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Narrated by:
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Ryan Kennard Burke
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By:
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Michael Simon
About this listen
An alien attack leaves them adrift in space.
Survive, rebuild, and rejoin the war.
Fresh out of the Academy, Ensign Cole Jackson’s first posting to Freedom couldn’t have come at a worse time. All over the Alliance, planets and colonies are suddenly under attack by the vicious Coven Empire.
Freedom and her sister ship, Hood, are ambushed by alien warships, leaving Hood drifting dead in the void.
Cole is ordered to salvage parts from the powerless Hood, but when he arrives on the unpowered hulk, Freedom is called away, marooning him and a group of malcontent techs in deep space.
With the timer on survival ticking down, Cole must find the confidence to take control, whip his tiny crew into shape, bring Hood back to life–repairing communications, propulsion and even weapons.
He's got one chance to transform the derelict ship into a combat-ready vessel. One he can take into battle and alter the course of the war.
Don't miss the start of this science fiction thrill ride about a crew of young soldiers mustering the courage to fight back against both a vicious alien enemy, and the terrifying void of being stranded in space. It's perfect for fans of Daniel Gibbs, J.N. Chaney, and Vaughn Heppner!
©2025 Aethon Books (P)2025 Aethon AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
After a cataclysmic interstellar war that came very close to exterminating humanity, the Daybreak Republic has risen from the ashes and embarked upon a mission to unite hundreds of human colony worlds under its banner, in hopes of preventing a second and final conflict that will complete the destruction of the human race. But not everyone agrees that the empire's ends justify the means.
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Great first entry for a sci-fi series.
- By Melissa Lawson on 03-18-25
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The Weapon, Books 1-3
- A Military Sci-Fi Series
- By: Richard Fox
- Narrated by: Garrett Michael Brown
- Length: 25 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The Revenant Program collects badly wounded soldiers broken by war and converts them into unthinking, unfeeling cyborg weapons. Their bodies are immune to pain, their minds impervious to fear and doubt. All controlled by a neural implant called the Imperative. They are the ideal force for any mission too deadly or too difficult for normal men. A force that answers to the darkest corners of the military. But when one of the Revenants awakens, he can only remember two things: that he must fight, and a code name…Dead Man.
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Interesting premise
- By Danny Moody on 02-28-25
By: Richard Fox
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Beta-Testing the Apocalypse
- A LitRPG Adventure
- By: JG Spaulding
- Narrated by: Ryan H. Reid
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Dex is just your average, everyday I.T. Professional. Eyes tired from working late, the strange glowing gem floating in the middle of his apartment didn’t exactly grab his attention. Until it opens into a portal and starts counting down to his death. In a life-or-death situation, an autistic quality assurance engineer probably isn’t your first choice for a hero. But he has a certain set of skills that catches the attention of the Daemon System as it implements a secret beta-test on Earth.
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Unnecessary pronoun crap.
- By Silenced Siren on 04-14-25
By: JG Spaulding
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Blood and Steel
- Tranquility, Book 1
- By: Josh Hayes, Devon C. Ford
- Narrated by: Scott Aiello
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Joel Lander wants nothing more than a fresh start, far from Earth and wars that have left humanity’s birthplace in shambles. Leaving on the second mission to the distant world of Tranquility, Lander and his family plan to build a brand-new life for themselves. Boasted to be everything Earth wasn’t - clean, unsullied, safe - Lander learns upon arrival that Tranquility is anything but. New Independence has gone dark, and it soon becomes clear that he will have to fight a terrifying enemy to save their new home.
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Great start to a new series!
- By LisaKiernan on 06-13-21
By: Josh Hayes, and others
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The Final Stand
- Nexus House, Book 1
- By: Rick Campbell
- Narrated by: Greg Tremblay
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 31st century, humanity stands on the precipice of extinction. The human colonies throughout the galaxy have been decimated by the relentless assault of the Korilian Empire, leaving Earth as the final refuge. Humankind's last hope rests on the tactical prowess of Admiral Jon McCarthy and the foresight of the Nexus House, an ancient conclave of clairvoyants who have long guided humanity's path.
