Chains of Command (Frontlines Book 4)

I feel like this book was longer on exposition than the others. I still find the story engaging and the characters likable however. All things considered, I recommend this book in the context of the series. I'm ready for Mars!

Mr Blood tells a great story and understands military life quite well. This is the fourth book of his I have read and I have enjoyed them all.
I wish I had known of the raffle for trooper names. I would like there to be a Doc Morgan Young, Fleet Corpsman attached to the Spacebourne Infantry.

This series tackles the hard issue for a warrior - the need to analyze orders not just follow them. When is an order illegal? What is doing the right thing going to cost? It shows the true cost of battle to a good leader - the blood of those who die dooming what you order them to do. Not only your warriors but also the civilians and your opponents as well. A warrior who is ordered into combat lets loose the dogs of war but he must live with the consequences of the terrible yet exhilarating battle that results.

Marko Kloos continued this great story in the same manner as the first 3 books. The actions and characters held my interest to the extent of wanting to read it until the end of the book. Without giving the whole story away, you must read this book yourself. Now, I am waiting to read Book 5.

For a series that starts out as a twisted together version of Starship Troopers and Godzilla in Judge Dredd's Worldscape, this series has been very fun to read and the forth installment continues the trend. The ending seems slightly truncated hinting at further stories to come, which I for one would happily receive.

Great series. Thank you. Looking forward to next one. Liked the minor political bashing of the typical politician protecting his own sorry ass. I guess if a politician actually did do the right thing, instead of saying anything she needed to say to achieve power, that would be true fiction.

Unlike his previous books, this time the hero isn't nonchalantly dodging bullets and hard decisions as he stumbles from event to event.

Finally the only negative aspect of the first books is eradicated. Sometimes the text does seem a bit long winded but really, that's just because we're so eager to see what happens next.

Another Great Book...

I discovered this series a couple months ago and have blasted through all five available books in it. I can't wait for book six to come out, and I highly recommend the series to anyone who appreciates a good military sci-fi read akin to The Forever War.

While a departure from the usual fantastic stories written, I can honestly say this is my second favorite of the series. I felt that he spent plenty of time building up the story, and was never left feeling like something was rushed. Excellent read and can't wait for the next one. Loved it!

This book continues the series and gives you the reader an excellent reading escape! The storyline continues and you enjoy the new experiences that the characters live thru. It keeps you wondering just what the author is going to do next! Good read!

Action packed continuation of the series. A few things left unanswered. Afew things ignored. Overall a pleasant read. Still not sure if humanity will survive. Some things ignored like the difference in gravity on different sized planets.

Man this guy is awesome. This series is fast-pace no-fat action and I thoroughly enjoy every book. I finished this one and almost got mad because I didn't see anymore, but then I found the release date for the fifth book. Not looking forward to the wait but I'm exited for it. Thanks again Marko for giving this gift of yours to the world

I've absolutely enjoyed the journey of Andrew Greyson from PRC civilian to his current position. This book was very exciting. I enjoyed it as almost as much as "Terms of Enlistment" (first book in the series.) I was happy with the choices Greyson had to make, and was very curious as to how everything was going to play out. I am anxiously awaiting the next book. Type fast Mr Kloos, my money awaits Andrew Greysons next adventure.

Characters well developed, depth of plot and thought do not hinder a fantastic paced and action filled story telling. can't wait for the next one while kind of worried it won't last long...

Only complaint - when it's that good, you want a bit more and the series installments tend towards the bare necessity only

Kloos' Chain of Command series just keeps getting better and better as he matures as a writer. I very much look forward to the next two novels in the series. I also recommend for everyone to purchase the Audible version of this great series so you can listen to the books as you drive or can otherwise not read it. The Audible narrator, Luke Daniels, is superb and i would listen to him again and again.

This series has captured my imagination...characters are well developed even though they are somewhat superficial(completely appropriate for this genre).Action well described, plot has twists and turns along the way to the ultimate showdown: Humanity vs Aliens

Reads as well as previous books in the series.
Could be a bit better balanced for a 5 star ranking. For me about 2/3 of the book is a king of an intro and the goodies get delivered only in the last third. Unlike the previous books which are about fifty fifty.
If you've read the previous volumes, this one is more of the same good stuff.

