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hellishlyawkward's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This series was entertaining, easy fun, like an action film. It’s one of those tales where every boon and complication of seemingly the entire universe centres conveniently and inexplicably around the main character, but it was an enjoyable listen all the same.
tenthrow's review
5.0
Satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. Looking forward to reading the next trilogy in the series.
pjonsson's review
4.0
In all this was a good ending to the Black Fleet Trilogy although I would have liked it to be a happier one. The book continues the story of Captain Wolfe and his friends and, as is probably not too surprising, it works itself towards the grand finale tying the various threads together. As with the previous books in the series it provides for some quite decent, actually some very good, fleet action and generally good overall adventure.
Again Captain Wolfe has to fight a bit of an uphill battle against the politicians which are as useless and destructive as always and again he manages to circumvent said nincompoops attempts to sabotage things. Having said that, the politicians in question is kept on a somewhat short leash in this instalment. At least until the end.
The Captain’s friends are back of course and they are as likable as in the previous instalment. I still do really like the Pike character and the interactions between him and Captain Wolfe. That is not to say that the rest of the characters are any less likable. Even the previously not so likable Admiral became somewhat likable in this instalment. Emphasis on somewhat though.
There are a few twists in the plot. Again some more surprising than others although I have to say that none of them where really very unpredictable.I did like the interaction between the Phage “overmind” and Captain Wolfe and the final end game. The revelation of the involment of the Vruahns in the events from the start was a good plot element but not too surprising though.
My (only) real gripe with this book was the ending. The treatment of the person that, in reality, saved the human race from extinction was plain and simple deplorable. I know, I know I am a sucker for good ending so this is really a subjective opinion but to me it took away a bit of my enjoyment of this book.
Apart from that this was a really good book and a good ending of the trilogy.
Again Captain Wolfe has to fight a bit of an uphill battle against the politicians which are as useless and destructive as always and again he manages to circumvent said nincompoops attempts to sabotage things. Having said that, the politicians in question is kept on a somewhat short leash in this instalment. At least until the end.
The Captain’s friends are back of course and they are as likable as in the previous instalment. I still do really like the Pike character and the interactions between him and Captain Wolfe. That is not to say that the rest of the characters are any less likable. Even the previously not so likable Admiral became somewhat likable in this instalment. Emphasis on somewhat though.
There are a few twists in the plot. Again some more surprising than others although I have to say that none of them where really very unpredictable.I did like the interaction between the Phage “overmind” and Captain Wolfe and the final end game. The revelation of the involment of the Vruahns in the events from the start was a good plot element but not too surprising though.
My (only) real gripe with this book was the ending. The treatment of the person that, in reality, saved the human race from extinction was plain and simple deplorable. I know, I know I am a sucker for good ending so this is really a subjective opinion but to me it took away a bit of my enjoyment of this book.
Apart from that this was a really good book and a good ending of the trilogy.
righteousridel's review
2.0
The Search for Plot
If Joshua Dalzelle were to remove all the things I liked about the Black Fleet series, and magnify the parts I felt were mediocre or downright terrible, we would get Counterstrike. The Terran Confederacy, its politics, games of brinksmanship, and status quo-changing events were some of the best parts of this series. Spaceship combat and tactics were enjoyable and bloody. Both of these things are in short supply, and instead we're treated to overly aggressive pacing, recycled tropes and paper-thin caricatures.
I had previously praised the author for the effort spent in building up the Terran Confederacy. The events of Call to Arms foreshadowed major political and military consequences, but none of it is relevant in this novel. Instead, we focus on the main characters as they run away from existing complexities in order to find the plot. I'm not being facetious: there are three threads that require us to search the vastness of space.
Given the author's frantic pace of writing, there is little page count in the book left for anything more than the search for plot. Nearly all characters get downgraded in screentime: Singh, Wright, and even Pike. The new ally has a narrative POV but is on-screen so rarely that you'll be forgiven if you don't remember his first name, much less form any emotional attachment. And given the lack of page count, the recycled tropes are obvious and executed poorly.
If you disliked the politics of the previous books, and preferred the parts of Warship where spaceships were off on solo missions and shooting things, you may come away entertained. Honestly, the saving grace of this novel is that it's a quick, easy read. It's over so quickly that you may not even realize you're suffering.
Not recommended, with reservations.
