Alan McDonald

Get this now if you love great sci-fi!

Revisado: 01-14-21

You can’t get any better science fiction action than this and from a superior group of authors at Aethon books who give us consistently top notch stories!
Excellent!
And it’s even better listening to the audiobook!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Audio made this story complete!

Revisado: 01-03-21

This is a retelling of a short story from years ago.
The following is part of my review of that original short story plus my thoughts of the new one on both paper and audio.

“The Roach” original is one of the very best short stories I’ve ever read.
My father introduced it to me a long long time ago.
He loved it. It said something to him down deep.
I’m his daughter and I love the short story too.
I see what my Dad saw.

My father constantly harassed the author, the superb “Rhett Bruno”, to write a new, full story. To bring back the roach.
He finally relented and brought forth this new “The Roach” story.

Mr. Bruno finally did this, much to my pleasure and excitement.

The original short story was written way back before my father fell critically ill.
Now he won’t get to see this new book, but I’ll still try and read it to him. He deserves it.
He’s no longer mentally capable to read it for himself.

He won’t get to listen to this awesome audio version either and that’s a shame because RC Bray did an absolutely awesome performance narrating this fantastic story!
My hats off to Mr. Bray.

My father’s story is sad and the short story, as well as the newer version, is sad, heartbreaking, but then again heartwarming, hopeful.

It’s the realism that makes it so excellent to me, as it was back when my father first read it to me.
It shows us the dirty side of life that most of us never see, but also the good in some people too.

Just like the original short, this new version is much the same in its excellence and is about a modern superhero vigilante way past his prime or maybe he’s really just a criminal.
Fair or unfair?
Figuring that out is up to you.

This new book titled just “The Roach” instead of the older short story titled “The Roach Rises” is everything I’d hoped it would be.

It’s got all the depth and detail of the first story but expands it in an awesome new direction.

This book is not to be missed.
Sure, it’s fiction, but it tells and shows the seedy underside of the human condition.
There are countless cities just like this one with real people instead of fictional characters, but they’re all one in the same.

Mr Bruno is an excellent author who knows how to give his stories, especially this one, enough realism to make you wonder how some people, a lot of people, can do things to others in such a cruel and guiltless way.
It’s what serial killers, rapists and murderers are made of. No conscience at all. Brains wired all wrong.

This is simply an excellent story.
In a way, it’s a fun read, but it’s also a wicked and horrible look into places most decent people either don’t know about or don’t want to confess knowing about. Turn the other cheek, it’s easier.

I loved this new book. I hope you do too.

Please read it and review it.
Just like the first story, this new one deserves your praise or your displeasure.
You get to choose.

Thank you,
The McDonald’s

Read on:

That was my review of the paper version of The Roach.
This audio version brings it to life, something just reading it simply can’t do especially with a superb narrator like RC Bray bringing his full talent to bare.

This audiobook is special. It’s a must for those who love to listen instead of reading.

I wholeheartedly give this audio version five stars out of five!

Thank you Mr. Bruno and thank you for your stellar performance Mr. Bray!

Sincerely,
Brittany McDonald

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

One of the best stories I’ve ever read!

Revisado: 10-02-20

Nicholas Sansbury Smith has a firm grasp on how to write science fiction with few other authors even coming close.

Hell Divers was the second start of one of his long running series and I’m extremely happy I continued to read his work.

My first Smith series was “Orbs” and it scared the hell out of me. It was that good!

Hell Divers has everything I love about sci-fi.
It has action and suspense, heartache and hope, love and loss, etc., etc.

It also has great characters, believable creatures and multiple unique environments that keep you wanting to read, to keep turning pages or in this case, keep listening.

I’ve read the excellent book and I’ve listened to the equally excellent R.C. Bray narrate.

You can’t get anything better than Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s storytelling.

Thanks Nicholas for the excellent experience and thank you Mr. Bray for the superb narration!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 4 personas

A storythat began my passion for Mr. Bruno’s tales!

Revisado: 01-12-20

This review is finally being done because of Audible’s audiobook version.

It’s almost the same review that I put forth long ago on Amazon, but the difference is that now I’m totally reading blind and for that I’m thankful for Audible and its audiobooks.
So without further delay, my review follows:

Spoiler alert!!!

I hate giving out spoilers so please forgive me if you decide to read on. I felt it necessary with this awesome book.

For a short story it reads long and it was full of awesome characters, realistic environments and memorable emotions.
I'm not ashamed to admit that at times it brought tears to my eyes.
I can't imagine a life like that but the author did a wonderful job of creating a realistic scenario for us all.
The main protagonist was like a child taught by an AI computer program designed just for that purpose. Well, and also help with guiding the spacecraft towards its ultimate destination.

She knew nothing outside of the walls of her interstellar Spaceship where she was born, lived her relatively short life and where she knew her end would eventually come having never experienced soil beneath her feet.

Yet she was strong, physically and mentally.
She was as also strong of character and will.
She fulfilled her duties as was required of her, but going back into hibernation only to age on and perish, as so many have before her, she elected to do things her own way, to have control over her destiny.

She didn't want it necessarily to end as she tried to bargain with her AI keeper, the only family she ever had, but it was futile.
The side trip to the near habitable planet would have simply interfered too much with the mission to deliver the human cargo to mankind's new home.

So against her AI caretaker's wishes, she did something incredibly brave, she took charge of her own destiny.

For a short sci-fi story, it was full of everything a wonderful sci-fi story should have.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who loves science fiction.

I would also like to add that I enjoyed Mr. James’s narration as he brought one of my favorite tales to life for me. Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
Alan McDonald
(Edited) PS: I have now lost my reading eyesight due to neuropathic problems, so I'm grateful to have been able to now listen and review this book as one of the first audiobooks I’ve be able to do.
Thank you Audible for your incredible service!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Continued excellence!!

Revisado: 01-12-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Reading the Extinction series with my father has been a joy, not only for him, but yes as a female, me too.

I would never in my wildest dreams have thought that I would fall head over heals for apocalyptic military fiction, but the authors, both Nicholas and Anthony, have brought such realism to their stories.
It’s truly frightening knowing how, in reality, how fragile our nation is to the unknown.

Most of what I’m saying is also coming from my father who cannot see well enough to write for himself, but he has given me a free reign in expressing his and my feelings and emotions about these Extinction Cycle stories.

I’ve been with my father throughout every one and Ashes just, well, it was terrible for our characters whom have become like family through these fantastic authors imaginations. It shows the true horror of war and the suffering of the innocents.

Even though Ashes and every other Extinction Cycle stories are fictitious, I can see where instead of imaginary monsters, there are actually real human monsters that could pose a real threat. They already have as we all know and we would be blind to think it’s over. Our government has a tremendous job to do, to say the least.

Ashes was by far not the end of this fiction. It’s plain to see that we’ll all get to read more of Extinction Cycle and I for one am overjoyed.
The next book has already been preordered.

Unfortunately, my father is gravely ill and currently in the hands of medical professionals.
I can only hope he eventually gets to come home to enjoy more of these awesome creations by Nicholas and Anthony.

I’m don’t want to stop without giving credit to R.C. Bray for his excellent narration as well.
He was instrumental in bringing every aspect of this unbelievably fantastic story to life.
He’s absolutely one of the very best narrators today and that’s a very short list.

Thank you so much for this continued five star+ creation you’ve given us all.
Bless you for giving him some relief through the very best of distraction with your efforts.

Sincerely,
Alan (& Brittany, his daughter, composer and narrator.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

The narration put me directly into the story!

Revisado: 01-10-20

This story in the Galaxy’s Edge world is one of the very best I’ve read/experienced.

The action is above par, the characters are all worthy of being called Legionnaires.
There are so many protagonists, but it’s easy to follow each and every very scenario.
It’s heartbreaking at times, but heartwarming at others.

Through their bond and brotherhood they fight and never give up, just like Legionnaires have taught us readers over each Galaxy’s Edge story.

The inclusion of Josh Hayes along with Jason and Nick has made this something even more special.
I hope they consider working more together in the future.
All three authors are fantastic alone, but together they form an awesome brotherhood in itself.

I’m not my usual self due to chronic illness. I hope this review makes sense.
Needless to say, I simply loved this tale and hope for more.

I’ll be re-experiencing Stryker’s War via audiobook on Audible because that’s how wonderful it is and my daughter won’t have to interrupt her life to read to me this time.
And I’ll leave this review at Audible too.
It deserves five star ratings across the board.

I wholeheartedly recommend Stryker’s War to anyone that likes super science fiction military style in the Galaxy’s Edge universe.
Thank you all for such bountiful enjoyment!

Last but not least, Ray Porter is simply one of the very best narrators there are. He put me into the story and made me feel what the characters felt. Mr. Porter is just amazing.
Thank you for narrating a blind man this wonderful tale.

