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Frontlines #5
Fields of Fire
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2017)The time has come to take the fight to the Lankies.
Mars has been under Lanky control for more than a year. Since then, the depleted forces of Earth’s alliances have rebuilt their fleets, staffing old warships with freshly trained troops. Torn between the need to beat the Lankies to the punch and taking enough time to put together an effective fighting force, command has decided to strike now.
Once again, seasoned veterans Andrew and Halley find themselves in charge of green troops and at the sharp tip of the spear as the combined military might of Earth goes up against the Lankies. But if there’s one constant in war, it’s that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy…and the Lankies want to hold on to Mars as badly as humanity wants to reclaim it.
Mars has been under Lanky control for more than a year. Since then, the depleted forces of Earth’s alliances have rebuilt their fleets, staffing old warships with freshly trained troops. Torn between the need to beat the Lankies to the punch and taking enough time to put together an effective fighting force, command has decided to strike now.
Once again, seasoned veterans Andrew and Halley find themselves in charge of green troops and at the sharp tip of the spear as the combined military might of Earth goes up against the Lankies. But if there’s one constant in war, it’s that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy…and the Lankies want to hold on to Mars as badly as humanity wants to reclaim it.
293 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2017
1612 people are currently reading
4635 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 524 reviews
December 7, 2017
Quite enjoyable Mil-SF, perfect for all you fans of competence porn. It's all about the light tone and the big guns despite all the losses we've incurred from the aliens.
But this time the battle is very close to home. Mars. Most of the action takes place right here where the hulking walkers and terraforming machines have put their beachhead.
Want nukes? Got nukes. It only starts at a family gathering, but you know how those things can turn out. That's why we made nukes to begin with. To take out all our aggressions AFTER the family gatherings. Duh.
Very solid read. Quite enjoyable, some of the very best MilSF I've read, towering pretty high on characters and tone and, of course, MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF COMPETENCY. Of course, we have to prop these up against all the incompetence, but that goes without saying. :)
But this time the battle is very close to home. Mars. Most of the action takes place right here where the hulking walkers and terraforming machines have put their beachhead.
Want nukes? Got nukes. It only starts at a family gathering, but you know how those things can turn out. That's why we made nukes to begin with. To take out all our aggressions AFTER the family gatherings. Duh.
Very solid read. Quite enjoyable, some of the very best MilSF I've read, towering pretty high on characters and tone and, of course, MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF COMPETENCY. Of course, we have to prop these up against all the incompetence, but that goes without saying. :)
October 31, 2022
Marko Kloos’ entertaining military science fiction series Frontlines continues with this 2017 novel, the fifth in the storyline.
Yes, its fun and a page turner. Kloos knows where his bread is buttered and its with a big gun in his hands shooting at bad guy aliens.
And I’m not complaining. While he seemed to forgo any Starship Troopers / Forever War philosophical musings a couple books back, he stayed with the tried and true formula of SF armor, big guns and seriously bad and dangerous aliens.
The “Lankies” are the antagonists and they are quite the opposite from Marvin the Martian: they are enormous and scary and have been winning.
Until now!
That’s rights pilgrims, we’re taking the fight to the bad guys and will make them pay!
There’s lots of revenge porn going on as the decimated but still fighting earthlings have resolved regional differences and have formed an armada to go take back Mars!
Team Earth! F*** Yeah!
Yes, its fun and a page turner. Kloos knows where his bread is buttered and its with a big gun in his hands shooting at bad guy aliens.
And I’m not complaining. While he seemed to forgo any Starship Troopers / Forever War philosophical musings a couple books back, he stayed with the tried and true formula of SF armor, big guns and seriously bad and dangerous aliens.
The “Lankies” are the antagonists and they are quite the opposite from Marvin the Martian: they are enormous and scary and have been winning.
Until now!
That’s rights pilgrims, we’re taking the fight to the bad guys and will make them pay!
There’s lots of revenge porn going on as the decimated but still fighting earthlings have resolved regional differences and have formed an armada to go take back Mars!
Team Earth! F*** Yeah!
October 17, 2020
Okay, the "Lankies" have been holding Mars a long time now...after almost getting Earth. So, it's maybe time to do something.
This is a good series and while it has had a few hiccups that keep me from going to a full 5 stars here it's still good.
For some reason I always sort of picture the "Lankies" as sort of giant broccoli stalks...not the way they're actually described but it's just a mental picture I think I brought from the first book. Oh well. These are good books. I like military science fiction, if it's good military science fiction. These are.
This is a good series and while it has had a few hiccups that keep me from going to a full 5 stars here it's still good.