By: Rick Campbell
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Bearing Gifts
- The Stardock Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Sean Fenian
- Narrated by: Michael Karl Orenstein
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When the over-driven hyperdrive on their mobile shipyard burned out, the Chhrt'ktk't abandoned it in an inhabited system along their path, hoping it would work as a decoy to buy them more time to escape the Khreetan fleet pursuing them. They didn't anticipate how far the pre-spacefaring species they turned over their broken-down maintenance facility to would subvert their plan.
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Childish
- By Nick Chalko on 10-19-24
By: Sean Fenian
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Aternien Wars
- The Complete First Series
- By: G J Ogden
- Narrated by: Seth Garcia
- Length: 43 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Once, Master Commander Carter Rose was the Union’s secret weapon. An augmented, bio-engineered officer in command of the most powerful warship ever devised by human minds, Rose brought them victory against the post-human Aternien Empire. Then they cast him aside. A century later, humanity’s enemy has returned, hell-bent on revenge, and the Union's only hope is the man they had forsaken.
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Great book if it weren’t for the reader!!!
- By Robert on 05-08-25
By: G J Ogden
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Deathwind
- War of the Harbingers
- By: Brad Pawlowski
- Narrated by: Jake Bordeaux, Bridget Bordeaux
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Freed from his captors by the Meraki Dominya, Nathan learns his sister was also taken and strikes a deal to rescue her. Joining their ranks, he meets Arista, a lethal alien commando trained to kill first and not ask questions later. Working together, he discovers that beneath her tough exterior, there is also a kindred spirit. But as the risks around them escalate, he must determine whether she is truly friend or foe.
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It's enjoyable but not really riveting
- By Joseph Knott on 04-22-25
By: Brad Pawlowski
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Tall Order
- Shadow Host, Book 1
- By: K. Gorman
- Narrated by: Erin Bateman
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Reuben Shirano is the worst kind of criminal: smart, ruthless, and with no lines he won't cross. He runs a tight, sophisticated operation backed by the powerful Tsai-Shirano conglomerate, proving time and time again to be untouchable by the system’s governing bodies. In other words, he’s precisely the type of person Captain Soo-jin Dokgo tries to avoid. But sometimes, you only get one little chance to bring an asshole to justice. She and the crew of Huli Jing are determined to bring him down and kick him where it hurts.
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A rollicking great ride of a science fiction story
- By Susan Ratner on 05-13-25
By: K. Gorman
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First Command Box Set: Spacers, Books 1-6
- By: Scott Bartlett
- Narrated by: Mark Boyett
- Length: 43 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Out of the blue, a young Space Fleet officer's dream becomes reality: He's made captain of a starship. Just in time for the return of humanity's most terrible enemy, after 50 years of peace. To survive against this enemy, Captain Tad Thatcher will have to do more than learn how to become an effective commander, or how to wrangle his wayward crew. He will need to reinvent space combat. From scratch.
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One of my favorite series!
- By Julia Monzon on 08-10-22
By: Scott Bartlett
Purchased 2 & 3 just before 1 ended.
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If you like Honor Harrington series read this
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very well done characters
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Nicely Executed Story
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Listener received this title free
All in all you’re getting what you hope for with a blend of character building and space fighting tactics. I had a lot of fun picturing it and enjoyed the lifelike dialogue.
Thanks for the read! I’m looking forward to book 2!
Admirable First Comand
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Listener received this title free
Michael Simon’s military sci-fi debut gives us Ensign Cole Jackson—an inexperienced but well-meaning Academy grad who gets tossed into the deep end when his small savage crew gets stranded on a drifting, disabled ship. With only a skeleton crew, Cole has to lead a desperate effort to restore the derelict vessel and rejoin the fight against the aggressive Coven Empire. As a setup, it’s solid. As a plot, it’s fast-paced, cliche-heavy, and just improbable enough to give you whiplash if you think too hard about the logistics—it works. Mostly.
