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SpecOps

Expeditionary Force, Book 2

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About this listen

Colonel Joe Bishop made a promise and he's going to keep it; taking the captured alien starship Flying Dutchman back out.

He doesn't agree when the UN decides to send almost 70 elite Special Operations troops, hotshot pilots, and scientists with him; the mission is a fool's errand he doesn't expect to ever return from. At least, this time, the Earth is safe, right?

Not so much.

©2017 Craig Alanson (P)2017 Podium Audio Adventure Fantasy Fiction Military Science Fiction Space Opera Interstellar Haunted Witty Comedy
All stars
Most relevant
Well book two was just as amazing as book one can't wait for book 3
R C brey has done a outstanding job again.

Take my money and give me book 3

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I think there's a very simple way to review this book. If you've read the first book and want some more, then get this book because the adventure just takes off in the same way. There's more Barney, more Skippy, more irreverent monkey insults and more great action.

RC Bary the microphone maestro continues to do his thing and I grow more in awe of his talents as a narrator with every passing word I hear from him. He's on top form with this performance and I really get the impression that he has particularly enjoyed reading this series so far.

Even though this really is space opera and the kind of thing to give plot hole pedants nightmares Alanson creates a universe with a little depth, has interesting sci-fi ideas and gives his books a sense of action and adventure.

Maybe I should grow up more but it had me both laughing out loud and rooting for Joe and his merry band of pirates the whole way through. So, when's the next one out?

Forget Siri, We Need More Skippy!

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After reading the first book in this series, I was eager to get right into
the second one. I was so pleased that the second book had only just been
released on Audible and so no waiting time and as anyone who has read a
fantastic book knows, it's the waiting for the next instalment which is the
killer.

So, I fed on Spec Ops, the second instalment of the Expeditionary Force
series with a voracious appetite and I am thrilled to report that it is
every bit as good as the first. So often one can find an excellent opener to
a series only to find that the next book is somewhat of an anti-climax.
Remarkably, Craig Alanson has maintained beautiful consistency here and
every bit of the Bishop and Skippy interactions you came to love in the
first book are here in the second. Just perfect continuity of character and
plot.

One of the key elements in this and the first book that I have come to love
is the often hilarious conversations between Joe Bishop and the A.I known as
Skippy. Alanson has come up with such great characters in both Skippy and
Bishop that the interactions between the two are wonderful. This and the
last book have probably been the only science fiction novels I've actually
laughed out loud while listening too. Alanson has created the perfect real
world balance between humour and serious storyline. His writing genius is
that he has created a balance which feels just so natural as if he
transcribed the conversations from real incarnations of his creations and
put them into his book. I have read quite a bit of science fiction and
although I have many more authors to read in this genre, I can say that so
far I've found this series from Craig Alanson rank in my top 5 books of all
time. That top five includes both his first and second book so, as you can
see, I am pretty enamoured with this writer and his superb story.

The other thing Alanson does so amazingly well is to come up with really
dire situations and then between Skippy and Bishop, come up with a truly
ingenious response. All this wonderful characterization and engrossing plot
is woven together into a naturally flowing narrative. It's as if the author
has sat you down and is telling you the story himself as if it really
happened.

Now, having said all of the above, what really compliments this wonderful
series of books so superbly is the totally excellent narration provided by
R.C Bray. It's true to say that a good book can be destroyed by a poor
narrator but it's also true that an excellent story is elevated even further
by a great narrator. The essence of the story and the characters Alanson has
written are perfectly realized by Bray's wonderful reading of this book. I
am so pleased that Bray was the one selected for this project as I can think
of no other, bar none I have listened to, that could do this book more
justice.

As I am a reader that notices tiny inconsistencies, I have to make mention
of two small such examples I noticed. At the end of book 1 we are told that
the expedition about to go forth will have 14 scientists aboard. By the
opener of the second book which resumes right after the first, this number
has reduced to 12. The crew compliment of a Thorranin star carrier as
specified by Skippy was 87. In book 2 it was mentioned that the crew
compliment was 78. Perhaps simple typos but, really, who cares?

When I reached the end of the book I wasn't even sure if a third instalment
was in the offing but was thrilled to find that a sample of the next
instalment, Paradise, was provided and it was read by R.C Bray. This book
hints at the story taking on a parallel timeline as Bishop's old friends
"Corn Pone" and "Ski" are featured as they adapt to life under the Ruhar.
This is another very promising thing that Alanson has shown in his story
development and I look forward to the release of this title with great
anticipation.

Spec Ops is another superb story from Craig Alanson and if you liked the
first book then you will love this one too. These two books are the best
reads I've had in a long while in this and any other genre for that matter.

More Cunning Monkeys and Skippy Magic

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If you could sum up SpecOps in three words, what would they be?

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

A little anti-climatic.

Which character – as performed by R.C. Bray – was your favourite?

As always Joe, R.C. Bray is really the reason I got this audiobook.

Any additional comments?

I got a lot of de ja vu listening to this, it seemed like every chapter the crew would be in an unwinnable situation, Joe comes up with a plan Skippy didn't think of, Skippy does the plan, everyone survives.

This was the same thing repeated all the way through the book, Skippy constantly going on about monkeys became tiresome after the first book, so all the way through this book I was hoping for some sort of change but it never came, just the same repeated jibes about humanity, it's like, alright, we get it Skippy, stfu already.

I'm not sure what happened, whether Craig Alanson is starting to get Alzheimer's or if this was done on purpose but after the 1st book, I expected more.

That's not to say I won't be listening to the 3rd offering when it's released, I'm already invested.

Felt that it was a little repetitive

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The second instalment of the amazing ExForce Series that only keeps on getting better! Skippy jumps into an Ambush, plays with the gravity of a start then rebuilds the Dutchman out of "Moon Dust" while meantime, Joe and the others take a winter holiday trip and go on a sightseeing joyride with a "borrowed" RV, until they crash even that...

Skippy Asks Joe to "Hold my Beer!"

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