“Planetside is a smart and fast-paced blend of mystery and boots-in-the-dirt military SF that reads like a high-speed collision between Courage Under Fire and Heart of Darkness.” – Marko Kloos, bestselling author of the Frontline series
A seasoned military officer uncovers a deadly conspiracy on a distant, war-torn planet… planet…
War heroes aren’t usually called out of semi-retirement and sent to the far reaches of the galaxy for a routine investigation. So when Colonel Carl Butler answers the call from an old and powerful friend, he knows it’s something big—and he’s not being told the whole story. A high councilor’s son has gone MIA out of Cappa Base, the space station orbiting a battle-ravaged planet. The young lieutenant had been wounded and evacuated—but there’s no record of him having ever arrived at hospital command.
The colonel quickly finds Cappa Base to be a labyrinth of dead ends and sabotage: the hospital commander stonewalls him, the Special Ops leader won’t come off the planet, witnesses go missing, radar data disappears, and that’s before he encounters the alien enemy. Butler has no choice but to drop down onto a hostile planet—because someone is using the war zone as a cover. The answers are there—Butler just has to make it back alive…
“Not just for military SF fans—although military SF fans will love it—Planetside is an amazing debut novel, and I’m looking forward to what Mammay writes next.” – Tanya Huff, author of the Confederation and Peacekeeper series
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From military bureaucracy to GI slang to formal/informal alliances with other units & officers, Author Michael Mammay’s combat experience shines through in this science fiction read depicting a war earth brought to a mining-colony planet. Combine Mammay’s attention to military detail with a knack for intriguing world building and a sharp-tonged protagonist, and you have an entertaining page-turner that keeps the action moving forward. The ending has enough shock value to provide a thought-provoking close.
The book’s primary strength–it realistic depiction of the military–also represented a slight weakness. The plot of the book felt so close to Middle East combat (terrain, GI lingo, the morally ambiguous purpose of the invading force) that I looked up the author’s background halfway through the book. Sure enough, he served in that theater. I would have preferred a recipe that leaned a little more on his world building talents and a bit less on his personal experience (although many readers may find the balance just right). All in all, though, a terrific book and a great way to spend a day of my vacation.
I read about this book and its sequel on Reading Reality blog and picked it up. Such a fun, exciting read! The first-person narrator character is wry, jaded, wise, and ultimately great to travel through the story with. Am already reading the next book.
Absolutely recommend this book, I immediately purchased the next in the series.
Really enjoyed the series. If you like military sci fi you will enjoy this book.
This novel caught my interest from the very first pages and didn’t let it go until I’d read the final word. Colonel Carl Butler is getting ready to retire when his old friend and the second most powerful general in his branch of the military asks him to travel to the planet, Cappa, halfway across the galaxy to investigate the disappearance of an important politician’s son. It actually seems like a pretty straight forward assignment except that at Cappa, no one will cooperate with him. And Butler does need help. After all, the injured young man was evacuated from the battlefield by a shuttle but the hospital claims he never arrived and the shuttle pilots can’t be questioned because they are conveniently dead. As if that isn’t bad enough, all the records that might trace what happened have disappeared—and all of that is BEFORE the mystery gets complicated.
This is both a great story and a great mystery. Carl Butler is a superb character—an old colonel with a heroic past he won’t discuss and very little in the way of diplomatic skills. He’s a bulldog who won’t stop once he has a mission and yet he also has a peculiar sense of honor and duty that becomes very important to the resolution of the case.
Mammay plays fair with the reader throughout this book. I don’t say that just because I figured out the core of the mystery halfway through the novel. There are plenty of clues, many of them coming in the middle of shocking surprises. The ending was powerful, made total sense, and yet, I didn’t see it coming. Anyone who likes a good mystery will enjoy this novel.
Finally, narrator R.C. Bray, really enhances an already superb novel with his spot-on depiction of Butler’s voice—a totally credible aging colonel who lacks patience for most of the BS happening around him.
I bought it because of a review that said it won an award. Well-deserved in my opinion. Totally had me guessing and the end was unexpected to say the least. Highly recommend it.
I echo what other reviewer said. The dialogue is realistic to how military organizations work. I believed the main character‘s experience. The story is an interesting mystery.
I read an early copy of this book, but I then listened to the audiobook when it came out, and I really enjoyed it both times (plus RC Bray is an excellent narrator). If you like space ships, aliens, wise-cracking MCs, lots of action, and a good mystery, this is the book for you! Plenty of surprises, and Butler is a well-rounded character with a good sense of humor. I especially love the scenes with the reporter, Plazz, because Butler is at his wise-crackingist 🙂
Planetside
by Michael Mammay
R.C. Bray (Narrator)
This is going in my favorite folder! This has everything a good sci-fi needs! A mystery or two, a space adventure, lots of weapons, aged military personnel having to do what no one else will, aliens, a good conspiracy, death threats, and lots of action! This book has that and more! Super exciting, never boring, lots of twists and turns, and a surprise ending!
Narration was perfect because it had RC Bray! One of my favorites! I
Can’t wait for the next book!
Borrowed this from the library!
Michael Mammay in his debut novel, Planetside, creates a surprisingly believable science fiction military thriller. It is a tightly-plotted, fast-paced novel that is suspenseful throughout. The science part of the science-fiction was well thought-out and realistically depicted. I especially appreciated the strong presence of women as capable military beings. Colonel Carl Butler is dispatched to Cappa Three to find the son of a powerful politician who is missing in action after being wounded. Things are less clear on Cappa than he anticipated. He’s stone-walled at every level off is investigation. He is a well-depicted character with flaws as well as being an honorable and experienced soldier, and the rest of the characters are just as rich and intriguing. I read this in one sitting.