Sincerely,
Alan McDonald (& daughter Brittany, my blindness composer & narrator)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great military legal investigation

Revisado: 01-10-20

This is an absolutely awesome science fiction military detective/investigative story with a ton of awe inspiring action and creative characters.
I wholeheartedly recommend this to any sci-fi fan/geek, like me, out there.

The narration is spot on! Just awesome!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Good luck if you chance this story.

Revisado: 12-27-19

I normally never write a bad review. I prefer to contact the author or authors and suggest possible changes to their story, whether that be to correct spelling, grammar, structure, etc., but this was actually fairly well written English.

That problems with this story are immense, so there is no way to correct anything.

I don’t want to give out any spoilers so I’ll keep this in general terms as much as possible.

The story is a mess of out of this world technology that pops up as needed with no forethought or preparation.
The author just adds what he needs in order to protect his protagonists so the story can move forward to the next ridiculous situation.
Even though it is set in the future there’s no realism, it’s all pure fantasy where it should have been grounded in some form of reality for this type of story.

The worst part is it’s entirely depressing.
It’s extremely difficult to read a story that makes the reader not want to read it anymore.
Every time we picked the book back up hoping for something good to happen it just made my reader and I even more depressed.
We got to the point where it was obvious as to how it would all end and said enough is enough and threw it away.

It’s kinda sad because I could see that the author(s) are talented in composing well written English, but their idea of content fell way short of any talent at all.

I hope whomever does read this story has a different view and enjoys it.
We could not as there isn’t anything redeemable about it in our opinion.

Just to clarify, I am blind to reading and I need a narrator. We both felt the very same about this book.

I’m giving this two stars for the mostly good use of the English language, but that’s all.

I’m giving Mr. Bray five stars for his continued excellence in narration.

Good luck to anyone who gives this a go.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 9 personas

Action packed sci-fi investigative thriller!

Revisado: 12-27-19

“This review could contain spoilers”

Edge of Valor is a straight up investigation by two people who want to see justice for soldiers sent into a no win situation.
The marine unit sent on a mission were basically sent on a suicide run.
Marines are heavily indoctrinated into obeying orders regardless if they are right or wrong. They are taught to never question an order.
In this case most of the marines and survivors did just that, they obeyed without hesitation, but paid an awful price for doing so.
The investigation was side railed and taken over by a naval admiral, but one investigator wouldn’t let it go. He was going to find out why the original mission went so badly, so wrong, whether it killed him or not in order to honor all the dead marines that didn’t make it home and also the injured ones who did.
This story is a top notch criminal investigation.
It has a lot of great military action and a somewhat surprising ending.
I wholeheartedly recommend this story to whomever ever likes good military crime stories.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Hold on for a wild ride!

Revisado: 12-27-19

I normally don’t write reviews anymore.
It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I’m very ill and it’s difficult to write when part of my chronic illness is being too blind to read and write. I only see color and contrast, no detail. It’s extremely frustrating for a lifelong reader with a love for books.
So I must seek help with reviews which can be difficult to find at times.

But I’m felt compelled to find a way to express my joy in hearing my narrator, and partially Audible, give me this latest experience in Extinction Inferno.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith is truly a remarkable storyteller.
He started this series with seven books in the “Extinction Cycle” series and then moved on to the new “Dark Age” series with “Extinction Shadow” book one, which I’ve already had read to me and left a very deserved five star review.

It’s important to say that readers need not have had to read the previous Extinction Cycle seven book series in order to enjoy this new series. It’s basically a stand alone series that you can enjoy if you’re new to Nicholas’s writing.

Now we have “Extinction Inferno” book 2.
I don’t want to give out any spoilers and I do need to keep this short because of my physical problems.
Let me just say that Mr. Smith has simply continued from book one with all of the goodness a truly wonderful story can give.

Nicholas Sansbury Smith is a storyteller second to none.
He weaves stories that put the reader right in the action. He makes you feel like everything in the book is plausible. You start feeling for every character and when someone is killed, by a huge variety of means by the way, it’s truly heartbreaking.
Mr. Smith has a way with words that gets the reader totally invested.

All of his stories, his series, are extremely difficult to put down or stop listening to in my case.

I’m always so happy to see his new books come out as I know I’m in for a real treat.

If you’re new to his work then I say “hold on” because you’re in for a wild ride.
If you’re an experienced Smith reader then you already know what joy awaits you.

Extinction Inferno is simply an awesome read.
But so are every other series he’s written.

You simply can’t go wrong reading his works with this latest offering being an excellent addition in every way.

I have his third book already preordered and can only wait in anticipation for another wonderful experience.

Thank you Nicholas!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona