Dust World

They’re back ready to die; again

James McGill and Legion Varus are off on another mission ready to piss off the Galactics and the rest of the universe while still trying to keep earth safe in B.V. Larson futuristic military world.
In the first book of this series, “Steel World,” humans found out that they were not the dominate species in the universe; in fact, as far as the Galactics are concerned, humans are about as significant as ants. Earth is considered a fringe planet with no real significance and would have simply been destroyed unless they could come up with a unique or superior trade good. With the help of some negotiated alien technology earth found its trade; undying mercenaries. In “Steel World,” the superiority of their trade good was tested but thanks to James McGill and Legion Varus earth’s viability survived.
In “Dust World,” the resolve of the human spirit is once again tested. Earth finds out there is another planet that has been colonized by humans, Separatist’s that wanted to get away from earths rules and govern themselves; but since it is against Galactic law for a planet to colonize Earth sends Legion Varus to handle the situation. Not sure exactly how his legion is supposed to “handle,” this situation Specialist James McGill has some concerns about this mission. It is a dilemma that could put him at odds with his Legion and possibly place all of earth in jeopardy if the Galactics find out about the colony, but he always seems to follow his own moral compass no matter what the possible consequences. The situation becomes more complicated when another alien species, not connected to the Galactic Empire, is discovered with plans of its own. What these aliens, the Galactics, and even some of Legion Varus’s own people for that matter, don’t seem to understand is human unwavering determination and will to survive.
So far through two books this has been a good series, if you like this genre, with lots of action and futuristic technology. I liked Mark Boyett’s narration, especially the southern accent of James McGill.

22 of 23 people found this review helpful

I concur - great new series

I really can't add much to the excellent reviews below except for one little annoyance. Like someone said, Mark Boyett is a pro but after just finishing like book 11 or something in the Star Force series I got the feeling I was listening to Kyle Riggs again. This is the problem with great character actors like Mr Boyett and Scott Brick. They have a certain delivery that is so identifiable that it's hard to transition from one author to another with the same narrator. Does that make sense? I love Scott Brick but after awhile his laconic delivery sort of makes all stories sound the same. Same thing with Mr Boyett. Minor stuff. Still love the series and can't wait for the next installment.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

an old mans fantasy...

While the overall story is good the main character is just cringe worthy. Young, tall, stupid with a severe attitude problem and all the luck in the world. He sleeps with every women in the story, if something happens randomly to someone it's him it happens to and he literally starts wars on a whim. It really reads like an old man trying to put to words his ultimate fantasy of being young again.

I can't continue with this series.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Lovable and Easy Read

If you could sum up Dust World in three words, what would they be?

Witty, Contemporary, My kind of Military SciFi

Who was your favorite character and why?

McGill is easily my favorite character. He is no Mary Sue. He makes mistakes, is a bone headed, hot blooded 22 year old. What makes him stand out is his sense of justice and morals.

What about Mark Boyett’s performance did you like?

Mark Boyett has become my favorite narrater to date. He showcases a spot on Georgia accent and was able to flesh out my favorite female characters as well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I pretty much listened to this within 48 hours of purchase.

Any additional comments?

I really hope the author continues this series!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Solid sequel but...

B.V. Larson has a gift for writing great military sci-fi books, there's no question about it and the sequel to Steel World is no exception. The action was great, the story/plot developped at a good pace and made sense, however there were a couple of things that began to annoy me.
1. I can't understand how McGill is still with the legion after continuously demonstrating his ability to ignore orders and do what he pleases. In any real-world military outfit he would have been dishonorably discharged at the very least a good while ago and the legion he's in is supposed to be far more draconian in discipline, akin to how the Roman legion operated. It just strains credulity how much he's able to get away with! Sure he accomplishes a lot along the way but a soldier who is unable to follow orders, despite being able to deliver results (albeit in an extremely unorthodox and unsanctioned manner) won't last long in any military outfit.

2. Other than Dela (spelling?), the women that McGill has liaisons with are rather uninteresting and are portrayed in such a manner as to have the reader feel little respect towards them or their actions. By this I mean that one of them, Kivi, is a wanton woman who keeps going back to McGill despite knowing he's slept with other women and being quite bothered by this. The other, Natasha, very clearly spurns him towards the end when he asks for a kiss while indicating that she wants nothing more to do with him given that she now knows that he 'cheated' on her with both Kivi and Dela. However at the end of the book she makes the costly trip to go visit him and ends up sleeping with him with everything seemingly and unexpectedly forgiven. Yeah sorry but I don't buy that, nothing about her character in both books has led me to believe that that's the kind of woman she is, and if so, I dislike Larson's penchant for creating such unappealing women of low integrity (the same can be said of his one-dimensional female character Sandra in his long-lasting series Starforce).

12 of 14 people found this review helpful

I want more

Would you consider the audio edition of Dust World to be better than the print version?

This story is getting better. The idea of soldiers coming to life so soon is awesome.
I would really like a more aliens perspective views and maybe more background

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Smart Alec soldiers fight aliens!

What did you love best about Dust World?

This is a continuation of "steel world". Check out "steel world "for a more fleshed out beginning to the character and more in-depth explanation of why soldiers are being sent out into the universe to fight aliens.I like the series for its lightness. It scratches the science-fiction itch.

What did you like best about this story?

McGill is a fun character to hang out with.

What does Mark Boyett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Probably the accent in my head while reading would've been different.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, this is just pure guilty pleasure. American space soldier kills aliens while trying to survive.

Any additional comments?

Science-fiction guilty pleasure.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

good performance, not much in the way of story.

If you don't mind being frustrated by the lack of story depth, and love the genre it may be worth a listen. As I am one of those latter individuals I will take a listen to the next book in the series, however, I am torn.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Does not disappoint!

I am really enjoying this series for the most part. I love the pace of the story, and the characters. In general this book did not disappoint. I am however hoping that book three will come with some added maturity for McGill. I am getting weary of the self-righteous dumb jock routine. I am ready for this guy to become a hero.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

No Redeemable Characters

After finishing Steel World (Book 1), I had hoped that Dust World would add a bit more maturity and depth to the characters but I was wrong.

My issues with this book:

1. The characters are one dimensional and have show no growth through either book.
2. In the story, Legion Varus is suppose to be looking for troopers who think for themselves but in every chapter the ranking people constantly punish and insult any type of individual initiative.
3. The main character has no sense of loyalty to his friends or the Legion, he just does what ever misguided thing he thinks he should and never learns.
4. The supporting characters aren't likable, not a single one. Every women is a potential sex interest.
5. The dialog is terrible. The author uses dialog to explain what is happening in the scene even in when normal people would never think about having a conversation.

The concept of undying soldiers is a good one and the author handles some of the situations nicely but this alone doesn't hold up a series. I will not be continuing with this series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful