This was a DNF. I’m not sure if the DNF is for the narration, or the book itself. While listening to this on a car trip, it felt like I was plugged into the middle of the story and was lost. I got about 30-35 minutes into this before I said OK I’m done. This is normally the type of book that I like but it feels like I woke up in the middle of a video game somebody else was playing. I might like this better if I read it instead of listen.

I'm a sucker for military sci-fi and love to listen to it via audiobook so I was happy to get a gifted copy of this.

At first I will admit to being a little off-balance as to who was who and what was going on. I think it's the nature of trying to drop a reader into the story in the midst of things. But, as audiobooks often allow me to do, I was able to push past that and get to more of the meat of the story.

As we follow Alistair's journey to Pluto and how he becomes involved (in a bit of a Red Rising way of being 'remade' in my opinion) we get to see a man fighting for something important (getting back to his wife) as well as being convinced that this new way is 'right'.

I would have liked to see a bit more world building - we get a lot of Romanesque names and you get the sense there is a lot going on that's been put in place but it's only a glimpse and I would have liked to get a bit more history there.

One other thing that I wished had been a little more fleshed out was the training to the ending. I know those sequences can be boring, but it seems as if he trained and suddenly we were at the ending without truly feeling the experience or what Alistair learned from it all.

I did love the incorporation of the 'dog' and some of the fun, nuanced things that draw the reader in. I think, in all, it was a fun read and entertaining. I definitely want to see what happens next though I hope that the next books are a little more fleshed out. For all that happened in this book 7 hrs of 'reading' time (aka 260 pages or so) didn't seem quite enough to give a full image of the world or the story.

My rating: 3.8*

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me an audiobook copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Are you a rabid fan of action-packed military science fiction? If so, this book may be for you. I don’t think you’ll absolutely love it, but it won’t be a waste of your time. If you are not such a fan, take a pass.
There is nothing really great or terrible in this story, book 1 of “The Great Insurrection” series. I found nothing in it to be either offensive or memorable. It is an average book in this genre. If you’re looking for something to pass the time, this will serve.
My rating is 3 stars.
I thank Netgalley and the publisher, Recorded Books, Inc., for sending me this title. The opinions shared in this review are my own and I have received no compensation in exchange for offering them.