This is the fourth novel in the front lines series, and probably the last one that I’ll bother buying. The first was a great first novel. The second one was too – a great first novel that is. Pity it was his second in the series. It should have gotten better, but it didn’t. The third suffered, jumped a shark or two, and ended badly. So badly that unlike the first few books, the fourth book starts no where near where the third left off – not unlike W.E.B. Griffin. Also like Griffin, he re-tells the story of the first three books, wasting time and insulting the intelligence and memory of his fans.

Marko writes fluff. Nothing wrong with that, Ringo writes fluff and it is some of the best fluff out there. But this fluff isn’t great, and it isn’t getting any better. If anything, the book reads faster than before, and more juvenile besides. The story line is predictable, and should be penalized for the excessive and overly heavy handed foreshadowing. It’s a little early in the series to “get the band back together” with a special mission with his best loved characters. Again, don’t insult your readers.

So what’s good? The protagonist continued to grow, albeit in a caricature of himself. The good guys win. And the dialog is pretty well written. (Disproportionally well in fact - I suspect that the story is written around the dialog)

These are good stories that just aren’t told as well as they could or should have been. The universe isn’t that bad of a creation and the characters, while continuing to lack depth, are likable. But the over arc is sub par and continues to under perform, and it would be nice to be able to suspend disbelief for more than a few moments at a time. In retrospect, I think this was a fine rough draft. Maybe it’s time to upgrade the editor.

Chains of Command is the fourth book in the FRONTLINES SERIES and a real treat as far as a military science fiction novel goes. Let’s face it, at a point the adjustment from modern technology to future technology has settled in and the author is forced to actually write about characters and combat. Marko Kloos is up to the task.

The earth has been attacked by the Lankies and through an act of incredible heroism was saved. For Grayson the cost was high because he knew the heroes who sacrificed themselves to save the human race. Having an appreciation of that sacrifice makes the cowardly choice of the NORAM Commonwealth elites who fled with a large part of the remaining fleet even more disgusting to Grayson. As a mere NCO, he has very little power to change things and must settle in to his role as a Platoon Sergeant in charge of basic training platoon. It’s not a glorious job, but it’s important and his incredible breadth of combat experience makes him one of the best choices for the job. With his wife Halley still working as a dropship pilot instructor on the moon it is even better because he gets to see her much more often than in years passed.

As a consequence of the almost conquest of the Earth by the Lankies, the remainder of the NORAM Commonwealth and the Sino-Russian alliance have settled into a semi trusting cooperative situation. Instead of fighting each other, they are working to prepare to protect the Earth and are even learning to share technology in a limited fashion. For Grayson this means that he is able to focus on training new recruits to face the real foe and not on fighting other humans.

Just as Grayson is settling comfortably into his new role as trainer he is approached by a highly decorated Special Operations officer who needs his combat background for a special mission. For Grayson this is a very difficult choice because taking up his weapons and rejoining combat operations means losing the ability to see Halley and enjoy the joy that a good relationship means to someone who has risked their life over and over and can appreciate something not to be taken for granted. Will the call of returning to the fight be more than Grayson can resist or will he remain safely ensconced in his back area training billet?

Kloos does a good job of continuing the evolution of the characters that have been a part of the whole series. The emotional conflict of returning to the fight and risking ones life as an almost addiction is well depicted. For me, with a military background, this was very interesting indeed because it is something real, not just a figment of imagination. The story also carries enough quasi-patriotic fervor when describing the hatred and disdain that is prevalent towards the political elite who fled in the face of invasion.

I really enjoyed Chains of Command because Kloos didn’t try to sugar coat some difficult topics. The action sequences were interesting and well written. It’s not difficult to imagine a dropship conducting evasive maneuvers while in combat based on how the author describes things. I really enjoyed this installment of the series, perhaps even better than some of the books that came before.

This series has quickly become one of my favorites, and this book is a wonderfully immersive addition to the series. I had been waiting anxiously for this books release since the end of the previous book, and I was quite concerned that this book would disappoint like other series have through hastily written characters and pointless plot motivations. Chains of Command crushed those worries and became a great book to read.
Some quick bullet points
-The characters are great
-The story is intriguing
-The action was superb

The story continues to get better as it inches closer to the final battle.

Grayson and the platoons continue to fight from different areas in space. They prepare to take back colonies stolen by alien forces. However, the end goal is to save humanity on Earth from being captured and killed. However, the military isn't ready for the fight. They lack critical weaponry that can take down stronger life forms. Thankfully, there are brilliant Intel personnel who discover what happened to earth's battle fleets and where they can be recovered. It's a pretty awesome read to say the least. For the recovery effort, the SEALs are on board, even though they remain in the background.

What I respect and admire about the story is how the main protagonist continues to evolve.

Kloos is cognizant of the realities of war, and how it changes young soldiers into battle scarred men and women. They grow tired and weary as deaths and losses increase.

Once bright eyed and eager, Grayson's eagerness starts to fade, he's losing the excitement for war especially when it's for barren, cruddy land. Yet, he struggles to be still and remains committed to combat. Realities changed his perspective. Grayson realizes the perceived human enemies are not battle worthy when faced with an alien threat. These men and women are fellow humans just trying to survive just as he and his squad members. This personal concession causes a serious internal struggle. For humans to kill other humans is an atrocity in and of itself but when faced with possible extinction by an unknown species, it's emotionally vexing.

Grayson is now a fully educated, mature man on a mission. His journey is thrilling but very real. In a sense, his fictional life mimics the very real existence of combat soldiers in terms of the emotional and physical changes they undergo as a result of war and living in constant motion, no stability yet quiet time is just as painful.

Still rooting for his success! On to book four!

I have enjoyed all of Marko Kloos' books thus far. I like the continued character development and the direction the story is taking. The action sequences are well written and create a picture that the reader can visualize. This is a good military saga that blends the right level of space faring science and alien fiction. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Kloss has such a command of his work. Great articulation of his subject. This will hold your attention all the way through. The main characters just keep on growing into these fantastic hero,s. It will be a letdown when this series wraps up.

Breakneck pace for most of the book. My only complaint is foul language throughout. Sure, it's the normal way to portray military language, but maybe in the future folks will realize how inefficient it is and then abandon it.

I have enjoyed the three previous books in the Frontlines and enjoyed number 4 also. Good space opera, especially when available at a discount occasionally. Seems well enough edited without glaring mistakes.

Kloos produces my favorite science fiction series and this installment is another winner. Great characters, great "science" and a story line strong enough to reach a galaxy far, far away! Keep 'em coming Marko!

What an amazing book!
Kloos' world he created is so darn vivid, the characters so life like, the plight so human. He could write dozens more for the Frontline series and I would greatly anticipate each and every one.

Compelling characters keep you involved and the fog of battle keep you on the edge of your seat. More than a science fiction story Kloos wrote a morality tale that forces you to look at right and wrong, loyalty and making hard choices.

Marko Kloos is one of my favorite authors and this is only the fourth book of his I have read. I have thoroughly enjoyed the read and hope that he continues to not only write in this series but explores other universes as well.

Great writing. Great dialogue. Interesting believable characters with human grit and flavor. All with a can't-put-it-down story line and military action that is very well done. This guy is one of my favorite military sci-fi writers, and I've read quite a few.

I have recently read several military sci-fi series in part or whole and this is one of my favourites. The writing is good and the action kept me turning the pages. I now have to wait until Feb 2017 for the next one.......

Marko Kloos has shown a great track record in continuing the story without getting repetitive or going for the political Avenue were the heroes becomes some type of leader and the whole book is cloke and daggers in the parliament. (we have enough of that on TV, don't we?) the here is still a grunt, but with some more friese in the sleeves. The story was great and I had a hard time getting enough hours to sleep.

Always enjoyed reading this series and the latest entrant doesn't fail to deliver. Character development is coming along nicely and the plot is well executed. Good work Marko- great series, you should be proud.

Hello, let me tell you, some books capture your attention with the first chapter. This series caught me hook, line and, sinker. I love it when the author has some knowledge of what he/she is writing about. Very enjoyable and, I can't wait for book five "Fields of Fire".

Still building up steam. This seems to be a "fill in" full novel but still has the same good story to keep you interested in the full series worth reading to see what's going before the big counter offensive.

This entire series is exceptional for military sci-fi fans. Mr Kloos knows how to build page turning adventures. Well crafted and sympathetic characters...anxiously anticipating the next installment.