Starship Eternal: War Eternal, Book 1

I needed to write this review because the current average of 4.5 stars is simply not accurate in my strong honest opinion. This is a light read and a fun read, but it is by no means an excellent or particularly thought-provoking book.You've seen the story discussed in other reviews. Here's my perspective: the primary plot mechanic "they are coming and they are going to wipe out humanity" is hackneyed, the cyclical universes is a time-travel cliche that fails to enable the suspension of disbelief, and the "science" component of science fiction isn't really there. The story progresses as a blur and the universe is very poorly developed. We don't really understand the scope of the universe, the war with the federation, the military assets, the prevailing technologies (esp. as they relate to starships & mechs), or much of anything. The science component of science fiction, where we use some creativity and semi-viable physics to add to the credibility of the story, doesn't really enter into it. The cyclical universes is weird enough, but I can stomach that; it's the undefined enemy with the single defined goal of killing the protagonist (and by extension, all of humanity) which leaves me feeling let down. Of course, our protagonist is the key to defeating these forces and so they must preemptively kill him. His own disbelief at his situation does little to improve the the low palatability of this story. At the end, the enemy is defined just enough to chalk up another Terminator parallel or two."Military" sci fi doesn't describe this one bit. Combat is pretty much limited to Mitchell wiping out everything with his starfighter, which somehow also got transmitted from a parallel universe and is blessed with stupid-powerful tech which allows him to repeatedly beat the odds.Let me be honest: this story is enjoyable to some extent, hence the 3 stars. It's a lot of action at a quick pace and so it's a fun read. However, the development of characters, the universe, the technology, is all lacking. And to best describe this book, I really thing it should belong in the Teen/young adult section. I would have loved this book a lot more if I were about 14, and been way interested in Mitchell's gratuitous oversexing throughout the book. But as an adult looking for a universe that'll grab me in for 5+ books, this wasn't enough to keep me going.

There's some good things about this book, and some bad things. Given the number of 4 and 5 star reviews, which I strongly disagree with, I thought I'd mention some of the bad. The science here is really bad. Things like a ship lifting off the ground and within three minutes reaching the atmosphere (yeah he actually wrote that) or that the galaxy was millions of light-years around. The central premise, that although the universe is infinite and repeating in time, a particular past can be prevented from ever happening again (in an infinite future) is completely illogical. Then he adds the mystical. Turns out -because the exact "same" atoms (I know, it makes no sense) will eventually reconstitute you exactly, (each atom in the "same" position it was last time through this time loop (each loop apparently lasting hundreds of billions or hundreds of trillions or more years) that each of us possess a memory of earlier loops - memories of past futures. That is, you can recall from the last loop what you will be doing a year or a decade (etc.) from now. Real deja vu. The next problem, although the nature of the government isn't made completely clear, is the cartoonish nature of the action scenes. For instance, the police and military are, I kid you not, using military weapons shooting at one character (trying to avoid spoilers) in the middle of a major city! Riiiiiiight. I'm guessing that Mr Forbes is modeling his writing on action movies, and avoiding realism. There are other implausible critical plot points (for instance, the wife of the Prime minister of the entire galactic quadrant (which has billions and billions of inhabitants - and strangely only humans) is left, without any security protection, to wander around on her own. The writing is ok. I'm glad there is little (none that I recall) of the too typical: Captain: "Launch Torpedos!" Weapons Officer: "Huh? Captain, are you sure..." nonsense. OTOH, one of the characters back-story involves being raped as a young college student and her implants hacked, and yet, a few years later, no one is aware that such hacks are possible. Makes no sense. Definitely wouldn't give this book more than 3 stars, nor less than 2. Although military scifi doesn't have to be written at the high school level, I'd say this one is. Unless you think it reasonable that a cadet just graduating from the Academy and after committing serious crimes would be promoted to Admiral. Not a step too far; a league too far, imho. You really have to suspend disbelief. But after just finishing it, will I buy the 2nd in the series? I can't say for sure I won't, but there's not likely to be much continuity between the first and the 2nd book, the main character's universe (or galaxy, the author seems to confuse the two concepts) has changed drastically by the end of the book. Think I'll read the reviews of the 2nd before I decide.

5% into Starship Eternal and I had the urge to roll my eyes so hard they would detatch themselves and roll away. The book reads almost like a teenage fan fiction to the genre focusing on Mitchell Williams, a space marine fighter pilot (how are these the same thing?) who is not only a walking hero, and insanely handsome but women find him irresistible throwing themselves at him at every opportunity. Honestly it's such a macho power fantasy it's not even funny, I was cringing for just about every moment I was reading.It does get a little better from then on, Mitchell is actually just a parading mouth piece for the Alliance military and hasn't really done these heroic things they claim but they are using him to help enlist new recruits to the war they are fighting with the Federation. The Federation obviously want him dead for this however and during one assassination attempt they damage a chip in his head causing him to constantly hear voices and see things all involving "find the Goliath" a 400 year old starship. This premise was briefly interesting and some of the hallucination scenes were pretty well done but obviously ruined by having 19 year olds handing over numbers saying how they will entertain themselves thinking about him at night etc.As you can see even when the book has some intresting ideas it immediately cripples itself with this overindulgence of how handsome Mitchell is. A character so boring and insufferable I had to look his name up writing this review and I was only reading this book a couple of hours ago. It's just badly written, at 25% of the book I gave up. Mitchell is boring, and it's written like a complete amateur's attempt not like a professional writer was behind the words.Maybe it gets better further on but at a quarter of the way through it wasn't worth continuing on with this badly written male power fantasy nonsense. Military science fiction has a wealth of books and authors to choose from in this day and age and almost all of them including the mediocre ones are better than this. I haven't been so disappointed in a book in a long time.+ The hearing voices and messages idea is pretty cool.- The writing is terrible.- Mitchell is unlikeable and bland as a protagonist.- The male power fantasy writing angle is insufferable and seizure inducingly cringeworthy.

Started so I finished because I wanted to know the end but seriously.... not well written at all. Many stereotypes of alpha males, woman who want alpha males etc etc. In this day and age, to me at any rate, sci-fi should be exploring possibilities not only of the future but of different ways of thinking, of feeling, of what it means to be human. I’ve read the synopsis for the following books just to get an idea of what happens because I don’t want to poke through any more of this.

This is a really easy to read, promising opener to a science fiction series. I blasted through this book and have eagerly picked up the sequel. It really throws a different kind of dynamic on the whole time travel system, although I'm not quite sure that calling it time travel is wholly accurate. Forbes has some good sci-fi tech that really add to the piece and genuinely make me wish they were real.The author fleshes out a good cast of characters both primary and secondary and leaves you, as a reader, feeling as though you could quite easily slip into the character groups based solely on what you've read. I look forward to the second book and where the story inevitably will lead.I always look out for quality of editing in a book. This was done very well. I only counted a couple of typos which were only noticeable because I look hard for them. So, all in all, good book from top to bottom.

It wasn't what I was expecting but it was OK. I like some of the ideas (space hero on the PR circuit, brain hacks, dodgy black ops crew) but I really didn't like the time paradox stuff. The theory is not good and as a plot device it was weak. The plot holes soon jumped out at you.However, I made it through to the end and was curious enough to buy the next volume. That must say something I suppose.

A good concept, well written and easy to read.I will certainly order the next in the series. The only reason that I didn't give 5 * was because I felt that in two places someone suggested that something was done that jarred with the continuity. If I am wrong-Sorry! but for me it just spoilt the flow. If other readers feel the same perhaps M.R Forbes could improve these minor points and consider retiring to a nice warm Tax Haven.