The Weight of Command Audiobook By Michael Mammay cover art

The Weight of Command

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The Weight of Command

By: Michael Mammay
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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Lieutenant Kiera Markov is a scout platoon leader for a peacekeeping force on the remote planet of Tanara, where little has happened for decades, and the only mission is to keep the lithium flowing up the space elevator to feed the galaxy’s incessant demand. But when an unprecedented attack kills the entirety of the brigade’s leadership, the untested lieutenant suddenly finds herself in command.

Isolated and alone, Markov must contend with rival politicians on both sides of the border, all of whom have suspect motives and reason to take advantage of an untested leader, while an unseen enemy seeks to drive the two sides toward a war that Markov has a mission to prevent. It’s enough to test even a seasoned leader.

Markov isn’t that.

With challenges from all sides, and even from her own troops, Markov will have to learn quickly and establish her authority. Because what hangs in the balance is not only the future of the peacekeeping force, but of the planet itself.

©2022 Michael Mammay (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC. Military Science Fiction Fiction Solider Solar System

About the Creator

Michael Mammay is a retired army officer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a Masters degree in military history, and he is a veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives with his family in Georgia.

Realistic Military Portrayal • Compelling Character Development • Pleasant Voice • Engaging Mystery Elements
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It is nice to watch a writer reach for their potential and find it. After a good three book series, followed by a misfit adventure that was both entertaining and nicely written, The Weight of Command really shows what this writer can do with a few words and some imagination. I look forward to reading what comes next. This one will be hard to top.

This is Mammay’s best yet…

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I've been listening to several books by Mammay and while I didn't think this was his best, it was certainly good. The story is full of perspective that I find rare in military SF and I enjoy that when I find it.

My only real issue was that I didn't feel Campbell's narration style matched the main character well. Something about the voice was weak and dreamy more than decisive and strong. That's just my opinion and others may disagree, but this is my review so that's what you get.

Great story, narration style doesn't match MC

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Ok, you've read the book's fly sheet on Audible, and wondering if this is worth a go? The premise of a junior officer becoming the only officer of a planetary command unit is a probable minefield. Pleasantly surprised - not full of too much exposition, nor never-ending internal monologuing, and with the story blocks moving along nicely. A good listen, either as a stand-alone book, or the beginning of a series if that is the author's plan, However I agree with other reviews that a little more differentiation by the narrator between female characters' voices would help the listening experience if there is a follow-up book.

A firm recommend - time well spent over two days

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This book is another great novel written by Michael Mammay. Something I think that all young people in leadership should read.

The idea of young officer having a greater level of command thrust upon them has been done before, but this novel does such of good job of really going through both the good and the bad of that. It’s not a fairly tail of the young officer that performs like an experienced general. It’s a realistic take on the successes and mistakes. The self doubts of not even being close to experienced to make the correct decisions. The thought processes of learning from those mistakes. And it does this without being a whiny mess of self pity.

I know it’s the title of the book, but it really does help you to understand the “Weight of Command.”

Great insight into the mind of a young officer

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This isn't really a "military sci-fi" novel. It's a "drama with a military sci-fi setting." The story features a fairly vanilla military culture, executed blandly. So although the story "nods" occassionally to military realism from time to time, it is a thin veneer which never lasts long. This is a place where a commander can turn to an enlisted subordinate and casually ask, "Would it be ok with you if we held the meeting in my office?" There are times when the MC converts into something resembling a professional soldier, and I found my interest increasing during these moments, but they were inconsistent, and the result is an MC that whipsaws between badass and whiny teenager. Although the premise of a young lieutenant being suddenly promoted to command held tremendous promise, I think this one would have worked better following a "thriller" format as opposed to the just-ok, not-military, sci-fi drama that emerged. Verdict: "Meh," with a side scolding for the misleading genre labeling and contrived action sequences. Congratulations are also due to Cassandra Campbell for her narration. The performance was rock-solid, with character voices and intonation flowing one to another so smoothly as to render the narrator invisible. Bravo!

A vanilla military culture executed blandly

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I devoured this. With my ears, of course. Full disclosure: I'm always a bit leery of male authors writing female main characters, as I've seen it done poorly too many times. But this was so well-done. Mammay has a knack for capturing the raw, unvarnished inner monologue of his characters in a way that makes them flawed, believable, and utterly relatable, and, as he did with Carl Butler in Planetside, he did with Keira Markov here. I found her a fascinating character and refreshingly three-dimensional.

This story got off to a rollicking start and never slowed down from there. It's amazing how on-point the pacing is and how the tension never slackens. There's always something new happening, and the threads of the storyline are expertly interwoven to arrive at an intense finish. As wish Mammay's other stories, this one is about good people finding themselves in situations that force them to do bad things, and I loved how unflinching and honest the character was about her actions and their consequences. It got me to think deeply, and that's the most I can possibly ask from a story.

Five stars, and I can't wait for more from this author.

Another fabulous story from Mammay

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Mammay weaves the characters, politics, and plot elements together perfectly to create a masterpiece. I was so enthralled, I finished this in two days! Major Markov, the main character, is very authentic and relatable. The intense situation and events that unfold are very believable and well paced - you won't be able to stop listening either!

The narrator does a fantastic job as well, though a few times the voices were not differentiated enough to be able to easily distinguish different characters when two females were conversing. Luckily, the writing is remarkably clear and it was never an issue.

Easy 5/5 stars.

Incredible Military Thriller

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It started of slow, but picked up. True to its name by the end you really feel the weight of command on the main character.

Impactful, true to its title.

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The book was a pleasure to listen to and the storyline was entertaining, contained no nerve rattling errors in terms of the military activity. I like books like that.

The author knows his stuff.

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The overall story was great.

As said in the title, it had a Honor Harrington feel to it. To me that is a good compliment. Young female office forced into a tough situation and has to grown beyond her current level of trying, skill, and self confidence.

I am hoping this will turn into a long series. I enjoyed several of the characters and would love to follow their story arcs as the series expands into more adventure and character development.

Good story. Had the feel of a Honor Harrington book

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