Honestly, this reads like a pretty good checklist for story items that seem to be very popular these days, all or mostly encapsulated in the flashy cover:

Hot Chick who's a Badass. A couple of thousand years in the future, with all the military hardware that'll bring. Terrorism. Military life. Spaceships. Snarky AIs. Fast-plot, episodic, steady increase, new challenges, cliffhanger.

If it hadn't been for the fact that it was a fine read, I'd also say it was pure boilerplate. I mean, it basically has all the checklist I'd look for in a grand 'ole space opera done to today's specifications, and so it is. It seems to be popular, too.

So why didn't I give it 5 stars? Because while it was entertaining and fast and popcorn fiction, there wasn't really anything to it that screamed originality.

Fun. Yes. Stand-out? I don't really think so. Fine to waste a lazy afternoon, but nothing I'd scream at people to read as if this is the second coming of whatever. Still, it's flashy and fast and snarky and that is the name of the game these days. ( )

Action packed

Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, frontal assaults, ambushes,...whew!!!

I liked it. There were a couple misused words, but mostly it is well edited. This is future fiction with a solid grasp of tech.

I am going to buy the next book now. That is the best recommendation I know how to give. ( )

Action packed

Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, frontal assaults, ambushes,...whew!!!

I liked it. There were a couple misused words, but mostly it is well edited. This is future fiction with a solid grasp of tech.

I am going to buy the next book now. That is the best recommendation I know how to give. ( )

Outsystem (The Intrepid Saga #1) by M.D. Cooper is a space opera far into the future with a kick ass female lead character and fun space toys. Lots of action, adventure, high tech space toys and weapons, cool things that is fun to believe could be real, intrigue, suspense, touch of romance, and futuristic AI interface in your head! How cool is that? I found it a lot of fun, I got the audio narration so I could do things and read at other times. Narration was good and added to the story. Will follow this series. ( )

I freely chose to review this ARC and am so glad I did as it's one terrific story! Outsystem is about seventy-two year old Major Tanis Richards who was demoted for her part in an unfortunate battle. Labeled the Butcher of Toro, she had hope to regain her rank and finally get off of Sol where her and her AI could finally enjoy their down time and civilian life. The year is the 42nd century and Mars 1 is inhabited with hundreds of beings to populate the planet. Tanis is temporally assigned to head security on the GSS Intrepid and she immediately sees holes and redundancy. Not surprising, she makes a lot of enemies when she eliminates people only to discover a secret plot to destroy her ship and billions of people in the process of only doing their job! ( )