The Parent

Imperium: Mech #1

by B.V. Larson

Bio-tech aliens battle Mechs built by humans!

After centuries in stasis, a lost task force returns home. Arriving from the infinite void the surviving ships discover that the Imperium lies in ruin. The Homeworld itself is destroyed, and nothing lives in the Ancestral System except an infestation of unknown bipedal beings - creatures soft, red of blood and warm of flesh...

When you colonize a planet, make sure the owners aren't coming back...

MECH is the story of a new Earth colony built upon the ancient Homeworld of a civilization presumed (incorrectly) to be long dead. MECH is a full novel, 90,000 words in length...

Author's Disclaimer: Mech is a strange book (even by my standards). It's extremely popular, and everyone either loves it or hates it. Mech is a fast, fun read with a weird sense of humor. Think of it as a dark comedy, like a zombie movie. The story is meant to entertain, and nothing else. Read the sample! -BVL

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Space Opera, Ebooks, Military Science Fiction, Action

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Brian Larson is an American science fiction and fantasy author

Reviews

[Branden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this book.

In this novel, the story and its telling are competent, and adequately follow the basic structures necessary to hold a book together, so at least on this level, "The Parent" is readable. I was able to finish the book without issue -- it is, if nothing else, a quick read.

However, the worldbuilding is inconsistent and the reader never gets a grasp on what the situation of the characters. By this I mean, the levels of technology change frequently (why have thoroughly modern helicopters flying alongside your anti-grav sci-fi "flitters"?). The characters are flat and nearly sans backstories. Even the main characters' identities rely almost entirely on stereotypes.

And as for the main plot, well, I seriously believe this story began as Starcraft fan fiction. The conflict is between warring factions of human colonists against an alien invader which is beat-for-beat identical to Starcraft's Zerg.

Even judging this story as military science fiction, pretending that applying this sub-genre label can excuse laziness and weakness in the non-military aspects of the story, "The Parent" is uninteresting and gives no new situations or dynamics than anything you haven't seen or read a hundred times before.

So, the verdict, two stars. Not great, not good, but not completely terrible.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Failed the suspended reality test. Sure in all the multi-verse everything that can happen must but Zerg aliens that can tap right into "fluid-optic" networks upends reality. One its light, two is multi frequency, three its terabits of data, forth its bits baby, and five fluid? really? We use glass for a reason -refraction, reflection, absorption, pumping and doping. So maybe that complaint is because of my background :)

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the book is very weird. An I believe that the fact that I did not read the first book in the series did not help it.
I've also nearly quit it.
So I jump further ahead in the book and got hooked on all the frenzied action that is going on, and there's a lot of it. Mind you.

However, I've felt that I'm missing some details. Some background. Missing the causes and reasons for various conflicts. So, I had to go back to the beginning of the book and start reading again. In a hope that I would gain valuable insight of the history and relationships, and get some much needed explanations for my questions.
Unfortunately, after completing the missing part, I was non the wiser.
There are not much answers or buildup at the beginning. So, I left with my questions unanswered.

Anyway, it has a very good action, there is no dull moment here.
Finally, I'm glad that I did not quit it.
It is not perfect, it lacks some explanations and build up. Prelude of the world in the book and has some answers to give, but what it lacks in the dynamic and environment it replenish with good battles.

Let's see what the next chapter will bring :)

[Tommy Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I was perusing Barnes & Noble's sci-fi eBook selection and I ran across a book called Mech. It was, like, three or four bucks. The description was very first-person, in that it was obviously the author describing the book. That made me suspect that it was self-published. But it sounded interesting and was only a few bucks. So I bit.

(And, indeed, looking up the book just now, I see that it is an eBook-only self-published book. And it's $2.99.)

And I'm glad I grabbed it. It's a blast. The author describes his work as a fast, fun read that is meant to entertain, and nothing else. And that's an accurate description.

Yeah, it's not Shakespeare. The fairly intricate plot doesn't really lead to the conclusion as well as it could. But so what? It's fun. The characters are likable, even the villains. I looked forward to reading it each night. And I bought the second in the series.

