HARD CORP Descriptive Sex Warning!

I've always been a huge fan of Ringo's books, and was glad to see Audible getting a lot more of his works on the site! (Thanks Audible!) I'm not sure though how this series is really, well, "Sci-Fi"... I guess there IS Science involved, and Fiction, but it's mostly "Near Current Times, Hard Corp Military Fiction". Which is fine by me, but if you're looking for Space Ships and Far-Futuristic Science Tech, "No so much"...

I've met Mr. Ringo many times, and been involved in "Extensive Pool-Side Conversations" at Dragon-Con and other such events with Mr. Ringo and many other Fans of his work, as well as a few "Sci-Fi personalities" that stopped by to join in from time to time.. We share a strikingly similar past (He was at Bragg, I was at Benning), and seem to even still tromp over the same ground while vacationing (passed him once in the Caribbean, and I think my last trip to Europe, from London to Rome and back, via Gibraltar and various Ports along the way, saw me get home about the time I heard Mr. Ringo was headed over there)... We even seem to have the same eclectic tastes in music and movies and books, not to mention I own a largish Mountain Top Ranch in SC that gets pretty much "Landed On" in one of his other Series of Books when the Posleen land and attack Northeast Ga, Northwestern SC, NC, etc.. ;) So I'm no stranger to the MANY various "out there things" that get discussed in VERY Well-Researched Detail when it comes to Mr. Ringo's Books...

But the B&D and S&M Hard Corp Descriptive Sex Scenes in THIS particular Series of books may catch you by surprise if you're not ready for them, and may cause a few folks to want to "Skip This One".. My Wife listens to the same books I do on our iPhones, and at one point she started laughing loudly, removed her ear buds, and said, "I SWEAR I think John's throwing in some of these descriptive sex scenes just to hear Audible's Narrator have to read them out loud to the public"... I don't think that's why he went "all out" on the DETAILED descriptions, but I also wouldn't put something like that past him if it crossed his mind to do so ;)

The Narrator of this Series, Jeremy Arthur, really does an outstanding job though! I HAD to rate the Narration on the whole series 5 Stars, even if it had been only for the way Mr. Arthur gets through many "difficult" parts without so much as a stutter! Luckily, that wasn't the only reason I gave his Narration 5 Stars, he really does a great job all through the Series, especially with his exacting diction, and even using the proper dialects, of the foreign languages! I can't say I've ever heard a Narrator use different Accents between a character from around Moscow, and then change the Russian accent to the one used by characters from closer to the "Georgia Area" (The Country, not the State)... That was even more "Over the Top" than the precise Military Details in the "over the top" action all through this series! Mr. Arthur can even "Becky Ara-bee" (and Farsi, etc ;) convincingly! I have to say I'm highly impressed by the effort he obviously put into "getting things right" in his Narration!

If you like Military Sci-Fi, as I do, then you'll probably highly enjoy this series (as I have).. But if you're turned off by long and VERY descriptive Hard Corp Sex scenes, you probably won't get very far into Book 1. You know the sex is over the top when THAT is mostly what you discuss in your review, while seeming to forget to mention "getting smacked in the face by bone fragments and someone's intestines" ;)
Definitely "NOT For the Kiddies"!

30 people found this helpful

Missing some adult tags... Bondage, rape, S&M.

What made the experience of listening to Ghost the most enjoyable?

It contains three books/stories. The first one is a great story where you are cheering for the main character, angry at the antagonists and are relieved at the end. Then, umm... the second one has a 50 shades quality to it. The third one was enjoyable... except the hero rapes a prostitute.

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

No... Not really. I would want the contents of this story to reflect on me.

I wasn't really prepared for the... rawness of the story. I don't know if I'll get the next one. But I wanted to add my two cents because the publishers summary nor the other (one) review say how explicit this story is.

John Ringo is a great author... Get his books, but be prepared for this one.

What does Jeremy Arthur bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mike the main character was good. Some of the female voices seemed a little shallow (voice of someone that sounded a little stupid).

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

YES!!! It actually made me feel awkward listening to some of the S&M scenes. There is an occasion where he rapes a prostitute... Not a fan of rape.

Any additional comments?

I want everyone to be clear that this guy isn't a sexist pig that says or thinks mean things. He is an evil person that's marginally restrained that fulfills his evilness a few times.

Also, if one of my friends gave me this story as one that they wrote; I would suggest that they seek professional help. Seriously...

15 people found this helpful

RAW!! REFRESHING AND SOMETIMES BRUTAL!!!!

What did you love best about Ghost?

Great story with a very strong main character. If you want a book or characters that are PC this is not the book for you and that's what I enjoyed the most.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, great story even if some of it is far fetched but it is fiction. The plot was unique with great action. I listen to a lot of action thrillers and this was one of the more unique stories I have come across.

What about Jeremy Arthur’s performance did you like?

Jeremy Arthur was fantastic. Every character had a specific voice. It was as if there was more than one person doing the voices of the individual characters. First audio book with this narrator and I was very impressed.

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

I don't know if any part of the book "moved me" but it kept my attention the whole way. I did enjoy the no nonsense approach of the military characters. If they thought it then they said it, AWESOME.

Any additional comments?

I want to be clear on this book not being for everyone. Ghost (the character) is a know it all sexist pig. He is also very aware of this flaw in himself. What I really enjoyed was that the characters views seemed much more real than in most books. In my opinion it is refreshing to see someone write a book and not worry about being politically correct or if a fictional character or characters will offend anyone. Having said that, give this book a try and go in with an opened mind or just wanting to be entertained.

