Book: Vanguard Strike

Author: Jarom Strong

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for an advanced audio copy.

Vanguard Strike was as close to a video game as a book can get. As a gamer, I love when mediums collide, but this was different. This was just a well-told story that made me think of it like a video game. 

The game feeling started immediately when the opening battle sequence was underway. There are soldiers battling it out, but there is someone controlling their emotions, pumping them full of drugs every time they feel worried or afraid to make those feelings go away and just be killing machines. This made me think of games like StarCraft or Rise of Nations, where I build up an army and, with one click of my mouse, send them off to battle, no matter how bleak the outcome. 

The rest of that story played out like the games Dead Space and Warhammer Space Marine had a sadistic baby, and I’m here for that. Who doesn’t love a gritty, unrealistic main character that they make somehow relatable through good writing?

This was a great start to the series, and I can’t wait for more. It captures so much of what makes stories like this amazing. The battles, the sense of dread, the feeling of being alone, and everything else that comes with space. If any of what I described sounds good to you, check this out.  

Final score: 4/5