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Crimson Worlds #1
Marines
Erik Cain joined the marines to get off death row. The deal was simple; enlist to fight in space and he would be pardoned for all his crimes.
In the 23rd Century, assault troops go to war wearing AI-assisted, nuclear-powered armor, but it is still men and blood that win battles. From one brutal campaign to the next, Erik and his comrades fight an increasingly desperate war over the resource rich colony worlds that have become vital to the economies of Earth's exhausted and despotic Superpowers.
As Erik rises through the ranks he finally finds a home, first with the marines who fight at his side and later among the colonists - men and women who have dared to leave everything behind to build a new society on the frontier, one where the freedoms and rights lost long ago on Earth are preserved.
Amidst the blood and death and sacrifice, Erik begins to wonder. Is he fighting the right war? Who is the real enemy?
In the 23rd Century, assault troops go to war wearing AI-assisted, nuclear-powered armor, but it is still men and blood that win battles. From one brutal campaign to the next, Erik and his comrades fight an increasingly desperate war over the resource rich colony worlds that have become vital to the economies of Earth's exhausted and despotic Superpowers.
As Erik rises through the ranks he finally finds a home, first with the marines who fight at his side and later among the colonists - men and women who have dared to leave everything behind to build a new society on the frontier, one where the freedoms and rights lost long ago on Earth are preserved.
Amidst the blood and death and sacrifice, Erik begins to wonder. Is he fighting the right war? Who is the real enemy?
236 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2012
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1509 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
January 29, 2016
I wanted to like this book...I mean I really WANTED to. I love military science fiction and good military fantasy. I'm good with a well done space opera. I have of late been in the mood for a well done military science fiction read.
No go. I read 2 that were at best mediocre and now this one...
I got it from Audible based on it's synopsis (and returned it based on it's quality). It sounded like one I'd really like. I should have "listened" to the reviews. I don't recall who put this in a review but I don't want to plagiarize and I do want to give credit where it's due so I'll simply say one of the other reviewers said this was like an "outline". Another said it read like poor "fan fiction".
I must agree. With a mediocre reader and a text which reads like an extended "outline" there are enough problems. Add to that the "Marty-Stu or Gary-Stu" type protagonist .
I'm sorry. I mean that I'm really sorry. I have given up on finding a good military science fiction read I haven't already read for a while (I'm not really looking for "space fleet" action right now. I was hoping for some good future "ground pounder" action.) I'm starting a fantasy...this one burned me and I'm in mourning.
It should have been much better than it is. I can't recommend it and it drops all the way to 1 star as I gave up and returned the book at about the halfway mark. Too bad.
No go. I read 2 that were at best mediocre and now this one...
I got it from Audible based on it's synopsis (and returned it based on it's quality). It sounded like one I'd really like. I should have "listened" to the reviews. I don't recall who put this in a review but I don't want to plagiarize and I do want to give credit where it's due so I'll simply say one of the other reviewers said this was like an "outline". Another said it read like poor "fan fiction".
I must agree. With a mediocre reader and a text which reads like an extended "outline" there are enough problems. Add to that the "Marty-Stu or Gary-Stu" type protagonist .
I'm sorry. I mean that I'm really sorry. I have given up on finding a good military science fiction read I haven't already read for a while (I'm not really looking for "space fleet" action right now. I was hoping for some good future "ground pounder" action.) I'm starting a fantasy...this one burned me and I'm in mourning.
It should have been much better than it is. I can't recommend it and it drops all the way to 1 star as I gave up and returned the book at about the halfway mark. Too bad.
January 1, 2013
Imagine you're outlining characters for a book and you write up a fairly detailed summary of the character's life.
Alternatively, if you're into RP, imagine you're writing out a character background for a character application.
Now imagine making that into a book, but keeping it all summary-like.
That's Jay Allan's book in a nutshell. It is incredibly boring and tedious. Lack of reading material means I got about 40% through before giving up. The basic problem is not the ideas Allan has (some of which were actually pretty interesting), it's that it's all too distant and summarized. Even when he does dip his toes into the pool of specificity (now that's an awkward word to say), the main character just did not come across as believable at all.
If you want a book about "space marines" that never uses the word, check out Old Man's War or, for a slightly harder sci-fi bent like this author seems to have been going for, The Forever War. Both are far better books. This one is as mediocre as its title suggests, unfortunately.
Not recommended for any reader.
Alternatively, if you're into RP, imagine you're writing out a character background for a character application.
Now imagine making that into a book, but keeping it all summary-like.
That's Jay Allan's book in a nutshell. It is incredibly boring and tedious. Lack of reading material means I got about 40% through before giving up. The basic problem is not the ideas Allan has (some of which were actually pretty interesting), it's that it's all too distant and summarized. Even when he does dip his toes into the pool of specificity (now that's an awkward word to say), the main character just did not come across as believable at all.
If you want a book about "space marines" that never uses the word, check out Old Man's War or, for a slightly harder sci-fi bent like this author seems to have been going for, The Forever War. Both are far better books. This one is as mediocre as its title suggests, unfortunately.
