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The Last Hunter #9
Ships of the Line
Victory belongs to the strong and cunning warrior.
Admiral Jack Romanoff and his crew have turned two enemies against one another via misdirection and timing. That gives them the breathing room to get back to their feet, but as any savvy commander knows, the footing on any battlefield is treacherous. One misstep could cost a warrior everything.
Blood is the only coin that can buy victory.
With things falling apart in the Confederation proper, the future looks grim. All that can change for the worse in an instant, and only vigilance and courage can stop the enemies of humanity from extinguishing the flickering candle of the human species. Backed into a corner, he will pay the price for victory.
Let whoever wants to die first test their resolve.
Admiral Jack Romanoff and his crew have turned two enemies against one another via misdirection and timing. That gives them the breathing room to get back to their feet, but as any savvy commander knows, the footing on any battlefield is treacherous. One misstep could cost a warrior everything.
Blood is the only coin that can buy victory.
With things falling apart in the Confederation proper, the future looks grim. All that can change for the worse in an instant, and only vigilance and courage can stop the enemies of humanity from extinguishing the flickering candle of the human species. Backed into a corner, he will pay the price for victory.
Let whoever wants to die first test their resolve.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2023
680 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
J.N. Chaney
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 8, 2023
Another installment of THE LAST HUNTER series. Still enjoyable but I think that the plot has slowed down to a crawl. I really was hoping we'd get some resolution to the Poseidon Group plotline but this seems mostly to be spinning wheels. Still, I very much enjoy the characters and am interested in where things are going to go. The Last Hunter is basically a very long television series entering its third or fourth season. The wheel spinning until we get to bigger plot bits is only a minor bit to just spending time in another reality.
July 16, 2023
This book does not even deserve one star. The series started off so good and then inexplicably the last two books were so different as to be written by different authors who have most likely only written text books for technical schools. There was zero action. Each chapter was spent taking us through every boring detail of what the character was doing including typing, eating, sleeping, talking, more typing and more eating. What the hell. This entire book could have been condensed into about 25 pages of so so material. The rest is absolute garbage. Hopefully they will not continue to torture us further with another in this series. This is truly a low point for the author.
June 29, 2023
Snoozefest
“Ships of the Line...Book 9” by Chaney and Mixon is a poorly written and executed snoozefest of a mess that is a prime example of a geriatric ‘hobbyist’ author. Examples listed on Goodreads.
Read fully via KU and not recommended.
“Ships of the Line...Book 9” by Chaney and Mixon is a poorly written and executed snoozefest of a mess that is a prime example of a geriatric ‘hobbyist’ author. Examples listed on Goodreads.
Read fully via KU and not recommended.
January 20, 2024
Good book
The book builds to an exciting finish. Most of the book is spent on development of the many threads which lead to the exciting finish. Perhaps too much on the threads.
The book builds to an exciting finish. Most of the book is spent on development of the many threads which lead to the exciting finish. Perhaps too much on the threads.
November 9, 2023
Explanations Ad Nauseam.
I'm trying to read this thing and all it is is telling you about everything and not showing you what is happening between the characters. I read the other books previous to this and didn't notice An explanation is so much description and explanations. On and on it goes through n the beginning.
Will try listening to it again some tonight but if it's More of the same thing, I'm throwing this away and not finishing the series. DNF
I did get this book from amazon with kindle unlimited So at least I'm not out any money Except for my monthly membership.
I'm trying to read this thing and all it is is telling you about everything and not showing you what is happening between the characters. I read the other books previous to this and didn't notice An explanation is so much description and explanations. On and on it goes through n the beginning.
Will try listening to it again some tonight but if it's More of the same thing, I'm throwing this away and not finishing the series. DNF
I did get this book from amazon with kindle unlimited So at least I'm not out any money Except for my monthly membership.
September 3, 2023
Well this book is mostly about the administrative stuff behind all the fighting. Admiral Jack Romanoff and his widely spread staff are busy working to recover from their most recent conflicts with the Novarites and Tardans.They have captured a number of Novarite colony ships full of civilians. The Tardan colony ships have been pretty much dealt with since they have been sent off to a planet that is most suitable to their species. Meanwhile, Admiral Romanoff must find a place for these Novarite civilians to live. They have similar requirements as humans so it would have been nice if an uninhabited planet in the current system was available.
