Invincible

The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier #2

by Jack Campbell

Admiral John "Black Jack" Geary earned his rank after being revived from cryogenic sleep to lead the Alliance to victory against the Syndicate Worlds. But his superiors question his loyalty to the regime. Now in command of the First Fleet, Geary is tasked with exploring the frontier beyond Syndic space, a mission he fears deliberately puts the fleet--and himself--in harm's way.

An encounter with the alien Enigmas confirms Geary's fears. Attacked without warning, he orders the fleet to jump star systems--only to enter the crosshairs of another hostile alien armada. Ignoring all of the First Fleet's attempts to communicate peaceful intentions, this system's species send their ships into battle on suicde runs, while guarding the exiting jump point with a fortress of incalculable power.

Now, with a faction of his officers determined to eliminate this new threat despite the cost, Geary must figure out how to breech the enemy's defenses so the fleet can reach the jump point without massive casualties--and knowing that the Enigmas are most likely waiting on the other side...

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Fiction, Audiobook, Military Science Fiction, Space

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Jack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.

John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.

John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.

He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.

John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.

Reviews

[Mr. Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came *this* close to downgrading this book to two stars. For some time now I've been wavering back and forth on the Lost Fleet books. There are some things I like. I like the star ship battles at relativistic speeds. I like the deep plot line involving political betrayal and blackmail. Of course, there are some things I really, really don't like. I don't like the space opera elements of the story. The relationship between Geary and his captain is nausea inducing. The story feels stiff and cardboard whenever it veers from the action. In this book, the author added another layer of cringe-worthy elements.

It seems to me that there is a gigantic logic problem with these books. For a hundred (or more) years the mysterious Enigma race were moving in the shadows, inducing humanity to wage a war of mutual extermination. At the end of the Lost Fleet books, Geary finally ends the war and in these Beyond the Frontier books he is sent to investigate. Of course, he manages to outwit and outfight the Enigmans. No surprise there; however, he also discovers another alien race! What?! For all of human history there has been no contact with alien races. Now, all of a sudden there are two?! OK, ok, these new aliens are kind of boxed in by the Enigmas, but really? Another race? There are two alien races on the Syndicate side of the galaxy but none of the Alliance side? How on Earth does that make sense? It turns out that this new alien race is hostile and Geary and the Fleet have to fight there was out to another system. And, in this new system there is yet another alien race! There are alien races popping out of the wood work!

My willingness to believe is stretched really thin - especially since one of the alien races is called the "Bear-cows." I'm not buying what the author is selling here and losing immersion in a sci-fi book is not a good thing. Never-the-less, the author does just enough to keep me going on in the series. I want to find out what chaos has erupted back in Alliance space while Geary and the Fleet have been gone.

Two and a half broadsides out of five, rounded up to three.

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Peace is good. The cost of war is so terrible. But I know nothing of peace. I’ve been molded for war. I hate war. I hate the death, I hate knowing more will die, I hate being away from those I love, but… but it is what I know.”

So far I am enjoying this second sequence of the Lost Fleet saga. It seems to have a few more dimensions than the original story arc. For one thing, instead of just dealing with the war between the Alliance and the Syndicate worlds (in other words, conflict between humans) it adds quite a number of variables.

In addition to different post-war factions of the Alliance and the Syndics, we are introduced to three (yes, I know this is only the second book in the sequence) alien races, all of which present different challenges and facets to the storyline. There is also lots of politicking and the customary introspection. Geary is endearing, and remains an identifiable protagonist even surrounded by all kinds of irrationality. He quite literally is a man out of time, trying to cope with all of the "new".

This is SF comfort reading, and a great jump-in point for readers who want to sample Military Science Fiction without being bludgeoned by endless battles or scientific exposition (although please note this book isn’t the place to start). As with previous entries, Invincible pretty much ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but there are some promising developments that hint at big things to come.

All in all pretty enjoyable: 3.5-4 stars

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yawn. Wake me when its over. Like the new aliens. Black Jack is starting to wear me out. The battle scenes are stale. Ships are lost like polker chips and since you have no connection to them you don't care. If there is a question or problem that pops up, there is always a salty, old chief with an answer or a young engineer with a new viewpoint. Diologue is getting uninspired and hackneyed. Save yourself, grab a lifepod and bail out before this series sucks your brain dead.

