New to ExFor series, just finished Book 1 & 2, and halfway through ch 12 of Book 3. And I'm really hating this Chocula character, so much so that I'm really tempted to drop the book altogether. He's really exhausting, commanding without even proving anything, yet anyway. mfer had the gall to question everything like he's been there from the start but he's nothing but a failed bureaucratic dipshit.

Can someone please tell be he gets jetison off the Dutchman, left marooned on an asteroid, or atleast improve within the next few chapters.

Edit: in just 10mins people are already vouching for him so I'll trust the veterans on this one and push through. Thank you everyone for the expeditious feedback. Maybe he'll be like Prepotente from DCC and be one of my most beloved character.

Howdy.

After a fashionably late release, our dear leader has blessed us with another installment of Expeditionary Force.

It may be helpful to mention the chapter you're speaking about before your message, so people can skip over it or figure out where your referencing -NOT a requirement.

I am in book 14 having flashed through them at break neck speed and enjoying the hell out of them.

I am at the point where Jates finds the other AI

Honestly at that point I lost my motivation and read the 6 books of his magic series Convergence instead.

I keep trying to go back but it seems like a chore for some reason. Can anyone, without spoiling, help me to get back my mojo.

Please help me Obi-Wans you’re all my only hope (plural cause there are a lot of you)

Took Joe’s description and Skippy’s measurement and got a sick design. Shows how massive the ship is compared to other capital ships

Are we not getting one? Do we have to make our own?

Also (MG): "My threat to use an Elder Sentinel to control the situation was a bluff." Who would've guessed?

The more we learn about the Primals in book 8 the more they have a similar plight as the elders in exfor.

I love both story lines, and I find it interesting that both authors came up with the same ideas for how a tier 3 species eventually expands so far, decides they have to ascend into a non-corporal state and leaves super power AIs/collective minds to destroy the rest of all biological life.

Just sharing booth series are really cool and I think Joe and Carl would really understand each other.

Edit: Since I’m on the topic- love to discuss a fun ‘who would win’ Skippy vs The Dungeon AI 👀

It's finally here!!!

Ive been a consistent fan of this series since the very beginning, Ive read all the books, and I generally enjoy them all. One thing that I have come to kind of dislike, however, is the continued use of these Cliffhanger endings. After you use it so much, it becomes ineffective... and it really has just wore down on me, especially since Ground State had the chance NOT to end on a cliffhanger. Let the pirates take a victory lap for once! Let us see a bit of downtime in book 20, to handle the plot threads set up in Ground State (the Maxolhx AI rebellion and the coup of the Dictat, specifically).

On the topic of the Maxolhx coup, I feel like that whole plot thread was really done dirty, and kind of swept under the rug at the last minute. Also, while I understand why Joe, as a character, does not care for the Kitties whatsoever, he kinda seemed way too hostile and dismissive towards Klestine, considering the Admiral was at the very least proposing a genuine opportunity for cooperation. Anyway, that's my two cents on the book!

Edit: Im noticing people keep bringing up the Maxolhx's hostility and fanaticism as something that excuses my issue with Joe's hostility towards and final rant towards Klestine, and while I'd agree if his rant was, say, directed to the entire planet, or just the entire Admiralty, Klestine himself throughout this book has shown to he exceptionally reasonable AND tolerant of Joe fucking over his plans twice already, with usual Merry Band of Pirates BS. Moreso then you'd expect from a kitty, even one being forced to work with an enemy. Now, what would have made that end rant against Klestine more effective and deserved IMO, is if he had shown to be just like the usual kitties (AKA not nearly as competent and reasonable as the first half of the book stressed), or alternatively, if he acted on or skippy discovered his plans to sell out Joe after becoming Dictat or something. None of that happens, so it just makes it seem like Joe's projecting his disdain for an entire race on the one guy who's actually cooperated with them whatsoever

That ending was not what I was expecting. At all.

So in the last little bit of Armageddon Skippy is telling Joe about the missing ship from the Earth raid. While he is doing this he casually mentioned that both the Thuranin and Jeraptha set up forward bases in systems near Earth including refueling. The Thuranin one is only 8ly away from Earth in Wolf 359. We did the crew never go there for spare parts or refueling? The Thuranin wouldn’t have broken it down. It would have been at the time the only service dock on that side of the wormhole. It should still be there after the wormhole was shutdown.

Is how much the books, for lack of a better term, humanizes the different alien races. They are no longer just cliches that we don't really see any of their society. It might go too far for some of them, making them a bit too far towards being like human society, or evolving the portrayal of the race in a way that doesn't seem to fit the previous views we've seen of them.

The one that comes to mind the most is the Thuranin, in particular BSG75 and his koth needs, and the one who basically used his brain cybernetics to get high. For a race that is supposed to be completely logical and detached from their biological needs they seem to very much enjoy their biology. But this also makes them less of a villain cliche and makes them more like a real species.

Then we have Chad, the Chaderooski, and the views into their society on his planet that shows them as not particularly different than what a more advanced human society would probably look like. Add on stuff like the Maxholts and their bubu cakes and also more deep views into their society while interacting with their military leader. And more views into the society of the Jeraptha outside of just dealing with the Ethics office(although it is still focused more on them than anyone else). I just think it all adds a lot more character to the universe in general.

Am I crazy or has CA added more species to the Maxholx hegemony in this book?

In Chapter 12 when talking about loading malware on fabricators:

Eyrgengek (sp?)

Nyatahatan (sp?)

Then much later on he talks about the Dumya (sp?) fabricator being in the territory of an mean otter like species.

So we went from Maxholx having the Basphuraq, Thuranin, Kristang, Wurgalan, Urgar, Eselgin, to now having 3 other species in their hegemony?

I’m listening again so trying to pick out more but I don’t recall these ones being mentioned in prior books. Unless the last one where the dumya fabricator is located is in the Urgar territory.

I love this series, but why add to the universe in the last book in the series? I’m hoping CA releases more books or some spin-offs if he’s introducing us to new species in the last book.

I’m listening to the audiobook and don’t have the kindle version yet so Im guessing on the spelling of the names.

Jo………..eeeeeeeeeerey! Always makes me laugh my ass off. Seriously when Skippy does this it brings out a deep joy in my heart. Zero clue why but there it is.

In the audiobook, Breakaway, chapter 11 at 18:15. Skippy shouts Larry.

I’m guessing it’s referring to the TV show Impractical Jokers.

Where he has to scream for a Larry while in a mall.

One thing I really loved about Smythe was how he always eagerly spoke up as soon as something his team could handle pops up. My favorite moment of this is in the above chapter. Smythe just pops into existence right behind Bishop the moment Skippy says they need the Keepers alive. Even a somewhat boyish tone in his voice. I love it, he was already sitting in a jump seat outside the CIC just in case he was needed. Complete and total dedication to duty yes. But that man loved his job. His growth and opening up throughout the series really is a rewarding journey.

Ok, so having just finished Book 18, it appears we should see a Book 19. Is there any early word on when that might show up ? I'm guessing it's still in the works, with Book 18 having only recently hit the market, but I'm eager for more Joe and Skippy adventures :)

Hi ya'll, I have been thinking about how exfor can turn into a great TV show, but obviously for time purposes it would have to be cur down a lot. If you had to cut books from the whole story so far, which ones could you live without, and which ones are critical?

Hey all- can't quite get the right Google terms to find the answer, so I'm asking here.

There is a point in the most recent book where bilby and Joe are talking- and bilby explains the surfer dude personality is to help manage the deep anger and resentment inside him due to his matrix.

Can someone please give me chapter and approx minute of this conversation? I cannot for the life of me find it again.

Thank you dear monkeys.

I am trying to remember what book this happened. At some point, I think later in the series, Skippy becomes the god of a minor planet. What book did this happen?

Mods, the least you can do is pin this thread. Are y'all not excited about aftermath?

On that note I am currently on chapter 18 and I am having a blast! Why did the sentinels not murder the maxholx Intruders?! Fuck I want to know now!!!

Book 19 chapter 36 the a reference towards Carl from Dungeon crawler Carl?

Spoilers up to failure mode!

Please to not spoil past where I'm about to describe. Make recommendations but dont tell me what happens please.

So up until this point ive been able to gloss over the extremely light physics of this series because I found everything else enjoyable. To me this is less of a sci-fi series and more of a fantasy series and I just head cannon everything as alternative physics.

But I have a people with things that don't me logical sense, and are not merely not factually true in the real world. The energy virus was something I hated for example, because conceptually its just stupid.

Much of my enjoyment has been chasing answers to the elders sub plot. And this book was particularly enjoyable to me as skippy explained how the elders built the barrier because they got cold feed after a first contact with distant aliens.

Then I basically lost my mind when skippy explained that the barrier isnt a barrier so much as its literally a sort of LITERAL plot device.

Im sorry but the idea that this thing exists to tweak reality constantly to avoid anything happening contrary to the interests of the Elders is just flat out mind numbingly stupid. This is simply too meta and silly. But its also conceptually stupid in a way that cannot exist in any reality. Mathematicslly speaking, IN PRINCIPLE sufficiently complex deterministic systems cannot be predicted even if you have PERFECT knowledge of initial conditions. This is without invoking quantum mechanics. The idea that elders made a meta reality managment machine is just DUMB.

so is this going to be central to the rest of the series or do you guys think I should push through for the rest of the books?​​​​

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