I acquired a assessment copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my assessment and all opinions are my very own.

Operation Bounce Home by Matt Dinniman

Mogsy’s Score: 4 of 5 stars

Style: Science Fiction

Sequence: Stand Alone

Writer: Ace (February 10, 2026)

Size: 448 pages

Writer Data: Web site

Like many others, I got here to Operation Bounce Home as a fan of Dungeon Crawler Carl. Let’s face it, at this level I’m just about going to learn something Matt Dinniman writes, and what higher strategy to get pleasure from extra of his work whereas ready for A Parade of Horribles? I’m additionally in want of a enjoyable diversion, and truthfully, this seems like one for the writer too.

First, this isn’t LitRPG, and I’m glad. A one-off standalone like Operation Bounce Home deserves the house to be its personal factor. The story is about on New Sonora, a colony planet largely populated by farming households who’ve constructed steady, self-sustaining communities after generations of surviving with out assist from Earth. Our protagonist Oliver Lewis is a younger colonist who lives on a ranch together with his sister, sustaining his land with the assistance of their agricultural bots and an AI system named Roger. Life hasn’t been simple for them, however they’ve discovered to make do. Whereas the colony nonetheless bears the scars of previous disasters, together with the wreckage of crashed ships and the lingering grief of a devastating plague, it’s their dwelling and they’re fiercely happy with the life they’ve managed to construct.

However all the pieces modifications when contact with Earth all of a sudden and totally reopens with on the spot communication and journey by way of a switch gate that was lengthy thought dormant. The rationale for this surprising drop-in? Repossession of all the planet. And as if that wasn’t brazen sufficient, Earth’s authorities has contracted a robust company to hold out the “eviction motion,” and somewhat than deploying extra conventional ways, they’ve determined to show the method right into a industrial alternative—a sport. Bored, rich Earthers have been provided an opportunity to take part in Operation Bounce Home, shelling out massive bucks to design the personal conflict mechs and remotely pilot them from their very own properties as they carry their assault on the folks of New Sonora. Confronted with an enemy that treats invasion like leisure and ignores the standard guidelines of conflict, Oliver and his fellow colonists should struggle to outlive, forcing them to assume creatively and adapt in methods they by no means imagined.

This one’s for all you followers of a great underdog struggle. Operation Bounce Home actually pits a bunch of farmers in opposition to a mecha military managed by what quantities to Twitch streamers. Hardly truthful, you may assume, however then Oliver and his mates aren’t as helpless as they appear. They’ve acquired just a few methods up their sleeves, together with Roger, who’s fingers down the most effective a part of the ebook and an AI you positively wouldn’t wish to cross. When you beloved the chaotic power of the AI in Dungeon Crawler Carl, you’ll acknowledge the same sass right here, although Roger could be very a lot his personal entity and apparently an skilled in psychological warfare who doesn’t imagine there’s any such factor as going too far. He’s like that loopy scary buddy you’re glad is in your aspect.

However regardless of the AI stealing the present, that is additionally a really human story, stuffed with camaraderie, shared love and loss. The characters are simple to root for, and as their private tales are progressively revealed over time, Oliver and his internal circle develop increasingly more relatable. They’re younger, lots of them are nonetheless unsure about their futures. They’re additionally often reckless, one other symptom of youth, but attempting their greatest to carry it collectively even because the world implodes round them. The plot sometimes eases up on its frenetic tempo to spend time on these relationships, from messy romances to sibling dynamics, and naturally, these are the moments that carry heat to a narrative which may in any other case really feel like all motion and no coronary heart.

Factor is, although, there may be loads of faction. And it’s quick and brutal. The prices of the battle are excessive, and Dinniman isn’t holding again. When horrible issues occur, you will really feel it, as in there’s not a lot room for emotional distance. But on the similar time, there are flashes of humor that come by way of right here and there, usually simply on the proper second to supply a little bit of respite in opposition to the darkness. Even so, it’s truthful to say this can be a extra somber and hard-hitting ebook than lots of Dinniman’s readers may count on.

Nonetheless, the writer’s private pursuits are clearly woven all through this novel, just like the gamer logic behind the invasion, the tactical planning earlier than and through battles, and the band rehearsals that thread by way of Oliver’s life. It reads like a ardour challenge, one thing Dinniman genuinely wished to discover, and that enthusiasm comes by way of within the heightened feelings and sharper, extra pointed humor.

In the long run, Operation Bounce Home felt like a satisfying detour. It’s darker and in a far more grounded in what I really feel is extra conventional science fiction, however nonetheless unmistakably Matt Dinniman in that it delivers a improbable style learn that doesn’t really feel like the identical previous stuff.