[Per Gunnar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had waited a long time for this book to come out having fairly high expectations. Now, having read it, I am not sure the wait was actually worth it. Maybe this book series have gone on too long. It’s like to author doesn’t really have any new ideas and to “develop” the story he just bogs it down more and more in (bad) politics, deceit and backstabbing a ’la cheap soap opera.

I don’t really like the ships breaking down all the time. It is just irritating. The main plot of “go investigate the aliens” kind of turned into another Black Jack will get the fleet home story. Been there, done that.

The alien encounters could have been nice but…duct tape? I’m sorry it would be a spoiler to tell you what duct tape has to do with anything so you will have to read the book if you want to know. Me, I think that particular plot element was stupid beyond imagination. It’s one star off just for that.

I would have hoped that we would reach a point in the overall story arc where Black Jack would, you know, be triumphant, kick the arses of the idiot politicians and embark on new adventures with some proper backing. Now I would not go as far as to say it’s really a bad book although I very hesitantly give it three stars. It was still fun read. It was significantly less than what I hoped for though.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I should say, SCORE! I read 3 books in a row (or actually sort of at the same time) this week that I'm rating a 5. How often does that happen?

This is the second in the Beyond the Frontier books by Jack Campbell (of course I guess you could call it the 7th in the Lost Fleet series, but the Fleet has been back to Alliance Space so....well anyway). With Captain errr I mean Admiral John "Black Jack" (don't call me Black Jack) Geary we're again...or possibly still out at the edge of (and beyond) human explored space. Meeting new unknown alien species ....and blowing them up. Making diplomatic headway...sort of with new species and old enemies Admiral Geary (again) makes his splash in space (well, space really doesn't splash, nor does it boom...and of course no one can hear you scream, but that's a different story). With more guts than Buck Rogers and more panache than Flash Gordan and definitely more decisiveness than Captain Picard (though not nearly as much experience with women as Captain Kirk) you'll follow him and his fleet off where No One Has Gone Before. Well, not many anyway. Maybe a few of the Alliance's enemies have been to some of it before and who knows there could have been early explorers and...oh well, you get the idea.

Lots of adventure, lots of politics, lots of science fantasy...lots of action. 5 Stars, recommended. Enjoy.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Number Two of the "Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier" series.

This begins immediately following the ending of the last book. The fleet is trapped between two hostile alien races. Going forward, the new aliens will pulverized them; backwards through the jump point, the Enigma aliens are waiting to attack. Admiral Geary has to find a way out of the mess toot sweet.

Besides this crisis, there are a slew of problems within the fleet. Everything from low morale to equipment malfunctions. Some fleet personnel are acting out of character, too, and Rione and her husband are still puzzling. Amidst all of this, Geary is arriving at some unsavory conclusions about the Alliance government.

This was a good story, but it wasn't a series stand-out. The characters seemed...less, somehow. There wasn't anything specific that I can point out to support this impression, but I felt as if the plot was enlarged to ridiculous proportions in lieu of significant character development. To me that's not always a winning sacrifice; to others it might work like a charm. I just have always been a fan of character-driven stories. Another critique: the names "bear-cows" and "spider-wolves". Calling the first group of aliens the Enigma race was pretty cool. But the other names/terms seemed lazy. Speaking of the aliens, I have another issue: why is the fleet practically tripping over alien species when humanity hadn't come across them before the events in this book? Looking at things logically, humans had been exploring, (and battling), in space for a long time. More than a century. Shouldn't they have had some indication of other species? That seems illogical.

All of that said, I will still read the next book.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Campbell's "Lost Fleet" series started out as the literary equivalent of a summer popcorn movie, fun, cool, and chocked full of special effects. The characters were somewhat dull and flat, and the story formulaic, but fun anyways. I picked up the first three one after another and eagerly awaited future volumes. Somewhere along the line, and especially since the "lost fleet" has gone "Beyond the Frontier", things have started to change. Slowly Campbell has started to flesh out his characters and started giving many of them back story. He has developed his cast of minor, reoccurring characters and if some of them still feel like "stock" characters it is more as a trope to SF norms and not a weakness in writing. Now he is growing his "universe", shaping and changing it into something new, and it is fun to watch and learn as the characters do. It's like being on the ground level of watching a great galactic epic being built. While these changes occur Campbell continues to write great space battles and saddle Adm. Geary with more issues to overcome then a standard fleet officer might see in an entire career.