Not recommended for any reader.
January 19, 2015
This book is almost exactly what you'd expect given the title and description—an action war story featuring Marines based on the ideal of current US Marine forces futurized to fight wars in space. It bears no small resemblance to Heinlein's Starship Troopers, though all the forces are Earth-derived humans only a couple centuries beyond our current day.
Actually, forget the Heinlein reference. It's notable mainly for following a protagonist who rises from the ranks and includes snippets of his officer training and what it entailed. Allan, like Heinlein, glamorizes the soldiers, putting mainly the competent and honorable on stage, but while Heinlein seems to be calling out the nobility and sacrifice of his troopers as somehow intrinsic, Allan feels more like he's simply assuming the cream rises to the top in a war with continual attrition. He has a point there, as that's the dynamic we've seen (at least in the US) in any major war where capable commanders rise to larger commands while those less . . . successful tend to fall out as either casualties or simple attrition as their more capable peers rise above them.
So anyway, this is not a deep character story. And it isn't political, really (though you could divine such if pressed, I suppose, and it may become such later on). What it is, I think, is a simple action story centered on a raw recruit who makes his way up the ranks through luck, determination, and sacrifice. Erik isn't everyman, but he is an interesting one and someone I enjoyed spending some time with. Allan does a good job describing the action and details and intricacies of soldier life, but without getting bogged down in minutia. This is a real benefit later in the book as Erik takes command and rises in the ranks. Depicting the concerns of command while showing both how and why Erik is good at it takes both intimate knowledge of the subject matter and a willingness to winnow that vast field down into the essentials of personality and action during actual moments of command. And that's where Allan shines best.
All that said, while I enjoyed this book immensely, I have to confess that it won't be for everybody. I was in the mood for a good actiony Space Marine book and lucked into this one. So while it delivered exactly what I expected, it also skims over large swathes of Erik's life, including much of his time with his doctor-soldier girlfriend and entire years of boring setup and the dull routine that any soldier will probably recognize as worth skipping. The romance lover in me would normally have been devastated by these omissions, but the part wanting an action tale didn't really care. So if you're in the mood, I have to say this book is a good candidate for the craving...
Actually, forget the Heinlein reference. It's notable mainly for following a protagonist who rises from the ranks and includes snippets of his officer training and what it entailed. Allan, like Heinlein, glamorizes the soldiers, putting mainly the competent and honorable on stage, but while Heinlein seems to be calling out the nobility and sacrifice of his troopers as somehow intrinsic, Allan feels more like he's simply assuming the cream rises to the top in a war with continual attrition. He has a point there, as that's the dynamic we've seen (at least in the US) in any major war where capable commanders rise to larger commands while those less . . . successful tend to fall out as either casualties or simple attrition as their more capable peers rise above them.
So anyway, this is not a deep character story. And it isn't political, really (though you could divine such if pressed, I suppose, and it may become such later on). What it is, I think, is a simple action story centered on a raw recruit who makes his way up the ranks through luck, determination, and sacrifice. Erik isn't everyman, but he is an interesting one and someone I enjoyed spending some time with. Allan does a good job describing the action and details and intricacies of soldier life, but without getting bogged down in minutia. This is a real benefit later in the book as Erik takes command and rises in the ranks. Depicting the concerns of command while showing both how and why Erik is good at it takes both intimate knowledge of the subject matter and a willingness to winnow that vast field down into the essentials of personality and action during actual moments of command. And that's where Allan shines best.
All that said, while I enjoyed this book immensely, I have to confess that it won't be for everybody. I was in the mood for a good actiony Space Marine book and lucked into this one. So while it delivered exactly what I expected, it also skims over large swathes of Erik's life, including much of his time with his doctor-soldier girlfriend and entire years of boring setup and the dull routine that any soldier will probably recognize as worth skipping. The romance lover in me would normally have been devastated by these omissions, but the part wanting an action tale didn't really care. So if you're in the mood, I have to say this book is a good candidate for the craving...
November 27, 2014
This book was awesome. Loved the depiction of the marines, Allan described the tech without getting bogged down in details, which is better than some authors I could name. I also liked the character descriptions in the book. Allan I think has managed to strike the balance between action and character description and development quite well.
September 24, 2012
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. I am a longtime fan of military science fiction (I tend toward what you might call "realistic" space opera), though sometimes the genre can get repetitive and formulaic, so I was pleased to find that Marines offers a fresh story. It starts familiarly, with a pretty long description of a battle, but then it starts dribbling out backstory, and you realize there is a richly developed universe underlying this story.
There is a dark feel to the book, not just because of the endemic war, but also because the governments are corrupt and decadent. I was left feeling like I was watching good characters try to overcome difficult circumstances.
I thought the character develop was very good, if a little slow in coming, and I was very invested in the lead character by the end of the book. It's the first in a series, and there were some sample chapters of the second book (not out yet) at the end of my kindle version. I enjoyed these as well, and am looking forward to the next book.
