We fought them for decades.And we won.But victory hurt us more than defeat.Years after defeating aliens bent on burning down the galaxy, the Interstellar Union is breaking apart, its member species undermining each other at every opportunity.When an interdimensional distress signal arrives, only humanity is interested in helping.Captain Vin Husher is sent in with a task force… is sent in with a task force…
…right into a trap laid by humanity’s old enemy.
Surrounded by a bioengineered super-species and unable to return home, Husher must draw on decades of experience just to keep his people alive.
If he can’t survive long enough to escape this hellish pocket universe and warn humanity of the impending danger, all will be lost.
And it might already be too late.
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Great series starter! Husher meets the Brood, an alien species with a hive mind. Lots if action, space ships, and alien surprises.
When a mysterious inter-dimensional distress comes across the terribly fractured Interstellar Union, Vin Husher and the crew of the Relentless are tasked with finding out who sent it. They find themselves in a pocket universe at the mercy of their old enemy ‘The Brood’- who’ve trapped them with one way to get home: give them Captain Husher. With no better choices, Husher lays his live on the line and enters the bizarre existence of ‘The Brood’. A sacrifice that could give humanity the edge over their enemy… or become the catalyst that will ultimately lay waste to an entire species. Brilliantly crafted story with a heck of a bone-chilling epilogue, highly recommended.
Trapped is one wonderful sci fi book. The action does not stop. If you love sci fi then you will for sure love this book. Another thing is to read this book before you read Counterstrike. The characters remain the same and the action is fabulous but the main thing is that it will make reading Counterstrike make a lot more sense.
**** SPOILER ALERT ****
UPDATED: To include the Audible version.
“Trapped: Fleet Ops Book 1” is my introduction to Bartlett’s writing, but I’ve read a few of James books prior to this.
The authors wove a tale balancing action and exposition while doing a superb job of world building and character development.
Q: Who sent the mysterious distress call?
Q: Is the distress call a trap?
A: Get this book and find out!!
I was thoroughly entertained by this story and I would recommend this book to anyone in whichever format suits you. I can hardly wait to read book two in the series so I can find out what happens next. I fully intend to check out more of Bartlett and James’ writing.
This book is such a good one that I was willing to “read” it twice. Once by eye and once by ear. The authors, kindly shared the Audible version with me and since I’ve already reviewed the book, I’m turning the spotlight on the narrator, the often unsung hero/heroine whose voice talents bring stories and characters to life. A good narrator can lift a book to higher heights, while an inferior narrator can destroy a great book. Mark Boyett was an excellent choice for this book. His voicing was excellent and truly brought this story to life. In addition, his audio production skills are top shelf. I hope to hear more of Mr. Boyett’s narrations in future.
In the interest of transparency: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.
A horrific enemy, a mission turned desperate. All on the line. This is what you get in Scott Bartlett and Joshua James’ Fleet Ops, Book 1: Trapped. Oh yes, plus a superb hero in Captain Vin Husher, and all the action and thrills you could possibly want in one really great package. This series is a follow-up to the authors’ superb Ixan Legacy trilogy (separately reviewed) and it’s highly recommended to read that (really superb) series first, though there is a recap at the start of this book for those who don’t want to to so. Even standalone though, I’d still highly recommend this new series starter.