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Mission Zero (Fourth Fleet Irregulars Book 1) Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 514 ratings

Skipper Alex von Strada is one of the Fleet’s highest achieving officers, commanding the corvette Minnow with a company of eccentric officers and last-chance crew sent to him for rehab. The updated 2nd Edition includes the free first chapter of Fourth Fleet Irregulars Book 2: Karadon.

After a PR disaster has activists and media storming the Admiralty gates, First Lord Dix Harangay sends Minnow out on a makework patrol. Inspector Mako Ireson goes with them to investigate what’s really going on. Mako has never been on a starship before. He can’t tell port from starboard, doesn’t know what the 0-G sign means at freefall hatchways, and may need to change his underwear after the launch.

Nobody is expecting that the “mission zero” they've been sent on will turn into a real operation. When it does, the Minnow’s crew has to rise to the challenge and justify their skipper’s faith in them.

This is the first mission of the legendary Fourth Fleet Irregulars, the unit you send for when you need a miracle.

For Mako Ireson, it will be the adventure of a lifetime.

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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005EC3MPY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 2nd edition (July 23, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 23, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 848 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 514 ratings

About the author

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S J MacDonald
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S J MacDonald lives in Wales in a tiny house full of books, animals, rocks and fossils. She is a teacher who loves writing and adventure travel, exploring in reality and in imagination.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
514 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and interesting. They praise the writing as well-crafted and believable. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making the book an engaging read. Readers describe the universe as intriguing and different from others. However, opinions differ on the story quality and pace - some find it entertaining and fun, while others consider it slow or jarring.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

51 customers mention "Readability"49 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the story and find it interesting. They like the well-developed characters and the author's storytelling style. The plot is intriguing with a compelling premise. Overall, readers are satisfied with the book's readability and look forward to future adventures.

"...Overall I thought this was a good introduction, it 'showed' me the characters without revealing too much about them and did so in a way that built..." Read more

"...Still afterwards, the victory won did wash it out. It leaves with a promise of great adventures (as long as they stay out of the skipper's backstory)." Read more

"...Seriously! The result is a story of space adventure where everyone is terribly nice and concerned about whether everyone else is feeling loved and..." Read more

"I agree with one of the other reviewers, "I thought this was a good story but spent too much time on background information...." Read more

35 customers mention "Language"29 positive6 negative

Customers find the writing well-crafted and descriptive. They appreciate the author's skill in using proper diction and wording. The characters are well-developed and the story is woven together logically. Overall, readers find the writing creative and effective at explaining the universe.

"...This is okay for me though because it did a really good job of explaining their universe...." Read more

"...So initially I'd call it yes, a somber, serious approach to Phule's Company/McHale's Navy and the rest of the misfits-in-the-military theme, with a..." Read more

"...Well written and very descriptive." The author needed to push the plot line a bit faster and give us less back story...." Read more

"...the science in space opera-type books and so I thought the world-building was great...." Read more

25 customers mention "Character development"19 positive6 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed and consistent characters. They quickly bond with them and their mission, making it a fun character-driven read.

"...'s exposition on an interesting universe and the character's enthusiasm for the subject is catching...." Read more

"...It's very character driven (which is what i enjoy about it) and often low-key...." Read more

"...It is so well-written that you quickly bond with the characters and their mission, which if I mention would be a bit of a spoiler, with a..." Read more

"...of them being main, secondary, or tertiary, have absolutely zero character development; no evolution within roles or otherwise...." Read more

3 customers mention "Dimensionality"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's dimensionality. They find the space exploration engaging from a different perspective and an introduction to space through the eyes of a civilian.

"...The writing is flowing, the characters grow to be be three dimensional and likable and life on an exploration ship is presented in loving..." Read more

"Not your usual blood and guts space yarn. Space from a different perspective...." Read more

"A slow burner, an introduction into Space through the eyes of a civilian..." Read more

3 customers mention "Interest"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's universe and find it different from other space operas. They say it's a fun character-driven read.

"...It's heavy on exposition, but it's exposition on an interesting universe and the character's enthusiasm for the subject is catching...." Read more

"...But MacDonald has created an interesting universe, quite different from most of the self published sci-fi I read...." Read more

"This is the kind of space opera I enjoy...a fun character driven read! I don't want or need battle scene after battle scene...." Read more

32 customers mention "Story quality"12 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed reviews about the story. Some find it entertaining and fun, recommending it to sci-fi fans. However, others feel the plot drags and lacks major action, with no epic conclusion.

"...this in a lot of ways was more the first half of a story, with no epic conclusion...." Read more

"...All in all, I think this book is a lovely little break from the sort of grim, dark, and harsh fiction that seems to be the thing these days -- and..." Read more

"...While disappointed with the tease, I can see the foundation for future books laid out...." Read more

"...reviewers, "I thought this was a good story but spent too much time on background information. Well written and very descriptive."..." Read more

13 customers mention "Pace"8 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pace. Some find it engaging and a quick read, while others describe it as slow-paced and strange.

"...The writing is flowing, the characters grow to be be three dimensional and likable and life on an exploration ship is presented in loving..." Read more

"...the book is slow. There is NO major action with in it...." Read more

"...The writing is excellent and so believable you could see how it could be like how its described...." Read more

"...I really enjoyed the pacing...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2015
    This is NOT a fun tale. This is not an action packed tale. What this is is the literal setting of the scene of a Captain and his crew of irregular but highly talented individuals. A lot of people have issues with this book for a couple of reasons that I'll describe immediately.

    A) the book is slow. There is NO major action with in it. It instead reads as a series of examples of spacer culture/life in this universe through stories told to the main character while he is experiencing his first trip into outer space. This is okay for me though because it did a really good job of explaining their universe. A lot of books don't even cover a tenth of what this does in terms of normal-ship going policies. Simple things like explaining gravity on ships often get short thrift. This one goes full bore, as long as you accept that full-bore also includes really NON-scientific reasonings sometimes. This is not a scientifically accurate book, but it attempts to persuade the reader (through the eyes of an equally ignorant point of view) that this universe is "real"

    B) Apparently it annoys military servicemen who want a book that's pure milspec. That's unfair to this book because it's NOT about military culture, it's about the rejects and individuals who often flunk out of the military due to an inflexible approach to what constitutes a good sailer/soldier/member. This is important to understand because for many reasons the military functions like it does because an individual approach to every crewman is not a feasible reality. However this book isn't commenting on whether or not that is good or bad, indeed it specifically goes out of it's way to NOT comment upon usual military experiences. That said, accept that the circumstances within this book are hard for a lot of those people to accept due to their own past. This is not a non-military book. It's also not a military book. It's somewhere inbetween, similar to Battlestar Galactica's extremely informal approach to command.

    C) The story is unbelievable. - This is the one I find ridiculous. The idea that over-reactiveness 'DOESN'T' occur in media and news today is abbbbsurd.

    D) Anticlimactic - This is true, this in a lot of ways was more the first half of a story, with no epic conclusion. There IS a conclusion, but it's not handled in a way to really make everyone feel it. Perhaps the weakest point of the book is literally the last 5 pages, despite the fact that it still made me want to read more.

    Overall I thought this was a good introduction, it 'showed' me the characters without revealing too much about them and did so in a way that built up the story and launched us into a universe I want more of.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2012
    At least for three quarters of the book, I felt was reading a more serious approach to what Asprin's crew of misfits who the CO makes a top notch team. I found the approach of looking at events through other than the heroes eyes interesting. It kept pulling me in to want to meet the crew and find out more about what was already sounding like a legendary skipper.

    Switching the POV to a civilian traveling with the crew let the reader get to know not only the crew, but the military culture of this setting as well as the larger issues. In fact, I thought at one point we'd get to see some of those larger issues, but it was not to be. While disappointed with the tease, I can see the foundation for future books laid out. It did seem to make the 'big victory' the crew had at the climax seem so ordinary, when it really was not. And it sets them up to go out anywhere and encounter some of those bigger issues. Which I hope the author will pursue.

    My one dislike, and I don't consider it the same as the disappointment, was how dark the book went too suddenly when it ventured into the skipper's background. I'm glad that despite the background, the author didn't waste time with any wallowing and hatred, and it was all there ready to visit, and justifiably so. It was quite the tragedy. I still felt it was out of place and changed the mood of the story too abruptly. It felt out of place in comparison to the rest of the book.

    So initially I'd call it yes, a somber, serious approach to Phule's Company/McHale's Navy and the rest of the misfits-in-the-military theme, with a great setting, such as the approach to FTL tech or the subject of aliens that felt fresh and it would have been nice to meet them, but the abrupt mood shift did leave a somewhat sour taste in the mouth. Still afterwards, the victory won did wash it out. It leaves with a promise of great adventures (as long as they stay out of the skipper's backstory).
    8 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014
    If you're the sort of person who likes to complain about Kids These Days and are looking for the sort of space navy story where they don't have to clear out the tea and cookies out of the time-out room so that it can serve as a brig, this is probably not the book for you. For everyone else, it probably is.

    It's a bit of a classic "brilliant commander and crew of misfits" thing, where the crew of misfits are all on "baby steps" rehabilitation schemes to resolve their bad habits (of, e.g. sarcastically referring to their commanding officers as "supreme overlord") while restoring their confidence and self-esteem. Seriously! The result is a story of space adventure where everyone is terribly nice and concerned about whether everyone else is feeling loved and has had a cup of tea recently enough -- and can also swing into action to rescue imperiled civilian ships and capture drug-smuggling villains with clockwork efficiency. The combination, somehow, manages to work -- and to a degree I can even believe that an innovative commander in a spacefaring society of the future would manage his people in that way. Or at least it's no less believable than handwavium faster-than-light travel.

    The book mostly follows the perspective of a civilian who is new to space travel -- something of a stand-in for the reader, so that the various crew can explain to him/them about spacer culture, how the captain operates, the important economic and technical issues of spaceflight, et cetera. It's heavy on exposition, but it's exposition on an interesting universe and the character's enthusiasm for the subject is catching.

    All in all, I think this book is a lovely little break from the sort of grim, dark, and harsh fiction that seems to be the thing these days -- and not that I don't like that also, but the contrast is refreshing.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Sci-Fi!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2018
    This is great sci fi. It's a well thought through, well designed world where the characters and story feel like they just belong there. It's also nice and light, with none of those dreadful dark overtones you find in so much military sci fi these days.

    This is easy to read and pleasant, exploring a rich universe in a nice pace. It's the perfect book to pick up when you're feeling blue, showing a world where people take care of each other and the villains are bureaucratic rather than monstrous, but no less interesting for that.

    The tone is far more utopian Star Trek than grim Galactica, and that's terrific. I wish there were more books like this one around, already bought the next one.
  • Allesleser
    1.0 out of 5 stars Zuviel Krampf und kein Konzept
    Reviewed in Germany on March 22, 2014
    weder die Storyline noch der Stil acht richtig Spass. In den Bewertungen wurde MacDonald als in einer Reihe stehend mit dem Unterhaltskünstler Asprin bezeichnet. Das kann man auch so sehen, Aber MaCDonald steht am hinteren Ende der Reihe und Asprin weit vorne. das Buch ist nicht zu empfehlen. Sorry, es gibt bessere SiFi Bcher, die einen humoristischen Ansatz haben.
  • bojangles
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
    Reviewed in Australia on April 5, 2016
    Took me a while to get into it, had 3 or 4 goes at it. Story is good but I found it a bit hard to read, to close together. Have more paragraphs please, a bit of space on the pages 😉
  • G
    4.0 out of 5 stars Treat it as something you need to read before you get to the rest of the series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 7, 2016
    I was torn between giving this a 3 or 4 star review. It probably deserves a 3 but I would not want to put people off reading it because the next few books in the series certainly rate 4 stars and this is the set up book for those. So, although nothing much happens story-wise in this, stick with it and pick up the next few books in the series for more entertaining works. On the plus side, I found the book well written (well above the average standard for such sci-fi) with engaging characters. Some of the 'science' might have need of a fair amount of suspension of disbelief to get by (and the whole concept of what the Fourth Fleet Irregulars get away with is likely to make any military folks cry - or laugh uncontrollably !) but the 'fiction' bit is solid. Recommended.
  • Kuro_Neko
    3.0 out of 5 stars An ok read
    Reviewed in Canada on May 1, 2014
    This is book one of the Fourth Fleet Irregulars, but it really should have been released later as a prequel. It's very heavy on the world building and extremely light on the action and adventure. If you're new to the space opera genre then this would make an excellent primer to introduce you to it. Otherwise I would have to recommend skipping to the next book in the series, Karadon, and only coming back to this one if you're interested in reading the characters' start. What saves this from being a lackluster read is the author obviously had alot of fun writing this, and that fun shines off the pages. Despite my recommendations above, I didn't have any trouble finishing it and even enjoyed it.

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