If you like in-depth backgrounds and flawed heroes struggling against difficult circumstances, this is a great book.
There is a dark feel to the book, not just because of the endemic war, but also because the governments are corrupt and decadent. I was left feeling like I was watching good characters try to overcome difficult circumstances.
I thought the character develop was very good, if a little slow in coming, and I was very invested in the lead character by the end of the book. It's the first in a series, and there were some sample chapters of the second book (not out yet) at the end of my kindle version. I enjoyed these as well, and am looking forward to the next book.
If you like in-depth backgrounds and flawed heroes struggling against difficult circumstances, this is a great book.
October 23, 2013
Poor execution. We start off being flung off a ship into battle with the newbie (our main character). Unfortunately, after a good amount of time I still hsve no idea who they are fighting or why...and I know nothing about the msin character that makes me care to find out. Too bad. Those battle suits were potentially awesome.
March 16, 2015
Bland military sci-fi setting. Completely cardboard main character, barely any interaction with supporting characters. Written almost memoir style, but not quite. Action scenes lack impact, sci-fi tech lacks anything interesting, politics and strategy involved are boring and pointless.
There's nothing here that isn't done better elsewhere.
There's nothing here that isn't done better elsewhere.
December 11, 2020
After reading all the prequels for this large SiFi series I was looking forward to the opening book. I was not disappointed in any way. The books takes off from page one and never stops till the ending that leaves you wanting to grab the next book in the series. Excellent military SiFi writing. I am looking forward to seeing where the writer takes the story. Very recommended
October 15, 2012
I really liked this book. It was well written and has just the kind of military science fiction I like to read. It's fast paced yet takes the time to tell the reader what is happening and why. There is a little back and forth at the beginning where the main character, already in the Marines, has to go back and tell you how he got there. I don't think his story would be any different than some hard luck types of the 1940s who were "allowed' to join the services or go to jail. Judges did that back then when a war was going on and the military didn't really care what kind of person they got because they were either going to figure out how to fight and survive or they were dead. This is the same situation. The only thing the military offers over their current lives is the ability to be trained in how to fight and survive. You usually don't last long if you try to do this on your own.
Anyway, our main character is in the Marines. Not your typical earth-bound ground pounders but the space kind that launch from orbit and hit an alien planet with their fully armored, environmentally sealed, fighting suits. Man, what a way to go into battle; as long as the other guys doesn't have armor, that is. I can't imagine going into a firefight with the immediately available knowledge of where my buddies are, where I am, and knowing that if I get hurt, I can get patched up pretty quickly. Usually your so scared that you're only focusing on the guy next to you even if you can't remember his name. You hope your training kicks in because right now you don't remember how to do anything or so you think. Once you get into the bush you're alone. There's no HUD showing you where everyone is at; you just know where you're at and afraid to stick you head up to see if anyone is close to you. It would be nice to have some kind of chatter going over a radio built into your helmet, but, no, your helmet is a piece of steel that hopefully will slightly deflect a bullet or it's even plastic called kevlar that's supposed to be stronger than steel but again you remember that all your stuff was built by the lowest bidder! Space armor! Man, why didn't that think of that stuff way back when?
Anyway, our guy, Erik Cain, is our future Marine with all the stuff that goes with it. His training is extensive considering it lasts years and years. I don't know how they manage to get anyone into their wars with the length of training he goes through. He should be thoroughly ready to handle anything after his long, long training period. But, no matter how long you get trained, some guys can handle themselves by using it and others just die. Our guys does pretty well. His battles are brutal because it seems that everyone has the same capabilities so all his fancy armor doesn't do much good. In the end, he gets his ticket to the hospital which usually means a ticket home but not for the future soldier. He's rebuilt and sent right back to the war. What a wonder though to have will you're lying in your hospital bed to know that as soon as you get well, you're going right back to get shot at again! What a wonderful life. Maybe you'll do everything right this time! Oh, yeah, getting yourself blown up the first time wasn't exactly your fault but well, we'll give you another chance anyway!
Ok, I read this book and for the most part I liked it. There's a little too much happening to this guy to actually believe it would happen that way. I guess the fastest way to get promoted is to have everyone a head of you die but that doesn't seem to be very productive. If that happened all the time, very few of the "experienced" guys would have any experience at all and they would just be the next in line to get killed. Still, Cain manages to survive and does get promoted very fast. The author does seem to skip some pretty significant rank structure along the way but when your short of soldiers, I guess that can be expected.
Read the book. You'll like it if you like military science fiction. I'm hoping there's more to come in this series and that it doesn't take too long to get the next book published.
