Armageddon: Expeditionary Force, Book 8

This book was wonderful.Some people think this series is getting stale, and that there's always some crazy event to react to. This book ups the stakes. There's a reason why this book is called "Armageddon". There are some revelations, and ideas I haven't heard of in other science fiction series.Craig Alanson really portrayed the rivalries between different countries in his series quite well. This series has really good representation and diversity, and alien species feel very unique.This series also has some good character development. Joe Bishop often questions himself and has many doubts, and it makes him human.There have been so many events that the Expeditionary Force had to deal with, that every time the author references them, I start getting them mixed up. It would be nice if there was a list of events that have happened so far. A timeline would be nice. Maybe a map of the galaxy would also help us imagine different locations in space. Overall, there were some moments that were confusing, such as why the main characters had to cancel a cover story.However, there is an event mentioned in this book that is quite confusing. There is mention of a Kristang attack on Wright-Patterson Air Force base, but I don't recall any such attack happening at the end of Book 7. If Craig Alanson meant for this to be backstory of what happened between books 7 and 8, he could have explained it in a clearer manner.There are also many typos in this book. I feel like the quality of the editing dropped a little from the previous books in the series. There were probably about 20-40 typos in the book, and while it didn't take me out of the story, it was a small hindrance. The beginning of the book was also a little slow, and lacked action.There was also one frustrating moment, which is a series of frustrating moments in this series. The main character, Joe, had the chance to pick up some advanced alien technology, yet didn't. I'd like to see a progression of technology, for characters and humanity to grow, to better be able to handle the alien threats out there. It keeps the story interesting and the plot moving. I felt like this was just an excuse to not write some more imaginative alien technology. However, there are advances in the technology in other ways, so that's nice.The author also had the main character say "I avoided using the temporary name 'Avalon' because part of the team resented that Eurocentric Anglo-Saxon name, or some politically correct ... I didn't care about (location 2769). While Craig Alanson has done a great job including diversity and country rivalries in his series, this comment was a little off the mark. He could have shown different countries having different opinions about what to name Avalon (I won't say what it is because I don't want to spoil it for you), but Joe's thought, above, just didn't make sense.Finally, Craig Alanson does a great job bringing his world to life. Even inanimate objects are brought to life, such as in the case of missiles that "talk" to each other.Can't wait for the next book in the series. I'm currently trying to read the Mavericks book, which is supposed to be read before this book. But that book is hard to get through because it has way too many typos and is pretty boring to read compared to book 3.5 in this series about the ExForce team stuck on Paradise.

You should know a little about the background of this reviewer first. I have been a speculative fiction aficionado since before they came up with the term "speculative fiction". Back in the day, I read damned near everything that had been published, from Frankenstein onward. My parents were SF fans and we had a lot of it in the house. One grandfather was good, lifelong friends with many of the SF writers based on the East Coast and some others besides. He himself appeared as a character in some big stories. I will not say who, because that would be name dropping. I aspired to publish some SF myself, but life happened and that aspiration is kind of back burnered. My idea of a great SF story might be written by Ursula LeGuin or Samuel R. Delaney or Stanislaw Lem or Roger Zelazny or PJF or Niven. On the other hand, most of the output from each of those authors does not qualify as truly great SF and does not qualify for five stars from me. So, you know I am picky and some might say my tastes are snobby. I do not think so. I am just conservative about keeping the highest rating from being devalued from overuse. Also, I grade on a curve. I have read volumes of SF criticisms and critiques by professionals, and Delaney's 'Jewel Hinged Jaw' kind of changed my life. I am a military veteran, and veteran of a few false starts on careers and a few odd jobs in my youth, then found where I should have been from the start, computers. I am now disabled, homebound, unable to work, even on writing, and unable to do even much reading. So, that is me. Oh, I am also an American, and one of the dreaded old, white men. I certainly never helped myself to running the world. I am an ally to minorities and women. People on the poltical left sometimes think I am on the right or perhaps a libertarian. People on the political right sometimes think I am on the left or perhaps a libertarian. Libertarians (who exist in a whole spectrum of their own) often think I am one of them or maybe an anarchist of some kind. They are all wrong, but mostly I am on the left. This matters here because philosophy and politics have always mattered to my viewpoint on a whole lot of things. That is because I see a whole lot of pbilosophical and political agendas built into what most people do and say and write, whether we are conscious of it or not, and it annoys the crap out of me when dangerously foolish ideas get foisted off on us as normal.A few months ago, I encountered Craig Alanson's 'Expeditionary Force' novels, beginning with 'Columbus Day'. I have read them in order, including Book 3.5, the 'Mavericks' novel that revisits the world its humans nicknamed 'Paradise' with the combination of sardonicism and linguistic laziness that is peculiar to ranks and files of the military for probably as long as there have been militaries. The series is great good fun and addictive and follows a large handful of soldiers and one US Marine from half a dozen or so countries who fell ack basswards into a continuing series of adventures that try to save Earth from a continuing series of threats from the two great coalitions of aliens arrayed against each other in the never-ending war that encompasses our galaxy. Each of the nine books in the series so far can be read alone but I strongly urge you to start with the first one and go in sequence. The first one reminds me a little of Edgar Rice Burroughs' first Barsoom novel; his first story of any kind. It starts out following the usual conventions, then a certain very unexpected event occurs and the story shifts gears and the high adventure really gets going. Any more on that would be a big spoiler.Once that high adventure gets going, it keeps going and so does a lot of humorous dialogue. Chiefly between our mzin protagonist, a regular guy named Joe Bishop from small-town Maine who had joined the Army to get the GI Bill and save for college, and someone named Skippy, whom he meets later in the first book. Joe is a white guy in his twenties back home in Maine after serving his active duty time overseas in the Army. This is day-after-tomorrow SF, and the world is pretty normal except Earth gets invaded by aliens right away in the first book. Pissed off that a boatload of aliens (who look and behave a lot like humans except for a sort of hamsterish appearance) has landed in the center of town, Joe tries to figure what he can do. Joe is now serving in th e reserves, and the other folks in town figure his uniform and combat experience are good enough to rally around and they gather what weapons they can and head into town to do something about the alien invaders.Before long we learn Earth has just been dragged into a very old war between the two great coalitions that the spacefaring species of our galaxy are divided into. Earth is no longer a meaningless backwater and we are in it now.The books are buddy movies and date movies and heist movies, and military SF and funny and fun. The casting is woke. Read them.