I think where I went wrong was not recognizing that the author wanted to tell an entirely different type of story in each novel. The first was a classic Age of Sail novel, replacing the larger French vessel with the Phage Super Alpha. The second was a civil war. The third was exploration and aliens.
The issue is that I liked the worldbuilding and the Terran Confederacy, and so the ugly machinations of the civil war demanded more. Off-hand, the author ignored the President, the Ark, and two breakaway Enclaves. The political element (and declaration of martial law!) was handled entirely behind the scenes by Markham, who was then reduced to being the angry police chief to Wolfe's rules-breaking detective. Everything I felt was praiseworthy about this series was ignored.
What replaced it were Star Trek-style alien plots, where Wolfe met two new species and had "talks". Is this interesting? Yes, maybe, if it wasn't occuring during a civil war and alien invasion. Certainly it was worth exploring Blake and the Vruahn. Was it interesting enough to seperate Wolfe from human society three times? First he leaves (the abruptly ended Earth politics) to go solo and negotiate with the Vruahn, whereby he fights the Phage with their fancy technology. Then he goes off nearly solo (with Ninth Squadron) to find the Super Alpha. Then he goes off solo (with his ship) to kill the hive mind.
Seriously?
Oh and of course the Vruahn made the Phage. Insert eye-roll. And of course the Phage Hive Mind wants to speak with Wolfe for inexplicable reasons, while also never explaining what the 'test' was from the previous novel. And of course killing the Hive Mind instantly shuts down all Phage everywhere. These tropes are so boring that you really, really need to execute perfectly. Instead we rush through all of this in about 50 pages.
Pike, this time, was a transparent plot device. Wolfe returns to being an alcoholic as an introductory paragraph and this is never addressed again. Wright killed hundreds of Phage in a way that was neither satisfying nor important. We get no battles between the massive human fleet and the Phage. Blake dies for reasons. Singh dies for reasons. There's an abortive romance subplot that went nowhere and resulted in no character development. For a book whose summary was an offensive against the Phage where most will not survive, it's amazing how little is about an offensive, and how many do survive.
This novel could have been great -- we could have sent Wright and Pike to find the Hive Mind (thus reviving the tension between them). Markham and Wolfe could have managed the fleet, losing vast portions of it to defend humanity while shipping an offensive element, all the while dealing with political fallout and the morally questionable declaration of Martial Law. Wolfe could have even done his insubordination thing, stealing a few vessels in the midst of combat and flying to kill the Hive Mind off in the middle of nowhere, all the while Markham angrily swears.
But... we got nothing. We didn't even get fleet combat. What a shame.
Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts
★★★★☆ Warship (Black Fleet Trilogy, #1)
★★★☆☆ Call to Arms (Black Fleet Trilogy, #2)
★★☆☆☆ Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, #3)
Never a groundbreaking story, the Black Fleet Trilogy leans heavily on existing tropes and extremely fast-paced storytelling. This ends up being a double-edged sword, as the author races towards a conclusion that is neither surprising nor satisifying. If you're looking for a safe, easy read, this is for you.
★★☆☆☆ - Not recommended with reservations.
If Joshua Dalzelle were to remove all the things I liked about the Black Fleet series, and magnify the parts I felt were mediocre or downright terrible, we would get Counterstrike. The Terran Confederacy, its politics, games of brinksmanship, and status quo-changing events were some of the best parts of this series. Spaceship combat and tactics were enjoyable and bloody. Both of these things are in short supply, and instead we're treated to overly aggressive pacing, recycled tropes and paper-thin caricatures.
I had previously praised the author for the effort spent in building up the Terran Confederacy. The events of Call to Arms foreshadowed major political and military consequences, but none of it is relevant in this novel. Instead, we focus on the main characters as they run away from existing complexities in order to find the plot. I'm not being facetious: there are three threads that require us to search the vastness of space.
Given the author's frantic pace of writing, there is little page count in the book left for anything more than the search for plot. Nearly all characters get downgraded in screentime: Singh, Wright, and even Pike. The new ally has a narrative POV but is on-screen so rarely that you'll be forgiven if you don't remember his first name, much less form any emotional attachment. And given the lack of page count, the recycled tropes are obvious and executed poorly.
If you disliked the politics of the previous books, and preferred the parts of Warship where spaceships were off on solo missions and shooting things, you may come away entertained. Honestly, the saving grace of this novel is that it's a quick, easy read. It's over so quickly that you may not even realize you're suffering.
Not recommended, with reservations.
