Also by M.C.A. Hogarth:
- Earthrise (Her Instruments Book 1)
- A Bloom in the North (Stone Moon Trilogy 3)
- Pearl in the Void (Stone Moon Trilogy 2)
- From Spark to Finish: Running Your Kickstarter Campaign
- Black Blossom
- Flight of the Godkin Griffin
- The Case of the Poisoned House and Other Xenopsychiatric Studies
- Spots the Space Marine: Letters
- Blades and Bitter Apples
- Claws and Starships
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Published: Oct. 08, 2010
Words: 111,453 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781465845573
Description
Pollyanna meets Starship Troopers in this web serial about a 30-something Marine called out of retirement to join the war against the crabs. But shattered morale is the least of her company’s problems, and their survival may hinge on an unlikely friendship forged between an alien weapons designer and a mother-turned-warrior….Tags
guns, aliens, crabs, bugs, marines, characters, near future sfAvailable ebook reading formats
Single purchase gains access to all formats. How to download ebooks to e-reading devices and apps.| Format | Full Book | Sample First 20% |
|---|---|---|
| Online Reading (HTML, good for sampling in web browser) | Buy | View sample |
| Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps) | Buy | Download sample |
| Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others) | Buy | Download sample |
| PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing) | Buy | No sample available |
| RTF (readable on most word processors) | Buy | No sample available |
| LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub) | Buy | Download sample |
| Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices) | Buy | Download sample |
| Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting) | Buy | No sample available |
| Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page) | Buy | No sample available |
Reviews
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Review by:
Mark Baller
on March 04, 2013 :
I bought this book in protest at the take down. But then I read it...
The read was gripping and the tale wonderful. I'm still not sure about the style, but somehow it fits. The characters become more and more believable as the tale unfolds.
I would recommend this book. I bought the letters too.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt
on Feb. 07, 2013 :
Couldn't stop reading this - strangely addictive - when it was on the web. Always meant to get my own copy - panicked when the ebook was taken down from Amazon, so when I found out it was available on Smashwords, I came right over.
Don't like the idea that things might disappear - when I always planned to read it again.
Given the circumstances in the story, the plot is very realistic and believable, the characters intelligent, credible, and definitely worth following.
The writing pulls you in - I was fortunate to come across it when the whole thing was already out, so I didn't have to wait, which would have been painful, as I was hooked.
I've been reading SF since, well, the Kennedy administration. I know good stuff when I see it.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review by:
Liana Mir
on May 10, 2012 :
I tried this book as an e-book first. Could. not. get into it. My paperback came from when I backed it on Kickstarter, and I pushed through the first four chapters and that was it. Hooked. The narrative zings along and you cannot put the book down without grumbling terribly at the requirement of doing so.
A 32-year-old mother is called up from the reserves and sent to supposedly in-the-middle-of-nowhere depot, which just happens to turn out to be practically on top of a crab breeding facility. I don’t know even how to describe this book. This is a family, a Marine FAMILY, in space fighting crab-like aliens that look eerily like their allies, the violinists. It’s a roller coaster, but it doesn’t feel like one; it’s that smooth and well-put-together.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Liana Mir
on May 10, 2012 :
I tried this book as an e-book first. Could. not. get into it. My paperback came from when I backed it on Kickstarter, and I pushed through the first four chapters and that was it. Hooked. The narrative zings along and you cannot put the book down without grumbling terribly at the requirement of doing so.
A 32-year-old mother is called up from the reserves and sent to supposedly in-the-middle-of-nowhere depot, which just happens to turn out to be practically on top of a crab breeding facility. I don’t know even how to describe this book. This is a family, a Marine FAMILY, in space fighting crab-like aliens that look eerily like their allies, the violinists. It’s a roller coaster, but it doesn’t feel like one; it’s that smooth and well-put-together.
(reviewed long after purchase)
Review by:
Jeremie Lariviere
on April 02, 2012 :
A very exciting read!
You won't be able to put it down very easily. As other people have mentioned, the writing is definitely unique, works well.
I normally prefer fantasy, but definitely enjoyed & recommend this one if you like sci-fi, military stories.
I'm looking forward to the sequels too!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)
Review by:
Cecilia Tan
on Oct. 27, 2010 :
'm completely sucked in by Spots the Space Marine. What the author has done is present this almost like a screenplay, so that instead of a traditional prose narrative, the reader gets a steady stream of sensory impressions, dialogue, sound, visuals. It's the writing equivalent of a Chinese brush painting, where everything is powerfully conveyed in the minimal strokes. As such, it moves fast and the characters come across very vividly. A definite thumbs up for anyone who likes space opera and/or complex female characters.
(review of free book)
Review by:
Eric Hinkle
on Oct. 15, 2010 :
Truly a different sort of military SF story, memorable for all the good reasons. It has captivating characters and a memorable setting, and is all the more amazing for Micah's ability to do this with what reads almost like a movie script. How does she do it?
(review of free book)
Review by:
Razz
on Oct. 15, 2010 :
While not one of my favorite works by Hogarth, this is still an interesting premise and an entertaining read (especially if you like marines, space, and strong female leads). I look forward to catching up on the rest of this serial in the future.
(review of free book)
Review by:
siliconshaman
on Oct. 14, 2010 :
Prepare to be captivated, and set aside an hour or so because you won't want to put this down before you finish it... and then you'll want the rest!
(review of free book)
Review by:
Eric Johnson
on Oct. 09, 2010 :
For some reason when I read this, I think of a Masamune Shirow painting from Intron Depot that shows a dude in armor fighting bugs. Which I really can't shake at all. But it is in anthology format so you get small episodes of interaction of Spots, assigned to Team Kitty, and her partner, Claws. Really short stories, but personally at the start was confused as to what was going on, but down the road things started to gel as more of course was described. I have to say though that it left me with a sense of wanting to read more. So it's not bad at all, so check it out as while FREE, it's still good...
(review of free book)
Review by:
Elizabeth McCoy
on Oct. 09, 2010 :
I read this piece by piece when it was being written, in bite-sized gulps. It starts out seeming a bit abrupt, the world painted tersely, starkly: a warren of corridors and bunkrooms. The style matches the setting, or perhaps vice versa. It becomes natural -- and even more-so when you can get 25 of the episodes all at once, bang-bang-bang.
I don't generally like military-focus SF. I bounced off of David Weber's Honor Harrington series pretty quickly, for instance. It's not H. Beam Piper's military SF I re-read. But this? I read it, and re-read it with pleasure. I figure that's worth a fifth star. *grin*
All this, and it's free! Grab it.
(reviewed the day of purchase)