid in the dead of night. This gains Scott and his closest friends--Dave, Becan, and Jayden--a transfer to a new base: Novosibirsk. Everyone knows of the rumors surrounding the base but no one wants to believe they’re true.
Okay, no, I can’t do this. Let me give you the down-and-dirty details.
I wanted to like this book for the refreshing point of view. Most military scifi happens in space; it’s always about the navy and planet hopping. Here we finally have a book that focuses on Earth and ground troops. Unfortunately none of them are likable.
Scott is supposed to be a charismatic leader. Um, no, he’s just a zombie who the author can’t stand to hurt. The author wants everyone to love him. So Scott goes from location to location without any trouble. Sure, a few people cast a few mean looks his way, especially after he gets his medal because it’s usually awarded posthumously and definitely never given to recent Academy graduates, but everyone loves Scott. Everyone is envious of Scott.
David is cardboard. He’s forty years old, a fourteen year NYPD veteran; he should be interesting and bring experience to the table that twenty-something Scott is missing, but Scott is too busy being “amazing” for David to have a chance to shine. And Becan? He’s the sassy one. That’s it. That’s his entire purpose. Jayden is the sniper, so obviously he’s quiet and observant. Only towards the end does Jayden get a chance to breathe and it turns out he’s not actually interesting.
I’m not even going to touch the religious aspect because, honestly, it’s not worth it. Alright. It’s campy. It could’ve been decent, it could’ve been organic and interesting to explore in a setting with aliens, but instead it comes off preachy and campy.
My biggest issue with this book was it’s treatment of women. This book takes place in the “New Era.” The author could be bothered to create three different alien races, plus a few throwaway species, plus alien ships. But the tone is immediately set that women are useless in war. Any woman in uniform is automatically a medic. There are no women in command. Just a bunch of medics. I can’t even say if they have guns. Any time they’re on a battlefield they’re immediately shuffled off the page to attend to the wounded. Oh and guess what! All of the women (and by “all” I mean maybe the four or five that are mentioned) smile prettily and have engaging laughs and are drop dead gorgeous and cry all the time. In fact, two particular scenes stick out in my mind. In the beginning of the book, the CO of Falcon complains that women are in his platoon. And later, after the transfer to Novosibirsk, the CO of the Fourteenth (Scott’s new platoon) openly says the women are excluded from certain conversations because it’s “touchy.”
W H A T???????
The worst part is that this isn’t even rectified by the next few books. The second book sees two women killed so that Scott can have a revenge plot and gain more power. The third book sees another woman kidnapped so that Scott can save her.
Do you see an issue yet?
Look, I know not every book is written for me but I wanted to actually like this book. We finally had a bunch of rookies on the ground instead of highly trained marines or space battles. We finally have a (loosely based) military scifi that’s more about the bond between squadmates instead of the action. So much of it reminded me of Gears of War, which happens to be one of my favorite series. The scene at the high school--where the characters are in the dark, scared, hunting for these insect-like aliens--was so tense and good that I thought maybe things were getting better.
But the horrible treatment of women, and Scott’s terrible Gary Stu Syndrome, make this a horrible slog. Not to mention the constant grammatical errors. Sometimes it’s an uphill battle against comma splices, unnecessary descriptions, a thousand and one paragraph breaks (there are seven on one page. WHY DO WE NEED SEVEN DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON ONE PAGE!!), and homonyms. Where were the editors?
By the end of the book I was just glad it was over. Scott jumped ranks so quickly that he was an officer by the end, or whatever passes for officer in this military structure. I get it, Scott, you’re the greatest, the best ever, so full of charisma, nothing can hurt you. I can only hope God saves you from your Gary Stu Syndrome.
Or this is the killer. Dawn of Destiny happened to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Scott Remington is amazing. Everyone will tell you so. A new Academy graduate in Falcon Platoon, Scott isn’t entirely sure why he’s fighting in the Alien War besides the fact he felt God led him there. From the get-go Scott is destined for greatness; he’s even chosen to be part of an elite operative team. It doesn’t take long for the fresh-faced privates to find themselves dropping into Chicago and engaging an army of Bakma. When his CO is hurt on the way to backup another unit, Scott takes charge of the operation and, when he saves the other unit, even finishes their job by disabling a Bakma carrier ship.
This gains Scott his first promotion. Plus a medal.
The next time Scott and his comrades are called to action, it’s more of a tactical mission. They’re tasked with disposing of a few necrilid in the dead of night. This gains Scott and his closest friends--Dave, Becan, and Jayden--a transfer to a new base: Novosibirsk. Everyone knows of the rumors surrounding the base but no one wants to believe they’re true.
Okay, no, I can’t do this. Let me give you the down-and-dirty details.
I wanted to like this book for the refreshing point of view. Most military scifi happens in space; it’s always about the navy and planet hopping. Here we finally have a book that focuses on Earth and ground troops. Unfortunately none of them are likable.
Scott is supposed to be a charismatic leader. Um, no, he’s just a zombie who the author can’t stand to hurt. The author wants everyone to love him. So Scott goes from location to location without any trouble. Sure, a few people cast a few mean looks his way, especially after he gets his medal because it’s usually awarded posthumously and definitely never given to recent Academy graduates, but everyone loves Scott. Everyone is envious of Scott.
