Book Review: Operation Breakout by J.R. Handley

Spoiler Free Summary: Operation Breakout byJ.R. Handley  is the third book in The Sleeping Legion series. I’ve read the others. Here’s the review for book one, and here’s the review for book two.

The Human Legion is still putting the pieces together following a crippling betrayal, but they’re fighting back. They’re working to take the continent while keeping a hold on their fragile, newly-formed union.

Character: I got frustrated with Lance’s arc in this. He’s still pretty much a badass, and it’s not so much the challenges he faced that bothered me; it was more the way he handled those challenges emotionally. Again, this book is great for readers who like fast-paced action, but there are too many characters in too few pages for me to keep straight. I have a few that I liked, but they didn’t get the air time I wanted. Honestly, these books always feel like they need to be another hundred thousand words or so to justify the number of points of view. It’s more of a lost opportunity than anything else, but it’s been my gripe on the series from book one.

 

Exposition: Three books in, I expected this to get better, and it did. I didn’t feel much in the way of info dumping. I think Handley improved his description and dialogue to reduce the amount of “telling” vs “showing.”

Worldbuilding:  A race (one reason the number of characters hurt is that I can’t really recall this race exactly…they’re basically giant war rabbits…)  gets center stage, and I appreciate when scifi has non-human characters take center stage. They were cool to watch. We get more insight. I think this was the best in the series in regard to this category.

Dialogue: There wasn’t exactly a lot of it when I think about it. What was there felt pretty decent. I thought it was average. I remember some of the back and forth best.

Description:  Handley took another step forward in this. It wasn’t so much the amount, but the placement I noticed. I found the world more inviting because I could see what I needed to see when I needed to see it. It’s fun watching a new writer develop like that. Each book was better than the last.

Overall: While it didn’t have some of the arc I wanted from book two, it had what the others have. If you like scifi action at a fast pace, this book won’t disappoint. There’s more development here than in the first two, but readers will have to keep their eyes sharp to keep track of which character is where. Quick reads like this do help to break up the monotony and rest the eye from some of the thicker tomes I usually read. This had more action that the others (a huge plus). The fight scenes were particularly fun. If you like his work, you’ll like this book.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: No Marine Left Behind by J.R. Handley

Spoiler Free Summary: No Marine Left Behind is a short story featuring Sashala Kraevoi. Author J.R. Handley gives us a deeper glimpse into one of the characters in the series. Sashala starts out leading a normal mission, but when one of her Marines ends up alone and surrounded by aliens and steeped in hopeless odds, Sashala charges to the rescue. Survival is mandatory. Escape is the goal.

Character:  Sashala is a strong character (I mean that literally, she’s physically strong), which is nice. Having served with some amazing Marines (both man and woman), I like seeing a woman take the lead now and then. For a story this short, there wasn’t a lot of room for development, but you still get to see how determined she is.  That determination is her best asset.

Exposition: I’ll admit Andrew get’s a little heavy handed here, but there’s a purpose to this. His wordplay is brilliant, but it can’t survive in dialogue alone. The humor of said word-play is more than fair compensation for the slightly higher-than-average exposition.

Worldbuilding:  Based in the Human Legion world, the reader knows there’s more out there to learn, but I wasn’t overwhelmed with too much (a few terms I didn’t recognize here or there). This book was a thousand miles an hour, so there wasn’t much in the way of scope or setting. The reader saw what was essential to the plot, and nothing more.

Dialogue: I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve read this story. I think some of it felt a bit “too” Marine for my taste. What I mean by this is there wasn’t much beyond the orders and stereotypical banter. It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination; it just didn’t add a lot to the character.

Description:  It didn’t bother me so much, especially with a story this short. There wasn’t a lot of description. This story is driven by action and pacing. Handley didn’t bog that down with overly descriptive blocks of information.

Overall:  This was a fun “dinner” read. (No really, I read it during a meal.) It’s action packed and full of cool fight scenes and scifi visual moments. It had an 80s action movie feel to it that I liked.

