The First Protectors: A Novel

Written by Victor Godinez

Narrated by Stephen Bowlby

The last thing Ben Shepherd wanted was another war. But sometimes the universe won’t take no for an answer. His body and spirit mangled by a lifetime of combat, Shepherd, a retired Navy SEAL, has retreated to the desolate desert of New Mexico to heal his wounds and dodge his demons. All he wants now is peace and quiet. Both are shattered one starry night, when an alien ship crashes nearby. Out of the ship crawls the last, dying member of a conquered civilization. It’s been shot down by an extraterrestrial enemy, the vanguard of a ravenous force hunting for a new homeland. With its last gasp, the wounded alien injects Shepherd with a high-tech serum that gives him near superhuman powers. Now, with a new body but a soul as fractured as ever, Shepherd becomes the reluctant leader of the human resistance against the coming invasion. With enemies on all sides, the man who couldn’t bear the guilt of seeing one more friend die in battle now finds himself charged with protecting the entire planet.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Jul 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094424880

Victor Godinez

Victor Godinez is a former newspaper reporter and current works in public relations. He lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Sarah, three kids, two dogs and, according to the most recent household census, two guinea pigs. You can find him on twitter @VictorGodinez, where he rambles about self-driving cars, The Simpsons, and sci-fi.

Reviews for The First Protectors

[Lori Brock · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was the worst narrator I could not get into it

[stephaniebernardo802 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book was okay. I liked it but I did not feel like I was there with the characters. It lacked depth but to have that depth it would have been a much longer book.

[anne_kerns · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don’t normally go for military stuff but the sci-fi elements and character development all combined to make this really compelling. Couldn’t put it down. The only criticism is that it’s Georgia AVENUE not Georgia Street!

[Dale King · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Masterful narration. Intriguing story line and characters. On th the next in the series!

[Shauna Waughtel-Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic story. It would make an awesome movie. I only wish there was a second audiobook to follow this.

[Ural Huseyin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i think it was a great topic and relatively original one. My only negative comment is there is so many backstory (memories etc) for the non important secondary characters.

But it was a great listen.

[dazmac · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great read and goes from 0-100 at break neck speed. Written without a lot of unnecessary fluff. Love the narrator and the accents.

[Terry Hill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Riveting story, look forward to other stories by the author.

[Cindy McBrearty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Too much reflecting on loss of father , too much “chatter” between heros during battle and belabored final battle.

[steploc001 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A realy ,good story and audio book,I am hoping the story will continue,in a future book.

[Dyrella Star Lathan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn’t expect much but I was surprised how good this book was. It kept me engaged. I hope there will be for a second part.

[lori spencer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Really looking forward to your future books. Leaves you wanting more installments

[Cindy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulous story line, great details and well written. It was like watching an action packed movie!

[Catherine Shema · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not stop action. Really good plot. Not sure if next one is out but I’ll go looking.

[keri8christensen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book. It made you care about the characters, but it moved right along too. Some cool ideas. I look forward to the sequel.

[Steve Austin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an ok book I would like to listen to a 2nd book

[Michael Starr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good fast moving plots keep you in suspense hard to put down

[Joshua Connell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was hooked from the first chapter. Great read and wanted more when it ended.

[angela wilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining! A good distraction from everyday reality here on earth.

[Charlene Romanosky · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With any novel there are high points and some low. This is my first Science Fiction novel. It was better than I thought it would be. I’d like to read a follow up to this book.

[malinda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kept my interest throughout the book , really enjoyed the story line.

[Bob Grygo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

good action story is believable with the exception that the author makes Russia a great country and a powerful one

[Mariluz · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Really boring! It's just about a war and action scenes but you never get to know the characters in the book and the way the interact with other people.

[Manda Farkash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gotta have this as a movie! And sure hope there’s a sequel on the way

[Mike churchill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was pleasantly surprised. Very fast-paced and entertaining. A good investment of my time. I am looking forward to his next novel.

[belinda grimm · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Reads like an action flick…. Without the high def.. Regrets. I should have read the previous review. Ugh

[Sparky Smith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic gripping story, and I loved it! I will be checking for other stories from this author

[Robert Daley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book was fairly good, but I am tired of books where the small force defeats overwhelming odds, it’s so cliche. It would also have been nice to get narrative from the alien side of things.

[Steve Armbruster · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very engaging sci-fi novel set in modern times. Characters you care about and a great unique story line. Well done to this first time author. I look forward to future books.

[dan lawrence · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book with lots of action. I am not a big sci-fi fan but this book was well written and the narrator was really good. It was different than any other sci-fi book I have tried to read or listen to but stopped because it was so bad. The story for this is pretty out there but it’s different and the writer did a great job describing everything in detail but not to lose you with boredom. The book was funny, witty with a little bit of drama. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I can see where a lot of guys would like this book. It’s an action, military, special ops based sci-fi book. Can’t wait for the next one!