Pipe Hitters

Arisen: Operators, Book 2

By: Michael Stephen Fuchs

Narrated by: Chad Michael Collins

The war is over. The world is lost. But the fight has just begun.

Master Sergeant Yaël Sion was trained to be the deadliest special operator on Earth. But survival in the new world is a different kind of battle. After escaping the Fall of Israel, fighting her way across overrun Europe, and surviving the destruction of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, she thought she was done running. And that she stood alone in the ruins.

But now she has been conscripted onto Echo team, a misfit band of warriors thrown together from the remnants of the world's last best elite special operators. Their mission is simple: strike deep, hit hard, and take back the last of what humanity needs to survive.

But in a fallen world, no mission is simple. And survival comes at a heavy price.

Even within the last stronghold of humanity, Yaël is her own worst enemy, and must battle more than the dead. Haunted by her past, plagued by guilt, loss, and the trauma of endless war, she must struggle to find her place in a team that doesn't trust her, and prove she belongs—or risk losing everything. If she doesn't overcome her demons, she won't just fail the mission. She'll get people killed, perhaps everyone left alive, and be cast out to face the end of the world alone.

If she can't become a soldier they can trust, she'll never become the hero humanity needs.

Some wars never end. Some soldiers never stop.

And, this time, there is no extraction.

ARISEN.

Hope never dies.

Includes a note from the author!

©2025 Michael Stephen Fuchs (P)2026 Podium Audio

Love the series, but …

I am constantly taken out of the story by a repeated plot flaw: they are all idiots in the way they fight. They (almost) never take advantage of the zombie behaviors. They rely on firepower all the time, even when they realize that loud noises attract the dead.

To take one typical example, why take the US embassy by charging inside? They could open the doors and make a loud noise outside. Then pick off the dead as they come outside. If dead are locked in somewhere, run in and open more doors, then run out and repeat.

Many such examples, in this series and the main one.

I do love both series, but this is wearing me down. What am I missing?

What a journey - mild spoiler

I have listened to every book in the original and the peripheral Arisen series several times. I absolutely love the original, and the crossover with Alpha Team in this one was a completely unexpected but delicious Easter egg. This book stands out as an unusual entry in the whole Arisen canon though, in that it tackles the very real and incredibly severe problem of PTSD. I didn't see that coming but I'm glad it did, because the main character is so completely unlikeable in her first book that I almost didn't pick up the second one.

Yael in the first book is very hard to relate to, despite whatever pity we may feel for her horrific childhood experiences. Her self-sabotage and willfully antisocial behavior makes it very hard to like her or even care about what happens to her. This carries well into the first third of the sequel, but then things start to unravel for her emotionally. She goes on a full hero's journey, and I'm not going to give away the end but let's just say it is spectacular, nail-bitingly suspenseful, and has me eagerly awaiting Book 3.

Adding to the flavor of this novel is the fact that all our favorite Alpha Team characters are in this, and the timing is before Major Ainsley dies in the original series. Ali and Pope have big roles, and we still get to see plenty of the other guys as well. Sidebar: reading this one made me want to learn Kendo.

I truly love these books and I hope that Michael Steven Fuchs keeps writing them forever. The characters are legendary, and the lessons these stories impart are consistently about being excellent humans.

it was a different experience without RC Bray and it took me awhile to get used to Chad Michael Collins. He did a solid job tho. Appreciate the author's notes at the end that explained the change in narration.

DIFFERENT!!!

Okay, I was going to leave a 2.5 star review. First, no R.C. Bray! Secondly, too much mental diving into the main protagonist. As a Navy Veteran, I understand but it was almost on the excessive side of explanation. The author brings it together at the end and wraps it up very nicely. Shout out to all the PTSD survivors, fighting the good fight every day. For this reason I give it 4.5 stars!

Amazing Story and Narrator

I am a big fan of the series. This book really shows the flawed human side of our heros. I loved author’s notes at the end and could not agree more that Collins nailed it. Just like RC, he really brought characters to life. Bravo!

Always good stories

Love the world, the settings, the characters. Love R.C. Bray, but this new guy did a good job. Look forward to hearing more.