For some reason I always sort of picture the "Lankies" as sort of giant broccoli stalks...not the way they're actually described but it's just a mental picture I think I brought from the first book. Oh well. These are good books. I like military science fiction, if it's good military science fiction. These are.
April 7, 2017
Grayson makes some startling discoveries about the Lankies and things build to an epic battle on Mars that does not disappoint.
Kloos delivers another near-perfectly structured MilSF adventure. His measured pacing and tone and workmanlike plotting are suited to the characters he writes about; Kloos admires the competence and professionalism his soldiers display, and like them, he gets the job done. He may not be the kind of author who takes big risks or explores uncharted territory, but he hits what he’s aiming for with precision and flair.
Fields of Fire has a few more big revelations and interesting twists than the last two books in the series, and the novels final moments – Grayson’s sober reflections on the relationship between soldiers and the wars they fight – contain some of Kloos’ best writing yet. This is my favorite entry in the series since Lines of Departure.
Kloos delivers another near-perfectly structured MilSF adventure. His measured pacing and tone and workmanlike plotting are suited to the characters he writes about; Kloos admires the competence and professionalism his soldiers display, and like them, he gets the job done. He may not be the kind of author who takes big risks or explores uncharted territory, but he hits what he’s aiming for with precision and flair.
Fields of Fire has a few more big revelations and interesting twists than the last two books in the series, and the novels final moments – Grayson’s sober reflections on the relationship between soldiers and the wars they fight – contain some of Kloos’ best writing yet. This is my favorite entry in the series since Lines of Departure.
January 5, 2024
This sucker has earned a fifth star this time around!
---------------------------------------
Original Review:
Number 5 in the Frontlines series.
The events in this book take place several months after the last book's timeline.
For those readers of the series up until this one: remember what happened on the glacier in Greenland in the last book? Wait until you read Greenland 2.0! That's a great section of the story.
The main thrust of this storyline deals with Mars. The governments of Earth have decided to go back to Mars, rescue the few humans still in hiding, and obliterate the Lankies. The aliens have set up their personalized terraformer on Mars and have been there long enough to redecorate.
Normally I'd say more, but we rescued another kitten in distress. It's been hard to keep my thoughts strictly on the book, and it's certainly not the book's fault! This seemed to be one of the better installments in the series as a matter of fact. I blame little Daisy. When I settle down to read she wants to play. Or bite my Kindle. Or paw the Kindle screen so that she's turning pages by the dozen. Or pounce on our other cats who are Not Amused. I love this sweet little girl to pieces, but sheesh! sometimes it's a relief when she falls asleep 😻
---------------------------------------
Original Review:
Number 5 in the Frontlines series.
The events in this book take place several months after the last book's timeline.
For those readers of the series up until this one: remember what happened on the glacier in Greenland in the last book? Wait until you read Greenland 2.0! That's a great section of the story.
The main thrust of this storyline deals with Mars. The governments of Earth have decided to go back to Mars, rescue the few humans still in hiding, and obliterate the Lankies. The aliens have set up their personalized terraformer on Mars and have been there long enough to redecorate.
Normally I'd say more, but we rescued another kitten in distress. It's been hard to keep my thoughts strictly on the book, and it's certainly not the book's fault! This seemed to be one of the better installments in the series as a matter of fact. I blame little Daisy. When I settle down to read she wants to play. Or bite my Kindle. Or paw the Kindle screen so that she's turning pages by the dozen. Or pounce on our other cats who are Not Amused. I love this sweet little girl to pieces, but sheesh! sometimes it's a relief when she falls asleep 😻
June 20, 2017
This is the fifth book in Kloos’ “Frontlines” series. If you haven’t read the others, this isn’t the place to start.
Frontlines, imagines an Earth that has had contact with another race and it hasn’t gone well. The “Lankies” have discovered that humans have created nice planets that only need a little tweaking…that tweaking consisting mostly of raising the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and eliminating the humans. These creatures are formidable standing several meters high and weighing much more than your average semi-trailer. They also are quite impervious to being shot with conventional weapons.
The Lankies have taken over many of humans colonies in remote solar systems and are now knocking on Earth’s door having conquered our people on Mars. So far, our heroes have kept them for establishing any significant presence on Earth, but they keep on trying.
When I say “our heroes,” I am, of course, referencing Andrew and Halley. He of the space infantry and she, a combat pilot. The passion that was part of their sharing basic training has lasted through years of combat, multiple injuries for each of them and, finally, marriage. She was an officer before he and they risked being court-martialed for their “fraternization.” He came from the Boston “barrios” and she was an “uptown girl.” All of that is reprised early in this story as the Lankies show their sly hand at attacking Earth.
