Fight the Good Fight

Echoes of War, Book 1

By: Daniel Gibbs, David VanDyke - foreword

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Corporal David Cohen thought he’d left war behind.

He was wrong.

The Terran Coalition faces repeated and brutal attacks from the repressive League of Sol. To defend his home planet, David trades his dream of becoming a rabbi for a battlefront in the far reaches of space. When particle beams fly, his courage under fire brings quick promotion. But in the lulls between battles when he must confront his soul, David finds a different enemy: the ghosts of those killed under his command.

Yet in war, it’s kill or be killed - and the enemy shows no mercy.

David must square the tenets of his faith against his responsibility to crew and country. If he fails in his command, billions face enslavement by a ruthless regime. Now it’s an all-out fight for the galaxy’s freedom.

Because a man’s greatest foe lies within.

If you love Babylon 5, Safehold, and Destroyermen, you must listen to Echoes of War, a military sci-fi series that will take you to the heart of duty, sacrifice, and the unseen scars of those who serve.

©2019 Daniel Gibbs (P)2019 Aethon Audio

Looking forward to this new series

I can't say it's the most original plot, but I do so love my space operas which tell military stories about our future in space. I do like the religious emphasis as it opens doors to complications and character development that lost series overlook. I was excited to go spend my lone audible credit to discover that book two isn't on audible yet. Doh! Oh well I'll definitely be ordering it when it is.

Man what a good book

This book grabbed me, I loved it, I can’t wait till the next one comes out on audible. Mr Kafer rocked it out of the park also

Space Crusaders in the Cold War

Fight the Good Fight is a military science fiction novel set in a universe where humans have colonized many nearby star systems in a religion-driven exodus from the Sol system. At the opening of the novel, a war between the deeply spiritual, democratic Terran Coalition of the colonized planets and the atheist, socialist League of Sol from the earth has been ravaging both territories for years. The story follows the career of David Cohen, an orthodox Jewish naval officer, as he rises through the ranks of the military and battles with the conflicts of faith and war. The world-building is impressive, particularly the way religion shapes the social and military structures of the societies, but atheists (or socialists) may find this book defamatory, as the League of Sol is vilified for their lack of religious beliefs and portrayed much like a stereotype Soviet-era Russia. Even the title is a reference to a bible verse (“Fight the good fight of the faith,” 1 Timothy 6:12).

For a military science fiction story, Fight the Good Fight is a decent representative of the genre with a really fascinating sociopolitical system as a backdrop for the military action and political maneuvering. As far as action goes, I think the book was slightly lacking; though there were some exciting battles, much of the story either skips non-critical engagements as time was fast-forwarded or gets bogged down in dry dialog outlining the religious or bureaucratic systems of the setting. While I can appreciate the detail that went into the setting, sometimes I really wanted battles and explosions.

I’ve noticed that lack of deep character development is a flaw for many military science fiction novels, and Fight the Good Fight is no exception. The characters are very one dimensional -- generally, they are all business and very serious. Every character is driven by a strong sense of duty and little else: duty to the military, duty to their nation, duty to God, and duty to family. Though there’s an occasional reference to friendships or other interests (David’s “best friend,” for example), there’s not much interaction in the actual dialog that shows these social dynamics. If characters are social outside of work or worship, it’s not something the reader gets to see happening. I missed this insight into the dynamics of the personal relationships of the characters and as a result, I didn’t feel very invested in the characters or their fate as the plot moved along.

All-in-all, it’s a solidly good book in the genre, but not a great one. I feel like the plot could have been improved with more character development and better story pacing with great focus on the action for a military science fiction novel set in the middle of a decades-old, constant conflict. All that said, I was good enough that I would give the next book in the sequel a shot to see if these small issues are resolved.

Thank you to Aethon Books who provided me this book free of charge at my request.

Good insightful book

I really like the thought that went into this book. The thought that went into portraying the beliefs is great. The action of the characters is spot on. I look forward to the next book

Tradition...

FtGF, is the first audiobook in the Echoes of War Series. There are already 6 books in the series and 3 books in the spin-off series Breach of Faith. Given the titles of the books and the series, Author Daniel Gibbs takes his faith seriously. Yes, the main character is Jewish and yes he speaks about his faith from time to time; however, more often than not, it is to explain how he internalizes taking the lives of his enemy and how that is opposite his desire to become a rabbi. As with most series the first book is more of an introduction to the universe and characters and FtGF is a bit slow at first, it picks up about mid way through and begins to sprint at the end, ensuring you are ravenous for the next book. The religious parts seemed "pushed" at times but I eventually found the religious parts instrumental to the story and the characters development. Overall, I really liked the book and I look forward to more books in the series.