Spoiler
The following is in spoiler tags, and I say so since some Goodreads clients may not respect it. You've been warned:I think where I went wrong was not recognizing that the author wanted to tell an entirely different type of story in each novel. The first was a classic Age of Sail novel, replacing the larger French vessel with the Phage Super Alpha. The second was a civil war. The third was exploration and aliens.
The issue is that I liked the worldbuilding and the Terran Confederacy, and so the ugly machinations of the civil war demanded more. Off-hand, the author ignored the President, the Ark, and two breakaway Enclaves. The political element (and declaration of martial law!) was handled entirely behind the scenes by Markham, who was then reduced to being the angry police chief to Wolfe's rules-breaking detective. Everything I felt was praiseworthy about this series was ignored.
What replaced it were Star Trek-style alien plots, where Wolfe met two new species and had "talks". Is this interesting? Yes, maybe, if it wasn't occuring during a civil war and alien invasion. Certainly it was worth exploring Blake and the Vruahn. Was it interesting enough to seperate Wolfe from human society three times? First he leaves (the abruptly ended Earth politics) to go solo and negotiate with the Vruahn, whereby he fights the Phage with their fancy technology. Then he goes off nearly solo (with Ninth Squadron) to find the Super Alpha. Then he goes off solo (with his ship) to kill the hive mind.
Seriously?
Oh and of course the Vruahn made the Phage. Insert eye-roll. And of course the Phage Hive Mind wants to speak with Wolfe for inexplicable reasons, while also never explaining what the 'test' was from the previous novel. And of course killing the Hive Mind instantly shuts down all Phage everywhere. These tropes are so boring that you really, really need to execute perfectly. Instead we rush through all of this in about 50 pages.
Pike, this time, was a transparent plot device. Wolfe returns to being an alcoholic as an introductory paragraph and this is never addressed again. Wright killed hundreds of Phage in a way that was neither satisfying nor important. We get no battles between the massive human fleet and the Phage. Blake dies for reasons. Singh dies for reasons. There's an abortive romance subplot that went nowhere and resulted in no character development. For a book whose summary was an offensive against the Phage where most will not survive, it's amazing how little is about an offensive, and how many do survive.
This novel could have been great -- we could have sent Wright and Pike to find the Hive Mind (thus reviving the tension between them). Markham and Wolfe could have managed the fleet, losing vast portions of it to defend humanity while shipping an offensive element, all the while dealing with political fallout and the morally questionable declaration of Martial Law. Wolfe could have even done his insubordination thing, stealing a few vessels in the midst of combat and flying to kill the Hive Mind off in the middle of nowhere, all the while Markham angrily swears.
But... we got nothing. We didn't even get fleet combat. What a shame.
Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts
★★★★☆ Warship (Black Fleet Trilogy, #1)
★★★☆☆ Call to Arms (Black Fleet Trilogy, #2)
★★☆☆☆ Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, #3)
Never a groundbreaking story, the Black Fleet Trilogy leans heavily on existing tropes and extremely fast-paced storytelling. This ends up being a double-edged sword, as the author races towards a conclusion that is neither surprising nor satisifying. If you're looking for a safe, easy read, this is for you.
★★☆☆☆ - Not recommended with reservations.
adherrling's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A good conclusion to a strong series. Fun story in a hard sci-fi setting, and the first book also has gravity-assisted kinetic munitions, one of my favorite tropes in sci Fi
readerxxx's review
4.0
Skimmed a lot of this one but still a good book. Wish the author had spent more time on the action scenes and less on the build up.
redstickredsox's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of this book dragged on terribly. I got the sense that the author had written the final confrontation in his head but didn't know how to get all the characters to that point. The resolution, however, was interesting and satisfying, but I'm not sure I'm willing to read the first half again.
kniznypredator's review against another edition
3.0
Konečne viac deju, politiky a vysvetlení. Aj keď stále veľa textu zaberajú rozkazy a kompletne popisy, čo sa ako krúti a akou rýchlosťou, no toto bol podľa mňa najlepší diel. Záver bol tak trochu klišé, ale inak fajn sci-fi. A síce si nepotrpím na romantiku, ale to, čo tam autor rozohral bolo trochu sklamaním.
Stále som musela myslieť na Expanse, ktorý je oproti tomuto oveľa viac 3D.
Stále som musela myslieť na Expanse, ktorý je oproti tomuto oveľa viac 3D.