The Undying Mercenary
by B.V. Larson
Author's Description:
“In the twentieth century, Earth sent probes, transmissions and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed.
The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn’t the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers…someone had to do their dirty work for them, their fighting and dying.
I, James McGill, was born in 2099 on the fringe of the galaxy. When Hegemony Financial denied my loan applications, I was kicked out of the university and I turned to the stars. My first campaign involved the invasion of a mineral-rich planet called Cancri-9, better known as Steel World. The attack didn’t go well, and now Earth has entered a grim struggle for survival.
Humanity’s mercenary legions go to war in STEEL WORLD, bestselling author B. V. Larson’s latest science fiction novel.”
The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn’t the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers…someone had to do their dirty work for them, their fighting and dying.
I, James McGill, was born in 2099 on the fringe of the galaxy. When Hegemony Financial denied my loan applications, I was kicked out of the university and I turned to the stars. My first campaign involved the invasion of a mineral-rich planet called Cancri-9, better known as Steel World. The attack didn’t go well, and now Earth has entered a grim struggle for survival.
Humanity’s mercenary legions go to war in STEEL WORLD, bestselling author B. V. Larson’s latest science fiction novel.”
My Review - Rating - 9/10
While the “author’s description” is for the first book and not the series as a whole, it still sums up the basic background knowledge you need to understand this series’ premise. While the plots of the other books vary, they all involve McGill on the frontlines of the conflicts that are being fought to ensure Earth’s survival and the expansion of its influence. The series focuses mostly on tactical combat and McGill’s many escapades instead of major, far-sweeping strategy or massive battles. I need to note that McGill isn’t a commander, he’s a grunt who ends up in more important situations than most, so these books don’t focus on strategy or world-building. While this book isn’t what I normally look for in sci-fi, I’d recommend this series to any fan of action or sci-fi, because it’s a cross between the two- it’s not a heavy read or a literary masterpiece, but it is an extremely entertaining read. If you’re looking to relax with a fun, action-packed sci-fi adventure book, this is the book for you.
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