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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Throw some emotional circumstances, time travel, and war-time pressures into space, toss with a side of realism, and you have this interesting adventure. Trigger warning for adoptees: Lost family/heritage issues.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to a Barnes & Noble receipt recommendation--you know the ones, the “if you like this book you might like these titles”--I discovered Jack Campbell’s Lost Fleet series. Dauntless was the simple science fiction novel I’d been seeking.
Space ships. Light-speed travel. High-tech weapons systems. Crotchety captains and commanders. Epic interplanetary battles. It’s all here.
Space ships. Light-speed travel. High-tech weapons systems. Crotchety captains and commanders. Epic interplanetary battles. It’s all here.
There are a lot of things that I like in this story. It is a science fiction book that delves into the question of how societies change over time. It also has scenes of capital ship combat, along with realistic explanations of relativistic speed in space travel. The story is entertaining and I would recommend this to anyone who likes to read about spaceship combat.
Excellent Space Opera! Starts off in the thick of it and goes from there. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
This is a 2.5 more than a 3. The story was okay Some things weren't very convincing.
Namely, when Geary uses those 'old tactics' on the final battle of the book, the justification of why they didn't use that kind of complex strategy seemed very hollow. Everyone that knew them and the people being taught by them died and the information was lost? But what about recordings? Humans are so technologically advanced but they don't keep records of their tactics?
I wasn't very well impressed by the book, so I'm not sure I'll follow the rest of the series.
Namely, when Geary uses those 'old tactics' on the final battle of the book, the justification of why they didn't use that kind of complex strategy seemed very hollow. Everyone that knew them and the people being taught by them died and the information was lost? But what about recordings? Humans are so technologically advanced but they don't keep records of their tactics?
I wasn't very well impressed by the book, so I'm not sure I'll follow the rest of the series.
I stumbled upon a later book in this series that caught my interest. As usually, I don't like to start a series in the middle, so I looked up book 1. All too often, book 1 doesn't grab me as much as the new book and I pass. Not so this time. I picked up the book and read the first chapter and was immediately impressed. I like naval fiction and have classified this sci-fi book in a similiar way. It has a feel of historical naval fiction because of the style of combat, (time lag in maneuvers) and other nuances. Ultimately, for me, I had to like the main Character - Jack Geary to like the novel and I did. He feels right for his circumstances. He speaks his inner voice in one that holds true.
this novel takes place a hundred years into the war with the syndics, after a battle that has crippled the alliance fleet. You get a sense of the polictics and effort that got the alliance to this point, but it's all clouded from Jack as he wakes up from a hundred year sleepover in an escape pod. You see, he is a legend now, from actions done during the first years of the war and all thought he was lost in that last engagement. Turns out he wasn't...and he brings his reputatio and his old school way of doing things into the future to help the alliance get out of the predicament it's in.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this installment and have already purchased book 2 to read...
this novel takes place a hundred years into the war with the syndics, after a battle that has crippled the alliance fleet. You get a sense of the polictics and effort that got the alliance to this point, but it's all clouded from Jack as he wakes up from a hundred year sleepover in an escape pod. You see, he is a legend now, from actions done during the first years of the war and all thought he was lost in that last engagement. Turns out he wasn't...and he brings his reputatio and his old school way of doing things into the future to help the alliance get out of the predicament it's in.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this installment and have already purchased book 2 to read...
Military sci-fi is my guilty pleasure. All the usual flaws of the genre are present in "Dauntless", the writing is straight-forwardly direct and the characters are uniformly without nuance, but damn is it fun to read about space battles. I came in looking for lasers and missiles firing and ships blowing up and I certainly got that.
Now the battles are all a lot of fun to follow, but as a long-time reader of space operas, I will say that while the details all feel very real, there's not a lot of depth to the strategic and tactical side of things. Pretty much everyone other than the main character is on the same military level as a banzai-charge samurai.
Don't go into this book expecting brilliant tactics or compelling characters, but if you're looking for an easy read with solid action, you can't go wrong with Dauntless.
