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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This was a decent read. The story moved along fairly well, and was relatively interesting. The characters were all relatively two-dimensional, the dialogue was a little wooden, and it tended to bog down with the author's military knowledge was put on display. But for the most part it moved at a good clip and kept me entertained. Nothing special, but entertaining enough.
After reading quite a few meaty books this year, I thought I'd try a bit of Light reading with Dauntless. A palette cleanser of sorts. I guess it's my fault then, because I got exactly what i wanted. This book is so light, in fact, that you'd be hard pressed to find any substance to it.
Hell, the plot can be summed up in under 5 sentences, without losing any subtleties from the book.
#SPOILER WARNING#
Our hero, Cap' Black Jack Geary has been in suspended animation in an escape pod, for the past 100 years. Everyone thught he was dead up until the "Alliance Fleet" picks him up en route to the big showdown with the "Syndics". In the 100 years since Jacks last breath, the Alliance had thought him the greatest hero. Every man, woman and child has heard of Black Jack Geary and his valiant deeds, finding him alive is basically the second coming of christ. Long story short, the final showdown goes wrong, the admiral of the fleet appoints Geary in command before getting murdered by the bad guys. Now it's Jacks responsibility to get everyone out of trouble. He does this by teaching the kids in charge of the fleet some old tricks from grandpas days. Insert some fake emotional turmoil, some strategy that's been lost to the fleet for a 100 years and zero character development. In the end, he comes out a hero for managing to beat an inferior enemy.
# END SPOILER #
I found the characters to be very 2 dimensional. The plot is bare bones as it is. I've heard that the later books are much better, but after the first book, I'm not sure i want to pick up another entry in the Lost Fleet
Hell, the plot can be summed up in under 5 sentences, without losing any subtleties from the book.
#SPOILER WARNING#
Our hero, Cap' Black Jack Geary has been in suspended animation in an escape pod, for the past 100 years. Everyone thught he was dead up until the "Alliance Fleet" picks him up en route to the big showdown with the "Syndics". In the 100 years since Jacks last breath, the Alliance had thought him the greatest hero. Every man, woman and child has heard of Black Jack Geary and his valiant deeds, finding him alive is basically the second coming of christ. Long story short, the final showdown goes wrong, the admiral of the fleet appoints Geary in command before getting murdered by the bad guys. Now it's Jacks responsibility to get everyone out of trouble. He does this by teaching the kids in charge of the fleet some old tricks from grandpas days. Insert some fake emotional turmoil, some strategy that's been lost to the fleet for a 100 years and zero character development. In the end, he comes out a hero for managing to beat an inferior enemy.
# END SPOILER #
I found the characters to be very 2 dimensional. The plot is bare bones as it is. I've heard that the later books are much better, but after the first book, I'm not sure i want to pick up another entry in the Lost Fleet
A solid bit of military SF on the whole, though not without a couple of issues. Pro: I like the protagonist and his main colleague/foil as characters. Con: They are really the only characters to progress beyond one dimension. Pro: the author's thought about the ramifications of the sheer size of space and how it will effect combat. Con: the descriptions of actual military engagements are rather abstracted and dry because of those ramifications. Pro: the good guy faction isn't just your default Judaeo-Christian white folks. Con: some of the elements of how the good guy faction's military has developed seem rather contrived.
Overall, I certainly liked it enough to read on to the second book.
Overall, I certainly liked it enough to read on to the second book.
There are many legends of heroes sleeping only to be awoken in the hour of greatest need. John Geary is that hero. When he is thawed out of survivial sleep a hundred years after his "death", he finds that his side, the Alliance, is still locked in the war that he died in and that his famous last stand has inspired all of the generations going to battle after him.
Can the man live up to the legend and remind the Alliance of everything they have forgotten in the hundred years of war?
This is a surprisingly entertaining space opera featuring 3d characters, actually interesting battles (they are usually a kind of long pause to me tbh) and an interesting universe.
Can the man live up to the legend and remind the Alliance of everything they have forgotten in the hundred years of war?
This is a surprisingly entertaining space opera featuring 3d characters, actually interesting battles (they are usually a kind of long pause to me tbh) and an interesting universe.
First book in a great space opera series. Blurb by William Dietz says "A rousing adventure...the kind of hero Hornblower fans will love" and that really says it all. If you like your heroes so noble it kinda hurts, Black Jack Geary's the one for you.