This means that this series has climbed its’ way to the top of my "must read" list every time a new one comes out and I tear through each one quickly. I actually tried to pace myself with this one. Savoring it over a week instead of the day and a half the last one took. Let me also say this about Campbell, it's a rare trait for author's to put forth new, quality books on a regular schedule, yet he consistently does. I know that every six months I will have a new Jack Campbell in my hands and I love that! No need to wait six years for the next, or see publication dates set and then pushed back again and again. This volume changes the whole nature of the "Black Jack-verse" and I can't wait to see what happens next!

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this much better than the previous book, Dreadnaught. The pacing was much better, although it started a bit slow for me. I had some issues with accepting the big bads as they are described though. Much more exciting read and I really do like Geary and Desjani, also the secondary characters.

Overall rating: 3.5-3.75/5.00 stars.

Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com.

[Atousa Karimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone please shoot Tanya! Why most of the women in this series are so disgusting in one way or the other. How some military captain can be this much unprofessional, stupid, gullible and petulant! She's either worshipping Black Jack or nagging and winning and saying rude things and being a pathetic bitch! She is seriously crazy and bloodthirsty! She only wants to shoot things or kill people, even innocent people! How Geary can tolerate and do not encounter her is beyond my imagination!

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to read this book, all you need to know is, "a bunch of adorable teddy bear cow aliens are the most vicious genocidal aliens since the Daleks." If that sentence intrigues you then you'll enjoy Invincible as we meet a race so insidious, so dangerous, so adorable that it poses a threat to all life in the universe but themselves. I had a huge amount of fun with this group of baddies and wish we got to have more interactions in the series with them.

9/10

[Denis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Competently written military sci-fi. This is the first I've read from this author; found it generally good but - teddy bear cows? Yikes. Though we've seen the likes with Piper's Fuzzies and with Niven and Pournelle's Moties.

[Arnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[Jocelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why does the author make the two main female characters so catty??

[J.R. Handley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an amazing series that I lost myself in it. So much so that I had to write my review of the whole rather the individual parts. My thoughts don't fit in this block, so read my entire review here.
https://jrhandley.com/2020/04/19/book...

Okay, let’s get into the weeds on this one! I’ve organized my overall assessment by putting the stuff I didn’t like first so we can end on a high note. I also want to be clear that I really loved this series overall, it’s why I plowed through the audiobooks so quickly that I had to write a series review instead of an individual one for each of the six novels that make up The Lost Fleet Series. And the entirety of this series got better as the author continued to expand and grow the universe.

Alright, let’s rip off the band-aide and dive in. There were many parts that I wasn’t thrilled with in this series. There were a lot of places in the series that felt repetitive, re-treading the same events. This often happened between books, which I knew was to refresh the memory of the readers. This was specifically important given the four-year window that existed between the start if this series and when the last book was completed. However, this also manifested with tiresome references to whether or not John Geary was a man of myth and legend. I understand that that part of the story was necessary, but the author was a bit ham-fisted with it.

As well as the repetitive details of the myths, I also felt there were too many secondary characters. I never connected with them, we never really learned anything about them, which made them feel one-dimensional. There were so many officers zooming on and off the stage that I felt like I was going to catch a cold from the breeze. I realize that this was done to add depth to the series, but it just rubs me the wrong way. This could just be an issue of taste, so your mileage may vary.

While I loved the audio narration, I did have one complaint about the production decisions. During several periods where they were trying to set the mood, to ramp up the tension, they added dramatic music to the audiobook. This was done at a volume just below the narrator’s voice, so it created a layered effect that allowed you to still hear Christian Rummel’s dictation. For whatever reason, it annoyed me and I briefly considered putting the audiobook down. I’m glad I didn’t because once I tuned that out, this audiobook became a rollicking good adventure!

Finally, let’s look at one more area that was a little disappointing was the combat scene between the fleets. It was really hard to picture the battles; I knew they were massive, but I never really knew how many forces were in the Alliance Fleet at the start of the campaign into Syndicate space. Without that sense of scope at the beginning, everything was just a list of random ship names and combat maneuver formations. I wanted to see it in my head, but I couldn’t visualize it. That was frustrating because military science fiction is my jam and I want to get to know all of the characters. However, this wasn’t enough to make me put down the series despite having run several times.