David is cardboard. He’s forty years old, a fourteen year NYPD veteran; he should be interesting and bring experience to the table that twenty-something Scott is missing, but Scott is too busy being “amazing” for David to have a chance to shine. And Becan? He’s the sassy one. That’s it. That’s his entire purpose. Jayden is the sniper, so obviously he’s quiet and observant. Only towards the end does Jayden get a chance to breathe and it turns out he’s not actually interesting.
I’m not even going to touch the religious aspect because, honestly, it’s not worth it. Alright. It’s campy. It could’ve been decent, it could’ve been organic and interesting to explore in a setting with aliens, but instead it comes off preachy and campy.
My biggest issue with this book was it’s treatment of women. This book takes place in the “New Era.” The author could be bothered to create three different alien races, plus a few throwaway species, plus alien ships. But the tone is immediately set that women are useless in war. Any woman in uniform is automatically a medic. There are no women in command. Just a bunch of medics. I can’t even say if they have guns. Any time they’re on a battlefield they’re immediately shuffled off the page to attend to the wounded. Oh and guess what! All of the women (and by “all” I mean maybe the four or five that are mentioned) smile prettily and have engaging laughs and are drop dead gorgeous and cry all the time. In fact, two particular scenes stick out in my mind. In the beginning of the book, the CO of Falcon complains that women are in his platoon. And later, after the transfer to Novosibirsk, the CO of the Fourteenth (Scott’s new platoon) openly says the women are excluded from certain conversations because it’s “touchy.”
W H A T???????
The worst part is that this isn’t even rectified by the next few books. The second book sees two women killed so that Scott can have a revenge plot and gain more power. The third book sees another woman kidnapped so that Scott can save her.
Do you see an issue yet?
Look, I know not every book is written for me but I wanted to actually like this book. We finally had a bunch of rookies on the ground instead of highly trained marines or space battles. We finally have a (loosely based) military scifi that’s more about the bond between squadmates instead of the action. So much of it reminded me of Gears of War, which happens to be one of my favorite series. The scene at the high school--where the characters are in the dark, scared, hunting for these insect-like aliens--was so tense and good that I thought maybe things were getting better.
But the horrible treatment of women, and Scott’s terrible Gary Stu Syndrome, make this a horrible slog. Not to mention the constant grammatical errors. Sometimes it’s an uphill battle against comma splices, unnecessary descriptions, a thousand and one paragraph breaks (there are seven on one page. WHY DO WE NEED SEVEN DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON ONE PAGE!!), and homonyms. Where were the editors?
By the end of the book I was just glad it was over. Scott jumped ranks so quickly that he was an officer by the end, or whatever passes for officer in this military structure. I get it, Scott, you’re the greatest, the best ever, so full of charisma, nothing can hurt you. I can only hope God saves you from your Gary Stu Syndrome.
June 13, 2015
My review rating: 4.75 of 5.0. This is an engaging story with well developed characters and solid action.
Scott Remington is a young man of faith who has a natural talent for leadership. He did well at the Philadelphia Academy training to be a new soldier for EDEN, the Earth Defense Network. Even though the soldiers are well trained and learn about the alien creatures that are invading earth, it isn’t the same as suddenly being thrust into the fight and facing live enemies.
Scott applies for assignment to Detroit where his young fiancé, Nicole, is in nursing school. Instead he is sent to Richmond, VA where he meets new friends. David is the eldest, a fourteen year old New York Police officer. Becan is a brash, cocky Irishman. Jayden is a quiet young Texan who is the respected sniper of the group. Scott and the other rookies are assigned to the top unit, the Falcon Platoon. Their commander is less than pleased to be given alpha (entry) level privates but they are the only troops available especially after Falcon lost all but three of its members in its last engagement.
The platoon is called out with others to face the purple, eye-bulging Bakma in Chicago. Scott steps into command when his unit leader falls and he leads the team to complete a successful mission. The men respect Scott’s quick, calm authority. His actions result in his becoming the youngest soldier to be awarded the rare and prestigious Golden Lion medal. Although the press makes a fuss, Scott accepts the honor humbly, sharing credit with the other men.
The four friends face other enemies and their versatility and successes cause them to be reassigned to Novosibirsk, Russia. The Russian base is under the command of the famed, brutal General Thoor who leads the mysterious Russian unit known as the Nightmen. These are all fierce, highly trained soldiers and rumor has it the initiation price is murder.
Scott and his friends are assigned to unit 14 where they build new friendships and face more serious dangers. There are painful losses even before the troops face a major stealth attack on their base. Scott again gains respect with his fast, decisive actions.
I really enjoyed the fierce and fast paced battle scenes. I also liked how Mr. Stephen’s develops the characters and builds their friendships. The story is not just war but it includes personal interactions that add interest. I appreciated the faith foundation of Scott’s character yet the story does not have religious preaching that might put off some readers. I was also impressed that the author deals in intense situations without resorting to unnecessary swearing. Finishing the first book left me anxious to jump right into the next one.
Audio Notes: The audiobook is a dramatization with background sounds fitting the scenes. The production is well done making the action come alive. The only drawback was the spacing and music at the end of chapters is a bit longer than necessary. I definitely enjoyed the audio version and recommend it to those who enjoy a full, surround sound experience.
I was provided the audiobook for an honest review on blog tour.
Scott Remington is a young man of faith who has a natural talent for leadership. He did well at the Philadelphia Academy training to be a new soldier for EDEN, the Earth Defense Network. Even though the soldiers are well trained and learn about the alien creatures that are invading earth, it isn’t the same as suddenly being thrust into the fight and facing live enemies.
Scott applies for assignment to Detroit where his young fiancé, Nicole, is in nursing school. Instead he is sent to Richmond, VA where he meets new friends. David is the eldest, a fourteen year old New York Police officer. Becan is a brash, cocky Irishman. Jayden is a quiet young Texan who is the respected sniper of the group. Scott and the other rookies are assigned to the top unit, the Falcon Platoon. Their commander is less than pleased to be given alpha (entry) level privates but they are the only troops available especially after Falcon lost all but three of its members in its last engagement.
The platoon is called out with others to face the purple, eye-bulging Bakma in Chicago. Scott steps into command when his unit leader falls and he leads the team to complete a successful mission. The men respect Scott’s quick, calm authority. His actions result in his becoming the youngest soldier to be awarded the rare and prestigious Golden Lion medal. Although the press makes a fuss, Scott accepts the honor humbly, sharing credit with the other men.
The four friends face other enemies and their versatility and successes cause them to be reassigned to Novosibirsk, Russia. The Russian base is under the command of the famed, brutal General Thoor who leads the mysterious Russian unit known as the Nightmen. These are all fierce, highly trained soldiers and rumor has it the initiation price is murder.
Scott and his friends are assigned to unit 14 where they build new friendships and face more serious dangers. There are painful losses even before the troops face a major stealth attack on their base. Scott again gains respect with his fast, decisive actions.
I really enjoyed the fierce and fast paced battle scenes. I also liked how Mr. Stephen’s develops the characters and builds their friendships. The story is not just war but it includes personal interactions that add interest. I appreciated the faith foundation of Scott’s character yet the story does not have religious preaching that might put off some readers. I was also impressed that the author deals in intense situations without resorting to unnecessary swearing. Finishing the first book left me anxious to jump right into the next one.
Audio Notes: The audiobook is a dramatization with background sounds fitting the scenes. The production is well done making the action come alive. The only drawback was the spacing and music at the end of chapters is a bit longer than necessary. I definitely enjoyed the audio version and recommend it to those who enjoy a full, surround sound experience.
I was provided the audiobook for an honest review on blog tour.
January 29, 2017
Self fulfilling fantasy of being a god chosen holy warrior, fighting evil aliens... depicted as monsters, true be told I feel like the use of extraterrestrial entities is only because the author didn't want the main character switching into Deus ex rampaging mode' killing other humans.. so? Aliens!
Accomplishing missions by sher divine (the author) intervention into victories where everything is lost' repetitive much!, now why the Self of my rant, no one else does anything of merit, ok' untrue, there is this one brave man that blows himself up.. yet, it gets demerits for the execution ordered to stay behind to manually detonate the explosives ( having alternatives ), it feels like the only reason for the order was to make the readers remember that the person in charge is a Bad person..
Woman are' eye candy, they are all in relationships most likely so the main character can remain true to his girlfriend, retaining his holy mojo' I actually expected the main MC to send one of the females to the kitchen or something.. it didn't happened!
Over all I could have enjoyed this book, it should have been at least 3 stars IF, it didn't fail so miserable in the one thing a war book should never fail! an that is in making every soldier relevant, in true war every single person counts no one is neither better or worst all soldiers male, female, in between contributes to achieving success, yet this entire story make it look like the human race exist because this one guy joined the fight a month ago.
Anyway only way I'll rethink in keep with the next book is' if some one tells me, that.. the dud is an actual super human make in a lab, only created to achieve victory in the war, programed with religious mind set.. just for easy handling, there at least will be some drama "Do I have a soul?" "will I, go to heaven when I die?" something!
P.D.: Forget this book go watch Hacksaw Ridge! & if you loved this book? more power to you!
Accomplishing missions by sher divine (the author) intervention into victories where everything is lost' repetitive much!, now why the Self of my rant, no one else does anything of merit, ok' untrue, there is this one brave man that blows himself up.. yet, it gets demerits for the execution ordered to stay behind to manually detonate the explosives ( having alternatives ), it feels like the only reason for the order was to make the readers remember that the person in charge is a Bad person..
Woman are' eye candy, they are all in relationships most likely so the main character can remain true to his girlfriend, retaining his holy mojo' I actually expected the main MC to send one of the females to the kitchen or something.. it didn't happened!
Over all I could have enjoyed this book, it should have been at least 3 stars IF, it didn't fail so miserable in the one thing a war book should never fail! an that is in making every soldier relevant, in true war every single person counts no one is neither better or worst all soldiers male, female, in between contributes to achieving success, yet this entire story make it look like the human race exist because this one guy joined the fight a month ago.
Anyway only way I'll rethink in keep with the next book is' if some one tells me, that.. the dud is an actual super human make in a lab, only created to achieve victory in the war, programed with religious mind set.. just for easy handling, there at least will be some drama "Do I have a soul?" "will I, go to heaven when I die?" something!
P.D.: Forget this book go watch Hacksaw Ridge! & if you loved this book? more power to you!
March 2, 2016
Praise in Public, Scold in Private -- Sorry
I have absolutely no idea what this is. Just read a good mil SciFi where author was just nailing a lot of tactical nuances that you appreciate, if Mil is your thing. Use columns in jungle, have orbitals fire -- that way you no not give away your ground position, hide your Guns(machine guns), nuances of fire discipline and application of fire as it pertains to your capabilities, unit and enemy. Even had the TO, task organization, of an infantry company correct -- Fire tm, squad, platoon, attachments, 3 rifle plts in company, company commander who was a Captain. Responsible for approximately 200 MEN.
At any rate, picked this up and 100 pages later, I had no clue of what was going on OR better put, everything was so illogical I had to be wrong. I missed something. Is this a book 4 of 4?
Don't mean any personal offense, just letting folk know that this is not Mil and not SciFi . It belongs under fantasy and I'll let my betters determine age group.
UNFORTUNATELY, MANY SF AUTHORS IN THE 'MIL SCIFI ' genre don't have a military bone in their body. Some may have even served and that's scary. This author does not belong in this genre. I'm still trying to come to grips of over 'operatives' who are usually spec ops (in real world) and fighting pitched battles as a platoon -- that's not their bag. I'd like to know authors sources on how he formulated this military to fight an alien invasion that's confusing as the geeks trying to stop it.
Their is no military SciFi genre. A few authors, perhaps but this genre is dead -- possibly from get go. I hear folk talk Ringo, Weber, Scalzi, Kloos, or is it Klaus?, many a popular SciFi type author. I'd only read them if I was bored to tears, and I've failed to finish one -- guess I wasn't that bored. Aargh, I'm so frustrated with this!
I have absolutely no idea what this is. Just read a good mil SciFi where author was just nailing a lot of tactical nuances that you appreciate, if Mil is your thing. Use columns in jungle, have orbitals fire -- that way you no not give away your ground position, hide your Guns(machine guns), nuances of fire discipline and application of fire as it pertains to your capabilities, unit and enemy. Even had the TO, task organization, of an infantry company correct -- Fire tm, squad, platoon, attachments, 3 rifle plts in company, company commander who was a Captain. Responsible for approximately 200 MEN.
At any rate, picked this up and 100 pages later, I had no clue of what was going on OR better put, everything was so illogical I had to be wrong. I missed something. Is this a book 4 of 4?
Don't mean any personal offense, just letting folk know that this is not Mil and not SciFi . It belongs under fantasy and I'll let my betters determine age group.
UNFORTUNATELY, MANY SF AUTHORS IN THE 'MIL SCIFI ' genre don't have a military bone in their body. Some may have even served and that's scary. This author does not belong in this genre. I'm still trying to come to grips of over 'operatives' who are usually spec ops (in real world) and fighting pitched battles as a platoon -- that's not their bag. I'd like to know authors sources on how he formulated this military to fight an alien invasion that's confusing as the geeks trying to stop it.
Their is no military SciFi genre. A few authors, perhaps but this genre is dead -- possibly from get go. I hear folk talk Ringo, Weber, Scalzi, Kloos, or is it Klaus?, many a popular SciFi type author. I'd only read them if I was bored to tears, and I've failed to finish one -- guess I wasn't that bored. Aargh, I'm so frustrated with this!
March 18, 2015
Scott Remington aka Remy left school to enroll to Eden in the military. AS Scott felt a calling to go to Eden. Scott leaves everything including the love of his life, Nicole. Remy and the rest of his platoon will try their hardest to fight and protect Earth.
I opted for the audio version of this book. So glad I did as listening to this book is like being in a theater. It is very theatric with the music, action, and great sound effects. It was like I was transported into either a Broadway show or movie theater. I know it might sound odd to say Broadway but it was the music and sound effects. I could picture a chorus of musicians playing instruments specifically for this book. At times I would find myself closing my eyes to just listen to this book. This way I could just enjoy the audio version more and see this book playing out in my head.
Per Mr. Stephen's website it explained this book as follows:
"audio “experience,” is the audio equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie. Over thirty voice actors played a role in this. This is ear-splitting sound effects, bombastic music, and characters shouting back and forth in the middle of a war zone. This is unlike anything you’ve ever heard."
Well Mr. Stephen is right. This was not just an "audiobook" but an experience. I have not enjoyed such an experience listening to an audiobook in a long time. I would love to see this book on the big screen in the movie theater but I also am fearfull that if this book was made into a movie it would not do it justice. I really hope that the next book can be produced in such the same way as this book. A not to be missed experience!
I opted for the audio version of this book. So glad I did as listening to this book is like being in a theater. It is very theatric with the music, action, and great sound effects. It was like I was transported into either a Broadway show or movie theater. I know it might sound odd to say Broadway but it was the music and sound effects. I could picture a chorus of musicians playing instruments specifically for this book. At times I would find myself closing my eyes to just listen to this book. This way I could just enjoy the audio version more and see this book playing out in my head.
Per Mr. Stephen's website it explained this book as follows:
"audio “experience,” is the audio equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie. Over thirty voice actors played a role in this. This is ear-splitting sound effects, bombastic music, and characters shouting back and forth in the middle of a war zone. This is unlike anything you’ve ever heard."
Well Mr. Stephen is right. This was not just an "audiobook" but an experience. I have not enjoyed such an experience listening to an audiobook in a long time. I would love to see this book on the big screen in the movie theater but I also am fearfull that if this book was made into a movie it would not do it justice. I really hope that the next book can be produced in such the same way as this book. A not to be missed experience!