But, that’s not the case. So, Jack has decided to attempt to settle them on New Copenhagen. That world had been devastated by the Locus and Novarite invasion and were desperately trying to recover their society. But, they did have an entire continent that was sparsely or uninhabited which would be fine for the Novarites. He just had to make it happen. Of course this wasn’t going to be easy. Who wanted a huge contingent of your enemy dumped on your planet. Still, these Novarites were not the military and they weren’t the ones that caused the destruction. Most all of them were stored away sleeping in their stasis-chambers unaware of what their military faction was doing. Yet, the Novarite civilians can be hard-noised and difficult to work with, but they knew they had no choice but to accept what Romanoff could arrange for them and knew they had to work things out. Now Jack just had to convince the Confederation Council that his plane was the best solution. That wasn’t going to be easy.
Meanwhile, Admiral Eric Romanoff has just shown up at Argent. He had managed to escape through the wormhole gate that India MacKinnon has setup from Confederation HQ. His ship was battered to heck and barely able to move, yet when he got through the first gate, there was a freighter waiting just incase something like this happened. It took the Admiral’s ship close-in so that it could share in the jump drive back to Argent. To say Jack Romanoff was surprised to see his father was an understatement. He was also a little wary that his father might try to step in and take command of the war which he didn’t think would be a wise move. So, that’s another problem he’s facing and must work out.
Then Lisa Gain found some more interesting tech that Patrick had left for her and her associates. This involved a learning tool that feed skills right into the brain of the person wearing the device. Through it, one could learn the Novarite or Tardan language overnight. It also included tapes for the “kingdom” language or the language of Patrick’s people. Lisa set about learning all these languages although she knew most of them already. Soon she was able to pass these tapes and the device to Professor Prescott and he began to learn these languages also. But, that’s not all Patrick left. For deep in the bottom of the defense building they were using as a research center, Patrick had built and amazing complex with assembly lines setup and ready to manufacture all of the new devices he had revealed to Lisa. To say that was mind-boggling was an understatement. Then to top it off, Lisa found out he had left her, personally, an underground private apartment with a hanger which house a secret starship for her exclusive use! Lisa didn’t even know how to fly, yet there were tapes left to provide her with those skills. She had a lot of work and she was going to definitely need the help of Professor Prescott and probably his friend, Christine.
So, there’s a lot going on with this book, but not much fighting until the very end. Surprisingly, this will involve some civilian interaction that kind of saves the day, but now Admiral Romanoff has a lot more to worry about since a lot more Novarites have just shown up. He still needs to free the rest of this system from the Locust and hopefully, Lisa might have figured out a way.
The next book, “[Operation Liberty](https://amzn.to/45UOUSl)”, sounds like Jack and the rest are definitely going back to war.
But, that’s not the case. So, Jack has decided to attempt to settle them on New Copenhagen. That world had been devastated by the Locus and Novarite invasion and were desperately trying to recover their society. But, they did have an entire continent that was sparsely or uninhabited which would be fine for the Novarites. He just had to make it happen. Of course this wasn’t going to be easy. Who wanted a huge contingent of your enemy dumped on your planet. Still, these Novarites were not the military and they weren’t the ones that caused the destruction. Most all of them were stored away sleeping in their stasis-chambers unaware of what their military faction was doing. Yet, the Novarite civilians can be hard-noised and difficult to work with, but they knew they had no choice but to accept what Romanoff could arrange for them and knew they had to work things out. Now Jack just had to convince the Confederation Council that his plane was the best solution. That wasn’t going to be easy.
Meanwhile, Admiral Eric Romanoff has just shown up at Argent. He had managed to escape through the wormhole gate that India MacKinnon has setup from Confederation HQ. His ship was battered to heck and barely able to move, yet when he got through the first gate, there was a freighter waiting just incase something like this happened. It took the Admiral’s ship close-in so that it could share in the jump drive back to Argent. To say Jack Romanoff was surprised to see his father was an understatement. He was also a little wary that his father might try to step in and take command of the war which he didn’t think would be a wise move. So, that’s another problem he’s facing and must work out.
Then Lisa Gain found some more interesting tech that Patrick had left for her and her associates. This involved a learning tool that feed skills right into the brain of the person wearing the device. Through it, one could learn the Novarite or Tardan language overnight. It also included tapes for the “kingdom” language or the language of Patrick’s people. Lisa set about learning all these languages although she knew most of them already. Soon she was able to pass these tapes and the device to Professor Prescott and he began to learn these languages also. But, that’s not all Patrick left. For deep in the bottom of the defense building they were using as a research center, Patrick had built and amazing complex with assembly lines setup and ready to manufacture all of the new devices he had revealed to Lisa. To say that was mind-boggling was an understatement. Then to top it off, Lisa found out he had left her, personally, an underground private apartment with a hanger which house a secret starship for her exclusive use! Lisa didn’t even know how to fly, yet there were tapes left to provide her with those skills. She had a lot of work and she was going to definitely need the help of Professor Prescott and probably his friend, Christine.
