A review by mary_soon_lee
Dauntless by Jack Campbell

4.0

This is the first book in a military science fiction series. I read the bulk of it during a long day of travel involving two flights. I am not a person who enjoys flying, and this book was a perfect distraction. I was able to lose myself in the plight of its hero, a hero who has to combat both huge military challenges and the fact that his reputation has been inflated to legendary proportions. The situation felt somewhat contrived, but created the fuel for a thoroughly entertaining plot. I found the hero very likable. I liked his discomfort at playing the legendary figure others expected him to be. I also found the space battles nicely done — showing what might happen if two fleets clashed at a significant fraction of lightspeed. I'm hoping that later volumes in the series will develop the relationships between the main character and some of the secondary characters, and I should find out soon, as I plan to read book two on my return flights, if not before.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).