Right, now we get to talk about the good things! First, I loved the basic premise of this series. The concept of a long retreating action in space was a lot of fun to see played out, especially given that the technology in most science fiction negates this as a possibility. The way Jack Campbell pulled this off was nothing short of amazing. The tension was high the entire time, and I often wondered if he would live. I forced myself not to acknowledge that the follow-on books existed so that I could experience the tension of their dire situation.

If it wasn’t clear, I really liked this space odyssey. It felt like a modern adaptation of the classic Horatio Hornblower saga, which I’m a huge fan of. If you didn’t know this was set in space – you could almost imagine the smell of salt in the sea and the creaking of the wooden boats. This, when combined with the undercurrent of the Arthurian mythos, made this a highly memorable universe. I really felt like the two concepts merged well together, and I really wish I’d thought of it first!

Next, I’d like to say that this series was a lot harder on the physics than what I’d typically read. However, the focus on the laws of relativity was dumbed down enough that even I could understand them. I didn’t check his math, but it came off as extremely believable. I would probably never try writing a series that wasn’t vetted by professors at Handwavium University, but the author made it work!

Another area where the military culture it was spot on. There was even that rivalry between the fleet and her marine compliment! This was just what I’d expect from a naval officer and ship handling veteran. That’s right, Jack Campbell served in the U.S. Navy, and it showed in his understanding of the culture of the swabbie! Because of this, the author made it clear that his world was flushed out and didn’t fall into some of the traps most military sci-fi did. The sailors run out of bombs and power cores for their cannons, dumb luck happens, and good sailors still die. It was everything you want from the space fleet subgenre of military science fiction. The battle scenes were believable, gripping, and I never felt like the author missed a chance to get creative with the tactics. Well, at least with the parts that I could visualize. Such a detailed portrayal of fleet tactics is rare, so it was nice to add another universe to the list!

Am I gushing too much yet? Because another way that this universe shined brighter than a nova was in the multiple distinct political groups that the author created. There were at least four main polities, and every single one was slightly different, giving some depth to the universe. I really wanted to know more about all of them, to explore the nooks and crannies of life in the worlds that Jack Campbell’s imagination spewed for us to read. I think that you’ll feel the same, so let’s pressure the author to keep writing and giving us more to love!

Okay, have I hinted that I enjoyed this universe yet? Good, I want it to be obvious! So, to wrap this bad boy up, I loved this series. Each one of these novels was at least 90,000 words long, about what you expect from the genre. Despite the length, each book felt like a quick read. If you didn’t know how long each novel was, you could almost imagine them as short stories. This is because they were so engrossing that the reader loses track of time, while they temporarily live in the story. The author definitely made me want more from this universe, and I’ll definitely be reading the follow-on series that are already available. Seriously, any offer that can make me read their books multiple times is doing something right. This is at least the fourth time I’ve read through these books, and I never felt like I was wasting my time in coming back to this familiar stomping ground.

Seriously, I realize I’ve gone full fanboy, but the author definitely raised the bar for space fleet military science fiction authors everywhere. I was hooked from the first page/minute! Jack Campbell wove the action into the onboard drama among the fleet in such a compelling way that you wanted to sign up in the Alliance Fleet, despite the stench of their sailory ways! Basically, Campbell had me hooked from the beginning and kept it going throughout the whole series. These are books that I would happily recommend, and an author I will definitely read again. Buy these novels! But hey, it’s easy to spend someone else’s money! I give these books a 4 out of 5 grenades!

If this book sounds like it’s right up your alley, check it out! You won’t regret it! Well, unless it keeps you up all night and you’re late to work… and then your boss fires you because you became a book addict and a rabid Jack Campbell fan. And then you track him down and climb into his window in your skivvies, and he shoots you with his phasers set to kill. Okay, the fanboy/fangirl syndrome MIGHT kill you. Be warned, but enjoy the high!

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost Fleet universe really expands in this book. With the first six books taking place between Human settled worlds and Human factions and only hints of alien inhabitants, Campbell really makes good on it here, as we explore regions beyond Syndicate space and discover just what else is out there. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you're a fan of this) the story still has a linear feel due to the sole viewpoint, and an obvious military theme to it all, as we remain with Admiral Geary aboard his flagship Dauntless.

The narrator has definitely gotten comfortable with these characters now and reads them like a pro. Also the number of side plots and characters continues to slowly grow, making the universe feel ever larger with each successive novel.

For all the wait between books, however, this one feels way too short! We're definitely left hanging with what feels like a long way to go, making me wonder if the Lost Fleet series will also end up being six books or more. One thing that comes along with the new aliens and growing number of side plots is that there is now much more room for Campbell to spread out and explore much more of this universe. An Author's Note at the end of the hardback version mentions that Campbell is planning to write a side novel set on the Syndicate worlds next, so it sounds like that expansion is definitely going to happen.

One departure from some of the previous novels is that there is a lot more humor injected into this one. Unfortunately it doesn't all stick. I was confounded when the "universal sticking substance" the aliens wanted turned out to be duct tape! It just felt too... childish. Also some of the phrases used between the characters, especially Geary and his wife, felt too much like modern slang to me, and I felt that they crept in there by the author as he, knowingly or not, keeps up with the "lingo" of the day. I hate when authors do that.

Part of the reason for such a good review is that I have become a fan of the series and can forgive some weaknesses in the writing style and such. But Campbell has definitely improved since the beginning. These characters feel like old friends, even though at times it is annoying that they still go through some of the same arguments and attitudes they've always had with each other.

Overall Campbell may not be a literary genius and his work may not blow you away and change your perceptions of the world, but nevertheless this is clean, intelligent military sci fi with an engaging story, and a great read for entertainment purposes.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I drop everything as soon as the next book in this series comes out. I buy it the day it hits the shelves. Like others have said, I too slow my reading of this series of books to enjoy every part of them. Instead of my usual 1-2 days to read a book I try to stretch this to a week so I can extend my enjoyment. Every book in the series is great and by the time you get this far, you feel like you know the characters personally and are actually there, experiencing what they are going through. I love the characters, the way the senior officers and junior officers act, the underhanded and self interested captains, the fleet vs the marines, and the great story arc. The great thing about this series is that you could remove the story line and just enjoy the characters, or alternatively, remove the characters and just enjoy the story. I cant recommend this highly enough and for those who haven't read any of this series, you have 8 fantastic books to look forward to. I envy you! Keep them coming Jack!

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invincible might be my favorite of the Lost Fleet series yet, as Geary is faced with two major problems outside his experience simultaneously. The first are hostile aliens with a fleet focused around massive super-battleships and swarms of ramming missiles. And the second are potentially friendly aliens, with lighter but still superb ship handling skills.

The seizure of the Kicks super-battleship is one of the best set pieces of the book, and while they are unrelentingly hostile, the hostility of a herd species is something relatively new. The other aliens, the Dancers, are typical hideous space bugs, but at least they're willing to talk, if only cryptically.

Having completed his mission, it's back home to human space.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life isn’t easier when peace is declared.

In a non spoiler comment, if you read carefully you will see why the cover of every book has Jack Geary in armor. I had actually wondered more than once…

So much is thrown at Jack or at the fleet that he hardly ever gets the time to catch a break. The oblique orders they are operating under are satisfied, at least in the opinions of Jack and the people who have proven themselves trustworthy. But there’s a long way back to Alliance territory with multiple possibilities for ambush or treachery.

[Jota Houses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mantiene los defectos de la serie en cuanto a la poca tridimensionalidad de los personajes y lo Mary Sue que es el almirante Geary pero, al menos se arremanga y nos despeja muchas de las incógnitas sobre los alienigenas, desplegando un universo con tres civilizaciones capaces de viajes interestelares y poco interesadas en comunicarse. Da para siesta.

[Nai Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I finished this one fast. The pace picks up, the unknown becomes more mysterious and BEARCOWS!!! LOL. I really like where this series is going despite all the political infighting but you can't have politics without infighting!!!

[KB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invincible is another good entry in an entertaining series. The book begins with a satisfying conclusion to the cliffhanger at the end of its predecessor, and from that point the story maintains the reader's interest as plot elements continue to develop.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super exciting. It was constantly filled with action and drama. It kept me on the edge of my chair the whole time. It really made you feel the pressure as if you were actually in the situation. I definitely recommend this book.

