Blood of Heroes (Richard Fox)

I began the Blood of Heroes, book 3 in the Ember War Saga with high hopes. Book 1, the Ember War reinvigorated my enthusiasm for military science fiction. Book 2, The Ruins of Antalas hooked me on the rest of the series. (I have not completed a written review on these two books but plan to soon.)

I wondered if Blood of Heroes could be as good?

Why would I stress about something so seemingly trivial? Because I really enjoy a good story. I don’t have time for junk. I value my recreational time so much as anyone and books take time to read and/or listen to.

For someone as jealous of my time as anyone, I had questions.

Would Richard Fox let me down as so many authors have in the past? Third books are hard to write. It takes talent to drive a story onward after the excitement of first contact. With two incredible books done, statistically it was time for disappointment.

Time to get excited. What was the Blood of Heroes about? I expected to see more of my favorite charcters: Elias, Lt. Hale and his Marines, and Stacy Ibarra.
I loved the chapters with the Armored soldiers (Elias and company). Blood of Heroes not only had more of Elias, but Brazilian Armor as well. Awesome. As for what Elias does...mind blown. This guy knows how to make an enemy.

Without spoiling to much, I can say that some of the “Blood of Heroes” belongs to Lt. Hale. Book 2 ws when I really became addicted to the story of the Hale family. Book 3 has a bit less on this, but does not disappoint.
All of this happens because Captain Isaac Valdar takes his ship and crew to rescue the Dotok on Takeni. (The Dotok are also threatened with extinction by the Xaros.) Everything that can go wrong does go wrong and some of the solutions are well imagined.

I consumed this book mostly in audio book format, though I also bought the Kindle version. (I should probably double check my spelling with the books.)
I had high hopes and high standards going into Blood of Heroes.

​Richard Fox remains one of my go-to military SF authors. I do, in fact, recommend this book to anyone who 1) likes to read, 2) has a fascination with strong characters, and 3) wants to read a series.