Tech World: Undying Mercenaries, Book 3

I have read a LOT of Sci-Fi series, from the old Star Wars novels (to the terrible recent ones) to David Weber's Honor Harrington, to Owner's Share (and the trade series that preceeds it) to Christopher Nuttal's overly politicized same regurgitated idea with different character and world names. (Okay I get it, he doesn't like our society and thinks everything will fall apart...)This series reads a lot like BV Larson's first series Star Force. I read that series, and I consider it to be a 3/5 star event. This current series of his is FAR superior to his previous work, which I think is the single best compliment you can give any author.With an interesting mix of modern gaming terminology/theory and an old school dose of Starship Troopers we have ourselves the Undying Mercenaries!For some reason I'm really wrapped up in this character he created. Perhaps because he is a smart ass, perhaps it's because I see this guy as being a Han Solo in Infantry mode. Yet no matter how I spin it I am hooked from page one until the end, and I'm never satisfied. I want more! I want to know what is going on with this Civil War, what is going on with this cloning technology which seems heavily monitored and yet not.How is Earth going to survive in a hostile universe with no friends or allies?Great space opera with a character who cares so much it looks like he doesn't, or is that the other way round... damn, can never tell with him.Only have a couple of things I want to see... which is namely the protaganist suceeding a little bit more in his efforts to establish something similar to a logical mind set somewhere in the chain of command! His fellows always seem to hate on him for getting them killed, but when are they going to realize that NONE of them would be there if he hadn't saved their asses from the get go, multiple times.Love the book, story, and characters. Just give them a little more love, and less hate! At least from those closest to him.

I am rating this three stars because it was good but it was too similar to the other two books, it feels like the plot in the series hasnt moved along. In the first book we find out earth is trying to make it in the empire by selling its mercenaries as its one and only product and that the world economy is suffering because their isnt much call for their product. the main character due to economic reasons becomes grunt, he is still pretty much a grunt in this book. At the end of the second book we find out earth has no friggen idea how the empire works, by the end of this book we find out that earth has no idea how the empire works or what the frick is going on in the empire. In the second book the world that varius went to had nano technology used in their weapons and armor but in the third book they are still using the weapons that they used in the first two books even though they comment about how they can be improved often.One of the major subplots for this series should be earth preparing to fight against the empire if they screw up some random law, but I havent seen it. Another subplot should be how humanity is building a bigger and better infrastructure on earth with alien technology but that also seems to be missing.One of the things that is not clear in the series is whether its against galactic law to leave the home planet or the home system, I would request the author clarify that. It would seem the only thing the galactics should care about is if a species leaves the planet as leaving a planet alone does not necessarily mean they can mess up the galaxy, but if they can leave the planet and astroid mine and stuff, does earth do that? If they are bottled inside their system does that mean earth can terriform mars, or venus, or maybe build a gas mine on jupiter or saturn?At this point we should start seeing how earth is getting ready for galactic warfare because its obvious that its coming, and I seriously doubt that earth is obeying galactic law just hiding the fact that they are breaking the law better than the other planets.I will probably read the next book in the series but if the subplot doesnt start making its way point in center I probably wont read the fifth.

5 Stars!I just finished Tech World (and the rest of the series) and loved every page. This has been one of the most engaging and entertaining series I have read. Character development is first rate and the multiple plot lines pull you in and often keep you guessing. Dialogue, both public and internal provided many laugh out loud moments. My only problem with the Undying Mercenary series is that it has stopped rather abruptly at the end of Tech World with many questions unanswered and several issues unresolved. BV has solicited ideas from readers for future worlds to be visited by Legion Varus so here is mine. Forgotten World, a long-abandoned Galactic outpost world in Frontier 921 covered with dormant Galactic tech. Rediscovered almost simultaneously by humans and the squids, Legion Varus is dispatched to the planet with the Galactic key to unlock tech desperately needed for the upcoming war with the squids. This scenario could lead to some interesting plot lines and pose some serious questions. Will Legion Varus get to the planet first? Will they be able to unlock the right tech to offset the squids' numerical advantage? Will McGill be lured/forced into more trysts with Turov? Will Kivi, Natasha, and Anne throw McGill out an airlock? Will McGill achieve veteran status? Will the real Claver crash the party and try to sell the tech to the highest bidder? Will Carlos ever learn to shut up? The possibilities are endless. I'm sure BV's vivid imagination could easily expand this germinal idea into another fabulous Varus adventure. Come on, all you avid readers, write your reviews and submit your own ideas so Legion Varus can soldier on (bad pun, I know) and keep those regeneration machines running at capacity.