As a young soldier he's assumed killed in a particularly valiant military action at the start of a war. One hundred years later that war's still going on and his cryogenically frozen body is recovered from a "life raft". In a fast change of circumstances, he's forced to take command of a fleet deep in enemy territory in a desperate effort to get them home.
The adventure's good but what I particularly like about this universe is how the author portrays how 100 years of all-out war has altered how people think and react, and the culture shock Geary experiences as a result. And the science of fighting in space is explained well and with some interesting scientific insight.
Reading it was a nice way to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
As a young soldier he's assumed killed in a particularly valiant military action at the start of a war. One hundred years later that war's still going on and his cryogenically frozen body is recovered from a "life raft". In a fast change of circumstances, he's forced to take command of a fleet deep in enemy territory in a desperate effort to get them home.
The adventure's good but what I particularly like about this universe is how the author portrays how 100 years of all-out war has altered how people think and react, and the culture shock Geary experiences as a result. And the science of fighting in space is explained well and with some interesting scientific insight.
Reading it was a nice way to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
It’s pulp. It’s dumb. But it has it’s enjoyable moments. Would I read the next one over taking a chance on a new series? Maybe. But the antagonists in the story are so goddamn stupid that I would hate myself for it. It has the potential to be a lot of fun, but the villains in the story need more depth than 100% petulant man child.
This is a fast paced book. Main character is well developed with many sides and stresses that any leader can identify with. I am looking forward to other books in the series.
5* lebo:
- konečne kniha, pri ktorej som neposudzoval ale užíval si čítanie
- kniha, kvôli ktorej som pravidelne zabúdal vystupovať z električiek
- som sa zamyslel nad “pomalosťou” sveta (myslím rýchlosť svetla, ale kto nečítal asi nepochopí)
- som odkladal prečítanie posledných stránok, nechcel som, aby to skončilo
- milujem sci-fi, je to proste tak!
- konečne kniha, pri ktorej som neposudzoval ale užíval si čítanie
- kniha, kvôli ktorej som pravidelne zabúdal vystupovať z električiek
- som sa zamyslel nad “pomalosťou” sveta (myslím rýchlosť svetla, ale kto nečítal asi nepochopí)
- som odkladal prečítanie posledných stránok, nechcel som, aby to skončilo
- milujem sci-fi, je to proste tak!
Jack Campbell has built a brilliant universe for these stories and populated it with people who are at once alien and familiar. Best of all - his chief hero, John 'Black Jack' Geary, is powerful, intelligent, charismatic and (certainly so far at least) unproblematic! He judges people on their merit, treats people fairly and hasn't taken advantage of the hero worship that his legend affords him.
I'm really excited to have another sci-fi series I can read without cringing and rolling my eyes every five minutes.
Here's hoping this book will be a springboard into bigger better things for the Black Jack and his fleet.
I'm really excited to have another sci-fi series I can read without cringing and rolling my eyes every five minutes.
Here's hoping this book will be a springboard into bigger better things for the Black Jack and his fleet.
As military science fiction, this book is awesome. The battles were intense, and I felt as if I was holding my breath waiting to see what would go wrong and how things would turn out.
I bought this book for... uh... myself (sort of) because it was recommended by an author I like and because the plot is similar to Linnea Sinclair's ACCIDENTAL GODDESS: the MC reappears after a hundred years to find that he's made history as a hero (or goddess, in Sinclair's book). The only thing that bothered me were the italicized sections where the author switched to first person to have his MC explain his thinking or actions to the reader. I got over this after a while, but it did take me out of the story a little bit at first.
This book deserves 5 stars, but I'm giving it 4 because the science of time-delayed battled and .1, .2, and .5 lightspeed manuevers hurt my head. Plus, I like books which have a romantic subplot in them. If this book had that, it would well and truly rock. :-)
I bought this book for... uh... myself (sort of) because it was recommended by an author I like and because the plot is similar to Linnea Sinclair's ACCIDENTAL GODDESS: the MC reappears after a hundred years to find that he's made history as a hero (or goddess, in Sinclair's book). The only thing that bothered me were the italicized sections where the author switched to first person to have his MC explain his thinking or actions to the reader. I got over this after a while, but it did take me out of the story a little bit at first.
This book deserves 5 stars, but I'm giving it 4 because the science of time-delayed battled and .1, .2, and .5 lightspeed manuevers hurt my head. Plus, I like books which have a romantic subplot in them. If this book had that, it would well and truly rock. :-)