[Mbgile · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[D.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read: 3.5 stars In this re-read, I'm with the aliens. Can you imagine if somebody would come to your house and wouldn't listen when you REPEATEADLY asked them to leave? And then when you resorted to force to throw them away they acted insulted? I mean really! I would have expected Geary - with his ability to outthink the enemy in battle - would have figure this out and realize that THEY were in the wrong. That said, it's probably right to think that the first time we encounter an alien species, we'll royally fuck up. It's our way.

Original Review: 4 stars
Invincible is probably one of the best books in the overall series. It's very philosophical, with the First Fleet encountering several alien species, which react in such..ahem...alien ways that they're difficult for Geary and his people to figure out. Most of the book is fighting the different species, some which are extremely hostile for reasons that the humans don't understand. A really big part of the book is about the humans trying to understand the aliens by their actions.

At the same time, there's the uncertainty among the sailors of the fleet about what will happen now that the war is over and they don't have anything to do. Everybody in the fleet thought they would either die in battle (after all, the war went on for 100 years) or if by any miracle they survived, they would continue working in the military in some capacity. But now that the war was won, they don't know what the future will hold and that uncertainty is driving them up a wall.

I think I've been amiss in not commenting on the outstanding narration by Christian Rummel. His voice for Geary - deep and commanding - is perfect and the different accents are sometimes the only way to distinguish some of the peripheral characters as there are almost no character descriptions. Characters speak with multiple American accents (including Brooklyn!), multiple British accents, Irish, Australian, Russian, Spanish and many others I can't identify. All accents are above average and the voices are distinctive enough that as soon as you hear them, you know who the character is even if they've only shown up a few times. Mr. Rummel's attention to detail has been outstanding and has really elevated the narration to give the impression of a truly "global" fleet.

Can't wait to read the next one!

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another case of series weariness. These days, being a standalone book is almost worth a whole star by itself. I know why authors do it, but... I'm tired of needing to read several books in order to know the whole story.

This was like The Dragonet Prophecy in that the first half dragged pretty bad. I for sure wasn't going to continue the series, but then it got interesting, darn it! Campbell has some pretty darn good ideas for alien species, how they might be different from humans, and how humans might interact with them. Although he screwed up by insisting on calling one of them bear-cows. C'mon, Campbell, "cow-bears" rolls off the tongue of the mind so obviously better... but their herd mentality, and the thinking of the spider-wolves being so based on the idea of a web, is a really good way to go.

So I'm reading along, realizing that yes, I'll continue the series, I guess... but then Geary gets back to human space and suggests that maybe he won't get home nearly as quickly as he was hoping (i.e. by the end of the next book)? I don't know if I can take another Odysseyan voyage that is going to re-hash a lot of the original series. We've had almost 8 books of that, and I'd really like him to move on to the massive political intrigue that has been brewing for three books. I'll give it one more book, and if it doesn't pick up well, maybe I'll stop. The original series (starting with Dauntless) was like this too: the second and third books lagged quite a bit :P

Oh, bonus points for a funny self-reference about how if they ever made a book about Geary's life it would have an appropriately handsome-looking guy on the cover wearing armor Geary's never worn and doing something active which Geary has never done. Every cover of this and the original series has pretty much been that way :D

[Samuel Proulx · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another book in the Black Jack series. It won't stand alone, so unless you're already up to date on these books, don't bother. If you are keeping up with them, and enjoyed the last one, this one continues where it left off. The writing is as good as ever, and the characters are the same. I'm starting to feel kind of trapped in an endless saga, though. But that doesn't mean I can bring myself to stop reading. Be warned, once again, this book has no real ending. Just an opening for the next book.

[Dale (Aus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great continuation of this story with more to come. I love the characters which all seem to have real emotions and thoughts and consciences. I love the mix of action and story. Thanks again for a great book. If you have never read any of these stories pick them up and be pleasantly surprised.

Oh and I did love the comment by one character about cover art and story lines and how they relate to each other. Nice little touch.

[Patrick Priest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was classic exploration and find new stuff. Some of the new encounters seemed silly but quickly turned entertaining. I have been in the Navy (I claim to know nothing about ship services), the books had a realistic feel when discussing the aging fleet.

I thought the book did a great job on providing micro stories around the main characters that reminded you there are more characters in the Lost Fleet universe besides the 3-4 main characters.

I look forward to the next book.

[Daniel Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of new factors... too many?

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this even tho I found the beginning slow going, too much discussion going on. Finally, the story line picked up with the discovery of interesting aliens.