So, there’s a lot going on with this book, but not much fighting until the very end. Surprisingly, this will involve some civilian interaction that kind of saves the day, but now Admiral Romanoff has a lot more to worry about since a lot more Novarites have just shown up. He still needs to free the rest of this system from the Locust and hopefully, Lisa might have figured out a way.
The next book, “[Operation Liberty](https://amzn.to/45UOUSl)”, sounds like Jack and the rest are definitely going back to war.
June 28, 2023
Fantastic!
As a big fan of Chaney and Mixon I really shouldn't be surprised how good this book is. I've been waiting somewhat impatiently for it and it definitely didn't disappoint. The characters and storyline are so easy to love and get into that it seems like you're there fighting beside them. Personally I love the Patrick character and the odd relationship with Lisa but all are great. I'll admit getting choked up in places like the distribution of promotions. Fantastic read and if you haven't read any Chaney this is a great series to start. All you LMBPN fans out there give these a shot you won't be disappointed. The Sentenced to War, Backyard Starship, Messenger, and Uplink Squadron are all excellent and thank goodness the release dates are spread around to always have a good book to read. But they're all so good you get sucked in and end up reading them in a day or two and craving more. I've rambled enough so.... Thanks for what you do. It really does make a difference in someone's lives. It sure does in mine.
As a big fan of Chaney and Mixon I really shouldn't be surprised how good this book is. I've been waiting somewhat impatiently for it and it definitely didn't disappoint. The characters and storyline are so easy to love and get into that it seems like you're there fighting beside them. Personally I love the Patrick character and the odd relationship with Lisa but all are great. I'll admit getting choked up in places like the distribution of promotions. Fantastic read and if you haven't read any Chaney this is a great series to start. All you LMBPN fans out there give these a shot you won't be disappointed. The Sentenced to War, Backyard Starship, Messenger, and Uplink Squadron are all excellent and thank goodness the release dates are spread around to always have a good book to read. But they're all so good you get sucked in and end up reading them in a day or two and craving more. I've rambled enough so.... Thanks for what you do. It really does make a difference in someone's lives. It sure does in mine.
July 6, 2023
Great Read
Admiral Jack Romanoff is battling three different adversaries! The Poseidon Group pulled off a coup on the other side of the cluster. That problem has to wait. There are two separate alien races trying to take over the cluster who had superior technology. But Admiral Romanoff supports his people and listens to them. He encourages his people to look at problems and find solutions. He has some of the best brain trusts in the cluster who are always looking to improve their situation. Also having Patrick the Spy/Assassin from a third alien species willing to help a few of the brain trusts especially, Lisa, with advanced weaponry, stealth ability, manufacturing, and computer skills that include learning while sleeping technology. Doing all this while still dealing with politicians with their own agenda/greed. Can’t wait for the climactic conclusion in the final book 10 on the series!!!
Admiral Jack Romanoff is battling three different adversaries! The Poseidon Group pulled off a coup on the other side of the cluster. That problem has to wait. There are two separate alien races trying to take over the cluster who had superior technology. But Admiral Romanoff supports his people and listens to them. He encourages his people to look at problems and find solutions. He has some of the best brain trusts in the cluster who are always looking to improve their situation. Also having Patrick the Spy/Assassin from a third alien species willing to help a few of the brain trusts especially, Lisa, with advanced weaponry, stealth ability, manufacturing, and computer skills that include learning while sleeping technology. Doing all this while still dealing with politicians with their own agenda/greed. Can’t wait for the climactic conclusion in the final book 10 on the series!!!
August 20, 2023
Lots of planning
The majority of the book is about the rebuilding and restructuring of the military and the reorganisation of the government body, in fact nothing battle wise occurs until the very end of the book
A number of pleasant surprises for the admiral for once and things do appear to be improving for themselves all overall, but as ever there has to be a downside at some point
Lisa is the star of this book, along with the professor and the whole over ridding premise is that things in their area is improving whilst everything around them needs their solutions
Oh and as an aside, another Ramanoff turns up
The majority of the book is about the rebuilding and restructuring of the military and the reorganisation of the government body, in fact nothing battle wise occurs until the very end of the book
A number of pleasant surprises for the admiral for once and things do appear to be improving for themselves all overall, but as ever there has to be a downside at some point
Lisa is the star of this book, along with the professor and the whole over ridding premise is that things in their area is improving whilst everything around them needs their solutions
Oh and as an aside, another Ramanoff turns up
July 17, 2023
Best so far.
