Great start to great series

This is a great start to a great series. The author does a great job of showing perspectives from an enlisted point of view

6 people found this helpful

Mutiny

I have listened to Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet series and got hooked. After finishing the series and listening to the off shoots books I looked around for more books by Campbell. This series appears to be a bit different from the other military Sci Fi have listened to in that this story is about army forces fighting on the moon and so far it has been all land battles. The story has a world run by corporation telling the government what to do and a big schism between military and civilian population. The troops are being killed in useless attack created by a General without regard to the lives and safety of the troops until Stark lead a mutiny. Now I have to listen to the next book to find out what happens to them. Eric Summerer did a good job narrating the book.

13 people found this helpful

All too believable

At first I was a bit repulsed by this book as it portrayed the US soldiers as mindless idiots commanded by moronic officers. Then you realise that what you are reading is the logical extension of today's technology to combat operations where officers away from the battlefield start giving tactical orders because technology allows them to, with missions chosen by large corporations. What develops is a very entertaining tale of how the experienced combat soldiers take control back and begin to fight using their own skills. The main characters have to learn to control divisions rather than squads, and find themselves up to the challenge. The translation of combat issues into low-gravity operations feels well thought out and consistent. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

11 people found this helpful

Excellent listen

I had no major complaints about the book or its presentation. While not quite up to the level of the Lost Fleet series, the book is fast paced and keeps the listener interested in the story. The author does a very good job of setting the listener within the main character's perspective and allowing us to see how his decisions are shaped through respect, loyalty, and the willingness to finally question absurd orders.

I'm watching weekly for Audible to include the final two books in this series!

16 people found this helpful

Heavy-handed

You get the gist of this story within the first hour, and then get beaten over the head with it over and over and over for the remainder.

Corporate entities have co-opted government, armies have been privatized, and the soldier on the ground is endangered more by bureaucracy than by the enemy. It's a good premise, and not horribly executed, but...it lacks subtlety. It's pretty preachy at times.

The sci-fi stuff -- the military parts -- are good, though not up to the standards of Campbell's Lost Fleet books, and they play out like interludes between the preaching about how the officers don't know anything and the non-coms should be able to run the army without oversight.

14 people found this helpful

Stark, a Must for Action Sci-Fi Fans

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For any friends with interests common to me would enjoy the Science Fiction Story. While more story than Science, it keeps your attention for the long haul. While not concerned about the survivability of the main, character, you were always concerned that supporting characters might not make it to the end of the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Stark's War?

The most memorable part of the story is the final offensive. The twists and turns through this battle led to a conclusion to the story that I was not expecting.

Have you listened to any of Eric Summerer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the first offering of Eric Summers that I have listened to. I found the narration captured the spirit and atmosphere of the story. His character portrails, were exceptional for the male characters but not as convincing for the female characters. I would love to hear him read some of George MacDonald Fraser's work.

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

This book was not a one sitting book for me as I can't find that amount of time. But if I had, I could have done it in one sitting.

Any additional comments?

This is a great tail of leadership and military tactics. It could have just as well been set in vietnam or Afghanistan as there is not much science in the content. But I wanted it for the action and that is what I got.A book worth listening to.

4 people found this helpful

"If This Goes On ..."

This is an "if this goes on" story. Campbell wrote this while serving in the Navy at the Pentagon and this story illustrates a couple of the problems he saw. The first problem is the increasing separation of the military man and the civilian. That being if one of your parents didn't put in their twenty your didn't join the mil. Campbell takes this problem and increases it to portray the way he believes things could go in the future. The other problem is micromanagement in the military. That being the top brass sitting back in their offices and giving exact instruction the grunts on the ground and not allowing ingenuity.
Campbell expands these problems and puts them in a world were the US of A is the top dog with no one able to compete with them economically on earth. This leaves one logical alternative the moon.
However this book is not really about the war on the moon it is about the problems in the military. There is lots of action and fighting, but the book is not about that its about the culture.
I hope you enjoy Stark's War

4 people found this helpful

An interesting view of the corruption or purpose.

What would our world be if the Military conflicts become a form of entertainment? Where the corruption of our politicians turns the military into a tool of large corporations. A reminder that individual freedom is only kept by those who take personal responsibility.

2 people found this helpful

Natural Consequencies to Trends in the Military

Would you listen to Stark's War again? Why?

I love that Jack captured the essence of a soldier's view of the world, and how that can go wrong when officers become politicians that treat them like numbers -- losing the battlesense that you can only get with real time on the ground -- not micro-managing from afar.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Stark himself is what soldiers aspire to be.

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

Yes

2 people found this helpful

loved it!

I have really enjoyed Jack Campbell/John Hemry's works and even though this was his first series it has a great story line and is an interesting topic. Be sure to listen to his comments at the beginning - even he notes that he would change things now, but I'm glad he didn't. It is fun to see his writing style develop as the characters do. Be sure to listen to the rest of the series as well!

5 people found this helpful