September 21, 2014
DoD was a fun read. Stephens delivers a powerful first book. There are certainly problems, and I became really worried that the book would become a metaphor for the author's Christian faith. Fortunately what I found was a book with surprisingly good character development, a HUGE mixed bag of military sci fi action, and fun dialogue. By the end I found myself caring for the characters and I felt that the three alien races were very well written and easy to imagine. What I liked BEST about this book (and the next two) was the way the author convincingly blends different action and suspense into a fun blend of fast paced action to heart stopping, creepy horror. Stephens influences seem obvious enough (HALO, Aliens, etc), but he doesn't pretend to reinvent the wheel and the book delivers. I say read it!
The two biggest reservations I have are:
Please don't make this about Christian faith; since it is such an integral part of the author and protagonist's life, and because "E.D.E.N." is earth's combined military force, I am worried about this becoming a book about Jesus. Please keep Bronze Age sky-wizards out of my science fiction.
And my final gripe is: write better women, PLEASE! For fuck's sake... Can't we have one male sci-fi author who thinks of women as capable, or even more so, than a man... Just once? Oh right, that would be James Alan Gardner.
The two biggest reservations I have are:
Please don't make this about Christian faith; since it is such an integral part of the author and protagonist's life, and because "E.D.E.N." is earth's combined military force, I am worried about this becoming a book about Jesus. Please keep Bronze Age sky-wizards out of my science fiction.
And my final gripe is: write better women, PLEASE! For fuck's sake... Can't we have one male sci-fi author who thinks of women as capable, or even more so, than a man... Just once? Oh right, that would be James Alan Gardner.
January 1, 2014
Free to download. Very much in the style of Starship Troopers - the film - and heavy on the blood and gore (not that I have any problem with gratuitous violence!). The characters were a little too numerous and two-dimensional to get to know properly, and I feel the story could have done without the increasingly frequent reference to God and religion, which seemed to have no real relevance to the story. There were a couple of sub-plots that seemed to go nowhere as well.
However, on the whole it was an enjoyable enough sci-fi romp, but I have to admit that the 'blurb' at the end of the story was more than a little ..eeeuw. You thought this was the Epic experience? This was just the beginning. You're about to read a sequel that wasn't written for the faint of heart. 'Outlaw Trigger' changes everything. It might even change you. Be forewarned. Epic begins now.
Over-hype or what? A teeeeny tiny bit off-putting actually and I don't think that I will be buying 'Epic' - not that I can't cope with strong (very very strong!) stories!
However, on the whole it was an enjoyable enough sci-fi romp, but I have to admit that the 'blurb' at the end of the story was more than a little ..eeeuw. You thought this was the Epic experience? This was just the beginning. You're about to read a sequel that wasn't written for the faint of heart. 'Outlaw Trigger' changes everything. It might even change you. Be forewarned. Epic begins now.
Over-hype or what? A teeeeny tiny bit off-putting actually and I don't think that I will be buying 'Epic' - not that I can't cope with strong (very very strong!) stories!
January 9, 2015
It doesn't get much better for a Christian Science Fiction military thriller
The spiritual side of things is downplayed, but realistic. The military side is wrenchingly violent with ugly nasty aliens. Evil is really not known as there is no explanation for the alien presence.
Evil is more present in the black Russian super warriors. But the characterizations are very well done. The people are realistically drawn and many are compelling.
Scott Remington is a true, Godly hero. He seems to be the only believer in the military.
But that's enough. For a scifi military thriller, this book is truly excellent.
The spiritual side of things is downplayed, but realistic. The military side is wrenchingly violent with ugly nasty aliens. Evil is really not known as there is no explanation for the alien presence.
Evil is more present in the black Russian super warriors. But the characterizations are very well done. The people are realistically drawn and many are compelling.
Scott Remington is a true, Godly hero. He seems to be the only believer in the military.
But that's enough. For a scifi military thriller, this book is truly excellent.
August 31, 2018
Anxious to finish this one, but...
I read avidly to finish this one, especially the first part. But after the change to Russia not so much. Some things strained logic, the award of the golden lion. Yeah it set Scott up to be detested, but awarding it was not logical. Why would the Bakma be impressed with soldier in black armor? Why would a medal winner be marked with a gold collar? Good action description with a number of people dying - more realistic than everybody surviving. Hunting necrilids would have been part of the training. So 4 for the action but 2 for the logic.
I read avidly to finish this one, especially the first part. But after the change to Russia not so much. Some things strained logic, the award of the golden lion. Yeah it set Scott up to be detested, but awarding it was not logical. Why would the Bakma be impressed with soldier in black armor? Why would a medal winner be marked with a gold collar? Good action description with a number of people dying - more realistic than everybody surviving. Hunting necrilids would have been part of the training. So 4 for the action but 2 for the logic.
February 5, 2014
The opening sequence/chapters really grabbed my attention, but then slowed rather quickly. The super heroic leading man, thrown into a bad situation was just too cookie cutter for my taste. Add to that the evil Russian General who commands the leading man and it just didn't work for me. However, I did get this as a free download through Book Bub so I couldn't complain too much!
May 12, 2013
I found the plot to be predictable and the characters two-dimensional. I don't plan to read the sequels.
September 25, 2013
This story was slow and not very interesting. I got less than a quarter through it and gave up.
May 20, 2025
It’s been over a decade since I first encountered Lee Stephen’s Epic Universe / Destiny’s Edge series, yet its impact survives to this day.
As narrator for the audiobook version of Dawn of Destiny, I had the privilege of joining an incredible team of literary and technical talents, bringing to life a story that had already, through written text alone, set apart this self-published literary genius, whose initial offering yielded revenues TENFOLD the average expectations of publishing experts and, essentially, had readers begging for a sequel overnight!
True to form, Lee’s work ethic was duplicated in the audio realm. Bouncing back from early setbacks at the hands of deceptive parties in the audio industry … setbacks that would have prompted a lesser individual to throw in the towel, Lee exhibited flexibility and courage in moving on, and even forgiveness for those at fault.
The result? An audio product which, at least in the ears of this career musician, radio man, and voice actor, will make you swear you are in a cutting-edge movie theater! The icing on the cake: New Apple Literary Awards’ “Best New Fiction” and “audiobook of the Year” awards!
At last glance, Destiny’s Edge has grown into a very impressive, multi-faceted enterprise … and it all began with a dream … and a man who, trusting in God, was willing to pursue that dream.
Though I only recently discovered that his books are on Goodreads, I felt compelled to finally share my thoughts here. After reading multiple volumes in the initial series, I can testify that although Rodenberry and Lucas have admittedly shown evidence of genius, this author will give them both a run for their money! I highly recommend his writings, and hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.
— Patrick D. Quance
Author, The Cross and the Swastika (Love Your Enemies)
September 2, 2019
Science Fiction. Alien Invaders. War. This is a fun tale where men and women unite in armies and Navy as well as every other armed forces to fight back inside the Alien Invaders. The main character is unique, and not seen often in Science Fiction. He's a man with morals, who left his fiance beyond to help fight the aliens, and a Christian. It shows of his leadership, and their missions from USA to being transferred to Russia, where things are a lot harder, and they're a lot less respected. The narration is a full cast, and very neat. But with all the sound effects, it does negate the audio a little bit. However, I'd be very interested to listening to book two, first cast or not.
March 2, 2022
This was an odd book to read at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Much of the novel takes place in a near-future Siberian military base of the earth defense network. The network had been put together to protect the planet from multiple alien invaders. There is no understanding of why they’ve invaded or why they don’t try actually to win the the war they’ve started. The Siberian base is controlled by old Russian secret service members and is not integrated well into the network. This plot line is not well developed in the novel and seems to be a gimmick to lure the reader to purchase the next book (probably a waste of time and money). The main protagonist is a Christian, but most of the faith bits in the story feel stuck onto the story in an artificial manner. I suspect the Christian element is waiting for the next book for development alongside the evil Russion secret service group story. There are also hints of some evil supernatural something-or-other at work through them too, also not developed in the novel. The book has potential that was not remotely achieved.
October 3, 2017
Unsung heroes
The defense of earth entails sacrifice. No I don't mean a monetary amount you silly recruit! The never forgotten visual bleed out of long & short time friends in battle. In real life, oft times, there is no available time to morn. Scott now a loot, ever the innovator, will celebrate them upon the battlefield. He has a neat dessert for the invaders. Just a matter now of locating them to award them Just Desserts!
The defense of earth entails sacrifice. No I don't mean a monetary amount you silly recruit! The never forgotten visual bleed out of long & short time friends in battle. In real life, oft times, there is no available time to morn. Scott now a loot, ever the innovator, will celebrate them upon the battlefield. He has a neat dessert for the invaders. Just a matter now of locating them to award them Just Desserts!
July 10, 2019
I got bored. The writing was very good and the characters were well fleshed out but they weren't that interesting and in my opinion, the story just kept dragging out. My friend recommended the book to to me and was very excited by the story and couldn't wait for future installments, so it could just be outside my personal taste in sci-fi style books.
September 17, 2017
Great Story
Loved the book! The story is a wonderful beginning to what I hope is a great series. Tons of action with plenty of different alien bad guys. Can't wait to read the next book!
Loved the book! The story is a wonderful beginning to what I hope is a great series. Tons of action with plenty of different alien bad guys. Can't wait to read the next book!
July 11, 2025
Read the Updated Destiny’s Edge Version:
Thoroughly enjoyed the book! Really had fun with the mystery of it all with all the different kinds of aliens and the Nightmen! Excited to see where the rest of the story goes and what questions will be answered!
Thoroughly enjoyed the book! Really had fun with the mystery of it all with all the different kinds of aliens and the Nightmen! Excited to see where the rest of the story goes and what questions will be answered!
January 17, 2016
Wow! What a good book and apparently, a good military science fiction series I have stumbled on to. I’m not exactly sure how I found this book. I think it was suggested by the Amazon Kindle page, but I’m sure glad I found it so far.
This book starts off with some newbies coming from an Academy not unlike one of the military academies. Yet, this is in the far future, something called the New Era. Peace had came to the Earth and all the citizens were just beginning to reap the benefits of a tranquil and non-violent society all across the world. Then they came. The Bakma, the Ceratopians, and the Ithini. There are three alien civilizations that suddenly and without warning, attacked Earth and killed thousands. Earth had to act quick to defend itself. Fortunately, these alien attacks were few and far between during the early years. During that time earth created the Earth Defense Network (EDEN) to manage these sporadic attacks world-wide. They began recruiting operatives to become the core of EDEN and rush to the scene of any attack and defeat the aliens if at all possible. EDEN forces were behind the aliens in technology; way behind. What they did bring to the fight was numbers and numbers did the job while causing massive casualties among the EDEN side. The aliens didn’t send very many to each attack, but the ones they did send caused terrible death and destruction in their wake.
The acronym EDEN doesn’t actually fit the title, but it seems to work for the author. Also, these guys and gals fighting for EDEN aren’t necessarily called soldiers, but instead are referred to as "Operatives.” It doesn’t say any where in the book why they were not just called soldiers or even Marines, but apparently everything fighting on the side of Earth is in EDEN and all are called Operatives. Our main character, Scott Remington has just graduated from an academy in Philadelphia and has been assigned to a unit in Richmond. The unit he's now in seems to be brand new except for the senior officers. It’s also odd that his unit isn’t very large; it is described as Platoon sized which would be around 100 people +/-. But, the even stranger thing is that it’s commanded by a full Colonel and the Colonel is really pissed right now. His XO is a Major, newly promoted, with the third officer being a Lieutenant. For a Platoon, that’s really top heavy. There isn’t any mention of an actual enlisted grade structure although there actually is one, just none of the new guys have any rank to speak about. A unit without NCOs is almost impossible to think of.
So, with his new platoon, Scott meets and greets everyone and then try to get into the normal training cycle. Except, on the third day after arrival, they got a call to go into harms way. The Colonel and Major rounded up all the platoon and set off towards Chicago to put down an attack by the Bakma. You’ll read about these green guys getting their introduction to battle and all it brings with it. Some of it isn’t pretty. It is exciting and really a good read. How these guys manage to work together after only being together for three days is beyond me. Yet, they manage to accomplish a great deal.
Then the book turns stupid. Well, it’s pretty stupid because these three or now four have way decent newbies are immediately ordered Novosibirsk, Russia. They are to augment the Russian effort in that part of the world called Siberia. No, they didn’t do anything wrong, and that’s the stupid part of this book. Why in the world would you send green newbies to a terrible base in frozen Siberia when they really haven’t been truly tested? Why would the Russians even thing about asking for American help? Too many questions to be answer that don’t get answered for this to make sense. It just doesn’t happen this way.
Still, these Americans find out that they aren’t the only ones brought in to augment the Russians. And they find out why Novosibirsk is considered about the worst place on earth to have to fight from. And then there’s the Nightmen and General Ignatius van Thoor, the supposedly former leader of the Nightmen. His reputation says that you don’t leave his command alive.
I’ve already bought the next book in the series and if they stay as good as this first one, I’ll be reading them all. The author has taken a lot of stuff and twisted it around so that if you’ve been in the military, a lot of what he writes about doesn’t make sense. But, this is military science fiction so I guess he can do what he wants, right?
This book starts off with some newbies coming from an Academy not unlike one of the military academies. Yet, this is in the far future, something called the New Era. Peace had came to the Earth and all the citizens were just beginning to reap the benefits of a tranquil and non-violent society all across the world. Then they came. The Bakma, the Ceratopians, and the Ithini. There are three alien civilizations that suddenly and without warning, attacked Earth and killed thousands. Earth had to act quick to defend itself. Fortunately, these alien attacks were few and far between during the early years. During that time earth created the Earth Defense Network (EDEN) to manage these sporadic attacks world-wide. They began recruiting operatives to become the core of EDEN and rush to the scene of any attack and defeat the aliens if at all possible. EDEN forces were behind the aliens in technology; way behind. What they did bring to the fight was numbers and numbers did the job while causing massive casualties among the EDEN side. The aliens didn’t send very many to each attack, but the ones they did send caused terrible death and destruction in their wake.
The acronym EDEN doesn’t actually fit the title, but it seems to work for the author. Also, these guys and gals fighting for EDEN aren’t necessarily called soldiers, but instead are referred to as "Operatives.” It doesn’t say any where in the book why they were not just called soldiers or even Marines, but apparently everything fighting on the side of Earth is in EDEN and all are called Operatives. Our main character, Scott Remington has just graduated from an academy in Philadelphia and has been assigned to a unit in Richmond. The unit he's now in seems to be brand new except for the senior officers. It’s also odd that his unit isn’t very large; it is described as Platoon sized which would be around 100 people +/-. But, the even stranger thing is that it’s commanded by a full Colonel and the Colonel is really pissed right now. His XO is a Major, newly promoted, with the third officer being a Lieutenant. For a Platoon, that’s really top heavy. There isn’t any mention of an actual enlisted grade structure although there actually is one, just none of the new guys have any rank to speak about. A unit without NCOs is almost impossible to think of.
So, with his new platoon, Scott meets and greets everyone and then try to get into the normal training cycle. Except, on the third day after arrival, they got a call to go into harms way. The Colonel and Major rounded up all the platoon and set off towards Chicago to put down an attack by the Bakma. You’ll read about these green guys getting their introduction to battle and all it brings with it. Some of it isn’t pretty. It is exciting and really a good read. How these guys manage to work together after only being together for three days is beyond me. Yet, they manage to accomplish a great deal.
Then the book turns stupid. Well, it’s pretty stupid because these three or now four have way decent newbies are immediately ordered Novosibirsk, Russia. They are to augment the Russian effort in that part of the world called Siberia. No, they didn’t do anything wrong, and that’s the stupid part of this book. Why in the world would you send green newbies to a terrible base in frozen Siberia when they really haven’t been truly tested? Why would the Russians even thing about asking for American help? Too many questions to be answer that don’t get answered for this to make sense. It just doesn’t happen this way.
