Much less than it could have been

This is the seconds book in the Larson's Star Force series. I liked the direction the first book took, I thought there were some interesting things the series could explore and decided to ignore the problems with the first book and see where the second book went. Well now I know, we went to lazyville. Lawson must have written this book in about a week. The plot is silly, the characters are flat and the science has left the building.

Very sad, this could have been a very interesting series. I think Larson has the ability to write a much better book. But for some reason he just seems to be cranking out these books like cheap romance novels. Maybe that is how a writer needs to pay the bills these days - Volume. I think there are about another 9 books in this series, but I am in no hurry to read the rest.

On the brighter side, Mark Boyett did a great job narrating the book!

19 people found this helpful

Meh

The story is OK, but something is missing. The main character's personality changes significantly even though Star Force #2 picks up immediately where Star Force #1 it left off. Riggs goes from being a creative computer science professor to an arrogant commander, physics guru and master astronomer without explanation.

The book is like eating Taco Bell at 3:00am, you regret the engagement after the first bite, but decide you might as well finish.

Could have been worse.

3 people found this helpful

The Kyle Rigs Show

Kyle Rigs is special. He's the sort of hero who knows better than everyone, about pretty much everything. If an officer gives an order, he'll countermand it. Sure hell do the same thing later, but he's Riggs. He's so smart that he's not only better than anyone else to run the new tech, he's better than all other people combined. These are the glaring and reoccurring things. Leave aside failing to remember little bits of science like inertia. That's okay, he's The Riggs and not bound by foolish things like planning, military disciple, or a rudimentary appreciation of self replicating factories. Thinking and behavior that could be excused in the surprise and crisis of the first book continue on a larger and more costly scale.

36 people found this helpful

Rip AND Roaring

This series so far hasn't sent me into periodic episodes of deep contemplation and introspection, but it HAS provided one helluva lot of fun. So long as you don't try to think too deeply about various premises and events and just go with it, you're in for some quality, good ol' SF entertainment.

2 people found this helpful

Enjoyable Scifi, Marines in space.

I think there are a lot of interesting ideas and concepts. I enjoy this series, but it is not one that I wait all year for the next one like the destroyermen and lost fleet series'.
Also I find the commander's girlfriend very annoying. Obviously the author identifies with his hero so he gave him a beautiful 23 year old bimbo with a great body and limited brains, that loves sex, for his companion.
I could really do without that character.
Some of the other characters are really great characters. I love Jack and the general. Most of the others just are placeholders for the story with no depth.
The story is really the star of the books.with many twists and surprises. The technology is interesting and The books keep my interest, but I don't think I will re read the series when the next one comes out as I do with the In Death series or the destroyermen books.

Good, enjoyable, worth the credit but forgettable afterwards. not 5 stars

14 people found this helpful

Too much Superhero

What disappointed you about Extinction?

The first book was really good, but in this one, Kyle Riggs was a little too great. This guy does everything but leap tall buildings.

Any additional comments?

I doubt that I will read anymore in this series.

10 people found this helpful

Very Middle of The Road

Would you try another book from B. V. Larson and/or Mark Boyett?

The narrator sounds a lot like Brian Cranston from Breaking Bad. Not that that is a bad thing or anything that is just how Kyle Riggs looks like to me now. I would definatley try the next book in the series just to finish the series but it did not blow me away.

Would you recommend Extinction to your friends? Why or why not?

No my friends don't like sci fi so if wanted to get them hooked i would not recommend this one.

What three words best describe Mark Boyett’s voice?

Heisenberg Breaking Bad

Did Extinction inspire you to do anything?

Yes get The Lost Fleet series

Any additional comments?

The story didn't blow me away and just getting the main character's perspective is getting old. I would love to have seen the humans attack from the the eyes of one of the aliens they went up against.

4 people found this helpful

Disappointing for a sequel

In the the first Star Force, Larson created a credible tale of unknown alien technology and AIs sent to Earth to assist in a battle against a machine intelligence ready to invade and conquer. Our intrepid hero, Kyle Riggs saved the day by deciphering the alien technology and developing various successful attack modes. In the end, Kyle negotiated a truce with the promise of thousands of nano-enhanced human soldiers fighting as mercenaries for their previous enemy.

In the latest installment, Kyle must first deal with Earth governments that now with the removal of the alien threat, have decided to return to their historical roles of infighting. Kyle is determined to fulfill his duty of human mercenaries and proceeds to build an army.

Rather than attempt to double-cross the aliens, Kyle leads this army into battle against an unknown planet in an unknown star system with worm-like intelligent life. There is much musing and philosophical hand wringing about biota fighting biota, rather than teaming up to battle the machines, but Kyle has dug himself such a deep hole, he has little choice but to practice genocide on the first biological alien species that Earth encounters.

Overall, the battles are boring and mundane with a totally unsatisfying ending. Traveling through wormholes to stab a worm is hardly the stuff of interstellar sci-fi battles. It's likely that Kyle will return to an even more messed up Earth with the only conclusion that both machine and human intelligence are not fit for existence in the universe.

If there is a book 3, the universe would be better if the machines took over and put Kyle out of his and readers' misery.

17 people found this helpful

This Book Turns My Stomach!

The first book in this series was reasonably good. It was told from the standpoint of a guy who was put in a new situation, and how he reacted. But this second book is just ridiculous. The more I listened to it, the sicker I got.
The lead character is an arrogant, egotistical, selfish know-it-all and his girlfriend is a sex-crazed bimbo.
- How does some college professor all of a sudden have total control of the world's most dominant military force? Because he found it first?
- With all of the brilliant minds and governments all over the world, how does this guy speak for all of mankind and make deals on its behalf?
- How does he alone design star ships and tanks with no knowledge of industrial design? How arrogant is he to think he couldn't use the help of qualified engineers the world over?
- Why would seasoned military veterans follow him?
- How does he go to planets no one has ever seen and take no scientists with him, only vowing to "take tons of pictures for the spooks back home?"

His girlfriend is even worse. He says he loves her, but she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. She's a whiny, complaining, possessive sidekick whose only asset seems to be her sexual prowess.

I've listened to more than 500 books on Audible, and I have never had a book affect me in this way. The sheer arrogance of a person who takes alien technology and keeps it for himself and from his country, essentially proclaiming himself the head of his own little nation. It's just sickening.

34 people found this helpful

Very exacting battle chapters.

Lots of action and very good story line. I'm looking forward to listen to the other books on the series.

1 person found this helpful