Jack brings hunter back from engaging the Locus and gets caught up in politics. He treats it like a battle, finds he has some allies and makes a couple of enemies. Hunter is repaired and ready for battle, but everyone has that feeling like something is going to go wrong. While Hunter is away the unthinkable happens, but some of our heroes step up to help. Will it be enough? Great books, probably the best so far. Nixon and Chaney tie up some loose ends and there is a lot going on. This book was masterfully done.
Jack brings hunter back from engaging the Locus and gets caught up in politics. He treats it like a battle, finds he has some allies and makes a couple of enemies. Hunter is repaired and ready for battle, but everyone has that feeling like something is going to go wrong. While Hunter is away the unthinkable happens, but some of our heroes step up to help. Will it be enough? Great books, probably the best so far. Nixon and Chaney tie up some loose ends and there is a lot going on. This book was masterfully done.
July 2, 2023
This was an OK story, but the majority of the book was quite slow and repetitive at times. Also I don’t particularly like the continual introduction of new technology supplied by ‘Patrick’, it feels like when the authors write themselves into a bit of a corner, they bail themselves out by conjuring up some new ‘Patrick’ supplied technology.
All the action comes right at the end and in some ways saved the book for me. If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
All the action comes right at the end and in some ways saved the book for me. If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
November 9, 2023
I have been enjoying this series. Especially the early books. This one, however, can be summed up in one word: "Filler". Almost nothing happens in this volume. It's not necessarily difficult to read, but it just draws out forever. I don't need tons of action if it doesn't feel like we are just padding out a word count. I'm sure I'll keep reading the series but if it turns into a fluff fest, I have better things to do with my time.
June 2, 2024
Another rousing good battle.
Selfishness in the face of anililation is unreasonable, even from politicions. But Jack has to face that while still trying to stay abrest of two different invading forces.
Patrick is still an enigma. But he is leaving powerful gifts to help them to arm themselves against the ever mounting list of enemies.
Time and circumstances join together to give our team a needed break to achieve victory. For the moment.
Selfishness in the face of anililation is unreasonable, even from politicions. But Jack has to face that while still trying to stay abrest of two different invading forces.
Patrick is still an enigma. But he is leaving powerful gifts to help them to arm themselves against the ever mounting list of enemies.
Time and circumstances join together to give our team a needed break to achieve victory. For the moment.
June 8, 2024
Against overwhelming odds
The various people who Jack Romanoff has collected together have contributed greatly to the development of the Hunter as an even more powerful vessel than she was originally. They have also begun venturing out to find new roles to take on in their respective missions, all strongly determined to defend their own.
Lisa is finding new ways to take advantage of the presents that Patrick left behind that may surprise even him!
The various people who Jack Romanoff has collected together have contributed greatly to the development of the Hunter as an even more powerful vessel than she was originally. They have also begun venturing out to find new roles to take on in their respective missions, all strongly determined to defend their own.
Lisa is finding new ways to take advantage of the presents that Patrick left behind that may surprise even him!
July 2, 2023
Kept my attention to the very last line. Interesting turns and twist all the way through.
This was one of the most interesting books of the series. Lots of twists and turns. What is Patrick up to. Can Jack show me the commander he is under the shadow of his father. Will his love life get too complicated. And how will all those new officers work out in the future.
This was one of the most interesting books of the series. Lots of twists and turns. What is Patrick up to. Can Jack show me the commander he is under the shadow of his father. Will his love life get too complicated. And how will all those new officers work out in the future.
August 26, 2023
...
I've enjoyed this series so far. I just wish the authors hadn't decided to rely on a deus ex machina. For me it starts being a bit unbelievable. Not that there haven't been events in previous books that seemed a little unlikely it was just easier to overlook them when they weren't quite so expansive.
I've enjoyed this series so far. I just wish the authors hadn't decided to rely on a deus ex machina. For me it starts being a bit unbelievable. Not that there haven't been events in previous books that seemed a little unlikely it was just easier to overlook them when they weren't quite so expansive.
September 6, 2023
ANOTHER GREAT BOOK TO ADD TO THE SERIES
J.N. Chaney & Terry Mixon have done it again in book number nine in The Last Hunter series "Ships of the Line." There are a lot of logistics and politics involved in fighting a war. The characters pulling together to take the fight to the invaders as well as defending the little bit of the territory they control.
J.N. Chaney & Terry Mixon have done it again in book number nine in The Last Hunter series "Ships of the Line." There are a lot of logistics and politics involved in fighting a war. The characters pulling together to take the fight to the invaders as well as defending the little bit of the territory they control.
March 9, 2024
Nothing interesting in this one, except maybe the last chapters.
So many useless pages, endless dialogues, laborious technical and technological development in extenso, pointless planning in meetings, summaries of summaries. Probably the worst of the series to this point.
Boredom elevated to the rank of major art.
So many useless pages, endless dialogues, laborious technical and technological development in extenso, pointless planning in meetings, summaries of summaries. Probably the worst of the series to this point.
Boredom elevated to the rank of major art.
June 27, 2023
Everything coming together
The Last Hunter series has matured all the characters and raised the stakes for the final book due out later in the year.
Chaney & Mixon tell a good story
The Last Hunter series has matured all the characters and raised the stakes for the final book due out later in the year.
Chaney & Mixon tell a good story
June 27, 2023
Just in the nick of time
Trying not to spoil this book. Jack Romanoff and associates are up to their necks with trouble, great overall book in the series, bring on No.10
Overall rating 4.75/5
Trying not to spoil this book. Jack Romanoff and associates are up to their necks with trouble, great overall book in the series, bring on No.10
Overall rating 4.75/5
July 3, 2023
An amazing story continues
Love this story and the characters. I was a little bogged down with all the details but still loved the book. Can't wait for the next instalment. I have read several books by these authors and would recommend them to anyone.
Love this story and the characters. I was a little bogged down with all the details but still loved the book. Can't wait for the next instalment. I have read several books by these authors and would recommend them to anyone.
July 17, 2023
Love this series.
This novel was excellent. The space action was fast paced and heart stopping. The characters keep getting more fleshed out with each novel. Keep up the great writting.
This novel was excellent. The space action was fast paced and heart stopping. The characters keep getting more fleshed out with each novel. Keep up the great writting.
July 26, 2023
Very very good
The book was as always very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending. It was also very enjoyable to see the characters we've come to know blossoming and growing such as the admiral and others. Can't wait for the next book.
The book was as always very good. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending. It was also very enjoyable to see the characters we've come to know blossoming and growing such as the admiral and others. Can't wait for the next book.
December 13, 2023
This series has been good, but Patrick being a literal demigod installing warehouses full of machinery and basically being a god is terrible, lazy writing. The plot does not move forward for this entire book.
January 3, 2024
SO MUCH TIME spent on drone description.
Really got into the weeds on the sensors and deployment buoys. Would have been great to have more detailed battle scenes and way less detail on everything else.
Really got into the weeds on the sensors and deployment buoys. Would have been great to have more detailed battle scenes and way less detail on everything else.
December 22, 2024
Good read though a tad bit slow
I find the characters well built and a well thought out story line, but it moves a warp speed sometimes and like a turtle others. The slow times builds the characters but can be a bit boring. Very good read though. 5 solid stars.
I find the characters well built and a well thought out story line, but it moves a warp speed sometimes and like a turtle others. The slow times builds the characters but can be a bit boring. Very good read though. 5 solid stars.
May 24, 2025
makes me wish I was there
One of these books so far and this was book number nine and a series of about 3000 is great reading you get absorbed in the action and I highly recommend you. Don’t read these things at bedtime or you’ll blow it.
One of these books so far and this was book number nine and a series of about 3000 is great reading you get absorbed in the action and I highly recommend you. Don’t read these things at bedtime or you’ll blow it.
June 30, 2023
Brilliant !
Superbly written and a pleasure to read - thank you !
Superbly written and a pleasure to read - thank you !
July 2, 2023
Excellent read
Once again another awesome installment in the series. The book ended way to soon. I can't wait for the next book.
Once again another awesome installment in the series. The book ended way to soon. I can't wait for the next book.
August 30, 2023
great story
As the series progresses there are multiple storylines, but they are handled well. The story is engaging, and fast paced.
As the series progresses there are multiple storylines, but they are handled well. The story is engaging, and fast paced.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews