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).

13 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

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.

12 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Where to Begin...

While the first book in this series was enough to keep me interested for a bit, this book was enough to persuade me not to get the next one. Let me start with the positives (without spoilers):

The actions scenes were well-written and had me in suspense, especially toward the end in the final few chapters, and the pacing was pretty good. Additionally, Mark Boyett does a magnificent job bringing the characters to life with his superb narration.

Why I won't continue the series (no spoilers): There was little-to-no character development. The character's personalities are largely the same and don't go beyond what was already established in the first book. I say "largely" because their flaws are amplified to the point where I wanted to smack McGill and a few other characters for their actions and the words that come out of their mouths. The commanding officers' personalities (save for Centurion Graves) can be summed up in one unflattering adjective. Furthermore, McGill continues to overcome challenges handily because he is the main character. While the ending is interesting, it wasn't enough to carry me over to Book Three.

Simply put: If you liked Book One, you'll like this.

10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Repeat of Book 1

While the action scenes were fast passed and interesting, this was too much of a repeat of the first book. The authors depiction of women, war and leadership seems a bit adolescent. The idea that everyone in this successful Mercenary group is an idiot, and dependent on the ideas of a junior individual seems more of a teenage fantasy than a SciFi novel. This ends my reading of the series.

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

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.

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

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.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

B.V Larson and his new series = GREAT!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dust World?

No Spoilers from me I will just say book 1 ( Steel World) and this book 2 (Steel World) are my most memorable moments, the stories are A+.

Which character – as performed by Mark Boyett – was your favorite?

McGil,but let me say Mark Boyett is a exellent narrator he brings nothing but greatness to all of B.V Larsons audio books. I have listened to nine Star Force books and now two Undying Mercenaries all 11 narrated by Boyett and I can honestly say I never get tired of him he is one of the very good ones.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

They just put me in a good mood and I don't watch the clock while listening like I do with many other books.

Any additional comments?

This is my own personal opinion and we are all maybe looking for something a little different, maybe not but either way for me B.V Larson is the absolute best Military SiFi writer right now and has been since Star Force, heck IMO he is the best SiFi writer period. His style is not hard SiFi it is just his story laid right out in front of you easy to follow yet very full of SiFi substance. If you can't already tell I highly suggest you listen to this series and if you have not already listened to his Star Force series do that as well.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Screw the Nerbs!

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

Yes. Bucketfuls of solid military SF action, McGill, the main character, trying to bang every female in the galaxy (and he pretty much succeeds), blood thirsty aliens and so much more!

What other book might you compare Dust World to and why?

I don't know, how about Lint Island..... I don't really compare books as such. Instead of wasting valuable thinking time and brain wear, I look upon each new book as a unique story that should stand on its own. This book has action and characters that no other book has.

What about Mark Boyett’s performance did you like?

Mark Boyett is a pro. He can belt out a wide variety of character voices. I have a bunch of B.V. Larson's books with Mr. Boyett, so I am familiar with his repertoire. I like his female voices - they all sound like the gal is from the Banat region of western Romania.

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

When the whole Varus Legion is up on some pretty serious charges for some sort of malfeasance or willful destruction of something the Nerbs (at least that is what these asses' name sounds like) hold dear, one of the judges sounded like Marvin - the robot from another B.V. Larson series who is my all time favorite non human character. When I heard that voice I gave a hearty "Marvin!" shout and scared the crap out of some lady and her kid who happened to be walking by about ten yards to the prop side of where I was kicking back under a tree this morning ( I didn't see them walking by..... ). I thought the woman was going to fall over but she merely rocked on her heels and did a swerve. As this gyration was unfolding she gave a spontaneous shriek that sent at least two dozen birds cachooming out of the nearby trees. I calmly watched the two nervous nellies recover, stare at me for about 2 minutes, and then briskly walk away with expressions on their faces I can only describe as fearful indignation. As I was wearing sunglasses, I was happy to take in the whole scene with little chagrin and found it all rather amusing.

Any additional comments?

Great book. The native gal had me from the first crossbow shot. She was a woman with a definite plan when it came to McGill, and I'm not talking about the 8 or so homicides she perpetrated on this guy throughout their blood-drenched (95% was McGill's), dysfunctional quasi-relationship. Concerning one scene in particular, after the warrior princess's explanation why she bolted out of the water registered, if I was McGill, I would pretty much be toweling myself off in about 2.4 seconds, making sure that damn crossbow is out of reach, and, as the junk is in recharge mode, initiate "Operation Yes, I Totally Agree With Everything You Say" as I suggest that we go kick back under the shade of that tree over there for a bit.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Much Better Than The First book!!

I was amazed on how things progressed in Dust World... I thought that it would be just another regular mission to do and to finish, not anything like what really happened... it was really interesting to see this story progress like this, i liked it.

many many challenges and twists... I am looking forward to the next instalment in this series.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

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.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile