SpecOps: Expeditionary Force, Book 2

Fun reading but redundant overall. The AI calling the humans monkeys over and over again did get old quick. The parts were “oh the humans just happened to have a good idea to save the day” scenarios were over played as well.There were some parts that had me howling in laughter which it why I still gave the book 4/5.

Like all the physics and tactics explanations. Also, great chemistry between the AI and the main "monkey." Can tell the next book will be worth the read.

Most sequels are subpar compared to the previous book/movie/play etc. this holds up its end just fine, thank you. Enjoy the ride, Skippy & Joe are waiting.

I'm beginning to really enjoy this series. A very different approach to this type of adventure. Looking forward to #3.

Overall the story was great. Do feel like it follows a similar repetitive plot. There’s an issue, skippy can figure it out, Joe thinks an idea, skippy doesn’t think Joe can think of something he hasn’t, Joe thinks of something genius, they get saved.

If you feel like a combination of reality and sci-fi, this is for you. The author is smart, funny and really blows your mind with the breadth of his imagination. Enjoyed Spec Op so much on road trips and went through it twice, and look forward to the rest of the series. The reader does a great job as well, and knows how to read the punchlines for maximum effect. Can't wait for more!

The titular "Expeditionary Force" is no longer the focus of the series, though the next book promises to return to it. Instead, as was evident in the second half of the first book, this series is about humanity's effort to stay safe from the interstellar war among more advanced species; it is about the quest of the uber-AI Skippy to find something called the Collective; and it is about the relationship between Skippy and Col. Joe and how that plays out in the first two themes. In truth, it often seems that the second book is more about the third than the first two "big" themes, and how the reader reacts to that will largely determine one's relative enjoyment of the book.AT heart it's a buddy story, in which the human is a bit like B.V. Larson's Blake, someone who uses his innate wit to defeat his more capable alien adversaries, and the AI is literally a deus ex machina. There is a great deal of banter between Joe and Skippy, probably too much, but I chose to see Skippy as Pinocchio-like -- terribly anxious to become a "real" person and thus too eager to demonstrate his grasp of the vernacular. Skippy has all the tools: every language, vast data and processing power, and a pretty amazing ability to remotely hack others. What he lacks is, for want of a better word, common sense.The quest puts the crew of the Flying Dutchman into one scrape after another, and the final one is a real doozy. But their survival and the continuation of their journey is never in doubt -- it's series, for goodness sake -- so one simply needs to enjoy the "how" instead of the "whether". This is not a taxing series to read, it is .

Best space opera I have read in years. Funny and original. Great character and plot development. This book and series are NOT boring or predictable.

A must read for sci-fi fans. Great story, well writen, absolutely novel, a rich universe, consistent, believable, entetaining, and funny.

Caught the first book in this series after seeing a recommendation somewhere. Can't remember where, but bought the book two years ago (Dec 2020) and it sat on my to be read pile. Got around to reading it in February this year and I was hooked.While the writing itself is not highfalutin, no pretentious prose for literary nerds, as Skippy would say, the story is awesome.I read the first book and immediately ordered the next two books to read, and then finished them too, and ordered the next four.Seriously hooked.After buying the sequel on the 24th of February I finished reading the whole series by Mar 22. That's 14 books in a month.Humorous, fun, exciting story that was just moreish; because you can't just read one.

Having read the first, I was looking forward to the second and I wasn't disappointed. Joe develops nicely, as does Skippy. BUT, and it's a huge but I won't be reading any more because (spoiler alert) there are only so many times you can read this scene:- Characters in an impossible situation- Joe and his band can't come up with an answer- Skippy declares that he has checked all possible scenarios and either (a) the physics stops success or (b) the probability of success is zero- Joe has a thought triggered by a random event and tries to explain to Skippy- Skippy keeps interrupting Joe's idea- Skippy finally listens- Skippy goes quiet for a long time- Skippy makes snarky remark about monkeys coming up with an idea so stupid it would work, which is why he didn't come up with itOr something like that.Before it gets tedious.

SpecOps is the second novel in the Expeditionary Force series which deals with the aftermath of an alien invasion of Earth and the consequences of some poor decision making by humanity although to be fair it seemed like a good idea at the time.Of course as we know Joe Bishop now a Colonel and commanding a captured alien starship also thought attacking an alien patrol while driving a battered Barney emblazoned ice cream van was a good idea, it certainly shows that the results of such acts are often unexpected.After Skippy the eons old AI of the long gone Elder race closes the wormhole which allowed easy access to Earth and after an eventful stay on Earth the intrepid band of space pirates once again set out on the Flying Dutchman to hold up their end of the bargain with the AI. Once Skippy gets himself a communications device the bargain will be complete but as the search fails to bare fruit more unorthodox ideas have to be considered, then things start to go seriously wrong even by as Skippy would say the standard monkey level of incompetence.SpecOps is a very worthy successor to Columbus Day, the central character of Bishop continues to be a favoured focal point of the story and his interaction with Skippy and his shipmates both humorous and when required tense and suspenseful. The bigger galactic wide picture is being created at a steady pace, a mystery is revealed which I am sure will be expanded upon in later novels. I've no doubt I will be continuing the series on a regular basis, it's entertaining and well written with a good blend of action and character elements.

This is excellent stuff if you are on the author's wavelength: this lies somewhere in the Scalzi/Dalzelle zone and features great imagination, a mix of semi-stock characters, stock Earth politicians, alien science, and, er, witty banter with a tin can. I can see where some other reviewers find the 'Skippy' personality a bit wearing ... but if you can live with that and with the occasional typo ('diffuse' instead of 'defuse', 'pour' instead of 'pore', and 'lay down' - American usage? - instead of 'lie down' - I swear they use dictation software and have no UK editor) then, as with the first volume, you'll enjoy a good read at Championship level. Not quite up there with the all-time Premier greats like David Brin's 'Uplift War', or Asimov, Frank Herbert and that crowd - but it's still top-quality sci-fi escapism, and you get a lot of book for your money too. I really can't criticise it apart from the Americanese and the typos. If you're getting grief from HMRC, get this series. That's my highest praise.