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  • Counterstrike

  • Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 3
  • Written by: Joshua Dalzelle
  • Narrated by: Mark Boyett
  • Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (332 ratings)

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Counterstrike cover art

Counterstrike

Written by: Joshua Dalzelle
Narrated by: Mark Boyett
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Publisher's Summary

Captain Jackson Wolfe never thought he'd see the end of the Phage War in his lifetime. The enemy was too powerful, too numerous, and utterly determined to exterminate humanity.

But the appearance of a new ally in the fight has changed all of that. For the first time since the original incursion, Wolfe thinks that maybe there's a chance to stop their implacable enemy before they have the chance to wipe out any more human planets. That opportunity comes at great cost, however, and even as he makes plans for their first offensive move on the Phage, Jackson is all too aware that most of them will not survive.

©2015 Joshua Dalzelle (P)2016 Podium Publishing

What listeners say about Counterstrike

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Sam
  • 2022-02-06

The Story drops off a bit

but still not too bad, book 1,2 were part of the plus category so one credit for all three boos is justified. however within first hour of the book three I guessed exactly how and why the story would conclude.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

hard(ish) sci-fi space battles

WWII naval battles. In space. The action was exciting, conveying the time and distances involved with a strategic space battle. Star wars style where advanced technology exists but people manually push buttons and pull levers near c.
The characters are placeholders for the plot, could be entirely described in two sentences and are not developed further.
The plot is nothing new and that's okay.
But for all that, I enjoyed it. It's sci-fi ginger ale. Cheap, tasty, not particularly healthy, good for airplanes.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Decent enough but…

The entire series just felt a little flat and the protagonist was fairly vanilla and spent the entire trilogy in self doubt, self loathing and recrimination. If the character, and the world/universe, had been better developed then insights into the character may have made him make more sense. Oh well - no regrets just could have been better IMHO.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Solid conclusion, Looong start

The first arbitrary number of chapters of this volume could have provided a more satisfying denouement to volume 2. Instead Volume 2 ended with an almost absurdly intense cliffhanger and Volume 3 starts with an anti-climax that frankly drags.

I very nearly gave up on this book but the fact that I had paid for it, and that I genuinely enjoyed the first installment, caused me to stick with it. And I am glad I did. When it gets going it has the same rollicking fun and well-paced engagement as the first volume.

There is nothing particularly original in this trilogy. It is a fun read of space and intrigue, not a significant literary work of science fiction. It is worth the credit if you want a satisfying conclusion to the story started with the well-done first volume.

The trilogy has left me undecided about the author and am not sure I will lay out credits or cash for additional work. The issue is that there is an unlimited amount of audio books to consume and only one lifetime in which to consume them. Thus every choice is, like it or not, one of spending a commodity worth much more than money, your finite time for leisure or learning. Even so, I think most people who would pause on this title will likely be pleased with the experience. And I am glad to have found Mark Boyett as an outstanding narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed the trilogy

Will be looking at the next one.

I can't post my review if I don't write at least 15 word. There you go.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Thumbs up

I really enjoyed this story , interesting and original, im looking forward to the next leg in the series !!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another success

Can't complain about this one, I enjoyed all aspects of it, including narration. Keep the sci-fi coming.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • A.D
  • 2023-03-10

Excellent end to the series!

Very good continuation and conclusion to the Black Fleet trilogy. The narrator was one of my favourites.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A nice end to the trilogy

Counterstrike picks up right where book 2 left off and continues the story of humanity’s fight against the Phage to its thrilling conclusion.

My biggest critique of this book is the way automation is treated. With unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned space exploration both features of 21st century Earth, I wonder why centuries from now, humanity would have such an aversion to say, having a ship controlled remotely by a far more advanced intelligence. With mass adoption of self-driving cars on the near horizon, I would have liked to see a philosophical discussion on the pros and cons of humanity yielding control to machines or other higher intelligences. As it is, parts of this book stand somewhat at odds with present day realities, with no explanation given as to why.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great little series finale

Normally I’m looking for books narrated by one guy in particular, or with a talking beer can. So I’m so glad I found this series. It took me a while to get into it at the start, but after a slow start to book 1, I found myself wanting 2 and 3 to continue. As this book (3), finishes, I think to myself “huh, wow, that’s it. I enjoyed it.” The ending satisfied me, mostly - I want more, but it’s done. And didn’t leave me hanging or angry. Just satisfied.

It took some turns that were sort of anticipated but not fully. I don’t know how to explain it other than “I’m pretty happy with the story, I think the narrator did a good job, and it’s worth a listen if you enjoy sci-fi and aliens and some fighting and people games.” Good job to all involved, and thanks for the entertainment.

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