Contested Stars

Elsewhere, Book 4

By: Doug Lohse

Narrated by: James R Cheatham

Finally brought to the Grand Cosmic Contest as the latest and last arrival, Duke doesn’t get the luxury of preparation. Instead, he flows into the conflict, clawing his path through blood to fight for a top spot. Nearly every opponent is stronger, faster, and better connected, but Duke has his own hidden talents and now is the time to reveal them.

As he fights his way up the ranks, the truth begins to unravel. The Contest isn’t just sport or spectacle. It’s the playground of the Entities, a vast manipulation where champions are pieces in a game that shapes the power structure of the Cosmos. And Duke is the most unpredictable player in the game.

Old enemies rise from the void, new allies come to the forefront, and the deeper purpose of the Contest begins to ignite a chain reaction that won’t end when the final round is over. When the dust settles, the real battle will begin and this time, the stakes are far more than just personal.

©2025 Douglas Lohse (P)2025 Douglas Lohse

everything about this book is awesome!

great book all in all love the character progression and the depth of all the characters!

fun story line

Both the author and narrator do a fantastic job keeping you trapped in this series. I just binged all four books. Can't wait till the next book.

Still going strong

Unlike some series, Duke continues to grow yet encounter bigger and bigger challenges. Power creep issues are managed well and the story and series have good pacing throughout. I’m glad book 5 is coming out in about a month!

Theres always a bigger fish

Its been 5 installments for Duke so far and no matter how powerful he gets, he finds more trouble than even he can handle.

I really enjoy this series and how the stakes are constantly raised from the kingdom level of Book 1 to the galactic level of Book 5.