Star Force is my first Jeremy Robinson book, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s well-written, and things that I think of are throw-aways at the beginning, like the gaming or Stone’s love of a well-written letter, come back into play later in the novel.
Just when Star Force is disbanded and the team is sent home, earth is invaded. Everything becomes a Battle Royale style game, and the team is separated. One part of the team is led by Stone, and the other part is led by Hale (Hawaiian pronunciation, thank you) with their civilian tag-along Loretta.
If you know gamer culture, it makes it easy to follow along the story and gives insider genre savvy. The action is plentiful, with appearances from evil Canadians, Chinese and Russians. The humor is sophomoric at best, and for some that’s appealing enough on its own. The penis-shaped invading aliens are called the Choat, so it’s not making any pretenses.
I enjoyed the book and thought it was fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and nods to the audience at the right places. There are even a few elements that are deliberately supposed to remind the reader/listener of an end credits scene on a big superhero movie. It definitely sets up a possible sequel if the readers demand it and the author is so inclined.
If you think this book will (or will not) appeal to you, go with your instinct. This is the kind of popcorn fun I like to have in my entertainment, but pretentious it is not. If you need something a little more highbrow, then do yourself a favor and pass this one up.
Since I did listen to this as an audiobook, I can tell you that all the narrators brought their A-game. Special props to Emily Woo Zeller who handles more of the accents (at least six at casual count, maybe more), including a short passage in Chinese. It’s immersive and works very well.
Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.