Anyway, our main character is in the Marines. Not your typical earth-bound ground pounders but the space kind that launch from orbit and hit an alien planet with their fully armored, environmentally sealed, fighting suits. Man, what a way to go into battle; as long as the other guys doesn't have armor, that is. I can't imagine going into a firefight with the immediately available knowledge of where my buddies are, where I am, and knowing that if I get hurt, I can get patched up pretty quickly. Usually your so scared that you're only focusing on the guy next to you even if you can't remember his name. You hope your training kicks in because right now you don't remember how to do anything or so you think. Once you get into the bush you're alone. There's no HUD showing you where everyone is at; you just know where you're at and afraid to stick you head up to see if anyone is close to you. It would be nice to have some kind of chatter going over a radio built into your helmet, but, no, your helmet is a piece of steel that hopefully will slightly deflect a bullet or it's even plastic called kevlar that's supposed to be stronger than steel but again you remember that all your stuff was built by the lowest bidder! Space armor! Man, why didn't that think of that stuff way back when?
Anyway, our guy, Erik Cain, is our future Marine with all the stuff that goes with it. His training is extensive considering it lasts years and years. I don't know how they manage to get anyone into their wars with the length of training he goes through. He should be thoroughly ready to handle anything after his long, long training period. But, no matter how long you get trained, some guys can handle themselves by using it and others just die. Our guys does pretty well. His battles are brutal because it seems that everyone has the same capabilities so all his fancy armor doesn't do much good. In the end, he gets his ticket to the hospital which usually means a ticket home but not for the future soldier. He's rebuilt and sent right back to the war. What a wonder though to have will you're lying in your hospital bed to know that as soon as you get well, you're going right back to get shot at again! What a wonderful life. Maybe you'll do everything right this time! Oh, yeah, getting yourself blown up the first time wasn't exactly your fault but well, we'll give you another chance anyway!
Ok, I read this book and for the most part I liked it. There's a little too much happening to this guy to actually believe it would happen that way. I guess the fastest way to get promoted is to have everyone a head of you die but that doesn't seem to be very productive. If that happened all the time, very few of the "experienced" guys would have any experience at all and they would just be the next in line to get killed. Still, Cain manages to survive and does get promoted very fast. The author does seem to skip some pretty significant rank structure along the way but when your short of soldiers, I guess that can be expected.
Read the book. You'll like it if you like military science fiction. I'm hoping there's more to come in this series and that it doesn't take too long to get the next book published.
November 5, 2014
Save Your Money and, Most Importantly, Your Time. Do Not Read This Book
I’m breaking my typically impersonal tone because this is the first 1 star I have given (since I started reviewing) and, in this instance, I feel it’s important to express myself in a somewhat colloquial nature.
I came to this story through ‘Stars & Empire: 10 Galactic Tales’ and I am so glad that it wasn’t an ARC—I stopped reading several pages in. I tried to continue, trust me I did, but I was glad I didn’t ‘have’ to finish it, therefore, saving myself time and energy doing so. I hope this review will help save yours. My reasons for stopping are as follows: the writing was incredibly unsophisticated and unpolished; the jumping between tenses was often painfully incorrect; the name choices of character, places and objects didn’t seem very original (sometimes confusing too—it took me till just now, when returning to my notes and reread, that the Guadalcanal was actually a ship!). At first I thought Jay Allan may have had military experience himself and a lot of these references were paying personal homages but my online scouring suggests this probably isn't the case. Either way this was another unnecessarily jarring issue; there was a distinct lack of editing—typos, punctuation problems and repetition; whilst I did enjoy reading about the fighting suits, unfortunately their descriptions those of certain other areas just seemed lazy and expository.
All in all I would advise: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK and, EVEN IF YOU GET IT FOR FREE, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME READING IT!
In better news, I was surprised to see how prolific this writer is and the amount of books he’s published in just a few years. This ‘practice’ has shown some positive results for both Jay and the reader, since his latest story, a bonus in S & E that followed ‘Marines’, was actually an improvement—albeit by a star. It was much more tolerable then the first and I therefore finished it! You can find a separate write up for that either under my reviews or on the book itself—‘The Gates of Hell: Crimson Worlds Prequel #3’
Jay Allan does say that it’s world building he enjoys most. So, whilst he is honing his craft, maybe that’s what he should stick to; he could find a cowriter to write the copy.
I’m breaking my typically impersonal tone because this is the first 1 star I have given (since I started reviewing) and, in this instance, I feel it’s important to express myself in a somewhat colloquial nature.
I came to this story through ‘Stars & Empire: 10 Galactic Tales’ and I am so glad that it wasn’t an ARC—I stopped reading several pages in. I tried to continue, trust me I did, but I was glad I didn’t ‘have’ to finish it, therefore, saving myself time and energy doing so. I hope this review will help save yours. My reasons for stopping are as follows: the writing was incredibly unsophisticated and unpolished; the jumping between tenses was often painfully incorrect; the name choices of character, places and objects didn’t seem very original (sometimes confusing too—it took me till just now, when returning to my notes and reread, that the Guadalcanal was actually a ship!). At first I thought Jay Allan may have had military experience himself and a lot of these references were paying personal homages but my online scouring suggests this probably isn't the case. Either way this was another unnecessarily jarring issue; there was a distinct lack of editing—typos, punctuation problems and repetition; whilst I did enjoy reading about the fighting suits, unfortunately their descriptions those of certain other areas just seemed lazy and expository.
All in all I would advise: DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK and, EVEN IF YOU GET IT FOR FREE, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME READING IT!