Additionally, Larson writes well. The book doesn't scream self-published. It's not up there with Scalzi's best stuff. But, on the other hand, I sure enjoyed it more than The Android's Dream.

One other thing: Despite the title, the book doesn't really revolve around the Mechs in the book. I'm not sure why the book is titled after them. It's not a problem. But this is more organic sci-fi than mechanical sci-fi.

[Julian · Rating 1 out of 5]

As much as it pains me to say so, this is the lowest ever score I have given to BV Larson. Until this book, I don't think I have given anything other than 5 stars to over 12 previous books from this author. I just found the story small in scope, very slow action, meandering dull story lines and poorly thought out tech. For me, after giving 5 stars to his Star Force and Undying Mercenaries series, it was a shock to be so underwhelmed by this one. I will pretend this series does not exist and will continue to absolutely love BV Larson's other scifi series.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review of The Parent (Imperium: Mech #1) by B.V. Larson: (Published 2020 – Series: Imperium: Mech)

With The Parent, B.V. Larson kicks off a fast-paced, brutal, and surprisingly emotional sci-fi series that mixes military action, mech warfare, and interstellar intrigue with a core that’s deeply personal. This isn’t just another “shoot-the-aliens” tale. It’s about blood, betrayal, and the pain of parenthood in the age of cybernetic empires.

The story centers on Jon—ex-soldier, widower, and most heartbreakingly, a parent who has lost everything. He’s pulled back into conflict not out of duty to a flag, but out of desperation for his estranged daughter, who has been taken—and possibly brainwashed—by the ever-expanding, soul-devouring Imperium. The twist? She’s not a hostage. She’s rising within the very enemy Jon once fought.

Larson does what he does best here: write page-turners with teeth. There’s no shortage of action. Battles rage in mech suits the size of buildings, planets fall under imperial rule, and each chapter barrels forward with cliffhangers and betrayals. But beneath the steel and plasma is a quieter war: one of loyalty, family, and broken trust. The “parent” of the title isn’t a metaphor—it’s a loaded emotional identity that keeps the heart pounding even when the guns stop.

In the Imperium universe, Larson constructs a brutal regime run not just on might, but on mind control, propaganda, and hive-tech. It's not just a question of who's stronger, but who's still themselves. Can you fight someone you love when they’re no longer fully them? Can a father save his child when she doesn’t want to be saved?

Stylistically, Larson’s writing is tight, cinematic, and accessible. He keeps the jargon light, the action frequent, and the stakes constantly escalating. He never lets sentimentality get soggy, but he also doesn’t shy away from gut-punch emotion when it counts. Jon is not a superhero—he’s broken, angry, and incredibly human. That humanity is what elevates this from pure war-fic into something much more personal and resonant.

In essence, The Parent is Terminator meets Taken, with an emotional core of Interstellar. It’s military sci-fi with a heart—gritty and relentless, but never cold. Larson shows us that in the far future, the hardest battles won’t be between armies—but between people who once loved each other.

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[Doug · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've listened to probably 20 audio books by Larson, and have thoroughly enjoyed them. The man tells a fantastic yarn. Great stories with interesting characters, and lots of humor in the mix. This book isn't like that. I made it to the 1/3 mark and decided that life was too short to carry on with this. I guess he's trying to set something up, but I still don't even know who the main characters are (or if there are any), and I haven't been given anything to care about. I'm bored and I'm done.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to like this book, but had to quit at the 25% mark as things just didn’t flow and it was, well, weird. The scenes really didn’t connect and the pace was slow. This one had a lot of potential based on the description, but as was my experience with another Larson book the writing just wasn’t very good and this one needs a good editor. I would give this one a wide pass.

[William Wilbur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book you can pick up or put down.

The plot was the good guys verses the bad guys with the invading aliens tossed in. Entertaining only when you have nothing else to do. Only a few surprises - just enough to make you pick the book up again.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like Larson’s writing and stories, but this did not... capture me for some reason.

I think it is an earlier work of his. So that might explain it. Pieces are there, but it isn’t gelling for me.

Will try the next book in the series and see if I can find “a hook”.

[allan graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Struggling

Really don't know about this series yet, as much as I love Larson's other books this one is not up to par but will stick with the series

[Mojoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. It was a good mix of sci-fi and world building. The writing carried me through the story. Well done.

[Amloid Mesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are really entertaining.

[Brian M. Carrig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of his finest work

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of B. V. Larson books. They all have been really good military science fiction books. This one is, well, strange. It does have a lot of fighting and the fighting is done by aliens versus humans, but the story is all confusing! It took me a long time to get into the story because I had no idea what it was about from the very beginning. I thought a book titled, “Mech 1”, would be about some kind of mechanical soldiers, cyborgs or something like that against some bad aliens. Well, the bad aliens were there, but the “mechs” never showed up until the very last and then they were like an after thought.

At first, we’re given a story-line about this planet, Garm, which is out on the rim of the galaxy near absolutely nothing, getting a new Governor. We’re not told much about where this Governor is coming from, just that he’s from the Nexus and he’s going to take over. Now Garm already has a Governor, some local guy who got elected locally by the Garm Senate, but never approved by the Nexus. So, were immediately plunged into some political intrigue since a local elder doesn’t want to lose control of the planet via some new Governor arriving. See, this is a Planetary Governor. He or she rules like an Emperor or Empress, but until recently, one particularly old lady controlled the strings of this appointed Governor. She did not want to lose that control.

So, while the new Governor attempts to take control of the planet, Mai Lee, the old lady, rallies her forces, the local militia, in an effort to stop the new Governor from taking office. She’s assisted by General Steinbach who is not much of a General; just out for himself. Anyway, there’s a big battle at the spaceport where incoming Governor Droad (that’s a terrible name for a main character) his elite body guards made up of superhuman know as giants are firmly entrenched.

While you got that going on, we get this story of a female smuggler and her son arranging a contract with some idiot and his idiot son. The guys name is “Daddy’ and his son is a mech or a mechanical human called “Mudface”. Apparently, Mudface got the way he is when Daddy killed him and then had second thoughts. He shoved Mudface’s brain into the belly of a mech and that’s how he came to be in his present form. Ah, yeah, pretty stupid. Well, both of these characters are lacking brains. Sarah, the female smuggler is supposed to deliver some contraband to a certain location for Daddy. She knows the payoff will be pretty good on delivery and she also knows the penalty for crossing Daddy. Ok, so this is another story-line.

Then at the same time, we meet this guy or alien, I’m not sure which, who is roaming the desert talking to himself, or at least it appears that way. He’s actually a human that apparently has voluntarily melded with an alien called the Tulk. This alien tries to control his host when it suits him while most of the time he’s just contemplating nothing. This human, Garth, just stumbles from one place to another until others of his kind start trying to contact his Tulk or Fryx as it’s called. They are trying to warn him that the Imperium is coming.

Now, while all of this is going on, we’re flung back out to space where an alien life pod is approaching Garm. It is the Imperium. On board is a Parent. She is the equivalent of a Queen to a nest of yet unborn creatures. Her intent is to land on Garm, bury herself as deep as possible and then to start birthing her Army. That’s how the Imperium conquers planets. The Parent can produce offspring that function in specific military tactics. She can produce soldiers of unmatched ferocity, or flying things that contain other soldiers inside them. She has offspring that can tunnel in the dirt and come up underneath unsuspecting targets. All of these offspring are gestated constantly and in volume by the Parent and eventually by her daughters who also become Parents. These aliens eat humans!

As you can surmise, it’s easy to get lost in this book, especially at the beginning. Eventually, all these story-lines do meld into a final story but it takes a while to get it done. Some of the action is down right disgusting, but it is science fiction. I have no idea why the author chose the title, “Mech 1” because I don’t think it has anything to do with the book. There is a Mech or company of Mechs belonging to the new Governor, but they barely have part of the story and only at the very end.

