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  • Columbus Day

  • Expeditionary Force, Book 1
  • By: Craig Alanson
  • Narrated by: R.C. Bray
  • Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (2,512 ratings)

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Columbus Day cover art

Columbus Day

By: Craig Alanson
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2016 Craig Alanson (P)2016 Podium Publishing

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What listeners say about Columbus Day

Average Customer Ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,942
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beer cans are all the rage

started a little slow, the story moved quickly but it took time to get over the intro and setup but once there .... oh my, could not stop listening. Give it a shot, it's well worth it. This better turn into a long running series.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Seppo garbage

MERICA ! MERICA ! MERICA ! MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA MERICA !!! Yawn !!!! 🙄 do Americans really carry on like this ??

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Overly fond of the marines

It's a great but not very original idea for a science fiction book, the Earth finds itself in between two vastly superior foes. But this book relies really heavily on gun-totin' redneck marine corps fatigues and rations and ammo fetishism to be readily accessible to anyone who has subtler sensibilities.
Think Independence Day and the US of A saving the world. Interesting to start with, but then tedious because it is one noe played over and over. Maybe it's because I'm not american.

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18 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Epic!

the story progressed more quickly than i wanted meaning i was always left wanting more. I really liked this,quite a few scifis a very drawn out not this one.I enjoyed it from start to finish well done to both Alanson and Bray 👏👌

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

loved it - great story and great narrative

intresting exciting innovative fun hilarious performance of a great story. highly recommended. has the same flavour of the fear saga but is completely different at the same time.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Bang Bang Boom

I must admit that a first I found the narrator slightly annoying but now I can't imagine it being performed by anyone else. I loved the first book and have binge read the next books of the series. Loved it.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Monty Python in space

This started so well and was building to the sort of sci-fi I was hoping for, however, it very quickly fell into a Monty Python-esque comedy, space-opera romp and never let up, not for an instant.
I am not saying this is a bad thing...it just wasn't what I was expecting. I actually felt the marketing, the cover art etc, of this book was quite misleading.
It is most definitely full-on comedy in a science-fiction dressing. The narrator deserves high praise for selling it so enthusiastically. He really did an amazing job. He was the reason I kept listening till the end despite my initial disappointment.
Ultimately, however I was left feeling a little ripped off.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

fun and funny, with some trek references

This was great. R.C Bray does another great performance and the story is really interesting. it's somewhat believable as far as sci fi goes.

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5 people found this helpful

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Enjoyable

What did you like most about Columbus Day?

Good start to an interesting story

What did you like best about this story?

It follows the same theme as many of the same types of stories but it is easy to listen to and the story is well written

Which character – as performed by R.C. Bray – was your favourite?

the AI his interpretation of the character is brilliant.

Any additional comments?

Recommended, the narrater is excellent and easy to listen to.
The story is involved and interesting.......keeps me wanting to buy and listen.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

loved it. great narration and great story.

loved it. great narration and great story. the humour really adds to the story. recommended even if you arent sure about space related books.

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4 people found this helpful

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