The League of Sol is down but not out. Now Colonel David Cohen tackles his most challenging task yet.Ferreting out a traitor.The League fleet has finally been driven from the Terran Coalition’s galactic arm. But enemies left behind on the planets that dot the local cluster won’t go quietly.Under orders direct from the President, David dispatches a commando team to recon a League-held world, … dispatches a commando team to recon a League-held world, entrusting them with one of his top officers as a guide on the planet she once called home. Unexpected enemy fire leaves the team stranded in hostile territory with no means of escape unless they can disable the planetary defense system.
But David faces an all-new battle of his own. As a wave of League ships consistently stays one step ahead of him, his worst fears are realized.
The CDF has a mole.
Alongside the intelligence ship Oxford, David and the crew of the Lion of Judah race to discover the wolf in a CDF uniform and rescue those planetside before they are lost to a crazed League commander intent on annihilation over surrender.
If they fail, they’ll sacrifice more than just a battle.
They’ll lose the war.
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The League Army Headquarters on Freiderwelt which they were occupying, Lieut. Col. Haun Pan hated being posted there. Major Vladislav Pavlik reminded him that Freiderwelt had no active resistance the population was compliant with the orders and produce fresh fruit and vegetables for them and he had been subjected to for workers. Pan informed him that he had been on the fast track to general and now he babysit farmers so backwards they wouldn’t even use a robot tractor. In some ways I have the perfect socialism which is why our political commissars won’t allow me to execute them all which if they would we could get off of this rock Pavlik. Col. David Cohen awoke from a dream that had him being ripped apart by monster caused him to hit his head on the top bunk. He was captain CSV Lion of Judah and his ships heading and relative position were displayed on the underside of his bunk this was to allow him better sleeping conditions on the advice of Dr. Izmet Tural. He said his morning prayers exercised preparing himself for the day and had his breakfast then he remembered he really needed to change up his routine forcing his brain to function better. When he got to the officers mess he said he wanted the usual two eggs over easy with hash browns wheat toast and coffee then to change it a small bowl of oatmeal. Aibek, a Saurian, was his XO they wanted to get back into the battle with the league. Calvin Demood The Terrien Coalition Marine Corps MEU commander was reading when David rang the time to his room he said it was a visit to a friend not a visit of the CO but Kevin still called him Sir he wanted to know how his treatment was going and he said rough but Dr. Ellison was excellent and it was a long way back. He asked if he was ready for action and Calvin answered he was born ready. Asking if he had a target. At the SHAEF, which stood for Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, its mission was to defeat the League of Sol when Pres. Spencer entered the room he was given an overall update on the war. They discussed the shipbuilding efforts and it was estimated that it would be three months before the antimatter reactor based heavy cruisers were online and operational and they had they would have to decide whether to give them a shakedown cruise or just place them in with the fleet. Spencer wanted to know how many ships were ready for combat telling the Saurian assets there were 923 starships including frigates, destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and carriers. The Saurian made Ajax class destroyers would be entering the service next week with no additional movement on the addition of Saurian ground troops. It was then decided that since they could not send their fleet to free those Citizens of the Terrian Coalition that they had a proposal to send a six man space special warfare team to see if there was a way to disable the league’s planetary defenses. Using the latest generation stealth assault Lander prototype would be quiet enough and with the low signature that hopefully the league computers would not see them coming. The Lion of Judah off combat assignments for a few months and would please Col. Cohen and his special warfare units would be up to the task. The proposed planet for this experiment would be Friederwelt; this planet fits the profile of a bunch of successful lead attacks on the prize lines to unity station. The Lion could drop off her team and then go on for convoy duty at this Pres. Spencer left. Gen. McIntosh appeared on Col. Cohen’s tablet where he was fixing to get his new orders. First he was to take an insert a special warfare unit onto the planet Friederwelt and then he was to take up convoy duty to see if I couldn’t stop the attacks on the supply lines to unity station. To see if the attacks on the supply lines to unity station were stopped, Freiderwelt was able to be rescued you have to read the rest of the book. It’s a very good book…
I love military sci-fi stories about “duty, sacrifice, and the unseen scars of those who serve.” Daniel Gibbs’ Echoes of War takes you to the heart of this. It has just the feel of the Babylon 5 series it’s publisher’s blurb references (I should know, I watched that addictively when it first aired, and have binge viewed it more than once years later thanks to Netflix). I just addictively ran through Echoes four books, Fight the Good Fight (Book 1), Strong and Courageous (Book 2), So Fight I (Book 3) and Gates of Hell (Book 4). I love the hero of this tale, rabbinical student turned military man David Cohen who needs to “must square the tenets of his faith against his responsibility to crew and country … in the face of a ruthless regime’s threat to the freedom of billions in his homeland. This is wonderful stuff. Complex, thoughtful yet full of thrills and action. A totally wild ride of a series that is amazing fun to read – and amazingly fun. Be careful here as you may very well find yourself as drawn as I was into reading these books one after the other. Frankly, but for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed, I could go on and on with praises. This series definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that each of these books is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend all of them.
Daniel Gibbs really has his writing act together. It is hard to remember that he is a newbie to writing when his writing, like David Weber, David Drake, Elizabeth Moon and John Ringo, bring the emotional and ethical aspects of the duty of military service to life, along with the internal cost of that service, especially to those whom those who serve do not know are looking up at them. Military sci fi fans, follow this author – you will not regret it.
I received a copy of this book from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily leaving a review.