Eternal Frontier

Thrilling from beginning to end!

I love sci-fi but I'm not big on a lot of technical facts & I usually skim through all the mechanics but this book really kept me enthralled. I listened to it on Audible & at one point found my whole body increasingly tensed like I was on the ship feeling the g's!
Really loved the main character & the fact that he NEVER gives up even when he does!
The other characters are interesting & add to the story, especially the alien characters, very cool.
While the main character is a guy, there are plenty of strong woman characters as well. In this story it seems that true equality exists.
Can't wait to read the next book!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

verbose

there were about for chapters of story in this book. the rest was filler. I am not inclined to read the rest of the series

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Amazing space story!

This was an amazing story. I loved the job the narrator did, as well. I hope the audio version of book 2 comes out soon, as I am really looking forward to the next one!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This dude just can't even....

This poor guy manages to figure out the worst way to mess up perfectly good situations, or just manages to mess up right when he almost figures stuff out. Also... he is just plain retarded. like... make a synthetic mind, put it in a body, turn it on, it attacked you, so you try talking to it? wtf? why you so surprised that it doesn't stop and continues to attack you... haha it just got hilarious after the ninth or tenth time. He also has the comprehension skills of a child...No, that's insulting children. damn why am I writing this? This book sucks. and im barely to the 20th chapter.

6 of 9 people found this review helpful

Excellent story!

Would you consider the audio edition of Eternal Frontier to be better than the print version?

Yes, it brings the story to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Eternal Frontier?

The first alien sighting. The author has a really vivid imagination and uses his science background to create some crazy aliens.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Action and science in space!

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Writing style bothered me greatly.

Way too many similes. A few is good but too many turns them into the literary equivalent of a cutaway scene. They just kept taking me out of the story and destroying the flow of the narrative.

The plot reads like a decent Star Trek episode. Aliens are humanoids. Ships have FTL travel, artificial gravity, intertial dampeners, and shields that drop in power every time they get hit.* None of the science is explained in detail and orbital mechanics are ignored. (For example, it seems the main character goes from a battle in space to crashing on a planet in a matter of a few minutes, disregarding the time it would take to travel such distances and still be able to survive a landing)

The supporting cast is great, but the main character can be a little too dense. Especially for a medical doctor. (Also, doctor level degrees are not something you just pick up as a back-up/side career.)

And for the love of all Science fiction please stop using the word "vessels" to describe blood vessels in a damn space story where there are ships. It's really confusing.

*Minor Spoiler:


Even the antagonist are *ahem* very Borg-like.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Clichéd. Exciting.

This novel is filled with clichés. At times it seemed like some bad Star Trek fan fiction. And the main character is not very smart – not a problem in itself, not all protagonists need to be brilliant – but this means all his remarkable achievements are due to determination and an absolutely ridiculous amount of dumb luck.

This novel is also exciting – the action is well written, and I always wanted to know what would happen next. This is probably in large part due to the fact that most chapters end on a cliffhanger; a cheap trick to be sure, but it works.

So if you're anything like me, I cannot recommend this book. There are way too many "Oh come on / You have got to be kidding me" moments. But if you prefer action over science, then it might be worth a try.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great adventure!

Loved this book! It's definitely a set up to a larger story, but it doesn't cliffhang, however it does leave you wanting more. There's a huge mystery that develops with more questions than answers and screams of some evil plans that need to be stopped.

The characters were all pretty well set up in a way that makes them complex, imperfect characters. I love the fact that this author never fails to present strong females and imperfect heroes. I

The narrator is very good, he adds to the story helping make it an even better adventure!

I'm heading now to get the next in the series, can't wait to see what happens next!

Space/Alien sci-fi with a healthy dose of AI

Josh here

This book was recommended to me by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, and I have to say that this was a very well-placed recommendation and one that I am glad I took heed of. Right from the start, not ten minutes into the narration, the action began and drew me in. I was quickly introduced to Tag as his world was turned upside down in what proved to be a very well thought out space/alien sci-fi book.

I was really drawn into the bio-engineering and AI aspects of this series. As I was once an aspiring programmer (I didn’t continue because every comp sci. degree required calculus which I simply had no desire to take), the idea of the AI being linked with a synth brain and being given the opportunity to learn was an amazing trip. It definitely was amusing to watch Alpha correct Tag as she told him of her choice of gender based on the chromosomal make-up of the synth brain controlling her. Watching as Alpha woke up and began proceeding through various genetic-algorithm style evolutions which eventually led to her placement on the ship’s misfit crew was quite fun.

I had several personal references which grabbed me. The first of these was the scene where Tag was required to walk through the forest without wiping the sweat from his forehead. This immediately tied into an experience which I, and I am certain many of my brothers/sisters in arms, had with regards to standard military service and only doing what you are told, when you are told to. The next reference was the music being conducted in the forest which brought me to the Lost Woods in the Legend of Zelda series.

The lizards (mechanics) were a personal favorite for me in the series. Although they turned out to be the reason for the sudden trip to ETA-5, Korin definitely grew on me and I can’t wait to see whether he is able to get to the bottom of who is remotely enslaving his people.

There was only one really small annoyance for me with the book. This was the repetition associated with highlighting Tag’s self-doubt, and inexperience, at being the Argos’ commander, after previously holding the medical officer role. Either way, this was very minor but just something I noticed being brought up a few more times than I thought was required.

That small complaint aside, this is an easy 5-star book and one where I cannot wait for next month to arrive so I can move on to book two. Mr. Hastings did a great job at narration and my only recommendation is to provide better accentuation at chapter transitions. I use these transitions as cues to when I should pause the book (I like to end my drive, which is where I primarily listen to books, at the end of a chapter). Again, really glad that Nick recommended Tony’s books and I will definitely be moving on to book two and his other series.

Good SciFi!

Apart from some cussing, it was a great listen! the plot pulled you in, could easily be a movie! Great Job!!