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Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1 Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Craig Alanson (Author), R.C. Bray (Narrator), Podium Audio (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 11,044 ratings
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Nominee, Audie Awards - Audiobook of the Year, 2018

We were fighting on the wrong side of a war we couldn't win. And that was the good news.

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon come ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There go the good old days, when humans only got killed by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits.

When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved. The UN Expeditionary Force hitched a ride on Kristang ships to fight the Ruhar, wherever our new allies thought we could be useful. So, I went from fighting with the US Army in Nigeria, to fighting in space. It was lies, all of it. We shouldn't even be fighting the Ruhar, they aren't our enemy. Our allies are.

I'd better start at the beginning.

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  1. Book 1 of 17
    Expeditionary Force
  2. Listening Length
    16 hours and 23 minutes
  3. Author
    Craig Alanson
  4. Narrator
    R.C. Bray
  5. Audible release date
    December 13, 2016
  6. Language
    English
  7. Publisher
    Podium Audio
  8. ASIN
    B01MQR08XA
  9. Version
    Unabridged
  10. Program Type
    Audiobook
  11. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 16 hours and 23 minutes
Author Craig Alanson
Narrator R.C. Bray
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 13, 2016
Publisher Podium Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01MQR08XA
Best Sellers Rank #4,040 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#153 in Adventure Science Fiction
#332 in Science Fiction Adventures
#801 in Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
11,044 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and easy to read. They describe the storyline as engaging and mature. The humor is described as funny and comical. Readers praise the fantastic characters and military mindset of the characters. They appreciate the creative science concepts and premise. Overall, customers feel the book has an intelligent and well-crafted narrative.

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ReadabilityStorylineHumorCharacter developmentConceptIntelligenceWriting qualityPacing
708 customers mention "Readability"686 positive22 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find the story interesting and well-paced. The author has a good storytelling ability, making the book relatable. Overall, readers consider it an easy, enjoyable read.

"...plus some of the spinoffs and every single one of them has been worth the read...." Read more

"...fight for the supposed "good guy" alien army in space is well developed and interesting. I felt the action scenes were pretty well written...." Read more

"...It doesn't bog you with to much nerdy scifi tech talk. The story is a great easy read right from the start with Joe being a really relatable, easy..." Read more

"...The story is good enough that I'll put up with that stuff just to find out what happens to our merry band of space pirates next...." Read more

501 customers mention "Storyline"437 positive64 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline. They find it entertaining with relatable characters. The content is mature, with action and tears. The relatable characters make for a great start to the story. There's a good amount of science fiction that sounds like real science, making it more believable than some military stories. However, some readers feel the genre is formulaic.

"...The story always evolves to a new problem that was unforeseeable and interesting. The characters constantly develop and evolve...." Read more

"...It's an odd conceit in my mind ... the storyline and content are fairly mature (war often is) but the constant snark and sarcasm and the "goofy..." Read more

"...story is a great easy read right from the start with Joe being a really relatable, easy to like character...." Read more

"...epiphany in which I realized I was actually reading a very well put together sci-fi novel, and I ended up staying up until five in the morning..." Read more

261 customers mention "Humor"240 positive21 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find it humorous, with sarcasm and self-deprecating humor that makes them laugh. The writing style is easy to read, without too many weird made-up words for alien stuff like in other sci-fi books. The soldiers are written like real people, and the military lingo and tactics are spot-on.

"...That's what happens in this story. There's drama, wry humor, a lil bit o' pathos in the main storyline and character set until, inexplicably, a..." Read more

"...I think he really adds the much needed comic relief this book needed to bring home all the elements of a truly entertaining story...." Read more

"...It's original, clever, funny, and a real delight...." Read more

"...The biggest strength is the humor, it's a first person narration where the main character has great commentary that really grabs you...." Read more

230 customers mention "Character development"197 positive33 negative

Customers enjoy the characters' development. They find the main character's commentary engaging, and appreciate the military mindset of the characters. The stories and characters are fun and well-done, though some copy editing is needed. Joe is great as the epitome of the reluctant hero, and SKIPPY absolutely steals the show.

"...The pace and characters are just so well suited for an excellent audio production that it truly brings it to life." Read more

"...I think the writing overall is pretty good, with the main character having a consistent and fairly realistic persona...." Read more

"...And Bob is definitely a favorite among many, many great unique characters. And Expeditionary Force: Columbus Day did not disappoint...." Read more

"...is the humor, it's a first person narration where the main character has great commentary that really grabs you...." Read more

91 customers mention "Concept"87 positive4 negative

Customers find the concept interesting. They appreciate the creative science and premise, as well as the details provided to paint a picture. The story is interesting with cool ideas and classic ones. The characters are believable and human.

"...The writing is done well and the author does a great job with providing enough details to let you paint a picture but not enough to slow the story..." Read more

"...a lot of military slang and terminology, but most of it is quickly explained well enough that you don't have to be a veteran to have a pretty good..." Read more

"...invested in these characters and what happens to them; its such a simple concept but oh so well executed...." Read more

"...high-brow, mind-stimulating science fiction; it's more of a pulpy, space operish, plucky adventurer saves the world from alien-invaders action romp,..." Read more

50 customers mention "Intelligence"43 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the intelligence of the book. They find it humorous and creative, with some semblance of intelligence. The author clearly has military knowledge, and the details or minutiae described in the book feel realistic. The dialogue between the Artificial Intelligence and main character Joe Bishop is enjoyable, full of surprises, and has realistic human actions and reactions.

"...Lots of the military jargon, details or minutiae described in the book felt pretty realistic, especially as we are always in the mind of the main..." Read more

"...Nevertheless, it is the best we know as human being so he includes it in the book which makes it taste very real as you read through...." Read more

"...He is intelligent without being a Mary Sue. And solves problems in a way that feels realistic for his situation with such a species...." Read more

"...I was thoroughly entertained. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the Artificial Intelligence and the main character Joe Bishop...." Read more

287 customers mention "Writing quality"156 positive131 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality. Some find it well-written with a great narration and goofy humor. Others mention problems like typos, run-on sentences, and poor sentence structure.

"...The writing is done well and the author does a great job with providing enough details to let you paint a picture but not enough to slow the story..." Read more

"...There are some minor editing issues (you and your, omitted words, phrases that were "test-driven" and not used, which should have been..." Read more

"...I think the writing overall is pretty good, with the main character having a consistent and fairly realistic persona...." Read more

"...The bad part? Lack of editing. Formatting problems, wrong words, typos galore. Cringe, cringe...." Read more

126 customers mention "Pacing"64 positive62 negative

Customers have different views on the pacing. Some find the story well-paced and enjoyable, with great comic timing. Others feel the story drags a bit in the beginning, but after that it gets really fun. There are also technical issues and disjointed sections.

"...providing enough details to let you paint a picture but not enough to slow the story down so it remains fast-paced throughout the series...." Read more

"...It was entertaining, but very rough. Two and a half stars out of five." Read more

"...I quick and pleasant read for short times as it goes," Read more

"...Skippy is annoying, abrasive, yet still very likable...." Read more

What a great find
5 out of 5 stars
What a great find
I don't usually give five stars, but here is one rating I am glad to give. I enjoyed the book because in many science fiction books, humans are portrayed too often as being intellectually capable of understanding complex scientific concepts and all too often neglect to understand that we are really monkeys who evolved into tool-making, tool-using versions of our ancestors. We know so little of what makes our existence tick and unfortunately, it will take us a very ling time (if we don't kill ourselves off in the process) to begin to understand a fraction of the universe. This book puts us in the position to understand just how unintelligent we really are in the whole scheme of things and I like how Craig went about it - with sarcasm, and self-deprecating humor and a little righteous indignation. The hero (not the beer can - although the beer can is also flawed) is flawed and just a plain guy with basic Boy Scout kind of common sense who finds himself in constantly in awkward positions. I plan on continuing the series and I hope it lives up to how the first book played out. Keep writing Craig
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Top reviews from the United States

  • BrBarlow145
    5.0 out of 5 stars This review is about the series
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I normally don't write reviews for books, especially when there are already thousands. But this is a special case for a special series. The first half of Columbus Day didn't totally grip me and I almost put it down. I am so happy that I didn't. I've now read all 11 of the primary books plus some of the spinoffs and every single one of them has been worth the read. The story always evolves to a new problem that was unforeseeable and interesting. The characters constantly develop and evolve. In the middle of the series, some of the dialogue got a little repetitive with the Elder AI you will meet named Skippy. However, now it's back to being as good as ever. I just think it's so cool the author never thought these would take off and wrote them as a part-time hobby. The writing is done well and the author does a great job with providing enough details to let you paint a picture but not enough to slow the story down so it remains fast-paced throughout the series. The Universe he's created is complex enough to be believable to an extent but not overbearing in the slightest which sometimes happens in this genre (I'm thinking of books with family trees and indexes in the back....). Some Sci-Fi books spend way too many words on making the "science" seem realistic to the point it's distracting. Others make the "science" laughably simplistic with it's clear they didn't even google the astrophysical terms they use. This series finds the PERFECT balance in my opinion. Now my biggest tip.... GET THESE ON AUDIO BOOK. Or at least split your time between reading it and listening to it. The narrator does such an amazing job that it has totally changed the tone (pun-intended) of the whole series for me. I have my mom, brother and some friends all listening to these on the way to work and they all love them even though they never cared for sci-fi. The pace and characters are just so well suited for an excellent audio production that it truly brings it to life.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • JohnGuad
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining near future space soldier sci fi romp
    Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    3.5 stars, rounded up. Mildly entertaining near future space soldier sci fi romp. Starts out fairly standard as military sci fi but takes a turn for the less serious about 50 or 60% of the way through. Not really to the level of a dedicated comedy or humor story, but more like one of those old Saturday morning kid shows where the core ensemble of the cast played fairly straight but there was an utterly absurd 'comic relief' character thrown in to yuck it up and entertain the kiddies. That's what happens in this story. There's drama, wry humor, a lil bit o' pathos in the main storyline and character set until, inexplicably, a buffoonish caricature 'goofy sidekick' identity suddenly appears. I wouldn't say it ruined the book, but it definitely took away any possible consideration of this as a serious story. It's goofy. It's intentional. It's an odd conceit in my mind ... the storyline and content are fairly mature (war often is) but the constant snark and sarcasm and the "goofy sidekick" persona are clearly aimed squarely at the high school level of sensibility and humor. I'm not a fan of goofy sidekick characters. Without that aspect I'd give this book a clean 4 stars. I think the writing overall is pretty good, with the main character having a consistent and fairly realistic persona.

    The core story about Earth being invaded, liberated, and then sending human soldiers to fight for the supposed "good guy" alien army in space is well developed and interesting. I felt the action scenes were pretty well written. Lots of the military jargon, details or minutiae described in the book felt pretty realistic, especially as we are always in the mind of the main character who is simply an ordinary Army grunt (who just happens to be in the right place at the right time) and relates to everything with a simple ground level grunt viewpoint.

    Yet other aspects of the military details feel to me like the author only knew of military life & structure from having watched too many B grade action flicks. When a Sergeant (U.S Army, E-5) is facing a "political" promotion, why does he feel that he's going to be promoted to First Sergeant? The next rank would normally be SFC (Sergeant First Class, E-6) ... so did the author (or a well meaning but ignorant editor) confuse the two simply because they both have the word "First" in their titles? There is a lot of futzing of ranks in this story ... as far as enlisted personnel are concerned there seemed to be 2 and only 2 ranks represented ... "Enlisted troops" (presumably Privates) and Sergeants. No Corporals or Specialists or senior NCOs. Perhaps there were senior NCO's present in effect but the author arbitrarily referred to them all simply as "Sergeants"? Oh well, not that big of a deal I guess. The story is still generally entertaining even if it gets unrealistically goofy at times.

    If you can easily suspend disbelief for a while, you should be able to be entertained by this book. It's military sci-fi and can be measured against those tropes easily, and is definitely not hard sci fi super futuristic speculative fiction, and neither is it complete bubble gum kiddy pop writing either. It definitely leans to the juvenile but should still be worth a try if you really like military sci fi.
    11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Evan Ferris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Do not Read!!
    Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Unless you want to spend dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars on many, many many (20ish now?!) books.

    Seriously though, the first couple books might be a bit frustrating with the grammar/spelling/formatting errors, but those issues mainly resolve themselves. The style of writing is great, if you enjoy sarcastic humor.

    The character growth and development are fantastic, gets you invested in the characters. And the situations Bishop and the Beer Can get into are very entertaining.

    I definitely recommend this book, and the whole series (including the Mavericks books).
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on August 31, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    While reading this book it's evident that it's a self published book because it lacks the polishing given by an editor before a book it's published by a publishing house. The story is good and the pacing is enjoyable. The text and dialogues would have been better if an editor had improved them.
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  • Adrian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great start to a series.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 23, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I always start a new book, one at the beginning of a series, with an open, but cautious mind. As was the case with this one.
    I was soon flicking my screen with abandon waiting to see what happened nxt.
    The storry begins in a similar, and not entirely unpredictable way, alien invasion yada yada. With that in mind, i expected to be dragged through an overly serious, stuffy and derivative story.
    Wrong. Right ffom the get go, i was treated to very human characters, with real flaws, and emotional response.
    The story that follows, not only tells us we're not alone, but informs us that, we're the inferior species in a galactic political chess game. No plot spoilers, but this book is at times, funny, clever, and very well imagined. It has the power to flip-flop between heart wrenching and heart warming in the space of a page. And just keeps getting better the further into the book you travel.
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  • Cliente Kindle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muito intetessante
    Reviewed in Brazil on June 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    O livro coloca a raca humana em uma posição diferenciada. Geralmente a raça humana é bem desenvolvida, com espaço naves, etc. Neste livro ele mostra a raça humana como umas amebas em relação às demais raças extraterrestres.
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  • Gustavo Sánchez Muñoz
    5.0 out of 5 stars You'll get hooked to the series, be warned. But trust the awesomeness
    Reviewed in Spain on November 20, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I'll only comment the first book of the series, but this is valid for the whole series (eight books, some spin offs and at least one more in the oven): It's plainly addictive basic adventures-in-space scifi, full of action, cliffhangers (pretty well resolved ones, by the way) and well-placed flashes of humour.

    It's true that you should not expect here any hard science facts , but the universe depicted has that coherence of functioning that you don't find so easily. The tapestry of alien races, each one with their own motives and each one with some individual characters is extremely well done. Mr. Alanson has the knack of describing characters that *are interesting*, that is: after some pages you really care for what is going to happen to a lot of them.

    And the action of the plot is a freight train on the loose. It's true as well that some lines of the plot are repetitive, with the same characters making similar things, but it is son neatly done that you not only don't care, but you do expect it to be resolved thus.

    I am really expecting book number 9 and I thank Mr. alanson for the very good moments he has given me with all of them.

    That said, I too think Joe should get laid more.
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