Heroes of Helios

Star Crusades Nexus, Book 3

By: Michael G. Thomas

Narrated by: C. J. McAllister

Heroes of Helios is the third book in the epic new series set in the Star Crusades universe that chronicles humanity's first steps away from Alpha Centauri and beyond.

A strike group of the dozen most advanced ships in the Alliance is assembled and sent to a summit of the remaining great powers of Orion. It is a measure of the reputation and military prowess of humanity that they are to be allowed to participate in joint exercises with the Naru Navy, a combined military force made up of ships from the five alien empires. At the same time a diplomatic mission lands on the surface of the planet to meet with the leaders in the Helion Council.

The heart of this strike group is ANS Conqueror, the first battlecruiser to be constructed since the destruction of CCS Crusader in the Great Uprising. In a shocking move, the ship is attacked with overwhelming force while orbiting Helios and is sent crashing through the world's atmosphere and down toward the urban sprawl that is populated by billions of citizens. As the hulk plummets down, it starts a diplomatic incident that could ignite hostilities between people that have so recently called each other friends.

Light years away from the politics and strife of Helios lies a fleet of ships with a Biomech command ship and its cargo of tortured prisoners. Some of these poor souls have been trapped there for months while others for much, much longer. Deep within this ship is a single prison cell that holds a man who dreams of escape and vengeance against those that seek to break him.

Star Crusades Nexus is a classic work of realistic military science fiction set against the background of the Centauri Alliance's expansion into the Orion Nebula. Also available is the prequel series, Star Crusades Uprising, which is set two decades earlier and covers the events of the Great Uprising that brought humanity to the brink of destruction.

©2014, 2016 Michael G. Thomas (P)2018 Swordworks

kind of dry for me

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I started this series with this book. I'm contributing a large part of my experience to that. The narration wasn't terrible. It was decent, but not as engaging as others I've listened to like Joe Hempel, Jeff Hays, etc. The story was kind of dry and a little boring for me. I never really got sucked into the story. If you have a lot of interest in this series, I'd suggest starting with book 1 and going from there.

Military Sci-Fi rules at 1.25x speed

Michael G throws together another great book. Had some trouble with the narration at 1x speed, so after increasing to 1.25x speed the narration works much better. Good book, worth the time and credit.

This book was provided at no cost for a fair and honest review.

Lacking something

Even though this was book 3 in a series I had no trouble following the story. I however was very bored with it. I found the characters dull and the plot didnt seem to make a whole lot of sense as it trailed off in dull directions that had nothing to do with what was relevant. The narrator read like a boring documentary... :(

GOOD ACTION PACKED ADVENTURE

I thought this was a really good book by Michael Thomas. This is the first in the series that I've read/listened to, but I think I mostly got the gist of it, and really liked the story. I also thought the narrator did a very good job :) I'm intrigued enough to want to listen to more, and I think it'll give me a better understanding of the 'big picture.' All in all, a great job :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Intergalactic Diplomacy Meets Atmospheric Thrills!

Michael G. Thomas takes readers on an intergalactic adventure with "Heroes of Helios," the third book in the gripping Star Crusades Nexus series. Set in a richly crafted universe, this epic tale combines military strategy, political intrigue, and heart-stopping action as humanity faces its greatest challenges yet. Narrated by the talented C. J. McAllister, this audiobook is a must-listen, but be sure to crank up the speed to 1.25x to fully immerse yourself in the electrifying story.

Not for me

I think I'm being over-generous with the 3's. I could not finish this book. Headache just kept getting bigger. To me, the story was mundane, and the narrator killed off the rest. This is the second narrator I just couldn't stand. His rendition of a computers digital voice was horrible. All in all....not for me. I cannot recommend this book. Now for the obligatory: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Good story but change the narrator

Overall the story is good but the cadence of the narrator is too annoying. Who ever thought that changing the cadence in my opinion was VERY WRONG. There are 3 different cadence levels within the story and it's like a car sputtering along in jerking motions and it was hard to focus on the story.

Not Engaging Enough

The continued adventures of humanity in space during a galactic war with a machine race that wants to destroy everyone. The story reminded me way too much of Mass Effect - alien races who we warred with but are now our allies, an elite warrior whom everyone calls Commander and a network of conduits for instantaneous travel across the light years.

To be honest, I stopped listening to this book three hours into it when I realized that my mind kept wondering off and I had no idea what was really happening. I just couldn't get interested in these characters and their story. The whole thing just seemed dull and drawn out, and, dare I say, boring. Admittedly, I didn't read or listen to the first two books. It's not that I felt lost in the story, it just wasn't interesting to me.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.