Now the battles are all a lot of fun to follow, but as a long-time reader of space operas, I will say that while the details all feel very real, there's not a lot of depth to the strategic and tactical side of things. Pretty much everyone other than the main character is on the same military level as a banzai-charge samurai.
Don't go into this book expecting brilliant tactics or compelling characters, but if you're looking for an easy read with solid action, you can't go wrong with Dauntless.
DNF @40. nothing wrong with the book but I’ve read too many rehashed versions of battlestar galactica to stay interested in reading it again.
The Lost Fleet, BK1, Dauntless
Author: Jack Campbell
Publisher: Ace Books
Publishing Date: 2006
Pgs: 293 pages
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century—and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief....
Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.
Appalled by the hero worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance’s one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic “Black Jack” legend...
_________________________________________
Genre:
Science Fiction
Space Fleet
Space Opera
Adventure
Militaria
Why this book:
Since I burned out on Star Carrier at Book #6, I'm hoping this feeds my science fiction space militaria hunger.
_________________________________________
The Page 100 Test:
Ω ◄ - struggle to finish this.
? ◄ - Just not sure about this.
± ◄ - could go either way
❚█══█❚ ◄ - this requires heavy lifting
The Feel:
There is a “are they going to sleep together” feel to Captain Geary’s interactions with the political officer.
Tropes:
Wish the author had forgone the trope of having some of the commanders resent Black Jack's command amid the murmurs of dissent as he had his first meeting with the fleet captains. It’s a trope that the story could have done without.
Political officers on naval ships is a trope that I wish had been left on the ash heap of history with the Soviet Union.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
Science fiction writers seem to be deeply in love with the political officers on naval vessels' idea. You see it in the Honor Harrington books and here. It was in the Star Carrier books.
Strikeout:
Geary talking with Desanji after their "temporary" escape from the Syndic fleet, asking her why they don't negotiate peace when he just saw what they did to Admiral Bloch and his command staff is extremely out-of-character and deeply stupid. This is the kind of stupid statement that makes me question whether I want to read this book/series or not. This bothers me. May be a bridge too far. I’m calling this Strike One.
Considering what the story is purportedly about, the story is more focused on fleet politics and infighting than starship battles. Strike Two.
_________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
Finished it. Probably won't be back. It's an interesting concept. Not enough gunfight, ship battle stuff for me. YMMV.
=======================================
Author: Jack Campbell
Publisher: Ace Books
Publishing Date: 2006
Pgs: 293 pages
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century—and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he has been heroically idealized beyond belief....
Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.
Appalled by the hero worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance’s one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic “Black Jack” legend...
_________________________________________
Genre:
Science Fiction
Space Fleet
Space Opera
Adventure
Militaria
Why this book:
Since I burned out on Star Carrier at Book #6, I'm hoping this feeds my science fiction space militaria hunger.
_________________________________________
The Page 100 Test:
Ω ◄ - struggle to finish this.
? ◄ - Just not sure about this.
± ◄ - could go either way
❚█══█❚ ◄ - this requires heavy lifting
The Feel:
There is a “are they going to sleep together” feel to Captain Geary’s interactions with the political officer.
Tropes:
Wish the author had forgone the trope of having some of the commanders resent Black Jack's command amid the murmurs of dissent as he had his first meeting with the fleet captains. It’s a trope that the story could have done without.
Political officers on naval ships is a trope that I wish had been left on the ash heap of history with the Soviet Union.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
Science fiction writers seem to be deeply in love with the political officers on naval vessels' idea. You see it in the Honor Harrington books and here. It was in the Star Carrier books.
Strikeout:
Geary talking with Desanji after their "temporary" escape from the Syndic fleet, asking her why they don't negotiate peace when he just saw what they did to Admiral Bloch and his command staff is extremely out-of-character and deeply stupid. This is the kind of stupid statement that makes me question whether I want to read this book/series or not. This bothers me. May be a bridge too far. I’m calling this Strike One.
Considering what the story is purportedly about, the story is more focused on fleet politics and infighting than starship battles. Strike Two.
_________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
Finished it. Probably won't be back. It's an interesting concept. Not enough gunfight, ship battle stuff for me. YMMV.
=======================================