I really enjoyed the Frontlines military sci-fi series and I was a bit sad when it came to a close. I commented in my review of the series finale that I hoped that the main story arc would be picked back up with a new generation of characters, since it was not resolved to my satisfaction. This book doesn't exactly extend the main story arc, but it does take place in the same universe and perhaps it sets the stage for exactly that. This is a story about Alex Archer, a dog handler on the planet Scorpio, which was taken over by the Lankies 8 years ago. Since then, the few remaining humans have lived underground, venturing out of their bunker only for scavenging runs to pick up supplies. These runs are extremely dangerous and their numbers continue to dwindle. Alex, and her dog Ash, accompany the military patrols on these runs because Ash is an early warning system capable of detecting Lankies before they can be seen.  This book tells the tale of what might be the final scavenging run ever after it all goes catastrophically wrong...

Telling the story from the perspective of a civilian dog handler embedded in the military had a nice vibe to it. Alex is just coming of age when the story begins, which means she was just a child when the Lankies took control of the planet and changed her life forever. She adapted along with the rest of the colonists and her relationship with Ash is a nice touch in an otherwise bleak situation. Unfortunately this solid start to the story telling did not hold up for the entire book, and it got a little boring in the middle before it finally picked back up and ended on a strong note. I won't spoil the story, but suffice it to say it is a bit of roller coaster ride of emotions and I was not sure where Marko Kloos was going with it until the end. It did leave me eager for the next book in the series, which is due out next year, and I can only hope this series becomes what I want it to be.

The audiobook is narrated by Arielle DeLisle and she does a decent job of it. A female narrator is obviously a good choice for a female lead character, but i do miss Luke Daniels and I will always associate his voice with this universe.