This is volume three of the Undying Mercenaries series. Before you get started on this one, you very much need to read the two previous volumes because otherwise you might find it a bit hard to connect to what is happening and to some of the interactions between the characters. There are typically three components in a great book: a good plot, an interesting world setting and well-drawn characters. Here again, I found that the characterisation was the weak point, and an even weaker one than in the previous instalments.As some other reviewers, I found it hard to empathise with the seemingly egocentric and totally uninhibited hero. Worse, it simply did not find him or some of his actions believable, especially towards the end of the book where, as it is getting to be usual by me, he “saves” everything and everyone single-handed only for someone else to take the credit for it. I also got rather tired of the hero’s rather pointless and immature womanising, in particular his rather incredible affair with somebody out to kill him. The other characters are not much better. All of them are rather shallow. Some are stereotypes, such as a certain Centurion who is tough as nails and perhaps the only character in the whole series for which I had some sympathy.Fortunately, the two other features partly make up for this. The relatively fast-paced plot involves some interesting relationships with Germanica, another of the human mercenary Legions, and with aliens on a super-space trade station set up in orbit of their planet and where just about any technology can be found (the so-called “Tech World). Some actions, such as a certain firefight in front of a bank, are simply great.The inhabitants of the space station are possibly among the most grasping that you can imagine. This leads to a couple of amusing scenes, but it also allows the author to exploit their total absence of scruples and engage in all sorts of trafficking. A was a bit disappointed however because I was expecting multiple displays and descriptions of alien technology when Natasha, one of the techs of Legion Varus, gets around to go shopping. The problem, of course, is that she never gets the chance to do so because the whole planet station almost literally blows up and Legion Varus, which is supposed to be enforcing “law and order”, has more than its hands full. As a result, and with the exception of a couple of artefacts found in a cache, you in fact get very little detail about alien technology.Three stars for a title which I found to be the weakest of the three, largely because of the tiresome antics of the main character. Having mentioned this, I will nevertheless still read the next volume to learn what happens next…

Reading Steel World I was hooked after the first three first three pages. I have now read the last in the series, Machine World and because I could not put the Kindle down to the very last page er' indoors 'jobs to do around the home' got ignored thanks to McGill and Mr. Larson. However, I am now on 'catch up' and the matrimonial situation is becoming less frosty by the hour. Thanks Mr. Larson, for the best read I have had for many years and may McGill and Varus appear again sometime soon.

Got into Larson's book by accident from a sample audio book.Great sci-fi yarns that became addictive for me very quickly.This series of books has something better than the Star Force series, that are great as I say, but in my opinion it's the humour from the Undying Mercenaries books that adds something.The "family" of characters are established early so we're interested in their journey and I really like the idea of natural human behaviour in such unnatural environments. Yes, there's a bit of Starship Troopers about it, but that's no bad thing.I will keep reading this series for as long as they come. Keep popping those stories out Larson, people are waiting for them.My advice is start with Steel World and enjoy the ride.

The third volume in an impressive series which has developed from the usual space mercenaries into a retelling of the fall of the Roman empire told from the part of a local solider (read local space Legion from earth) as the galactic empire crumbles and withdraws. Lots of action, the mcguffin of rapidly reincarnated soldiers and some nice interpersonal narrative between the hero protagonist (McGill) and his squad mates and superiors. Nicely done.

I'm giving up the series at this point. Although the plot and writing is decent, I can't deal with the annoying main character's childish and petulant antics any more. I was hoping he would grow up as the series moved on, but if anything he's become more set in his ways as his bullheadedness repeatedly saves the day. I found myself actually wanting him permed and a new main character to take the interesting universe and concepts forward...