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Dead Heroes

War's Edge, Book 1

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At the bleeding edge of space....

In the 35th century, mankind has colonized vast reaches of space, yet war remains constant as galactic governments and interstellar corporations fight for control of resource-rich planets and lucrative interstellar trade routes. And if centuries of war has taught man one thing, it's that planets are valuable and lives are cheap.

In a desperate attempt to escape his current life, Mark Rizer drops out of his prestigious university and enlists in the elite Marines of the United Systems Alliance defense forces. It's a decision that will take him across the galaxy, first to endure a sadistic boot camp designed to transform him into a ruthless killing machine, and then to join the ranks of the hardened Marines of Murder Company.

Deployed to Verdant, a remote jungle moon at the edge of Alliance space, Mark finds himself fighting a ghostly enemy in an unending conflict where victories are measured in body counts and death is the only ticket home. The daily grind of combat patrols transforms good men into cold-blooded killers and weak ones into bitter memories. At the bleeding edge of space, Mark learns the true cost of war as he fights for his life, his platoon mates, and his humanity.

In the 35th century, war has evolved.

Man hasn't.

Warning: This book contains graphic violence, profanity, and sexual content. It is intended for a mature audience. Listener discretion is advised.

©2020 Ryan W. Aslesen (P)2020 Podium Audio
Adventure Military Science Fiction Space Opera Fiction Interstellar War
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Naturally and a massive Warhammer fan so I thought I would expand my pallet a little bit and this book was free on Audible so I downloaded it on a whim.

All I can say is that this book does such a good job at building up the main character and the side characters and making you care about all of them and then ripping them away from you when you least expect it. It feels so grounded and enjoyable.

I imagine there’s a lot of people who have been in a war who write or read similar books to this but I just found this really different and really enjoyable and I really can’t wait to read more of this series and see what happens next with the conflict happening in the book.

Solid book, not disappointed. If you like some character development and some pew pew and some painful deaths of characters do you like this will be a book for you.

What an unexpected joyous book was!

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It is a gripping, high-octane military sci-fi novel that doesn’t pull any punches. Set in the 35th century, it plunges readers into a brutal universe where interstellar warfare is constant and human life is expendable. The story follows Mark Rizer, a young man who abandons a privileged academic path to enlist in the elite Marines of the United Systems Alliance. What follows is a harrowing transformation through a sadistic boot camp and deployment to a jungle moon called Verdant, where the enemy is as elusive as the hope of survival.

Here’s what makes it stand out:

What Makes It Great
- Authentic Military Realism: Aslesen, a former Marine officer, infuses the narrative with gritty, visceral detail that feels lived-in and brutally honest.
- Intense Action: The combat sequences are relentless and cinematic, drawing comparisons to Starship Troopers, Red Storm Rising, and Saving Private Ryan.
- Psychological Depth: Beyond the firefights, the novel explores the psychological toll of war—how it reshapes identity, morality, and camaraderie.
- Dark and Thought-Provoking: It’s not just a shoot-’em-up; it’s a meditation on what it means to be human in a world where death is routine and heroism is often forgotten.

If you’re into gritty space warfare with a philosophical edge, this one’s a must-read.

Authentic military realism in a sci-fi setting!

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Just what the world needs, yet another military sci-fi about somebody signing up for the Marines. Is there anything about this offering that makes it stand out, head and shoulders, above all the other Space Marine sci-fi titles currently on offer? The short answer has to be "no." this fails to qualify for the audio book equivalent of being a page turner (Unless, of course, this is your first ever experience of listening to an audiobook about Space Marines, in which case it might just have the novelty value that is otherwise missing). I'm not even sure that I'm going to keep this in my library, I think the credit could be used productively, elsewhere!

unremarkable.

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