This was a decent story about combat soldiers in a futuristic space faring society. A handful of mega-corporations have replaced centralized governments and the average citizen is born under the heel of tremendous debt that they must pay off through a lifetime of work. The characters were decent and realistic and I thought the universe that the author created was definitely plausible.
The story begins with the main character and his best friend waiting in line after graduation to find out what job will be assigned to them. There is very little choice in this matter and citizens raised in poorer households, those who have gotten into trouble, or those with low test scores are usually assigned the dirtiest and most menial jobs. Much to his dismay, he is assigned to food production, a boring and repetitive position.
After working for several years he meets the girl of his dreams who quickly becomes pregnant. Deciding that he doesn’t want his child to be born into financial bondage and work as an indentured servant his entire life, he volunteers to join the salvage marines. The salvage marines are assigned missions to reclaim planets, scrap, and abandoned facilities for the benefit of the corporation. Unfortunately, the items they are sent to salvage are not always unmanned or uninhabited. The salvage marines are usually assigned the riskiest and most dangerous jobs that aren’t worth sending in real troops, making it probably the most dangerous job that someone can take. On the plus side, it is one of the highest paying positions that most people will ever be able to find, allowing them to pay off not only their debts to the corporation, but also the debts of their families… If they can live long enough to earn that much…
Narration by Jeffery Kafer was top-notch. This is the second book I’ve listened to with him as a narrator and I must say that he is one of my favorite narrators.
I would recommend this book for all fans of military sci-fi.
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.