WINGS of REDEMPTION: THE FORGOTTEN FLEET, BOOK 3 (audiobook) by Craig Andrews









Book version originally published in 2023.

Audiobook published in July of 2024 by My Story Productions.
Read by Shamaan Casey.
Duration: 12 hours, 7 minutes.
Unabridged.

Wings of Redemption is the final installment of the Forgotten Fleet Trilogy. This sci-fi series is about a future war between humanity and an insectoid species. The series focuses on a squadron of space carrier-based fighter pilots on the front lines.

The fact that it is focused on this relatively small group of people is the real strength of this trilogy. It doesn't get caught up in tales of political intrigue at the macro level, instead it follows these pilots on the bleeding edge of the front lines. There are successes and very tough losses. The risks are personal and also galaxy-wide. If these pilots can't help turn the tide, the war will be lost for everyone.

Each book of the trilogy has a distinct feel. The first book (Wings of Honor) focused on the recruitment and training of these pilots against the backdrop of an intergalactic war that humanity is losing.

The second book (Wings of Mourning) follows the fighter pilots as they are stationed on the newest, most advanced carrier in the fleet - the SAS Redemption. The Redemption is sent on a secret, desperate mission to probe into enemy territory in order find out why their insectoid enemies have changed tactics and are seemingly in retreat. Is it a real withdrawal, is it a trick, or is it something else entirely?

In Wings of Redemption, the SAS Redemption has found the answers to most of their questions and are desperately trying to outrace their enemies back to human territory. This book has large scale space battles between carrier ships, fighter dogfights, and hand to hand fights - but it really just does a good job of letting the individual characters shine. 

The audiobook reader, Shamaan Casey, helps those individual characters stand out. During the fighter dogfight scenes his individual voice characterizations help make the story feel more like a movie that you can see in your mind. In this book, I thought he did a particularly good job with the pilot with the call sign/nickname of Squawks. Like his name implies, Squawks is kind of a loud and squeaky guy. In the first two books he was often the comic relief, but he has a tragic moment in this book and Casey conveys the emotion in this voice perfectly. 

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Wings of Redemption: The Forgotten Fleet, Book 3 by Craig Andrews. 

Note: I received a free copy of the audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, this is a good trilogy.

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