The start of the book was a bit slow, but I still enjoyed it. I love the fact that there's a larger mystery of the Milky Way shield and transporting humans to make a colony, which is fantastic. Even with the slow start, it went bunkers, and then I realized I just love when they have issues on top of issues and finding different crazy ways to solve it. The author needs to stop teasing me with Joe romance because I am upset, especially the ending. I want him in a relationship now!!This is my comfort read, scratch that, my comfort audible read. Listening to this book is better than reading.Can't wait...... so on to the next.

Well written adventure Science fiction without any fantasy elements. Characters believable and funny. Am halfway through the series and will finish it, am totally hooked.

Finally, the story becomes really interesting versus entertaining. This episode was what I was waiting for. I'm really looking forward to what's next.

This book does not pick up directly after book 7. There is a story between them. That story is in another medium; radio play, or audible or something. This book has references to the between story. This book does not include a recap or synopsis of the between story.

More supreme awesomeness, can't get enough of this series.

venia en perfecto estado 100% recomendado

Awesomeness, definitely awesomeness. Man, I missed that shiny beer can, well, the monk...er, humans too. While the end seemed a bit rushed, this was an excellent addition to a fantastic series. Let's hope the author's three year plan turns into something much longer, as we need more adventures in both of the series he has set in this universe. The garage can wait.

De vorige boeken in deze reeks vond ik steeds minder interessant worden. Voor mij is het sterke uit deze reeks vooral de interactie tussen Skippy en Joe maar zeker ook de vragen waar Skippy vandaan komt en wat de Elders nu precies waren en waar zij zijn. Op die vragen wordt in dit boek iets meer verteld (en je ziet daar alweer een volgende deel in). In dit boek komen gelukkig niet veel ellenlange beschrijvingen van ruimtegevechten (ik blader daar snel doorheen om te zien hoe het afgelopen is (tip: eigenlijk altijd goed)) en iets meer "science". Ik hoop dat de schrijver in het volgende boek tot een mooie afronding komt rond Skippy, de Elders en de dreiging van buiten. Het heeft lang genoeg geduurd.

I am reading these books since the beginning. (Actually read and listen them multiple times and makes me laugh every time) Now this book, (and I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it yet) I knew something like this will happen in one of the book. I was kind of expecting it Craig ! I am looking forward to see how the barrels of monkey will get out of this. Simply it is a great book again and I hope this won't be the last trouble what the monkey get themselves into! ( It surely cannot be because of the unintended consequences).Audio book?? I cannot wait to listen how Bray going to give voices to all these emotions going on in this book!