In better news, I was surprised to see how prolific this writer is and the amount of books he’s published in just a few years. This ‘practice’ has shown some positive results for both Jay and the reader, since his latest story, a bonus in S & E that followed ‘Marines’, was actually an improvement—albeit by a star. It was much more tolerable then the first and I therefore finished it! You can find a separate write up for that either under my reviews or on the book itself—‘The Gates of Hell: Crimson Worlds Prequel #3’
Jay Allan does say that it’s world building he enjoys most. So, whilst he is honing his craft, maybe that’s what he should stick to; he could find a cowriter to write the copy.
February 25, 2013
This is hands down one of the worst (sci-fi) books i've read in a long time.
The first person narrative is one that is really hard to use well, and the author
simply does not even use the few advantages of that narrative.
There is just hand full of dialogues in this book, and most of those are
horrible. It feels quite weird when he switches from past to present in
those dialogues, just to switch right back to past again.
The book would be a decent outline/background plot for a story, if you can
overlook logical errors to the tech - however it completely lacks
character development, conflict, suspense, detail.
Just to give a few examples (SPOILERS!!!):
When the protagonist wakes up in hospital and meets the female
doctor who kinda becomes his girlfriend later, there would have been a
good story to tell.
All the Author comes up with is a few smiles, and the mention that he flirts
with her. Not much more about how what why. Later, when he meets her again,
after the hospital, out of nowhere they seem to be a couple.
Basically the same happens with one of the superiors of the protagonist,
they meet two times, the second time its mentioned that they had a bottle
of booze together and the superior being less drunk brought the protagonist
to bed.
A few pages later hes suddenly a good friend, father figure and mentor.
The author manages to establish a background for the protagonist who used
to live in the streets, run with a gang, and pretty much came to the marines
right from death row - does he ever use that background? No. It gets mentioned
that with his training as a marine he left that life behind.
I'm going to skip ranting about the "only soldiers are the good guys here,
civilians and politicians and everyone is bad"-part because that i can actually
live with in a military-sci-fi novell.
Bottom Line: if you want a background setting to create a rpg on, or some
shooter computer game, this book might be a useful source - reading it for fun
just does not work out.
The first person narrative is one that is really hard to use well, and the author
simply does not even use the few advantages of that narrative.
There is just hand full of dialogues in this book, and most of those are
horrible. It feels quite weird when he switches from past to present in
those dialogues, just to switch right back to past again.
The book would be a decent outline/background plot for a story, if you can
overlook logical errors to the tech - however it completely lacks
character development, conflict, suspense, detail.
Just to give a few examples (SPOILERS!!!):
When the protagonist wakes up in hospital and meets the female
doctor who kinda becomes his girlfriend later, there would have been a
good story to tell.
All the Author comes up with is a few smiles, and the mention that he flirts
with her. Not much more about how what why. Later, when he meets her again,
after the hospital, out of nowhere they seem to be a couple.
Basically the same happens with one of the superiors of the protagonist,
they meet two times, the second time its mentioned that they had a bottle
of booze together and the superior being less drunk brought the protagonist
to bed.
A few pages later hes suddenly a good friend, father figure and mentor.
The author manages to establish a background for the protagonist who used
to live in the streets, run with a gang, and pretty much came to the marines
right from death row - does he ever use that background? No. It gets mentioned
that with his training as a marine he left that life behind.
I'm going to skip ranting about the "only soldiers are the good guys here,
civilians and politicians and everyone is bad"-part because that i can actually
live with in a military-sci-fi novell.
Bottom Line: if you want a background setting to create a rpg on, or some
shooter computer game, this book might be a useful source - reading it for fun
just does not work out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 27, 2013
This book is a first person account of a futuristic Marine's experiences as he rises from a broken life. I tend to enjoy well-done first person novels, though there aren't too many that do a really good job. This is one of them.
The book reads more or less like a journal or memoir, which means there is a little less dialogue than you might find in a third person novel. I've seen it noted in a couple of the other reviews, but I felt there was plenty. The main dialogue is the main character with the reader, telling his story.
There were a couple big pluses:
1. It is tightly written. The author is quite talented at writing prose. The characters, especially the main character, come to life. There were one or two small typos, but overall it was a clean, smooth read.
2. The backstory is deep and figures into almost every chapter. The author gives it out a little at a time, but there is a vast and well-thought out future history here, one with a fairly dystopian outlook. If you like well thought out settings, you should enjoy this book.
3. The science and tech is plausibly put forth. The author clearly has a reasonable knowledge in this area.
4. The military aspects ring true. The tactics seem very realistic and plausible.
I didn't think there were many negatives. There are a lot of battle scenes. I could see some readers finding that tedious, but I very much enjoyed it.
As I said, the story is somewhat like a journal, and there is sometimes a considerable gap in time between chapters. It is just like a memoir recounting the major events of a life, and I loved it. But I could see some readers thinking the story moves too quickly or skips over some things.
Overall a great read and the first book in an excellent military SF series.
The book reads more or less like a journal or memoir, which means there is a little less dialogue than you might find in a third person novel. I've seen it noted in a couple of the other reviews, but I felt there was plenty. The main dialogue is the main character with the reader, telling his story.
There were a couple big pluses:
1. It is tightly written. The author is quite talented at writing prose. The characters, especially the main character, come to life. There were one or two small typos, but overall it was a clean, smooth read.
2. The backstory is deep and figures into almost every chapter. The author gives it out a little at a time, but there is a vast and well-thought out future history here, one with a fairly dystopian outlook. If you like well thought out settings, you should enjoy this book.
3. The science and tech is plausibly put forth. The author clearly has a reasonable knowledge in this area.
4. The military aspects ring true. The tactics seem very realistic and plausible.
I didn't think there were many negatives. There are a lot of battle scenes. I could see some readers finding that tedious, but I very much enjoyed it.
As I said, the story is somewhat like a journal, and there is sometimes a considerable gap in time between chapters. It is just like a memoir recounting the major events of a life, and I loved it. But I could see some readers thinking the story moves too quickly or skips over some things.
Overall a great read and the first book in an excellent military SF series.
September 13, 2018
Book Type: Audible
Length: 10h 27m
If you are looking for a snooze-fest, self-pleasuring military hero story, here you go.
I don't have real problem with the world that Mr. Allan created, it is a bit bland, filled with tropes and seems unexamined. However this is a common thing so that itself doesn't make me fail it fully.
The character itself is a great example of a male version of a Mary Sue (I believe they are called Gary Stu's). He comes from a family that were middle class or higher whose fate turns and makes them poor. He becomes a hardcore gangmember criminal who is rescued by the Marines.
All of that would be fine, except then the Marines take him in and within two or three years of his life, and within a single book here, he is promoted from grunt to Battalion Commander. The youngest commander, beloved by his commander who saves the day many times.
Even with that story doesn't fully bring this rating down. The writing is the problem in the end. The story is boring, the combat scenes do not evoke anything for me except boredom. His relationships are very flimsy, almost cardboard cutout like settings and it just seems he was pushing to get through the story of Cain becoming commander, instead of actually telling his story completely.
In my opinion, the book is not worth it just on that part. It is long, boring with no payoff.
Length: 10h 27m
If you are looking for a snooze-fest, self-pleasuring military hero story, here you go.
I don't have real problem with the world that Mr. Allan created, it is a bit bland, filled with tropes and seems unexamined. However this is a common thing so that itself doesn't make me fail it fully.
The character itself is a great example of a male version of a Mary Sue (I believe they are called Gary Stu's). He comes from a family that were middle class or higher whose fate turns and makes them poor. He becomes a hardcore gangmember criminal who is rescued by the Marines.
All of that would be fine, except then the Marines take him in and within two or three years of his life, and within a single book here, he is promoted from grunt to Battalion Commander. The youngest commander, beloved by his commander who saves the day many times.
Even with that story doesn't fully bring this rating down. The writing is the problem in the end. The story is boring, the combat scenes do not evoke anything for me except boredom. His relationships are very flimsy, almost cardboard cutout like settings and it just seems he was pushing to get through the story of Cain becoming commander, instead of actually telling his story completely.
In my opinion, the book is not worth it just on that part. It is long, boring with no payoff.
February 20, 2014
The book is actually decent but it is written almost entirely without dialog, to such a degree that the first half is literally 95-98% dialogue free. So, while first person narrative is at least detailed, at times is too much like a monologue recitation of the war's progress in past tense and while interesting to watch author sort through creating his universe in long pages of exposition, it's not very compelling.
In other words, if you want nuclear powered armor space soldiers, read John Steakley's Armor or the original Starship Troopers by Heinlein (different than movie) instead. At least they are more geo-political, plot-twisting, thought provoking, and convey loss (even over characters barely introduced) better than this clinical "war history" narrative.
Still, if buying on Kindle, its cheap and not bad (add some dialog and personality it could be great actually) but proof you can get what you pay for going with traditionally published books
In other words, if you want nuclear powered armor space soldiers, read John Steakley's Armor or the original Starship Troopers by Heinlein (different than movie) instead. At least they are more geo-political, plot-twisting, thought provoking, and convey loss (even over characters barely introduced) better than this clinical "war history" narrative.
Still, if buying on Kindle, its cheap and not bad (add some dialog and personality it could be great actually) but proof you can get what you pay for going with traditionally published books
July 26, 2015
Where do I start?
The writing style is awful. The use of first person has created a dry, boring and tedious read that at one point had me thinking I was reading Jane's Infantry Weapons rather than a story. There are little sparkles of prose every now and then but it lies flat almost all the way.
The world building and background feels like it has been lifted from a multiplicity of sci-fi sources and mixed together with a small spoon.
Lacklustre with no feeling of originality or unique facets makes the world too much of a generic template to make it come alive and the writing style kills any chance of that anyway.
Save your money and look at more established authors from the pulp military sci-fi publishers. Bring on the Dorsai please!
The writing style is awful. The use of first person has created a dry, boring and tedious read that at one point had me thinking I was reading Jane's Infantry Weapons rather than a story. There are little sparkles of prose every now and then but it lies flat almost all the way.
The world building and background feels like it has been lifted from a multiplicity of sci-fi sources and mixed together with a small spoon.
Lacklustre with no feeling of originality or unique facets makes the world too much of a generic template to make it come alive and the writing style kills any chance of that anyway.
Save your money and look at more established authors from the pulp military sci-fi publishers. Bring on the Dorsai please!
September 17, 2013
The book was OK. I suggest fans of military scifi give it a whirl and see for themselves. I say this because there is a lot to like such as powered armor, squad level tactics, etc. The detracting part for me is the style reads much like an autobiography. It is in the 1st person and reads like: I moved in and attacked, the explosion pushed me to the ground, I saw them off to my right... The dialogue was minimal as was any 3rd party interaction/character development. If you get your hands on a copy of the book, give it a try and see if the writing style is for you as there are good points to the book, if not you will know right away and can put it down.
June 13, 2019
Tā īsti nepatika. Sižets tāds pašatkārtojošs, galvenā varoņa karjeras izaugsme nepamatota un beigu nav vispār. Ļoti viegla lasāmviela, bet tālāk es ar to sevi nenodarbināšu.
July 10, 2020
Joining the Marines seemed a great idea for Erik. Better than death row. Not as simple as it sounded. Intriguing.
February 7, 2017
It all began with the 'wrong' book. I stumbled across a Jay Allan audiobook, "Into The Darkness", and absolutely loved it! After looking up Jay Allan's books, though, I discovered that that one was far, far into his multiple series, although it was the first in its own series. (I didn't feel as if I had missed out on anything, even though I could tell that there were Stories To Be Told which came before. Good writing!) My husband is the one who got me started reading military science fiction, so I told him about it. He likes to start at The Beginning...which is this book, "Marines". I told him so, then started reading it myself, despite the fact that I was reading another book. I finished "Marines" first; did not especially care for the first-person 'memoir' style, but based on his other book(s) still want to read many more of his stories! Soon! :)
March 5, 2013
I am positively delighted to have discovered a new series of scifi marine combat action. The scenarios are believable, the characters developed and engaging, and the tactics and weapons realistic. Unlike B.V. Larson's series, the bad guys and weapons systems are plausible and the romantic interest of the protagonist is delightful. The Crimson Worlds series is well written and edited. It flows smoothly. The author creates an interesting version of 23rd century Earth political dysfunctionality and a young hero bent on always being faithful. All thumbs up. Thank you.
August 13, 2013
Lots of info dumps for world building, some of it repetitive in nature. Lots of telling and not much showing. Battles that lack details, an uninteresting and boring character. The end is the standard government plots against armed forces they think are a liability.
I've a lot of reasons to dislike this book my main one is that anything I really wanted to know more about the author just shades around and leaves blank. If you want a powered armor military scifi almost any other book would be better. This is just lazy.
I've a lot of reasons to dislike this book my main one is that anything I really wanted to know more about the author just shades around and leaves blank. If you want a powered armor military scifi almost any other book would be better. This is just lazy.
September 7, 2017
Strictly military science fiction, September 4, 2017
This review is from: Marines: Crimson Worlds 1 (Kindle Edition)
This book is more military fiction than it is science fiction. The science fiction is that the story is set in the future, the combat taking place on different worlds and in space, using speculative weapons. Change a few words and this could be straight military fiction taking place anywhere. It is a simple, but interesting, narrative of events with almost no character development at all. It ends a bit abruptly, setting the stage for a sequel.
This review is from: Marines: Crimson Worlds 1 (Kindle Edition)
This book is more military fiction than it is science fiction. The science fiction is that the story is set in the future, the combat taking place on different worlds and in space, using speculative weapons. Change a few words and this could be straight military fiction taking place anywhere. It is a simple, but interesting, narrative of events with almost no character development at all. It ends a bit abruptly, setting the stage for a sequel.
January 13, 2013
Was interested at my first glance at this book and Jay didn't disappoint. Had great plot and detail of a futuristic earth and space. The idea was dark seedy and enjoyable. Then there was the space and land battles the sci fi aspects of the future that just added to it. Great book and hope the next is as good
June 4, 2015
Read this in the Stars & Empire anthology. I'm sorry to say that i didn't like it. It was very monotonous and maybe because i usually like a little more romance and/or story line than just we went to this place and fought and lost this many people, over and over. The only things i found remotely interesting was the ability to regrow lost limbs that he went through relatively early in the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2014
I somehow finished this. Even though the beginning was interesting to read about, I didn't like the writing style. There were maybe 5 dialogues throughout the whole book. Not that I expected a novel full of dialogues, but I prefer a balance between action scenes and dialogue.
December 6, 2016
Just finished the first book in this collection. I so wanted to like the book. All the elements are there. But for me it read like a report compiled by the author to be sent to some bureaucrat for evaluation. Very one-dimensional. Such a pity. Will try book 2. Maybe there is an improvement.
October 20, 2012
As a long tine fan of military sci-fi, I found this book hits the sweet spot perfectly. If you enjoy authors like Kratman, Ringo and others of the genre this is a book to add to your bookshelf.
July 18, 2013
I could not get into this book at all.
The writing style came across as telling, not showing, and the characters were totally flat.
I gave up after about the third chapter.
The writing style came across as telling, not showing, and the characters were totally flat.
I gave up after about the third chapter.
December 23, 2013
Well-written, very traditional military science fiction. First of a series.
March 1, 2019
Why do we fight? Reading Jay Allan's "Marines" it's so everybody can tell Erik Cain how awesome he is....repeatedly.
Military sci-fi is always hit or miss and often leans too heavily on actual military as an easy crutch. There's a tendency to fetishize military service to the point where one character in this novel actually says to another "Welcome to the brotherhood of command" or words to that effect. The aliens might be among us because while authors write Marines like that, humans (Marines included) don't talk like that. This books is filled with really awkward phrasings and dialogue choices of characters talking like melodramatic propaganda films rather than actual humans (Marines included).
Another major problem is that Allan summarizes LARGE periods of time that would otherwise make for interesting sections in and of themselves. By my count Here, in a future earth that's barely hanging on to social/political functionality, our Erik Cain's family is brutally murdered and he goes into hiding as a teenager. He joins a youth gang to survive and for the next five years does a lot of bad stuff before facing the gas chamber and being given an offer to join the Space Marines.
We don't know what he did during those 5 years because the book doesn't tell OR show us. It just zooms right past it in a sentence or two. Ditto for Cain's training time as an enlisted Marine and officer. It's apparently SOOPER intense and life-changing but can otherwise be handled in a couple sentences.
The only periods of actual real-time narrative are the random battles Cain and his Marines fight in on various plants and outposts. Why are they fighting? Because space-Marines need something to do. There are no aliens here, so it's really different geo-political Earth factions and their colonizing forces that are fighting each other. There's no differentiation or attention paid to why Cain's forces are any different or better than the "PRC" or "Caliphate" -- nor is there any real discussion of why they are battling other than: "We're at war, they're here too, we must fight them." It's not as if territory or resources are at play...
Mil sci-fi also has a problem of scale. Either stories stay too small and the reader never gets a sense of why the war matters or they grow too large too quickly. This has both. Cain, as we're repeatedly told, becomes the fastest promoted and most decorated Marine in history (though there's nothing about the character to suggest why he's so successful) the fact that the book is only 240 pages means that despite Cain ultimately commanding a regiment, battles still feel like small-unit engagements.
This appears to be the first of several books, but there's nothing really noteworthy or engaging enough to warrant continuing the series (unless you really wanna see Maj. Erik Cain get promoted and get another award---because he gets A LOT OF THEM).
Military sci-fi is always hit or miss and often leans too heavily on actual military as an easy crutch. There's a tendency to fetishize military service to the point where one character in this novel actually says to another "Welcome to the brotherhood of command" or words to that effect. The aliens might be among us because while authors write Marines like that, humans (Marines included) don't talk like that. This books is filled with really awkward phrasings and dialogue choices of characters talking like melodramatic propaganda films rather than actual humans (Marines included).
Another major problem is that Allan summarizes LARGE periods of time that would otherwise make for interesting sections in and of themselves. By my count Here, in a future earth that's barely hanging on to social/political functionality, our Erik Cain's family is brutally murdered and he goes into hiding as a teenager. He joins a youth gang to survive and for the next five years does a lot of bad stuff before facing the gas chamber and being given an offer to join the Space Marines.
We don't know what he did during those 5 years because the book doesn't tell OR show us. It just zooms right past it in a sentence or two. Ditto for Cain's training time as an enlisted Marine and officer. It's apparently SOOPER intense and life-changing but can otherwise be handled in a couple sentences.
The only periods of actual real-time narrative are the random battles Cain and his Marines fight in on various plants and outposts. Why are they fighting? Because space-Marines need something to do. There are no aliens here, so it's really different geo-political Earth factions and their colonizing forces that are fighting each other. There's no differentiation or attention paid to why Cain's forces are any different or better than the "PRC" or "Caliphate" -- nor is there any real discussion of why they are battling other than: "We're at war, they're here too, we must fight them." It's not as if territory or resources are at play...
Mil sci-fi also has a problem of scale. Either stories stay too small and the reader never gets a sense of why the war matters or they grow too large too quickly. This has both. Cain, as we're repeatedly told, becomes the fastest promoted and most decorated Marine in history (though there's nothing about the character to suggest why he's so successful) the fact that the book is only 240 pages means that despite Cain ultimately commanding a regiment, battles still feel like small-unit engagements.
This appears to be the first of several books, but there's nothing really noteworthy or engaging enough to warrant continuing the series (unless you really wanna see Maj. Erik Cain get promoted and get another award---because he gets A LOT OF THEM).
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