Insurgent

Ice Hammer, Volume 2

By: Basil Sands

Narrated by: Basil Sands

“Basil Sands’s Ice Hammer is a gripping, can’t-put-it-down series that works at every level. It’s got it all: love, war, treachery, and heroism. A home run!” (John Gilstrap, USA Today best-selling author of the Jonathan Grave thriller series)

“The action is fast, the characters are amazing, and there is plenty to keep the reader engaged. This is every bit as good as Jeff Edwards, Tom Clancy, or Dale Brown; fans of those authors will gobble this up... Highly recommended!” (Military Writers Society of America)

Following the invasion of the previous year, Brad Stone has become the figurehead of Alaska’s resistance movement. He’s now head of the largest militia in the former state, including the Chiknik Rangers, making him enemy number one to the Chinese leadership based in Anchorage. At the same time his sons, Ben and Ian, find themselves waging a bloody guerrilla operation against Russian troops in the east. Unknown to any of them, Youngmi - whose mangled, dead body haunts Brad’s dreams - has become the mistress of General Zhang, head of the Chinese forces in Alaska...and a major player in the resistance movement, passing on information that could mean her real death if she’s caught.

©2018 Permuted Press (P)2018 Sandman Studio Productions

The 'Empire Strikes Back' of the Trilogy

Insurgent is the second book in the Ice Hammer trilogy, and is written and narrated by an author and narrator I've enjoyed for some time. I was lucky enough to get this book as a free copy for an unbiased review.
The book starts with the main protagonist, Brad Stone, still estranged from his sons, and he presumes them dead, as with his first wife, and shortly in he marries Sammy Park, who is pregnant.
Ben and Ian, his sons are still unknown to their father, and operating as increasingly bloodthirsty young freedom fighters, seeming having humanity slipping away.

There is some good humor in the book. The whole Johhny Quest analogy was great. As was the direct references and taking a lesson from Red Dawn.

There was also I found a really well written tense scene involving a paper shredder, that had me pretty on edge.

The invaders, although still in charge, seem to be struggling under supply issues and constant interference from the freedom fighters, and the situation doesn't really seem to get any better for them.

The narration was good, but I did find some of the eastern accents a bit too heavily done.

The book was a bit of an "Empire Strikes Back" of a trilogy, with honestly a pretty bleak end, with a discovery of someone still alive (and I get the feeling that she is now on the precipice of bitterness and making a turn to the dark). No happy reunions, no real successes, and it leaves me wondering with interest how it can be wrapped up in a final book. There is no was it can work out with a happy result for all of the good guys.

I'm interested in reading how this can finish up in the next book - and who if anyone will get a happy end.

Interesting Read

The creator of this work has done a good job as Narrator and has delivered a entertaining Audio Book.

The story is well constructed with a great variety of characters to hold the interest of most listeners.




This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Ice Hammer 2 Thrills...and Chills

Sands provides excellent narration to his brilliant thriller. Fast paced and entertaining, Sands provide an excellent backdrop for the communist invasion of Alaska/North America. All of his past characters come together to provide a united front...but Ice Hammer has it's twists and turns. Just when you think you know where he is headed, Sands throws you for an exciting loop. Ice Hammer, and now Ice Hammer 2, are both must reads. I can't wait for the trilogy to conclude!

WOOOOOOOOOOOW!!

I love fast-paced highly intense action and this fits the bill perfectly!
Well-written, great characters, all in all an EXCELLENT story. I loved the first book in the series, Invasion, and this second installment is equally AWESOME!

I was thrilled and chilled from beginning to end - I can't say enough about how great this series is! Get it and get it now :)
You can thank me later ;)

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

action-adventure, military, suspense, survivor's-guilt, War Is Hell, SHTF, thriller, testosterone-fest, family, friendship

There's war in the northern hemisphere and Alaska is a major theater as it was invaded simultaneously by China and Russia. Brad Stone is the major player and consolidates the US factions while dealing with the enemy, mourning the loss of the wife he believes is dead as well as his own country. This story builds momentum from the first one (Invasion) and is classic in its presentation of men at war and the tools of combat.
OK, so I didn't yet finish it, but that's because it was "borrowed" by a former USMC who hasn't returned it.
I love it when an author narrates their own creation, who knows better how to build the suspense or the anger or whatever is behind the action! ?

Alternate Reality - What if the US was invaded?

"Ice Hammer Book 2: Insurgent" continues the story of Americans struggling to survive and defeat their enemies in the frontier of Alaska after a invasion from China to the West and Russians from the East. I didn't read the first book in this series, so I know there's details that I missed out on while reading this second installment. That being said, I felt like I got to know the characters, their back stories, and current challenges very quickly.

Brad Stone ("Ice Hammer") is the figurehead the resistance - leading the Chiknik Rangers. Meanwhile, his sons Ben and Ian, are fighting against Russian troops. The wife Brad assumed was deceased, Youngmi, is a spy inside a Chinese general's household. Survivors keep finding their way to Chiknik; the resistance fighters keep making life difficult for the Russians, and the Chinese are trying their best to establish a stable government.

I love a story where I connect with the characters. The cast of this book is awesome - very REAL in the sense that we see their strengths, flaws, and response to great loss or tragedy. War stories can feel impersonal, but I felt like I connected with the resistance fighters and the "bad guys." The family relationships add an interesting (and painful) dimension to the characters and story. Basil Sands has a way of skillfully creating conflict between characters using personalities, mismatched goals, and selfish motivations.

Note - There are some descriptions of war violence but it isn't over done.

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

Pretty Good Sequel

The continuation of the Alaska invasion story with less Korean food than the first.
There are a lot of plot lines continued from the first book and it looks like they are headed for a third.
The characters are varied and well fleshed out. There are a lot on both sides, good and bad.
I look forward to the next installment.
The author does a good job of narration and seems to have a good grasp of the subject matter.
I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Nonstop excitement

Disclaimer, I received this audiobook from the author for an honest review.

The second book in a trilogy is usually a let down as it is more for story building and prep for the finale. Not so with Insurgent. It was jam packed with action and tension. I actually found myself muttering “no, no, no, don’t do that!” or I was willing things to happen. I look forward to book three.

missed book 1, but this was good

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

I'll start this review with a quick caveat. I haven't read or listened to the first book in this series. I definitely felt like I was missing a lot of back story, but I was still able to enjoy this book. There was good action, and the characters were interesting. Normally I'm pretty skeptical when authors narrate their own books, but he did a good job. All in all, this was a pretty good story and I'd definitely be open to going back and listening to the first book and/or moving on to book 3.

Better than the first volume

I went back and re-read the first volume in this series so I could be ready for this second installment.
Both volumes are good and I am glad I took the time to review. This book is a definite continuation of the first book but not at the second the first left off. I think a few months have passed and they have gotten where they were headed.

This book fleshes out all three story lines from the original book and by the end some of the main characters have found out that others believed dead are still alive.

This series has been well worth the time invested and I have really enjoyed getting to know the characters and become aware of why they do what they do.

Can't wait for the next book.

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