D-Boys

By: Michael Stephen Fuchs

Narrated by: Kevin Arthur Harper

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

The world's most elite counter-terrorist operators....

A cyber-security guru suddenly getting shot at and blown up rather more than usual....

And nuclear-armed terrorists rolling with impunity through a lawless and brutal virtual world....

The year is now. Islamist terrorists hack into America's most sensitive defense networks, launch chemical weapons attacks on Western cities, and stage a raid on vulnerable nuclear weapons storage facilities in Pakistan. They are using a massively multiplayer online video game (or "virtual world") as a platform for planning and rehearsing their attacks - forcing a squad of supremely elite Delta Force operators (reinforced by an info-security expert from the Department of Homeland Security) to go inside the game to fight them.

But the fight only begins there. Get ready for breath-stealing action in every known battle space - clockwork urban safehouse takedowns, combat helicopter assaults, brutal ambushes in the trackless mountains, waterborne SEAL team ops, precision close-quarters battle sequences, and CheyTac Intervention sniper rifle systems that can kill you from a mile and a half away.

These weapons, tactics, tech, and 21st-century warriors will be unlike anything you've ever heard of before.

©2011 Michael Stephen Fuchs (P)2015 Michael Stephen Fuchs

Almost lost me at the start!

If it wasn't for the technical aspect of the unit and the equipment at the start, I would have stopped it and returned the listen. The reader does not fit the material and is better suited for some other subject matter! It took me up to half the story to get used to his cadence and inflection! I don't know if I can handle him for the next installment! Sorry Mr. Harper, just not my cup of tea!

Gamers to the Rescue

I love how relevant this book still is, maybe more so than at the time of publishing. The gaming world has grown exponentially and I can imagine operators using it as a platform in the WOT while talented nerds fight coding battles. I loved Mike's character and the image of him sitting down at a bloody keyboard from the opening action. He represents a modern warrior, fighting simultaneously in VR and AR.

The Audible narration is good. I got a kick out of the soft-spoken voices for a couple of the operators, reminding me that sometimes the deadliest talent comes in unexpected packaging.

Another thing I loved about D-Boys is seeing Ali again. I've read or listened to Arisen several times and had to have known that she's part of D-Boys, but it's been on my to-read list so long that I must have had a brain fart. I was so happy when she came on scene. In Arisen you get some looks back at her Delta days, so this was just a really cool connection between the series.

Other things that were great here were Mac the super dog, Uncle BJ with his gruff determination to become proficient in virtual warfare, and the group of students who play a role in schooling the Delta operators.

It was solid spec ops action, a thrilling breadcrumb chase in and out of virtual hideouts and good characters. I'm excited to dive into Counter-Assault next

Nothin' ta do but take it!

Loved the book, it's a MSF Classic!. The narrator however, sounds like he's reading a children's story.

A good one

I have listened to this one a couple times and it only gets better with each listen.

Felt like a swing and a miss

I'm a fan of MSF's books and have the entire Arisen series and it's offshoots. I was hoping to enjoy DBoys just as much, but found I just couldn't get into it. The narrator was just wrong for this book. He's not a bad narrator, he's just wrong for this kind of material. He'd probably be fine with nonfiction or something like Dean Koontz. He made it sound like a children's cartoon of a book. The dialog itself didn't help with this. MSF has a lot of good military knowledge and acronyms, and I understand that that needs deciphering for the layman, but it was just done a little too... Maybe naively is the right word... Just felt off. Secondly, all of the virtual combat was described as though it was almost lifelike. Like it was happening in a virtual world with full VR and haptics, but then the equipment descriptions basically had them on gaming Pcs utilizing keyboard input as though it was a late 90s Lan party. It just didn't sync up as realistic for me and took the enjoyment out of the story. That said, I do find the concept and overall story pretty interesting and cool. If it had doalogue and technical revisements, and maybe RC Bray reading, this book could have been stellar.

Awesome story

What did you love best about D-Boys?

The main plot was nearly hard to wrap my brain around at first. Story is basically about Tier 1 operators (in this case "Delta Force" that have to come to a supposed reality that terrorist have found a new training platform within a video game. The author does to a pretty good job of keeping the concept centered and not beyond our actual reality.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was a completely new spin on modern day terror/counter terrorism.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book had a very interesting and compelling story. The very end portrays a scene that I think was told very well and probably very accurately.

Any additional comments?

The narrator did a decent job BUT it was kind of hard to buy into certain character's he was trying to convey; I just dont think he had the voice to portray certain characters correctly. Ultimately switching to a new narrator wouldnt be a bad thing, but it also could be ear rape. I wouldnt have a problem listening to the same narrator for the next story.

Great storu

Another great story from the author of arisen! only problem is the narrator not good!

Returned because of narration.

I gave it a few chapters to see if the narrator would loosen up and get into the story. That didn't happen so I decided I'd rather use my credit on something I didn't have to struggle through because of the narrator.

Good book. Terrible narrator

Don’t know how this guy got a job reading books for a living but it is unlistenable. Worst I’ve ever heard. The book seems good though.

Game Warfare, Listen at 1.1 Speed

I wasn't sure how to feel about this book initially. I love Michael Fuchs work, and have listened to the entire Arisen series! But, D- Boys was different in SO many ways. First, the narrator is good but not Bray. He has an excellent range, and does a fine job with the characters, but was initially nasal- sounding. I solved that by adjusting the speed to 1.1. Second, it was tough to get through the constant date and time readings, which didn't make sense until you realized that the location mattered so much due to part of the action and dialog occurring virtually, inside a video game. Next, it took awhile for the action to kick off-- something that does NOT happen in Arisen. However, it does kick off and the fighting gets just as fierce! Finally, there are several bad-ass operator types here, none so much as the first female Delta, Aliyah (another Somali female, hmmm) that is the team's sniper. Overall, it was immensely enjoyable, putting a new spin on fighting terrorists after 9-11. I especially appreciate the inside view of how well- rounded the special ops teams are, and the character development of the main character. I am greatly looking forward to listening to Counter-Assault, the next in the series, which I already have queued up!