Without revealing any details, this book charts Earth’s determination to take to the Lankies who have made Mars their base of operations. This book has all the elements that we have come to expect in Kloos’ storytelling: Straight-ahead narration by Andrew; plenty of military action and tactics; amazing details of military hardware; and, surprising plot twists.
Example:
“Just for the record, that’s some crazy-ass shit. But good luck.”
“We just got here by letting them (Earth’s military leaders) shoot us out of missile tubes,” I reply. “And we’re fighting five-hundred ton creatures with hand weapons. There’s no part of this that’s sane.”
I also like the tension that Kloos notes inside Andrew as he tries to reconcile his former role as a part of the police force defending the well-off people who don’t deign to acknowledge any of their help. “Guns are what keep your little paradise from getting overrun by half a million pissed-off welfare rats….I just look around in the dining room and imagine what a bunch of soy-fed, hardened PRC gang members would do to this air-conditioned place and its immaculate floors, inhabited by people who look down on the soldiers and cops that keep this place safe from the unwashed masses. Is this what we fought for all these years? So these squeaky-clean, stuck-up suburbanites can keep thinking of us as something necessary but embarrassing, like the ugly guard dog you keep in the basement when visitors stop by?”
This is a fine addition to Frontlines that showcases many of Kloos’ talents. 4.5 stars, with the deduction coming (not because Kloos isn’t Tolstoy) because it is more a bridge plot than one that has a real conclusion.
Frontlines, imagines an Earth that has had contact with another race and it hasn’t gone well. The “Lankies” have discovered that humans have created nice planets that only need a little tweaking…that tweaking consisting mostly of raising the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and eliminating the humans. These creatures are formidable standing several meters high and weighing much more than your average semi-trailer. They also are quite impervious to being shot with conventional weapons.
The Lankies have taken over many of humans colonies in remote solar systems and are now knocking on Earth’s door having conquered our people on Mars. So far, our heroes have kept them for establishing any significant presence on Earth, but they keep on trying.
When I say “our heroes,” I am, of course, referencing Andrew and Halley. He of the space infantry and she, a combat pilot. The passion that was part of their sharing basic training has lasted through years of combat, multiple injuries for each of them and, finally, marriage. She was an officer before he and they risked being court-martialed for their “fraternization.” He came from the Boston “barrios” and she was an “uptown girl.” All of that is reprised early in this story as the Lankies show their sly hand at attacking Earth.
Without revealing any details, this book charts Earth’s determination to take to the Lankies who have made Mars their base of operations. This book has all the elements that we have come to expect in Kloos’ storytelling: Straight-ahead narration by Andrew; plenty of military action and tactics; amazing details of military hardware; and, surprising plot twists.
Example:
“Just for the record, that’s some crazy-ass shit. But good luck.”
“We just got here by letting them (Earth’s military leaders) shoot us out of missile tubes,” I reply. “And we’re fighting five-hundred ton creatures with hand weapons. There’s no part of this that’s sane.”
I also like the tension that Kloos notes inside Andrew as he tries to reconcile his former role as a part of the police force defending the well-off people who don’t deign to acknowledge any of their help. “Guns are what keep your little paradise from getting overrun by half a million pissed-off welfare rats….I just look around in the dining room and imagine what a bunch of soy-fed, hardened PRC gang members would do to this air-conditioned place and its immaculate floors, inhabited by people who look down on the soldiers and cops that keep this place safe from the unwashed masses. Is this what we fought for all these years? So these squeaky-clean, stuck-up suburbanites can keep thinking of us as something necessary but embarrassing, like the ugly guard dog you keep in the basement when visitors stop by?”
This is a fine addition to Frontlines that showcases many of Kloos’ talents. 4.5 stars, with the deduction coming (not because Kloos isn’t Tolstoy) because it is more a bridge plot than one that has a real conclusion.
March 31, 2021
Why do i continue with this 3 star series?
I like to read while watching March Madness and this is like a bag of Doritos to keep me company without the cheese dust. It's a very very easy read. Very little brain power needed.
The guilt you feel after eating the whole bag of Doritos. Empty calories just like this book.
Book #6 i'll try the Cool Ranch Doritos
I like to read while watching March Madness and this is like a bag of Doritos to keep me company without the cheese dust. It's a very very easy read. Very little brain power needed.
The guilt you feel after eating the whole bag of Doritos. Empty calories just like this book.
Book #6 i'll try the Cool Ranch Doritos
March 12, 2017
Finally, it's time for the assault on Lanky-controlled Mars.
This relatively short installment of the Frontlines series finds Grayson and his wife Hallie as veteran officers in the NAC, now allied with the rest of the Earth against the alien Lankies. Now that the Earth infighting and politics are mostly sorted, this book focuses much more on the mysterious alien invaders. More so than previous books and we get some answers to questions from the beginning of the series including just how smart are these aliens? There's also some intriguing questions raised as well, pretty much guaranteeing there will be more in the series.
If you're a fan of the series, this is a solid addition. If you're not, don't start here.
This relatively short installment of the Frontlines series finds Grayson and his wife Hallie as veteran officers in the NAC, now allied with the rest of the Earth against the alien Lankies. Now that the Earth infighting and politics are mostly sorted, this book focuses much more on the mysterious alien invaders. More so than previous books and we get some answers to questions from the beginning of the series including just how smart are these aliens? There's also some intriguing questions raised as well, pretty much guaranteeing there will be more in the series.
If you're a fan of the series, this is a solid addition. If you're not, don't start here.
April 17, 2017
Marko Kloos never disappoints! I'd prefer less philosophical pondering about the lives of the soldiers here- but I still like the way Andrew is growing as a character. For secondary characters, well, Kloos love to bring people back but I'll always be happy when the gregarious Dmitry pops out with his Russian humour. Glad Halley and Fallon stayed out of this - as much as I love these awesome female characters, having them all the time in the same missions are not believable. I do however would love to see more of the Phalanx skipper since she was one of the Exodus fleet.
The novel has everything from deep space and orbital combats as well as subterranean scenes. Love the Greenland bit, very claustrophobic. Those Lankies, despite we've been introduced to them since Book 1, they are still mysterious and I like that we only get bits in every book. Keeping the suspense is key for engaging the readers as long as breadcrumbs are satisfying enough. And they are.
The novel has everything from deep space and orbital combats as well as subterranean scenes. Love the Greenland bit, very claustrophobic. Those Lankies, despite we've been introduced to them since Book 1, they are still mysterious and I like that we only get bits in every book. Keeping the suspense is key for engaging the readers as long as breadcrumbs are satisfying enough. And they are.
March 26, 2017
Another good one
The latest instalment in this series. Moves the story on from last time, and focuses on plans for a counterattack to retake Mars. Mainly follows Andrew rather than Halley, but we do get to see a bit of her family on Earth. Has the usual fast pace and frenetic action. Interesting ideas on how both human technology and tactics would change to counter the 'lankies', and vice versa. Very enjoyable, with very little filler or downtime in the story. Not much in the way of character development, but most of that has already been done in previous books. It literary terms it's not spectacular, but it is a good, old fashioned, adventure romp. Good book in the series.
The latest instalment in this series. Moves the story on from last time, and focuses on plans for a counterattack to retake Mars. Mainly follows Andrew rather than Halley, but we do get to see a bit of her family on Earth. Has the usual fast pace and frenetic action. Interesting ideas on how both human technology and tactics would change to counter the 'lankies', and vice versa. Very enjoyable, with very little filler or downtime in the story. Not much in the way of character development, but most of that has already been done in previous books. It literary terms it's not spectacular, but it is a good, old fashioned, adventure romp. Good book in the series.
April 1, 2017
I've enjoyed Marko Kloos's Frontlines series, but this book, while okay as a military-SF romp with lots of shit blowing up, felt a bit like the author is just milking the ongoing war with the Lankies to keep the series going.
The first few books had more stuff about Earth politics, with the protagonist, Andrew Grayson, rising from a hard-knocks existence in future-Earth's city-sized ghettos to a senior NCO in the North American Commonwealth's space forces, fighting off both aliens and Russian and Chinese rivals. Eventually the Commonwealth, the Russians, and the Chinese ally against the common threat - a race of kaiju-sized extra-solar invaders who have been landing on Earth's colonies and terraforming the human inhabitants to extinction.
The fifth book in the series picks up where book four ended, with the Lankies occupying Mars. Book five is all about the campaign to retake Mars.
Aside from a brief excursion to Grayson's wealthy in-laws' home on Earth, where we learn that rich people are still living in comfortable upper-middle-class bubbles protected from both poor people and aliens, oblivious to the existential threat to humanity, Fields of Fire is basically one long war story. Kloos tells this story well, and he continues to keep us invested in SSG Grayson's life, as well as the growing cast of secondary characters, like his gay Russian counterpart and his fighter jock wife. But book five, despite its climactic ending, basically ended with the war against the Lankies being stuck in stalemate. Presumably it will continue in the next book, but there were no big revelations, no radical changes in the status quo, nothing to indicate that the series won't continue to be "Earthlings go fight aliens, blow shit up, some of them die, wash, rinse, repeat."
I don't want to sound too negative as I still enjoy this series, but a bit of staleness is beginning to creep in, as is often the case with a series that goes on for book after book without bringing the main story arc to conclusion. Step it up, end the war, and begin another series, Mr. Kloos!
The first few books had more stuff about Earth politics, with the protagonist, Andrew Grayson, rising from a hard-knocks existence in future-Earth's city-sized ghettos to a senior NCO in the North American Commonwealth's space forces, fighting off both aliens and Russian and Chinese rivals. Eventually the Commonwealth, the Russians, and the Chinese ally against the common threat - a race of kaiju-sized extra-solar invaders who have been landing on Earth's colonies and terraforming the human inhabitants to extinction.
The fifth book in the series picks up where book four ended, with the Lankies occupying Mars. Book five is all about the campaign to retake Mars.
Aside from a brief excursion to Grayson's wealthy in-laws' home on Earth, where we learn that rich people are still living in comfortable upper-middle-class bubbles protected from both poor people and aliens, oblivious to the existential threat to humanity, Fields of Fire is basically one long war story. Kloos tells this story well, and he continues to keep us invested in SSG Grayson's life, as well as the growing cast of secondary characters, like his gay Russian counterpart and his fighter jock wife. But book five, despite its climactic ending, basically ended with the war against the Lankies being stuck in stalemate. Presumably it will continue in the next book, but there were no big revelations, no radical changes in the status quo, nothing to indicate that the series won't continue to be "Earthlings go fight aliens, blow shit up, some of them die, wash, rinse, repeat."
I don't want to sound too negative as I still enjoy this series, but a bit of staleness is beginning to creep in, as is often the case with a series that goes on for book after book without bringing the main story arc to conclusion. Step it up, end the war, and begin another series, Mr. Kloos!
March 19, 2017
Executive Summary: Another good entry in this series, although I didn't like it quite as much as Chains of Command. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book though.
Audiobook: Part of what sold me on this series in the first place was that Luke Daniels was the narrator. Another excellent job as usual. He continues to be one of my favorite narrators.
Full Review
Every book I have certain expectations about what it will be about, and every time Mr. Kloos seems to catch me by surprise. I was totally expecting this book to focus right in on Mars, but I was wrong. It did get there however.
Of course five books in, it's always tough to review a book without getting into spoiler territory. I will say that while I thought this book would start moving the series towards a conclusion, now I'm not sure. That's OK though, because I've really been enjoying these books.
While I found Andrew pretty unlikable in the first book, he continues to show growth as a character and has become easy to root for. The supporting characters are all pretty great too, especially Halley, Dimitri and Sgt. Fallon. I'd have liked more with Sgt. Fallon, but I was happy to get a lot of Dimitri to make up for it.
This book started off with a bang, but slowed down a bit for several chapters, before cranking the action all the way up to eleven. This is definitely more military fiction than Space Opera.
I'm curious to see what direction this series will take in the next book. I have a terrible track record so far in predicting what Mr. Kloos will do next, but so far it's been a really fun ride.
Audiobook: Part of what sold me on this series in the first place was that Luke Daniels was the narrator. Another excellent job as usual. He continues to be one of my favorite narrators.
Full Review
Every book I have certain expectations about what it will be about, and every time Mr. Kloos seems to catch me by surprise. I was totally expecting this book to focus right in on Mars, but I was wrong. It did get there however.
Of course five books in, it's always tough to review a book without getting into spoiler territory. I will say that while I thought this book would start moving the series towards a conclusion, now I'm not sure. That's OK though, because I've really been enjoying these books.
While I found Andrew pretty unlikable in the first book, he continues to show growth as a character and has become easy to root for. The supporting characters are all pretty great too, especially Halley, Dimitri and Sgt. Fallon. I'd have liked more with Sgt. Fallon, but I was happy to get a lot of Dimitri to make up for it.
This book started off with a bang, but slowed down a bit for several chapters, before cranking the action all the way up to eleven. This is definitely more military fiction than Space Opera.
I'm curious to see what direction this series will take in the next book. I have a terrible track record so far in predicting what Mr. Kloos will do next, but so far it's been a really fun ride.
April 16, 2017
I am not sure why I like this series so much, but Marco Kloos continues to deliver the goods with more great military sci-fi. A little pulpy, a little melodramatic and a little cheesy, it all just seems to work. And after some, but apparently not enough, alien butt-kicking on Mars, it appears that the series will continue……..
September 24, 2021
The story lost a bit of momentum but it’s still good and I’ve already started reading the next book.
“Is no such thing as overkill,” Dmitry replies.
“Anything worth breaking is worth breaking a lot.”
“Is no such thing as overkill,” Dmitry replies.
“Anything worth breaking is worth breaking a lot.”
July 27, 2023
Alright! I'm on book five now, and the series isn't slowing down at all. Fields of Fire might be the most exciting one yet, with the combined human might taking the fight to the Lankies (aliens) on Mars.
We get big spaceship battles, ground assaults, new toys for the military to play with, and quite a bit of time with everyone's favorite Russian, Dmitry! It was nice to actually have him along for the ride with Andrew this time as they dropped onto Mars together.
So... Let's see. From Greenland to Mars, the aliens keep ramping up their strategies to out maneuver the humans as they adapt to our tactics. This means that the humans are continually in deep shit, despite the fact that the nations of Earth are unequivocally working together now in mixed units and full cooperation. One of the cool parts of the series is seeing humanity evolve in general as well as the characters, the weapons, the tactics, and even the aliens. Everything has an arc.
We might win Mars, but one of the main themes in this book is - who really wins when both sides are taking thousands of casualties but it's gone too far for either side to stop now? Everything feels like a demoralized stalemate to Grayson, even if they are coming home victorious (but the fleet is pretty badly beaten up).
I docked half a star for Kloos using the same scenario twice, basically dumping Grayson behind the enemy line and having him get back to base. Both were exciting but it felt samey. I did, however, like the part where a clerk went savage on the aliens and saved everyone's ass. It reminded me of a story I was told once where for whatever reason, the Marine band and cooks ended up holding a base until reinforcements arrive! Everyone is trained, regardless! Nice touch there
And Kloos gave me a scare at the end there, if I hadn't read the synopsis of the next book yet I'd have been really worried 😅 ha ha ok.
Well - I'm powering through to the end of the series now, so let's see what happens next!
We get big spaceship battles, ground assaults, new toys for the military to play with, and quite a bit of time with everyone's favorite Russian, Dmitry! It was nice to actually have him along for the ride with Andrew this time as they dropped onto Mars together.
So... Let's see. From Greenland to Mars, the aliens keep ramping up their strategies to out maneuver the humans as they adapt to our tactics. This means that the humans are continually in deep shit, despite the fact that the nations of Earth are unequivocally working together now in mixed units and full cooperation. One of the cool parts of the series is seeing humanity evolve in general as well as the characters, the weapons, the tactics, and even the aliens. Everything has an arc.
We might win Mars, but one of the main themes in this book is - who really wins when both sides are taking thousands of casualties but it's gone too far for either side to stop now? Everything feels like a demoralized stalemate to Grayson, even if they are coming home victorious (but the fleet is pretty badly beaten up).
I docked half a star for Kloos using the same scenario twice, basically dumping Grayson behind the enemy line and having him get back to base. Both were exciting but it felt samey. I did, however, like the part where a clerk went savage on the aliens and saved everyone's ass. It reminded me of a story I was told once where for whatever reason, the Marine band and cooks ended up holding a base until reinforcements arrive! Everyone is trained, regardless! Nice touch there
And Kloos gave me a scare at the end there, if I hadn't read the synopsis of the next book yet I'd have been really worried 😅 ha ha ok.
Well - I'm powering through to the end of the series now, so let's see what happens next!
March 14, 2017
Another chapter in the Frontlines Saga. I'm tired and lazy this evening so y'all (all...like two of you who occasionally read my reviews) get more of a bullet-ed list.
The Good:
Marko Kloos knows how to ratchet up tension better than most authors that I know of. In contrast to many others where you always not-so-secretly know that the plucky heroes will pull it off, Kloos is better at making you feel like he's actually going to grease your favorites.
Scenes where family meets were uncomfortably real feeling.
The Meh:
The large parts of the Mars counter-strike thing were a little too much Michael Bay in parts. Some of his action scenes really are exciting, others get to be a little *too* 'splodey.... I feel like the human-v-human books/scenes were always a bit more compelling than fighting the lankies....
The bottom line:
I liked it. A lot. Even if the main alien whatevers are occasionally a bit hammy, he's got a compelling universe with awesome, lively characters, a wry sense of humor, and a gritty backdrop to pull it all together. Hat tip to Marko, and looking forward to the next one.
The Good:
Marko Kloos knows how to ratchet up tension better than most authors that I know of. In contrast to many others where you always not-so-secretly know that the plucky heroes will pull it off, Kloos is better at making you feel like he's actually going to grease your favorites.
Scenes where family meets were uncomfortably real feeling.
The Meh:
The large parts of the Mars counter-strike thing were a little too much Michael Bay in parts. Some of his action scenes really are exciting, others get to be a little *too* 'splodey.... I feel like the human-v-human books/scenes were always a bit more compelling than fighting the lankies....
The bottom line:
I liked it. A lot. Even if the main alien whatevers are occasionally a bit hammy, he's got a compelling universe with awesome, lively characters, a wry sense of humor, and a gritty backdrop to pull it all together. Hat tip to Marko, and looking forward to the next one.
March 26, 2017
Damn I love this series. Fields of Fire, has lived up to the pace and style of the first 4 books wonderfully. I really loved all the large scale maneuvers in this book, and it had a strong finish. Marines in camo space armor, and kinetic harpoons sent from orbit as support versus hundred ton aliens. What's not to love?
March 5, 2017
This was an enjoyable and focused episode in the series. There was not nearly as much political drama, but there was sure a lot of fighting!
April 6, 2017
Another action-packed space kablooie adventure. These books already have a clear formula, and Chains of Command already set the stage for what would happen in Fields of Fire, so anybody picking up this book already knows exactly what to expect, and that's exactly what they'll get. There are a few surprises in this book to keep us wondering where things will go next, though.
June 4, 2021
12 rounds match is over for now.
While this section of the series was a focused plot. Great details and directed...however, I’m still getting annoyed by repetitive details about bullet or gun weaponry. Readers should already know that by this time of this series. Just saying...anyway back to the story. I like how this differs from many books...well series. It can’t be always a win you know. Also, I wished this book would stretch extra 100 pages for sake of excitement and battles.
While this section of the series was a focused plot. Great details and directed...however, I’m still getting annoyed by repetitive details about bullet or gun weaponry. Readers should already know that by this time of this series. Just saying...anyway back to the story. I like how this differs from many books...well series. It can’t be always a win you know. Also, I wished this book would stretch extra 100 pages for sake of excitement and battles.
March 15, 2017
All good stories must end. There is zero novelty in this fifth book of the series. You'd expect at least some momentous revelation about the Lankies - say, we find out what they're after, or someone figures out how to communicate with them, or it turns out they are time travelers. Anything, really. But no; we end the book without any knowledge we didn't already have. To make things worse, the main character gets increasingly sentimental and boring.
March 2, 2017
Frontlines is a military science fiction series that I like a lot. Frontlines is the latest addition to it. We finally get to see the assault on Mars. As expected, it goes pear shaped soon. We also get to see the evolution of the Lankies from being dumb opponents to being smarter.
This is an enjoyable quick read.
This is an enjoyable quick read.
June 21, 2019
4.5 Stars
Another fantastic entry into a great series.
The time for the big fight has finally come, the moment when humans attempt to retake control of Mars from the Lanky invaders. No one if quite confident that they are ready, but the word comes down that the time to attack is now.
This review will be a little short, partially because it’s been a while since I finished this book and partially because if you’ve made it this far into the series you already like what you’ve read so far. Or at least I hope so. That seems like a poor choice to read a fifth book in a series you don’t really like.
All of the elements that made the preceding books great were back in this installment. An entertaining narrator in the cynical, too experienced for his age Andrew Grayson. More time spent with him and his wife Halley, continuing to deepen their relationship. A realistic (at least to me, a non-veteran) look at life in the military, including the mundane aspects, not just the parts where people are getting blown up. Not that there is a shortage of people getting blown up. The action is fast and furious, and on probably the largest scale seen so far.
This series is some great military sci-fi that manages to be consistently entertaining without ever becoming shallow.
Another fantastic entry into a great series.
The time for the big fight has finally come, the moment when humans attempt to retake control of Mars from the Lanky invaders. No one if quite confident that they are ready, but the word comes down that the time to attack is now.
This review will be a little short, partially because it’s been a while since I finished this book and partially because if you’ve made it this far into the series you already like what you’ve read so far. Or at least I hope so. That seems like a poor choice to read a fifth book in a series you don’t really like.
All of the elements that made the preceding books great were back in this installment. An entertaining narrator in the cynical, too experienced for his age Andrew Grayson. More time spent with him and his wife Halley, continuing to deepen their relationship. A realistic (at least to me, a non-veteran) look at life in the military, including the mundane aspects, not just the parts where people are getting blown up. Not that there is a shortage of people getting blown up. The action is fast and furious, and on probably the largest scale seen so far.
This series is some great military sci-fi that manages to be consistently entertaining without ever becoming shallow.
October 1, 2024
Holy shit. It's been about four months since I read the previous book in this series, so I was worried I'd have trouble getting back into it. Nope. Absolutely amazing. Can't wait to read the next one - will not take 4 months to get around to again.
May 21, 2017
I really enjoy this series! The continuing adventures of Lt. Andrew Grayson and his fellow podheads as they head to Mars. I appreciate the soldier's emotional, physical and psychological perspective of war and his commitment. A fast-paced, action-packed, and at times, touching, read.
November 23, 2020
Much the same as the earlier books in the series.
Kloos was very good at the military action parts of the story. This remains the strongest part of the book and the series. However, his prose remains workmanlike. Its not improving. It still shows poor editing. Particularly, it contains a lot of repetition that could easily have been edited-out. There were several technical errors, both small and large. I was surprised to hear him confuse a "cartridge" for a "magazine". Kiev is in the Ukraine, not Russia. There was also never a Martian night. In fact, I could never be sure how long the Martian part of the story was-- a Sol or two?
I found it ironic that that Kloos regularly, critically, references the melodrama of old-timey, "network television", within his own very melodramatic scenes.
With all that is known about Mars from recent explorations, I thought Kloos could have done more with the Martian geography. Mars felt a tad too Earth-like.
My greatest criticism of the story was the pacing. In the final Martian, "D-Day" part of the book, the protagonist goes through four (4) consecutive, intense combat actions. These occurred within hours of each other without: downtime, significant sleep and eating in between. In a few of those actions, he took punishment that would have crippled a rhinoceros. In all of them, there would have been stress that would have made a statue, breakdown and cry. Any one of these actions would have left a normal human a basket case. This is despite their wearing high-tech, battle armour and being an emotionally armoured: stoic, tough, ex-welfare rat. In contrast to the military and combat realism, this aspect of the story was cartoonish.
Still, I read on. The "kill the bugs" portions of the story remain fun, despite the weaker, non-action portions. I mentally adjusted and make the protagonist less superhuman. I've already put my dime into this series-- I guess I'm in for a dollar?
Kloos was very good at the military action parts of the story. This remains the strongest part of the book and the series. However, his prose remains workmanlike. Its not improving. It still shows poor editing. Particularly, it contains a lot of repetition that could easily have been edited-out. There were several technical errors, both small and large. I was surprised to hear him confuse a "cartridge" for a "magazine". Kiev is in the Ukraine, not Russia. There was also never a Martian night. In fact, I could never be sure how long the Martian part of the story was-- a Sol or two?
I found it ironic that that Kloos regularly, critically, references the melodrama of old-timey, "network television", within his own very melodramatic scenes.
With all that is known about Mars from recent explorations, I thought Kloos could have done more with the Martian geography. Mars felt a tad too Earth-like.
My greatest criticism of the story was the pacing. In the final Martian, "D-Day" part of the book, the protagonist goes through four (4) consecutive, intense combat actions. These occurred within hours of each other without: downtime, significant sleep and eating in between. In a few of those actions, he took punishment that would have crippled a rhinoceros. In all of them, there would have been stress that would have made a statue, breakdown and cry. Any one of these actions would have left a normal human a basket case. This is despite their wearing high-tech, battle armour and being an emotionally armoured: stoic, tough, ex-welfare rat. In contrast to the military and combat realism, this aspect of the story was cartoonish.
Still, I read on. The "kill the bugs" portions of the story remain fun, despite the weaker, non-action portions. I mentally adjusted and make the protagonist less superhuman. I've already put my dime into this series-- I guess I'm in for a dollar?
March 11, 2017
This book ends up as a bit of a mixed bag. The action is perfectly fine but the overall plot felt hollow. The story develops while the characters don’t and in the end it felt like a wasted opportunity.
The book is entertaining enough that I can ignore the problems, but at the moment the series feels like it is treading water, waiting for something to happen.
The book is entertaining enough that I can ignore the problems, but at the moment the series feels like it is treading water, waiting for something to happen.
September 24, 2019
This is one of those series that once you start it, you'll want to read, or in my case listen, to every book back-to-back. It's one of the better military sci-fi series that I've read. The audio performance is really good too so if you like audiobooks I would definitely listen to this one instead of read it.
April 11, 2022
Series is ongoing. I'm enjoying it, but am starting to wish that Kloos would start developing the Lankies a bit more. I mean, they are essentially kaiju and yet they don't demonstrate much in the way of intelligence, so how did they master space flight? I hope there are enough books left that he can expound on this more.
December 31, 2024
"We finally have ourselves a bug war, and it turns out that we’re the bugs."
Another great military sci-fi. There was a nice twist at the end too that he must've been cooking up since the very beginning.
Another great military sci-fi. There was a nice twist at the end too that he must've been cooking up since the very beginning.
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