Thanks for reading

Matt

Book Review: Fortress Beta City by J.R. Handley

These images were provided by J.R. Handley and are used with is content. Any reuse without his permission is in violation of his copyright.

Spolier Free Summary: Fortress Beta City is the sequel to The Legion Awakes. As book two in the Sleeping Legion saga by J.R. Handley, it picks off where book one left off. Sergeant Lance Scipio wakes from cryo sleep once more to find the world has changed yet again. The White Knights have apparently abandoned Tranquility-4, and his planet has become a battleground between two strange forces. In one corner, unidentified Marines he’s unsure he can trust. In the other corner, the Hardits whose rebellion started at the end of book 1. He has to discover what these new Marines want; Stop his city from dying, drowning, or starving; and find a way to protect his Marines. Those missions will force Lance to take on a role he’d never imagined having before.

Character:  I mentioned in my review for Legion that Lance is the only character I could really hold onto.  While I still think the reader has too many characters to track, things calm down, and we do get to know more of the other characters. I remember GG, a Junton commander. Basil has an amazing hero moment!  Nhlappo is an interesting character as well.  Those characters create an effective base and allow the reader to grow closer to the characters around them. I’d say that’s a definite improvement.  Lance sort of disappears near the end of the book (not literally, like a spoiler, but his air time sort of falls off). The action is so quick, the reader shouldn’t really mind. Besides, I was more interested in GG’s arc at the time. This isn’t unexpected in a series. You’re going to meet a cast of characters, and some books may shift from character to character. I’m most looking forward to Nhlappo’s confrontation with Spartika. If book 3 delivers that, I’m a happy guy. I’d still like a bit more air time for those characters and fewer cuts to other characters, but as long as I have these guys to follow, I’ll be loyal to the series.

Exposition: This was the biggest area of improvement from book 1 to book 2. It’s been a while since I actually finished the book, but I tend to purposefully let a bit of time pass between reviews. This allows me to focus on the thoughts that really stick and let go of whatever raw emotions I might have had. In this case, I can’t remember the info-dump sections I could from the first book. Most science fiction books require segments of info, but this had a better blending of showing vs telling. I mentioned that there are still a bunch of characters we only catch fleeting glimpses of, but those characters provide the reader scope, perspective, or, in this case, information. I’d call that a fair trade.

World building:  I still think fans of Human Legion will latch onto this more quickly, but I was able to track this story pretty effectively. Now, part of this is because one source of conflict is the survivability of the planet. This clever source of conflict allows a nube like me to get familiar with Human Legion terms and characters as I learn about the story. I didn’t feel nearly as lost in this book as I did at times in book one. Part is because I have a book under my belt, the other is because of that particular plot line.

Dialogue:  In terms of catching the feel of the military banter and back and forth, the dialogue is solid, but this might be one of the weaker areas of the book. Basil and Lance have distinct voices to me, but the other characters don’t quite stand out to me. They’re all interesting, and, to be honest, voice in dialogue is a challenge for me. I think a lot of the reason I’m seeing it has more to do with how much I’m working to improve my own skill is forcing me to see what others are doing.  I just wanted to note a potential bias and explain it. Voice is a challenge, but the dialogue is still witty with plenty of clever back-and-forth.

Description: This is the strongest area of Handley’s writing. He gives the reader what he needs without taking away the readers imagination. He has a nice mix of active verbs and carefully placed adjectives that help the reader visualize through observation instead of narration. He does himself a credit with how he draws the reader in with scenes and action sequences. Action scenes are key in science fiction combat books, and Handley has that part down.

Overall: This is a fantastic sequel to the first book. It’s better, more action packed, and more emotionally powerful. The connection to the characters is higher, and the action sequences feel even more realistic. If the first book was interesting, this book will probably get you hooked on the series.

