War's Edge

What's not to love about a Space Marine tale? Rock 'em, sock 'em, take no prisoners and never-ending trials and battles are what I look for and this one doesn't disappoint, especially Boot Camp!

I really enjoyed this book. It's a great scifi military novel. The characters were well developed and the plot was fast paced. Looking forward to Aslesen's next book.

War’s Edge: Dead Heroes is the epitome of military science fiction. From the cover to the story arc of the main character, this novel is everything a fan of the genre would want. Tough, gritty and action packed, War’s Edge is a no-nonsense ride into the eye of the storm

Mr. Aslesen certainly knows military tactics, procedures, and has a healthy sense of irony and cynicism – maybe that’s why I enjoyed the book so much. As a bonus, War’s Edge: No Heroes by Ryan Aslesen is a well written, imaginative, and easy to read book.

The author really put a lot of thought into his world building, and created a complex, realistic world. Even though this is a wonderful science-fiction book, the story is still character driven which makes it an engrossing read.

Mark Rizer, the protagonist, got bored of college and decided to find some adventures in the elite forces of the United Systems Alliance Marines. He goes through basic training which was right out of a futuristic vision of Full Metal Jacket.

Frankly I found it a bit unbelievable that basic training is harsh that troops get killed, I know this happens but it’s certainly not by design, especially these days. That being said, the author did write a book where lives are cheap, humans are abundant, so I can certainly see that occurring. From a futuristic standpoint, it seems as if the military went backwards.

I also thought that the future military is too “old US centric”. The ranks are the same, or very similar, same with squads, platoons, attitudes, etc. For example, the decoration for a wounded warrior is still a Purple Heart. These, however, are just pickings of an old soldier and an avid book reader, as well as a life-long cynic which I suspect the author could appreciate. I enjoyed the book and its vision very much.

The author just didn’t write a shoot’em up space western, he really put a lot of effort into trying to weave into the story to politics of this futuristic world. Much like ours, in the future politics and business make strange bedfellows and soldiers often don’t know if they’re fighting for their country or to protect the interests of a private entity pulling the strings behind the curtains.

The narrative is both riveting and compelling, extreme action is either present, or just around the corner. Our protagonist, of course, can’t catch a break which makes the story hold the reader’s attention throughout.