Into the Looking Glass

Looking Glass Series, Book 1

By: John Ringo

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Formerly of the 82nd Airborne Division, New York Times best-selling author John Ringo brings unmatched authenticity to his military science fiction.

When asubatomic physics experiment causes a massive explosion, interdimensional gateways open in Florida - and aliens pour out. Some intend to bring Earth to its knees. Others seem willing to help, but will annihilate the planet if Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller can't stop the menace from spreading.

©2005 John Ringo (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"This thoroughly enjoyable ride should appeal to techno-thriller fans as well as to military SF buffs." ( Publishers Weekly)

Totally cool

This is just such a great adventure, with so much humor and I have to say nifty ideas. I loved how although religions were mentioned, with this story line being very scientific, it did not intrude in either a positive or a negative way. I loved how the main character was a scientist with a thought pattern that could have gotten him gelded and no idea how to fire a gun.
I do have something to point out, I haven't really read huge amounts of SciFi recently however i have noticed that the Southern Hemisphere doesn't seem to exist on these worlds. Can perhaps new/old Authors take note?

Can't say it any better than "Mike from Mesa"

April 2019, I just finished this book. I think Mike said it first and better than I can.
I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. John Ringo is a fun author to listen to.
Please Click on "HELPFUL" to Mikes review, if it is helpful.

Like Mike I will move onto book number 2.

Way different...

This series is very hard to rate for me. I think I've "read" everything Ringo has written when it comes to Sci-Fi (and Pseudo-Fantasy), but this series, while obviously "Ringo-Ish" was just different from what I'm used to. I bought the book some time ago, and within the first 3 hours I had to put it down as "Just too plain silly to finish". Recently I tried listening to it again during a "Book Slump" when I couldn't find anything that seemed to catch my eye, and this time I just gutted-on through it.

At the finish, I immediately came to Audible and bought book 2... and then book 3, and just now got book 4.

The Books have some "just plain silly parts" scattered through them, and a Metric TON of quips and quotes from just about every major Sci-Fi movie made, but I walked away from each book wanting to continue on with the series ASAP, and I found myself with my ear-buds in while working around our ranch, and I also missed a lot of sleep listening to the books in bed... Can't ask for much more than that I guess!

Great book.

I liked this alot,original,technical,and just entertaining all around. This book moves along enough to really keep you listening. Skip TV tonight and turn on this book.

Enter the Boson

I recently listened to Into the Looking Glass written by John Ringo and narrated by L. J. Ganser.

When a sixty kiloton explosion wipes out the University of Central Florida it's pretty obvious you are about to have a bad day. On the positive side, the local military troops aren't detecting radiation, thus they are able to rule out nuclear weapons and meteor strikes don't match what happened either. On the negative side some sort of gateway stands in the rubble and an army of hostile aliens start pouring out of it. These aren't the kinds of tourists you want to attract to Florida for spring break.

Narration: L. J. Ganser has an accent that is clipped, however he stretches his syllables ever so slightly. His accent is clear and easy to understand and he does a decent job of reading this book.

Conclusion: This is a bit of a military scifi thriller, with science taking a center stage. It does take some liberalities with the science, however, a note from the author indicates he is aware of it. Overall it's quite a fun book and is enjoyable to read.

Awesome

John Ringo never disappoints. If you want politically correct, you can skip this. If you don’t like firearms, patriots and hard men making hard choices, skip it. If you honor our fighting men and women, believe that the American dream exists still today, and dream of a nerd fighting to defend it, buy for one credit.

Looking Glass Series

Scientific screw ups, holes through space, Bad Aliens, Good Aliens, and challenging phylosophical concepts. Read the books, now I'm enjoying them again. Terrific story, great narration! Highly recommended.

Love this book!

Just the right mix of sci-fi adventure and flippant, funny dialog. I'd love to see this made into a movie!

Narrator is a little too over the top.

I’ve read and listened to the The Paladin of Shadow series and the Black Tide series and loved them. I think Rinko is a fantastic author that gives you concise descriptions without sacrificing details, and injections practical lessons from his military experience into his writing.

However, Ganser is so over the top in his performance that it feels like I’m listening to radio version of the 1960’s Batman starring Adam West rather than a military/sci-fi novel. I hope Audible will invest the time to get a different narrator for this series.

Story is a C+ to B-, Narration is a D-

Story is fun in general, but not practical. Setting is ok, but the characters follow the old trope of a couple of main characters are the pivot point for every possible scene in the story....one moment in DC, the next in Florida, the next at ground zero, the next in battle with aliens, the next in the hospital after being blown up, the next ambassadors to another alien species..... Ringo, invest in a more diverse cast.

Narration.....Ganser, please take a breath. Reading the story is not a bloody race. Just slow it down. Your pace ruins much of the fun of the story.