Powered

Mech Wars Book 1

By: Scott Bartlett

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 7 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

Humanity is tired of losing. Enter the mech.

After the mysterious discovery of an alien mech inside a comet, Darkstream Security has finally completed its own design. They assign Chief Gabriel Roach with the task of whittling down hundreds of bright young recruits to form a team of elite mech pilots, which he will command.

Their mission: protect human colonies from the almighty Quatro.

A single Quatro can take down an entire squad of traditional soldiers. Bigger than a draft horse, more muscular than a grizzly, with jaws that splinter bone. And zero fear. They almost defeated humanity before, and now they're back - in numbers we didn't know they had.

But Roach is the perfect one for the job. Almost too perfect. The Quatro took from him the only woman he ever loved, and now, he's determined to make one thing clear: It's them or him.

©2017 Scott Bartlett (P)2017 Scott Bartlett

good entry into mech warriors vs aliens saga

humankind remnants seems to be hiding in this remote star systems. dominated by a defense corporate, multiple worlds struggle with keeping up with corporation demands and survival

in the background, the occasionally hostile aliens have massed like barbarian hordes to overwhelm human defences. it's happened before but this time humans have reverse engineered alien armor tech to up their game. they will need it as the aliens are physically more dominant. did I mention they have figured out how to shoot human weapons without opposable thumbs.

meanwhile. on nearby planets human have discovered the smarter relatives of aliens who warn them of a greater threat.

lots going in. be fun to see how author resolves. first book of trilogy

Hi tech, big Mechs, great sci -fi

Any additional comments?

Written by: Scott Bartlett
Narrated by: Mark Boyett
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
This book had all kinds of good stuff, intrigue, government corruption, revenge on another species, people you want to hate, people you want to cheer for, people you want to slap for being naive, big powerful mech machines, confusion as to which species is really the bad guy, and so much more. An action packed, big guns, high tech, aliens, fun sci-fi with suspense and emotional drama. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 star is that it ended so quickly. I felt is was a cliff hanger. Urg....Other than that I liked this book a lot.
The narration is half the book and it was perfect. He had to do some fancy stuff. Aliens, girls, gruff old men, drunks, and more. All were done great and the narrator kept the pace of the story going perfect. He really added to the story. Wonderful job!

Good mech stuff.

Didn't end in a very satisfying way, but I'm still going to listen to the rest. Good characters. Interesting plot.

i loved it cant wait for more

wonderful story narrator was outstanding. cant wait for the next book hope it is not long wait

Mech’s, Monster’s and an Exceptional Storyline

If you could sum up Powered in three words, what would they be?

Mech's and Monsters

What did you like best about this story?

Powered is in the same Universe as The Ixan Prophecies, but is not a direct sequel to it as such. It follows the Darkstream Tech Users who fled the galaxy after being defeated by Captain Keyes, and what happened to them.
They have settled a system that they have named the Steele System with a couple of planets. One of them is almost Earth like, and is very pleasant. The other is not and requires that you are in an environment suit, or that you live in one of the Habitats.
Unfortunately on the nicer planet, there are large creatures called Quatro that appear to be sentient, but are also very aggressive at times, attacking villages and slaughtering everyone.
There are 2 main storylines in this book, one following those on Eresos, the nicer planet, and the other following those on Alex, the one needing life support. On Eresos, the main Characters include Gabe Roach a man with a rather interesting morale background and history, now driven by utter rage and vengeance by a particular event in his life, and Jake Price, a younger guy who has joined the team from an asteroid converting family, when they find an ancient Mech and sell it to try and help his gravely ill sister.
On Alex, the main characters are Lisa, Tessa and Andy. Tessa is an ex-soldier with a past who is now tied to the seedier side of the habitats. Lisa is Security for Darkstream at the Habitat, but is totally idealistic, and Andy is a bit creepy and a bit stupid.
The interesting thing is the Quatro, an alien race that are not what they seem. But then again, most things aren’t in a Scott Bartlett novel, and that is what makes them so good. The Quatro are incredibly powerful, bear like, and the one thing Darkstream needs to control them is a Mech, which they have been working on. However, in a stroke of luck, Jake’s family find one in an asteroid (which is how he gets involved with the team), and this leads to the creation of the Mechs of Eresos.
And this is where things get really interesting. Bartlett has created this fascinating concept of ‘lucid’, in which you can enter a REM state of sleep, and instead of just sleeping, you can actually (with the correct input) plug yourself in and either train, or in the case with the Mech, control them. The entire concept of Lucid is brilliant and really adds an amazing element to this story.
Powered is an intriguing story, looking at not just the two main planets and their characters, but the interplay between the humans and aliens. Powered refers to the power of the Mechs as well as to the Political and Strategic power that is evident in the story.
This is a totally standalone series, and although it is related to the Ixan Prophecies, you do not need to read these to enjoy this series. However, you will get a bit more out of the book if you read them first of course.
As with his other books, Bartlett’s Characters are wonderfully written, with a lot of depth, some great back stories and details. The planets are also beautifully detailed, giving the characters a wonderful background in which to tell their stories. As mentioned, the Quatro are also outstanding creatures, with an incredible design that is both exquisite and terrifying.
This is a fantastic first part to what is going to be a captivating and compelling trilogy.

What about Mark Boyett’s performance did you like?

I have listened to many of Mark Boyett's performances, he is a brilliant Narrator, with a very clear and concise Narration, using a great selection of both Male and Female voices, all with a fantastic emotional range to really bring the story alive.
I will happily buy any story that Mark Boyett has narrated.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Slow to Start, fair book, great narration.

To many story lines and characters that never flesh out. Good idea, but needs polish and depth maybe the next book will bring it all together. Narration is fantastic and Mark does all he can to hold your attention as the story line rambles in no particular direction without adding depth to the characters. The Series has promise if the writer can get it together we will see in book two. Narration 5 Stars all the way.

Amazing Mech

This is an Amazing Mech story and Narration. Scott and Mark have created a wonder teaming of writing and narration, that truly brings you into the battle. I am excited to start book 2.

Note at the time of this review Audible did not have chapter titles for this title.

This book was provided free for review, however, these are my honest opinions and review.

Truly interesting

This book was provided free of charge in expectation of an honest review.

The book was about the aftermath of a young man's life after the discovery of an alien device inside a comet. Mankind had fled to a far galaxy to flee war with aliens and the device would help them in their survival.

The progress of the young man leads him into being a mech driver and also to discoveries about the people ruling the human government and their interactions with the aliens.

The narration was superb and very enjoyable.

I expect to enjoy the remaining books of this series just as much.

What will I do with myself until the next book comes out?!

I got this book three days ago and spent every free waking moment listening to it. I could not put it down. Following one of our main characters from a his work to save his sister by developing land for colonization, to his run at piloting a mech in the attempts to save entire cities keeps you rooting for him. The twists in this story will keep you listening for more. I cannot wait to see what the next installment will bring and what alliances may be formed, if any. If you enjoy mech based novels, this exiting take will have you begging for more.

Pretty solid start to a new series.

Powered is the first book in the Mech Wars series and overall I would say it was a pretty solid book for the genre, but I dinged it a bit because there were too many stories line that never came together. I don't mind having a complex story, with several stories being told, but the problem was they never came together. I don't know, maybe the stories intersect in book two. The problem for me was the stories felt quite different, almost as if you were reading two different books that only had a few passing similarities not two connected stories. That being said, I enjoyed it enough that I am interested to know what happens next.

I enjoyed mark Boyett's narration quite a bit and I see he has done quite a few narration jobs in the sci0fi genre so I am quite certain I'll be listening to more of his work in the future.