I’m not sure if I will read the second book. It’s just not that interesting and there’s too much going on.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent story about an alien invasion of a far off planet, Garm. After drifting endlessly through space, a ‘Parent’ (a female breeding creature) finds herself in the vicinity of planet of the old Imperium. She is surprised by the fact that she can detect no evidence of the Imperium and decides that they current population must have destroyed the imperium. She sets out to invade the planet with the single seed ship which she controls. Once landed she starts to birth soldiers to help conquer the planet. She is able to birth different types of creatures each of which is set for a specialised role within her army, some are flyers, some are spies, some commanders etc.
As luck would have it (or not) the new governor arrives to take control of the planet. Owing to the vagaries of space travel he has been sent by the Nexus to replace the previous governor who was killed 7 years ago. No word of his arrival has been sent in advance and he is definitely not welcome. The whole planetary government is corrupt with bribes expected and delivered as a matter of course. Those in power therefore do not welcome an official ruler for fear he will change the current system. They therefore attempt to assassinate him, but he fights back.
The question is can the various factions on the planet rally together in time to defeat the alien invaders or does this signal the end of the planet?
A really enjoyable military SF story with interesting characters and concepts. There are numerous battle scenes which are excellent written and convey the level of violence that forms the basis of the conflict between all parties.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly What I was Looking For!

I have never read or heard of this author before but have been watching the reviews for this series for some time. The reviews (good and bad) and the synopsis drew me in, so I decided to give it a chance and I am so glad I downloaded it. This book was exactly what I was looking for, a series full of fascinating intrigue and high adventure. After reading the first chapter, I went and purchased the rest of the series.

This book was very entertaining and a fast read. The story flowed smoothly from one protagonist to the next. The intricate web of the author weaved together was continually tight and on point.

I usually like to watch my SF and read my dark urban fantasy but since all the space operas are gone from the boob-tube (especially my beloved SGU) there aren’t many options out there for space-based SF entertainment besides movies. In addition, sometimes a gal just needs a break from her dark urban fantasy for a bit; especially since a lot of the DUF all seem too similar as of late, with the exception of a select few.

I highly recommend this book fellow SF readers and also recommend to fellow dark urban fantasy readers who are looking for a good space opera ful and not a space romance. I will be reading the next book in the series Mech 2: The Savant.

I also recommend:
Return to Dakistee (A Galaxy Unknown, Book 8)
Song of Scarabaeus - Sara Creasy
Night Veil (Indigo Court)
Peacekeeper: A Major Ariane Kedros Novel
Broken Mirrors - T.A. Pratt

[Eric Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um... after finally squaring off against this e-book... I'm kinda confused, and still trying to figure out what's going on. I have to say that the book, has a lot of dialogue, and descriptions, but I honestly couldn't hold my attention for very long. Maybe because it's on my computer (Amazon Kindle for PC), but it seems to jump around, and not really offer anything. The title "mech", I believe refers to the bio-robots that are loyal only to Droad. Oh by the way, there's an alien invasion that's going on. And also, there's a character that's a sworn enemy of the aliens invading the human planet. And there's machinations, and civil war going on. I was thinking three stars, but I felt that was too much, so two it is. Not sure what the point of the story was, other than aliens re-invade their world, and the brave humans, and the "mechs", who have to take humans hostage on a ship to get on the planet, save the day. And the best quote I believe was saying that Lieutenants are the smartest choice for tactical advice.

So if you're confused by this review, then read this book, and figure it out for me. Honestly it's a good effort, but hold my attention would you please?

[Per Gunnar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not sure what to write on this one. There are a lot of words that come into my mind like unintelligent, messy, nonsense, unbelievable etc. but I find it difficult to put some words around them after having read this book.

The book is quite violent. That in itself is nothing that I have something against but there has to be a purpose to the violence. Here it appears the book is written just as a frame to the violence. It’s like the book was written by a very young writer that just had a serious overdose of Starcraft or some other video game. The plot seems like it came straight out of a script for a cheap video game. It’s unintelligent, unbelievable, messy and nonsensical.

And where are the Mechs? The book blurb starts with “Bio-tech aliens battle Mechs built by humans!” but the Mechs are only appearing for a few pages in the book. I would say this is blatantly false marketing.

