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Death Troopers: Star Wars Legends: Death Troopers
Audible Audiobook
– Unabridged
The chilling tale of the undead in a galaxy far, far away.
“This is the Star Wars of every horror fan’s dreams—gory, funny, and brimming with a blood-spattered cast of swashbucklers and space-zombies.”—Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
When the Imperial prison barge Purge—temporary home to five hundred of the galaxy’s most ruthless killers, Rebels, scoundrels, and thieves—breaks down in a distant part of space, its only hope appears to lie with a Star Destroyer found drifting and seemingly abandoned. But when a boarding party from the Purge is sent to scavenge for parts, only half of them come back—bringing with them a horrific disease so lethal that within hours, nearly all aboard the Purge die in ways too hideous to imagine.
And death is only the beginning.
The Purge’s half-dozen survivors will do whatever it takes to stay alive. But nothing can prepare them for what lies waiting aboard the Star Destroyer. For the dead are rising: soulless, unstoppable, and unspeakably hungry.
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About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Purge
The nights were the worst.
Even before his father's death, Trig Longo had come to dread the long hours after lockdown, the shadows and sounds and the chronically unstable gulf of silence that drew out in between them. Night after night he lay still on his bunk and stared up at the dripping durasteel ceiling of the cell in search of sleep or some acceptable substitute. Sometimes he would actually start to drift off, floating away in that comforting sensation of weightlessness, only to be rattled awake-heart pounding, throat tight, stomach muscles sprung and fluttering-by some shout or a cry, an inmate having a nightmare.
There was no shortage of nightmares aboard the Imperial Prison Barge Purge.
Trig didn't know exactly how many prisoners the Purge was currently carrying. He guessed maybe five hundred, human and otherwise, scraped from every corner of the galaxy, just as he and his family had been picked up eight standard weeks before. Sometimes the incoming shuttles returned almost empty; on other occasions they came packed with squabbling alien life-forms and alleged Rebel sympathizers of every stripe and species. There were assassins for hire and sociopaths the likes of which Trig had never seen, thin-lipped things that cackled and sneered in seditious languages that, to Trig's ears, were little more than clicks and hisses.
Every one of them seemed to harbor its own obscure appetites and personal grudges, personal histories blighted with shameful secrets and obscure vendettas. Being cautious became harder; soon you needed eyes in the back of your head-which some of them actually possessed. Two weeks earlier in the mess hall, Trig had noticed a tall, silent inmate sitting with its back to him but watching him nonetheless with a single raw-red eye in the back of its skull. Every day the red-eyed thing seemed to be sitting a little nearer. Then one day, without explanation, it was gone.
Except from his dreams.
Sighing, Trig levered himself up on his elbows and looked through the bars onto the corridor. Gen Pop had cycled down to minimum power for the night, edging the long gangway in permanent gray twilight. The Rodians in the cell across from his had gone to sleep or were feigning it. He forced himself to sit there, regulating his breathing, listening to the faint echoes of the convicts' uneasy groans and murmurs. Every so often a mouse droid or low-level maintenance unit, one of hundreds occupying the barge, would scramble by on some preprogrammed errand or another. And of course, below it all-low and not quite beneath the scope of hearing-was the omnipresent thrum of the barge's turbines gnashing endlessly through space.
For as long as they'd been aboard, Trig still hadn't gotten used to that last sound, the way it shook the Purge to its framework, rising up through his legs and rattling his bones and nerves. There was no escaping it, the way it undermined every moment of life, as familiar as his own pulse.
Trig thought back to sitting in the infirmary just two weeks earlier, watching his father draw one last shaky breath, and the silence afterward as the medical droids disconnected the biomonitors from the old man's ruined body and prepared to haul it away. As the last of the monitors fell silent, he'd heard that low steady thunder of the engines, one more unnecessary reminder of where he was and where he was going. He remembered how that noise had made him feel lost and small and inescapably sad-some special form of artificial gravity that seemed to work directly against his heart. He had known then, as he knew now, that it really only meant one thing, the ruthlessly grinding effort of the Empire consolidating its power.
Forget politics, his father had always said. Just give 'em something they need, or they'll eat you alive. And now they'd been eaten alive anyway, despite the fact that they'd never been sympathizers, no more than low-level grifters scooped up on a routine Imperial sweep. The engines of tyranny ground on, bearing them forward across the galaxy toward some remote penal moon. Trig sensed that noise would continue, would carry on indefinitely, echoing right up until-
"Trig?"
It was Kale's voice behind him, unexpected, and Trig flinched a little at the sound of it. He looked back and saw his older brother gazing back at him, Kale's handsomely rumpled, sleep-slackened face just a ghostly three-quarter profile suspended in the cell's gloom. Kale looked like he was still only partly awake and unsure whether or not he was dreaming any of this.
"What's wrong?" Kale asked, a drowsy murmur that came out: Wussrong?
Trig cleared his throat. His voice had started changing recently, and he was acutely aware of how it broke high and low when he wasn't paying strict attention. "Nothing."
"You worried about tomorrow?"
"Me?" Trig snorted. "Come on."
" 'S okay if you are." Kale seemed to consider this and then uttered a bemused grunt. "You'd be crazy not to be." "You're not scared," Trig said. "Dad would never have-"
"I'll go alone."
"No." The word snapped from his throat with almost painful angularity. "We need to stick together, that's what Dad said."
"You're only thirteen," Kale said. "Maybe you're not, you know..."
"Fourteen next month." Trig felt another flare of emotion at the mention of his age. "Old enough."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"Well, sleep on it, see if you feel different in the morning..." Kale's enunciation was already beginning to go muddled as he slumped back down on his bunk, leaving Trig sitting up with his eyes still riveted to the long dark concourse outside the cell, Gen Pop, that had become their no-longer-new home.
Sleep on it, he thought, and in that exact moment, miraculously, as if by power of suggestion, sleep actually began to seem like a possibility. Trig lay back and let the heaviness of his own fatigue cover him like a blanket, superseding anxiety and fear. He tried to focus on the sound of Kale's breathing, deep and reassuring, in and out, in and out. Then somewhere in the depths of the levels, an inhuman voice wailed. Trig sat up, caught his breath, and felt a chill tighten the skin of his shoulders, arms and back, crawling over his flesh millimeter by millimeter, bristling the small hairs on the back of his neck. Over in his bunk the already sleeping Kale rolled over and grumbled something incoherent.
There was another scream, weaker this time. Trig told himself it was just one of the other convicts, just another nightmare rolling off the all-night assembly line of the nightmare factory.
But it hadn't sounded like a nightmare. It sounded like a convict, whatever life-form it was, was under attack.
Or going crazy. He sat perfectly still, squeezed his eyes tight, and waited for the pounding of his heart to slow down, just please slow down. But it didn't. He thought of the thing in the cafeteria, the disappeared inmate whose name he'd never know, watching him with its red staring eye. How many other eyes were on him that he never saw? Sleep on it. But he already knew there would be no more sleeping here tonight.
Meat Nest
In Trig's old life, back on Cimarosa, breakfast had been the best meal of the day. Besides being an expert trafficker in contraband, a veteran fringe dweller who cut countless deals with thieves, spies, and counterfeiters, Von Longo had also been one of the galaxy's greatest unrecognized breakfast chefs. Eat a good meal early, Longo always told his boys. You never know if it's going to be your last.
Here on the Purge, however, breakfast was rarely edible and sometimes actually seemed to shiver in the steady vibrations as though still alive on the plate. This morning Trig found himself gazing down at a pasty mass of colorless goo spooned into shaved gristle, the whole thing plastered together in sticky wads like some kind of meat nest assembled by carnivorous flying insects. He was still nudging the stuff listlessly around his tray when Kale finally raised his eyebrows and peered at him.
"You sleep at all last night?" Kale asked.
"A little."
"You're not eating."
"What, you mean this?" Trig poked at the contents of the tray again and shuddered. "I'm not hungry," he said, and watched Kale shovel the last bite of his own breakfast into his mouth with disturbing gusto. "You think the food will be any better when we get to the detention moon?"
"Little brother, I think we'll be lucky if we don't end up on the menu."
Trig gave him a bleak look. "Don't give 'em any ideas."
"Hey, lighten up." Kale wiped his mouth on his sleeve and grinned. "Little guy like you, they'll probably just use you for an appetizer."
Trig put his fork down again with a snort to show that he got the joke. Although he couldn't have articulated it, his big brother's easygoing bravado-so obviously inherited from their old man-made him downright envious. Kale wasn't wired for fear. It just didn't stick to him somehow. The only thing that ever really seemed to trouble him was the prospect of not getting another helping of whatever the COO-2180s behind the lunch counter had been slopping onto the inmates' trays.
Out of nowhere, from the ridiculous to the sublime, Trig found himself thinking about his father again. Their final conversation hung in his memory with stinging vividness. Just before he'd passed away in the infirmary, the old man had reached up, clutched Trig'...
- Listening Length6 hours and 41 minutes
- Audible release dateOctober 13, 2009
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB002SRC2LS
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 6 hours and 41 minutes |
---|---|
Author | Joe Schreiber |
Narrator | Sean Kenin |
Audible.com Release Date | October 13, 2009 |
Publisher | Random House Audio |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B002SRC2LS |
Best Sellers Rank | #7,552 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #195 in TV, Movie & Game Tie-In Fiction #196 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #297 in Adventure Science Fiction |
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book a good read with an exciting and scary storyline. They also praise the writing style as well written and addictive. Readers find the characters interesting. Opinions are mixed on the pacing and length, with some finding it well-paced and suspenseful, while others say it has a slow start.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book a good, fun read for Star Wars fans. They also say it's unique and interesting all the way through.
"...Recommended for: AdultsRating reason: Excellent overall, would highly recommend." Read more
"This book is really good it’s a different take on the Star Wars we know and love" Read more
"Love the book, great story line. As I was reading it pages just fell out. Very disappointed…" Read more
"this was a very interesting read. taking star wars and mixing in some gore is a good combination...well done. yay" Read more
Customers find the storyline exciting and scary, with threaded plot points throughout. They also say the premise is neat and not hard to believe. Readers also mention the book has some twists and is perfect for zombie lovers and Star Wars nerds.
"This was an experience like no other. Dark, terrifying and emotional...." Read more
"Lots of twists and surprises that lead to a satisfying outcome, unexpected characters literally made me smile when they appeared." Read more
"Love the book, great story line. As I was reading it pages just fell out. Very disappointed…" Read more
"...the characters of Trig, Kale, and Zahara, and the story is exciting and scary.I recommend this book to all fans of the Star Wars series...." Read more
Customers find the writing style well-written, addictive, and imaginative. They also appreciate the great story telling and character development. Readers also mention that the narrator is spot on with his voice acting and the special effects added make the book feel like a movie.
"...that is different enough from the source material and inventive enough with the writing that you know it isn’t great, but you still can’t put it down." Read more
"...This book is a ton of fun, and an easy read. Schrieber writes amazing medical fiction with utmost clarity...." Read more
"...Throughout the novel, the author gives confusing and contradictory descriptions of the star destroyer that the story is set in...." Read more
"...All in all I thought that this was well written and was very believable for the canon characters involved.**SPOILER**..." Read more
Customers find the characters interesting, but lackluster and pretty.
"Likes: Excellent story, engaging characters.Dislikes: Rather sad ending, killing off the kid's brother was a bit much...." Read more
"...The character development is good, especially the characters of Trig, Kale, and Zahara, and the story is exciting and scary...." Read more
"...Again most of the characters are unlikable except for the two elephant in the room surprise characters who shouldn't have been a surprise in this..." Read more
"...The characters are fairly well-developed..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the pacing. Some find the book well-paced and suspenseful, while others say it has a slow start but gripping second half.
"Was a good, captivating story. Fast paced and kept me interested all the way through. Loved the addition of a couple of original characters...." Read more
"...It is beautifully written with excellent pacing, a strong cast of characters and a massive surprise when you reach the half way point...." Read more
"...It started pretty slow and I found myself getting bored with the way things were written...." Read more
"...It had some twists, good parts, slow parts, sad parts, and happy parts. It is set around 2 or 3 years before A New Hope...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the length of the book. Some mention it's short but worth every penny, while others say it'll pass on.
"...Other than that the chapters and overall length are very short, so your suffering will be limited...." Read more
"...up and it’s a sudden and total tonal shift that’s jarring and feels out of place...." Read more
"Very fast moving story. The chapters are short and easy to read and there is little downtime...." Read more
"...The only thing I didnt like was it was too short. I read it on my kindle and at 60% it was done. The rest was previews of other star wars books...." Read more
Customers find the writing quality of the book poor, with characters that are never really developed. They also say the engines are scragged and inoperable.
"...This is an incredibly poor entry into an increasingly lackluster series. Death Troopers adds nothing beyond a striking cover...." Read more
".../s I'll just say there are a few and they're barely present, introduced clumsily, and while Schreiber captures most of their personalities in the..." Read more
"...And the engines were "scragged" and inoperable. Until the heroes discover that the tractor beam is why it couldn't leave. Shuttle bay doors?..." Read more
"...Good try...but it still sucked. I don't care if it relates to other stories from the Old Republic time or whatever...." Read more
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Dislikes: Rather sad ending, killing off the kid's brother was a bit much.
Recommended for: Adults
Rating reason: Excellent overall, would highly recommend.
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