15 people found this helpful

Rapist hero? No way!

I would have thrown this book into the corner if I were reading a paper copy. Since I was listening to the audio version, I just stopped it around 3 hours and deleted it from my smartphone. Sure like hell I'm going to return it to Audible.

If you want to read about a hero, who is turned on sexually when seeing a girl raped and tortured the same time, this book is for you. As for me, I'll never read any book from this author.

13 people found this helpful

Chapters devoted to RAPE. Forget this one.

I normally like Ringo's writing, but "Ghost" has a beast that comes out and the book narrates chapters (not just a page or so) to GRAPHIC RAPE. I have never rated a book with only one star -- usually there is something redeeming. But not this time! Skip it. Do not give the author or publisher any money for exploiting RAPE.

11 people found this helpful

Military-Erotica! I want MORE!!!

WOW! I loved this book!

Yes, there is some pretty disturbing sex and even rape, so if you cannot stomach that sort of thing, then skip it.

I love military books real and fiction, but the true stories seem to all but neuter the real life heroes or vaguely imply they even have a sex life, and the so called romance/erotica try to describe an "operation" and have no clue what an elite soldier does as to sound so wrong it's just stupid.

Elite soldiers are elite because they are just wired differently than the average guy. Mike Ghost is all that with a few wires crossed when it comes to his sex life.

Ghost is the first of the Paladin of Shadows series. There are 6 books so far but Audible has only the one book! Now I have to figure out where to get the other books...I'm hooked.

10 people found this helpful

S&M for Wingnuts and 13 year old perverts

What disappointed you about Ghost?

Not worth disappointment - the only thing to disappoint is the "human" nature that might enjoy this sickness - 20 naked UGA coeds kidnapped raped and tortured by terrorists - and then abused and "saved" by Ringo's sick stalker "hero".

What was most disappointing about John Ringo’s story?

that anyone would write this - I could only listen to the first 2 hours before being thoroughly disgusted with myself and taking two long hot showers.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

That the reader could get the words out without gagging or laughing out loud is worth 4 STARS.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

it exposes a pretty clear indication about the mental condition of those who might like this

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy nipples being scorched by a blowtorch and idiotic Limbaughtomized hatred of anything "Liberal" this is a great way to spend your money. Moronic comments about college coeds and Europeans in an absurdly unbelievable fiction of Conservative Macho sadism makes this a black comedy of a "B" novel. I'm surprised my MP3 player didn't melt from embarrassment. Ringo must be a real source of pleasure for 13 year old perverts.

9 people found this helpful

Book 1 is great, Book 2 however...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Book 1 or part 1 is just what the summary implies, ex-seal returning to college after years with the teams, that seemed to be something that could hold my attention. It did not disappoint, I was looking forward to listening every time I had to stop.

What could John Ringo have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

John Ringo did an excellent job, accents, female voices and gruff voices, no fault there.

Which scene was your favorite?

Near the end of book 1 when the seals come in and rescue the girls and the Chief explains that "with the exception of Ramos, we are not gay" that cracked me up.

Did Ghost inspire you to do anything?

Just was excited that there was going to be more, book 2 was coming up

Any additional comments?

Book 2 or part 2 was a total let down, it continued on from the last chapter, I think that it should have been labeled under romance. I made it to the part where Mike is having sex with underage girls and they were discussing "safe" bondage words.... pause.... delete.
You have to keep my attention during an audio book, if I wanted a Lifetime movie with softcore porn I would purchase it. The book may have gotten better but smut is still smut, and seals should not be portrayed as rapists

9 people found this helpful

Not For the Mild of Heart

Having read most of John Ringo's previous works I thought that I knew what to expect when purchasing this book. Most of his other works are 'straight' escapist military sci-fi with a healthy dose of Tea Party leaning under-leanings. So once one gets over the rants, there are some really well constructed action, interesting characters and storylines.

Without giving major spoilers, this book is divided into 3 distinct books. The first and last are primarily escapist 2005 era military action macho fiction, sandwiched around some very heavy S&M action, The second book in all honesty made me feel very uncomfortable just listening to and didn't feel transitory or logical to developments in the last book. I did keep thinking that the author either had some interesting research for this character or revealed way too much about himself!!

I enjoy military and military sci-fi as escapism and brain candy and so have a low suspension of belief for the structures within which the authors of these genres create fictional little worlds. My problem here is that it's hard to see if Ringo is attempting to give a character who harnesses his base urges constructively, or if this is titillation, strange titillation.

7 people found this helpful

Last John Ringo book I'll ever read

What disappointed you about Ghost?

The main character. What positives can you say about a character who openly enjoys raping underage girls?

Has Ghost turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, just John Ringo. I've read, and enjoyed, several books he has written. It doesn't take long to figure out that he's a xenophobe and a misogynist and that his politics are far right of Rush Limbaugh. But he's a talented writer and his books were worth the rants and he's entitled to his opinions. But no more. It doesn't matter what heroic acts your main character performs, he doesn't get a pass because of it.

What does Jeremy Arthur bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Mr. Arthur is a good narrator who brings the right amount of urgency to the situations occurring in the book.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disgust. The main character is a brave man who performs some inhuman feats to save many people, but he's such a repugnant human being that you almost wish the bad guys had shot him in on the first page... He starts the book by stalking women and fantasizing about rape!

Any additional comments?

Never again.

6 people found this helpful