Stephen W. Bennett has 4 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 2 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 14 ratings. The most-rated is Koban: Rise of the Kobani.
Koban: Rise of the Kobani
Summary
The Kobani use captured Krall ships to return to Human Space. They seek expert training for their genetically modified fighters, modern weapons and new medical technology. There's a possible block to this help in the form of death penalty laws of the Planetary Union, prohibiting gene modifications of humans. A holdover from the Gene War, which nearly extinguished humanity. A perilous descent through a war-torn planet's space defenses is a first step. A Krall ship and its heavily armed crew have to be destroyed on the ground, while a watching hostile Special Ops force decides if the Kobani should be trusted, or killed as Krall collaborators. Fighting their way between a rock and a hard place, they prove they are a match for the Krall. Exploration at home reveals startling alien neighbors, and a habitable world next door. A remarkable genetic discovery there will forever alter the Kobani. Winning allies, Captain Mirikami forges a bold and dangerous plan, to strike deep into the heart of Krall territory. A place the enemy is confident that puny "animals" can't reach, let alone attack. Simultaneous Kobani raids damage Krall war manufacturing, buying time for humanity. However, the Krall have a deadly ancient weapon that none expected. Retaliatory escalation of the war has been triggered, and if it doesn't go as the Krall plan, entire planets and their populations could be shattered. Read Book 1 (Koban), and Book 2 (Koban: The Mark of Koban). Book 4 (Koban: Shattered Worlds) is coming soon.
©2013 Stephen W Bennett (P)2014 Stephen W Bennett
Koban, Book 1
Summary
All new narration adds sound effects and eliminates issues noted in reviews. To obtain new version, remove old one from device, download new copy at no charge. We colonized seven hundred planets. Humankind enjoyed the benefits of expansion and the end of wars. We disbanded our military. Then the Krall found us. The Krall have used thousands of years of combat to select the genes of the strongest and fastest warriors. They are a species determined to dominate the galaxy, through annihilation or enslavement of every opponent. Koban is an uninhabited high gravity planet with impossibly fast savage animals, which employ organic superconducting nerves. This deadly world is where the Krall are testing humans for fighting capability. We are useful only if we can fight well. If not, they will destroy us swiftly, as they have other species. They have slaves, and we’re poor tasting meat animals, so we fight or die. The Krall will use us, if worthy, seeking physical perfection through attrition of war, one planet at a time. Growing weary of our failures in testing, the ruthless Krall are on the verge of a decision to eliminate our species. A ship carrying bio-scientists is captured for combat testing. The choice for Captain Mirikami and the scientists is simple: Prove we can produce better, smarter fighters quickly, or humanity is doomed to rapid extermination. But the Krall are only half the problem. We must survive Koban's gravity and superfast animals. The tiger-like rippers with skin contact telepathy are predators too fast and powerful for the Krall to face. Our solution is genetic: If you can't beat them as you are, become human rippers. The Krall will learn another species can bypass natural selection.
©2012 Stephen W Bennett (P)2013 Stephen W Bennett
Koban: The Mark of Koban, Book 2
Summary
Book 2 of the Koban Series Already faster and more powerful than the last 17 species that they have destroyed or subjugated, the Krall have set their sights on humankind. Aftertesting humans on their future home world of Koban and finding them worthy opponents, the Krall start a war of slow extermination with the rest of humanity. The war is intended to last generations as they apply their own version of "natural selection" to cull their weaker warriors in combat, purifying the Krall gene pool with their finest warriors for breeding. Why? The Krall desire to rule the galaxy someday, from their future home world of Koban, where the impossibly fast and powerful animals have proven to be too fast and strong for them to match. Only through the attrition of war will the Krall perfect their bloodline to become the masters of Koban. When the Krall departed Koban to start their war with humanity, they destroyed the protections that kept their prisoners safe. They left the human test subjects to fall victim to high gravity, and the deadly predators. Big mistake. The bio scientist left behind enhanced the human genome with Koban genes, forming the next generations of humans. They are becoming what the Krall sought to be. The fastest, most powerful species in the galaxy. The men and women trapped on Koban, locked in a struggle for their own survival for twenty years, return to the stars to help defend Human Space. The Krall have had their way with human worlds, killing when and where they wish. Outnumbered, the new Kobani will now take the war to the Krall.
©2013 Stephen W Bennett (P)2014 Stephen W Bennett
Koban Universe 1
Summary
Here are four stories derived from the same universe as the Koban series. Listening to the series is not required to understand and enjoy these stand-alone tales. Australian Krall: A fully gene-enhanced Kobani woman finds herself trapped in total darkness and underground, pursued by hundreds of slavering, semi-sentient, maniacally aggressive, and hungry aliens. Walk with her on the dark side! "Batsof a Leather Flock Together" (short story): The wolfbat Flock Leader establishes a nest in virgin territory. The wily leader uses his cooperative experience with humans to try to forge hunting alliances with unfamiliar and aggressive native creatures. Not everyone wants to play nice. Kobani Kiddie Cappers (novella): Howdo Kobani parents cope with children that are born with a contact telepathy gene, and have eidetic memory. Adults, who think teenagers act as if they know everything, never had an overconfident four-year-old super child, with a ripper cub as his partner in crime. Living to reach his teens might take superhuman luck. TheSmuggler and the Crime Lord (novelette): When you land a known smuggler's ship in a ruthless Crime Lord's city using false registry, it's hard to convince a platoon of armed thugs that you're only shopping, and you don't owe the boss a cut of your action. If you're a Kobani captain, and buying drinks for friends in a spaceport bar, spoiling your evening and making threats is a bad idea, and a fatal mistake.
©2014 Stephen W. Bennett (P)2014 Stephen W. Bennett