Thanks for reading,

Matt

Book Review: The Legion Awakes by J.R. Handley

All images were provided with and by permission from J.R. Handley. Any redistribution without his written consent is in violation of copyright doctrine.

Spolier Free Summary: The Legion Awakes is the first book in the Sleeping Legion saga by J.R. Handley. Sergeant Lance Scipio is pulled from cryo sleep to revive ancient combat tactics with a cadet squad. He needs to take a group of undisciplined cadets and turn them into space Marines while simultaneously proving the combat methods of his era are effective in a future where humanity serves the White Knights. When the training starts working, Lance’s unit has to prove themselves in a battlefield exercise designed to teach units how to deal with failure. His squad must prove that test wrong or risk being Culled.

Character:  Lance is memorable, and he’s compelling to read about in an 1980’s action movie sort of way. What this book makes up for in pace and excitement, Handley gives up a bit in terms of character. It’s not that Lance isn’t cool; It’s not even that there aren’t other cool characters. The problem is characters get thrown at the reader very quickly, and readers don’t get a lot of time in their heads. Basil is probably my favorite character. He also has the most satisfying arc. I remember Wires because of the nickname, but that’s about it. That said, this felt like an informed decision on the part of J.R (who most of you know is a friend of mine).  This area is probably the weakest of the book for that reason, but I repeat this is because Lance is so powerful and there are SO many other characters we don’t get a chance to learn about.

Exposition: Legion can get a little info dumpy in a few spots, but only in areas that require a steep learning curve, which science fiction readers probably come to expect. Even my favorite science fiction books have large segments of exposition that are simply a necessity for something as deep as this series. The good news is the pacing of this novel is unstoppable.  Info dumpy or not, the pages fly by when you’re reading, and that’s due mostly to the action movie feel of the book.

Worldbuilding:  So I understand that Sleeping Legion is a sub-set of the Human Legion saga. There’s a bit of a struggle (very small mind you). I think if you’re a fan of Human Legion, you’ll burn through this without issue, but there are some pieces of information that bring questions to those who haven’t read that universe. I equate it to people who watch something like Doctor Strange without seeing the other MCU movies. You don’t ACTUALLY need it to understand what’s going on, but it probably increases the enjoyability.  If you’ve read both, I’d be curious to hear if you agree in the comments below. What I will say is the world building we need to understand is laid out for the reader in a plot relevant style.

Dialogue:  It’s solid, though I wouldn’t be able to argue with those who say some characters sound alike. Lance steals the show for the most part. What the book lacks in voice, it makes up for in mannerisms that are indeed unique to the characters. As a military guy, what’s nice about the dialogue is the natural flow of the military conversations. This book does a great job of mixing up the odd manner service members have of mixing high intensity conversations with light hearted topics that break that tension. It’s realistic. If you’re a service member, you get it.

Description: Depending on who you are, this is either the strongest part of Handley’s game or the weakest. I’m not a fan of description, so the sparse details don’t bother me a bit. It allows the plot to surge forward at a breakneck pace.  Again, I’m not actually a science fiction reader. High fantasy (probably my favorite genre) is very detail obsessive. So if you’re looking for schematic ready description, you’ll probably be disappointed. But you have the visuals you need to move along. Like I said, I’m honestly very interested to hear what fans of this genre have to say on the matter. For my money, I don’t actually care about the layout, specks of the weapons or things like that. I wouldn’t say no to a few more beats of description, but I honestly didn’t miss it.

Overall: Lance plus a relentless plot pace makes this a really enjoyable book. J.R. makes no excuses or apologies for what he writes, and I’m in agreement with him. This is plup fiction, action oriented storytelling. Any reader could zip through this book during a large meal and a tasty desert. (No, really! I totally read this in about a week, which in Matt’s reading time is about two days…maybe 5 hours of reading time. That’s LUDICROUS Speed at it’s finest).  At the end of the day this is a pleasant, action-packed story that blends elements of 1980s action movies with science fiction themes.

Thanks for reading,

Matt