The Forever Ship

Starship Omega, Book 1

By: Scott Bartlett, Joshua James

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Only Omega can free humanity.

When the Ornu came, they took Earth in a single night. Humanity never stood a chance. Now, they force us to crew their ships and fight their wars for them. They hold Earth hostage, and if we refuse to do their bidding, they’ll lay waste to our precious blue marble. Slaughtering the billions who live there.

But when Captain Bill Henderson is sent to claim a small moon for his masters, he finds something they never accounted for. An ancient warship – a behemoth abandoned for millennia by a species that reached its peak at the dawn of the universe.

Could this ship of ages be exactly what humanity needs to cast off the shackles of their oppressors? Find out in Book 1 of Starship Omega, an engrossing new military sci fi saga from bestselling authors Scott Bartlett and Joshua James.

©2024 Scott Bartlett, Joshua James (P)2024 Scott Bartlett, Joshua James

stopped listening

I made it to the part where the captain made a deal with the bad guys. I had to stop. Sorry, can't finish with this guy caving like that.

Another home run!

Do you like military sci-fi? Do you like Scott Bartlett? Scott and Josh batted this one out of the park. With the addition of Mark Boyett, these guys are the dream team for military sci-fi. Fast paced, entrenching, can’t wait for the next installment.

This is a gripping, exciting, high octane book!

I am a long-time fan of Scott Bartlett's and I have read most of the books he's written. I am relatively new to Joshua James, but I have now read a few of his books as well. These two together? Just think about Reese's cups. Peanut butter and chocolate may be good on their own, but when you put them together? Divine.

I was an early backer of the Kickstarter, so I had read about 20 chapters of the Forever Ship already, but wow, wow, wow, did this thing just pop. Bartlett and James together are much better than the sum of their parts.

I really liked the POV perspective changing for each chapter. It's easy to start hating the Ornu early on, There are many sub-plots with the complex and realistic characters, and the short POV chapters really keep the story moving. The Ornu are large, 4-armed snake-like sentient creatures that have enslaved humanity and several other races. They lead a stellar empire and humans are now a vassal race. Complete with embedded kill switches in their chests. They serve the Ornu. Let's call it what it is: All of humanity is now slaves to these greedy, narcissistic, and violently domineering overlords. And we humans aren't worth snap to them. They've sucked humanity dry for everything they considered useful, and keep us entertained with virtual reality and entertainment to serve them. Most of humanity has lost all hope, and in their despair have accepted the situation. But everyone knows that desperate times call for desperate actions. In this case, stumbling on ancient tech and an ancient immense battleship? That's alive? You can't get better than this.

It all starts quietly, with an odd signal in Primeval. Captain Bill Henderson, who the Ornu has re-educated since his grandfather and father went rogue on the Ornu, and XO Bina Chakravarti discover the signal, stave off the Ornu killing them, and then have the audacity to capture a dreadnaut! Captain Henderson is Captain of the Mark XI Patrol Ship Tennyson, and in that instant, his life changes, even though he doesn't know it yet, and it will never be the same.

And the action only goes up from there!

They say that history repeats itself, and in the case of Captain Bill and Bina, Al Stone the Marine Captain and his detachment, and those who are tired of being vassals for overbearing and oppressive alien snakes, who as far as I can tell have NO advantage but technology and firepower... I couldn't stop turning the pages.

This collaboration between Bartlett and James has wonderful worldbuilding and characters, fabulous story arcs, and edge-of-your-seat action. I stayed up listening way too late more than once. The chapters are pretty short, so it's easy to keep reading to see what will happen next. And you're going to want to.

Narrator Mark Boyett, who has narrated all of Scott's books, is perfect for this volume. His tone, his mannerisms, and his characterizations of different people, races, and situations bring the story to life. His nuances and subtle shifts convey so much beyond the words alone, and it is clear that he has a crystal clear grasp of the people and situations at play.

I can't wait for the following books in the series to come out. This is a 100% must-read / must-listen.

Superb story telling

I was captured right away, Mark Boyette brings the story to life. Being able to envision the different characters perspectives really adds a lot of depth to the story. I was eagerly awaiting the audio release and it didn’t disappoint

yet another great book

as we come expect this is a great start to a new series of books from Scott, add Joshua to the authors and it gets even better.

The Primevals

The Primevals left a lot of their advanced tech around the galaxy after they left. The Ornu, who are masters of many races including humans capture and use this tech to make themselves stronger and increase their hold over their many vassal species. However, Capt Bill Henderson and his crew of the Ornu ship Tennyson discover the Primeval Warship Omega! With Omega’s help Bill, Bena Chakravarti, his XO and Al Stone and his Marine detachment decide to go rogue and defy the Ornu! This is a really exciting start to this series with rich characters, and exciting story arc and fast action!! I can’t wait for more, Scott and Joshua have created a marvelous universe in which to spin this tale. Get this book, you’ll be glad you did

Enjoying the listen!

So right up-front, I'm still listening to this one. I'm enjoying the story thus far. The story thus far is Quality Sci-Fi and a great narrator. I like how the story is told through the eyes of multiple characters. The narrator uses a number of accents, voice pitches, and vocal stylings to represent different characters.

I'll update with a more comprehensive review when I've finished the listen.

Bartlett and James deliver!

Bartlett and James have become two of my favorite contemporary authors. Seeing them work together is a real treat, and they definitely did not disappoint. I enjoyed the heck out of this book, and can't wait to read what comes next.

too much self pity

everyone wears death triggers. Yet they are front line troops. Does not take a genius for the enemy to have developed a trigger of their own.
Not well thought out.
Janesaries the slave warriors were used in world history. However, they did not count on these as main troops.

Scott and Joshua Shine!

I've read everything that Scott had written and some of Joshua James. I'm never disappointed and this is a great start to a new series. Although I have the book I was really excited for the audio version. Buckle up and get ready for the ride!