Still, these Americans find out that they aren’t the only ones brought in to augment the Russians. And they find out why Novosibirsk is considered about the worst place on earth to have to fight from. And then there’s the Nightmen and General Ignatius van Thoor, the supposedly former leader of the Nightmen. His reputation says that you don’t leave his command alive.
I’ve already bought the next book in the series and if they stay as good as this first one, I’ll be reading them all. The author has taken a lot of stuff and twisted it around so that if you’ve been in the military, a lot of what he writes about doesn’t make sense. But, this is military science fiction so I guess he can do what he wants, right?
May 22, 2014
As a disclaimer, I will state up front that until now, I haven’t been much of a fan of science fiction books. I remember reading one that involved tripods in about the third grade, and it terrified me. I have successfully avoided the genre since then. However, I recently started dating a guy who claimed he could convert me into a sci-fi reader, and to humor him, I read this book he lent me. Love makes you do crazy things, I guess. But to my surprise…I actually liked it! So much so, that I’ve borrowed the second one in this series from him. Why is this a disclaimer, you ask? Well, I don’t have much to compare to in this genre.
The action kept moving, which I really liked, and at some points was pretty suspenseful. I like suspenseful suspense…nothing worse than feeling like you’ve got it all figured out when you know you’re supposed to be worried, right?
At first, I didn’t really care about the characters and thought that would end up being a weakness of the book. However, as the novel progresses, you start to get to know them a little better, and at some point you really start to appreciate them all. Their quirks were well written, and they seemed to each be unique enough that you didn’t feel like it was a whole troop of carbon-copy individuals.
I loved that Scott, the main character, trusted his instincts even when others told him not, too. I love that we see his inner struggle as he tried to understand how his personal life, work like, and faith life mesh together (or how they should). I love that he operates with integrity and humility.
You’d think that because I’m typically a hopeless romantic, I wouldn’t like this book because you lose so many character. While I usually like a happy ending, in this case, I’m glad that the author killed off a few people. I actually liked those characters, so I was sad to see them go. But I felt like the way he wrote it was more realistic and at least they died with honor.
The biggest weakness in this novel was that there were so many characters to follow. Just as you finally get to know all the character from the first part of the novel, they die/get split up, and you’re introduced to a whole new cast of characters. It takes a bit to keep them all straight. But that’s a minor problem, to be sure.
I noticed that some lists/reviewers are tagging this as a young adult novel. I'm not sure if the author's intentions were for it to be YA There isn't any reason that a YA couldn't read it, but I didn't feel like it was necessarily written to a YA, and I appreciated that. Often times, YA novels either "talk down" to the audience or try too hard to be too much.
Some things that I hope will be clarified/refined in future books in the series:
**The faith/religious part could be written a little more smoothly. It felt awkward or forced at times. I don’t mind the presence of it at all, I just think it could be smoothed out a bit. It almost felt like the author was nervous to bring it up.
**I’d like to know more about the 3 alien species…why are they attacking us? Who are they? What are their beliefs? It seems like the easy way out to paint them all as the bad guy without letting us get to know them and decide for ourselves.
**While I understand that Scott is intended to be the star of the show, I do hope a few of the characters from the supporting cast will continue to be in the novel and that we can get to know them better.
I’m excited to delve into the next book in the series.
The action kept moving, which I really liked, and at some points was pretty suspenseful. I like suspenseful suspense…nothing worse than feeling like you’ve got it all figured out when you know you’re supposed to be worried, right?
At first, I didn’t really care about the characters and thought that would end up being a weakness of the book. However, as the novel progresses, you start to get to know them a little better, and at some point you really start to appreciate them all. Their quirks were well written, and they seemed to each be unique enough that you didn’t feel like it was a whole troop of carbon-copy individuals.
I loved that Scott, the main character, trusted his instincts even when others told him not, too. I love that we see his inner struggle as he tried to understand how his personal life, work like, and faith life mesh together (or how they should). I love that he operates with integrity and humility.
You’d think that because I’m typically a hopeless romantic, I wouldn’t like this book because you lose so many character. While I usually like a happy ending, in this case, I’m glad that the author killed off a few people. I actually liked those characters, so I was sad to see them go. But I felt like the way he wrote it was more realistic and at least they died with honor.
The biggest weakness in this novel was that there were so many characters to follow. Just as you finally get to know all the character from the first part of the novel, they die/get split up, and you’re introduced to a whole new cast of characters. It takes a bit to keep them all straight. But that’s a minor problem, to be sure.
I noticed that some lists/reviewers are tagging this as a young adult novel. I'm not sure if the author's intentions were for it to be YA There isn't any reason that a YA couldn't read it, but I didn't feel like it was necessarily written to a YA, and I appreciated that. Often times, YA novels either "talk down" to the audience or try too hard to be too much.
Some things that I hope will be clarified/refined in future books in the series:
**The faith/religious part could be written a little more smoothly. It felt awkward or forced at times. I don’t mind the presence of it at all, I just think it could be smoothed out a bit. It almost felt like the author was nervous to bring it up.
**I’d like to know more about the 3 alien species…why are they attacking us? Who are they? What are their beliefs? It seems like the easy way out to paint them all as the bad guy without letting us get to know them and decide for ourselves.
**While I understand that Scott is intended to be the star of the show, I do hope a few of the characters from the supporting cast will continue to be in the novel and that we can get to know them better.
I’m excited to delve into the next book in the series.
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