There’s not even some interesting characters to keep your interest going, unless you like violent sadistic psychos that is.

Definitely a disappointing book, at least for me.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with this freebie from the Kindle marketplace. Well written, nice sci-fi invasion plot, political sub-plots, characters who act the hero (or villian) for plausible reasons. Sure, it had a few weaknesses too. The she-dragon-Chinese-empress as main (human) villian was a bit overdone - bordering on a racist depiction. Must all powerful Chinese women be a screaming banshees? And the title character (Mech), perhaps the most interesting to me (Are they human? Once human?) didn't really have a role to play until the final chapters. Maybe the details of the mech story will appear in future tales in this universe.

I really appreciated that the story is a complete tale, not the typical cliff-hanger-intro-to-the-trilogy that seems too much the norm these days. I'll likely seek out more novels by this author.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is truly worrying.
Imagine, a pregnant termite Queen filled with fertilized eggs.

Now imagine that Queen, the size of a very tall obese human or larger.

Now imagine this termite Queen, merged with something from a Japanese tentacle Doujin, and it has four butts and birthing chambers....

Now imagine that one Queen, birthing specialists from different areas of the Military: Army, Marines, Navy, Air force, Black-Ops and undercover surveillance.

Imagine this Queen being able to birth her own quantum computers and having communication better than the current US military.

Imagine it wanting to kill you and your family and feeding your corpses to it's young.......

Imagine it landing here.

3/5 Stars

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

No tedious backstory, no lengthy discourses on quantum mechanics - Larson launches you straight into his universe and lays it on thick and fast. The pacing is great, and the story is captivating and is sure to please all sci-fi / space warfare / aliens type buffs (think of a cross between starcraft, aliens, warhammer 40k).

My only gripe is that it is over quickly and leaves you wanting for more! There is so much potential to expand upon - I hope Larson follows up with a sequel.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mech, Book 1 of the Imperium Series, is a surprisely fast (especially on the Kindle) and enjoyable sci-fi war novel with villains, giants, half human thingees, and aliens galore! The premise of the story is the return of an alien race to their home planet after many millennia. The planet, of course, is now home to bickering humans who try to eliminate each other and have no idea of their impending doom! I really enjoyed the aliens created by B.V. Larson!

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad for a book that I gather was never published in anything but electronic form and most likely published by the writer him or herself. It lacks a little in character development, but the ideas behind the technology and the genetic enhancements of humankind are enough to break even on points. I will agree with one of the people online who read it who said that the writer could be a bit more descriptive at times but all in all a book worth the read for sci fi enthusiasts.

[Johnny Le Bon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an entertaining light read. Typical Sci-Fi Space Opera with enhanced humans utilized for combat. They didn't have a big part in this book, but I am sure their role will grow in future books.
An alien race invades a planet full of humans, etc, etc.
Like I said, entertaining read, but it won't win a Nebula Award.
I don't know if I will continue reading the rest of the series. Too many other (better) books to read.

[Alex Crowther]

This was a decent science fiction series. The setting is not really any different from any other science fiction - mankind out in the stars, faced by an organic threat that can morph itself into a variety of different types that provide for different functions - strategist, close combat specialist etc. None of the books really stood out for me, but if you are looking for adequate science fiction, this is a series that will deliver some mindless entertainment.

[Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear military novel.
Not much is left to wonder about the contacts with another species, nor about the existing universe.
The novel jumps in and into the action, without that context that might make it something different.

Enjoyed, but not that much. Not sure if I'll jump and try to follow the series. The first book didn't impress me that much.

[Philip Cristiano · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book even though I gave it 3 stars. It was a bit slow to get started and seemed to push myself through the first 1/3 of it. After that it picks up a bit and was more enjoyable to read but isn't groundbreaking in any way. It was quite inexpensive online and worth checking out.

[David Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great aliens. They are intelligent but devoid of human characteristics. It's a frightening and engaging read.

The "Mech" title is deceiving. I'm assuming this refers to the supporting cast. Strange title and a lot of characters.