There’s plenty of action, tight pacing, and a well-balanced rotation of POVs that keep the story dynamic. Sure, you’ll have to suspend disbelief for things like starship bridges with exploding control panels (seriously, who’s still designing these death traps?), and a miraculous repair montage that takes a shattered hulk of a ship and turns it combat-ready in just a few days. And yes, enemies keep magically showing up in the same sector over and over, but if you can look past that, there’s something compelling about this underdog story.
It has heart. I got to like the original salvage crew and not to go into too many spoilers, but I felt bad when bad things happened to them (even when it felt a bit too conveniently plotted). Cole’s character arc is satisfying; he’s inexperienced enough to think outside the box and human enough to feel the weight of every choice. He’s the protagonist you want to see succeed, if only because he hasn’t been ground down by military bureaucracy.
Unexpectedly, Simon also does a nice job fleshing out the alien enemies, giving them depth and culture rather than leaving them as faceless villains. It’s not groundbreaking, but it adds a welcome layer of complexity to the conflict.
As for the audiobook, Ryan Kennard Burke delivers a clean, professional performance. His character voices are distinct, his pacing is on point, and his tone matches the narrative. It’s not a performance that will stick with you long after it’s over, but it does the job without distraction. Think of it as steady hands on the helm—not flashy, but precisely what the mission needs.
In short, First Command is a fun, fast listen with some emotional punches and a decent payoff. It’s not perfect, and if you are a stickler for logic and hard sci-fi, you may not like it. But if you like military sci-fi with underdog heroes, some tactical action, and just enough character depth to pull at your heartstrings, this might be worth queuing up next.
Special thanks to Aethon Books for providing this book at my request.
Military Sci-Fi, Exploding Consoles, and a Rookie
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Listener received this title free
interesting start
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really enjoyable read with good charedters
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Great premise!
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Listener received this title free
This is a wonderful listen (or read if you prefer ebooks to audiobooks)! I can’t recommend it highly enough.
This fantastic audiobook follows the story of Ensign Cole Jackson and his friend and fellow Ensign Sergei, beginning with Cole’s first day of his posting to the starship Freedom. Cole dreams of a future in starship command, while Sergei’s heart lies in the complexities of engineering. However, Cole’s and Sergei’s expectations for the starship’s cruise are thrown asunder when Freedom is attacked and severely damaged by the Coven, a species who seek to invade and crush all “lesser species”. Only Cole’s unorthodox and unsanctioned efforts, with Sergei’s assistance, prevent the complete destruction of Freedom. However, Freedom’s sister ship, Hood, suffers even worse damage and the loss of all hands in the Coven attack. Cole is put in charge of a salvage operation to the hulk of Hood in search of components needed for repairs to Freedom, accompanied by Sergei and a small band of relatively unskilled individuals. What follows is a truly thrilling and immersive story of Cole and his team going above and beyond in pursuit of not only their own survival but the survival of humanity. I won’t give any more details away because I don’t want to deprive listeners of the fantastic experience of hearing it for themselves.
The characters of Cole, Sergei, and their fellows are engaging, sympathetic, and very relatable. The storyline flows beautifully, is highly compelling and creative, and grabbed my attention from the very beginning through the end of the tale.
The narrator is excellent and really speaks the characters into life.
I was not familiar with Michael Simon as an author before listening to this audiobook but I am now eagerly awaiting listening to the next audiobook in the series (“Second Chances”) which is now available and which I have already purchased! I am also looking forward to future works by Mr. Simon.
Get this audiobook (or book) - you definitely will enjoy the experience!
Review by Sue Ratner
This is a fantastic, engrossing audiobook - I loved it and can’t wait for the next audiobook in the series!
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