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Star Carrier #3
Singularity
The third book in the epic saga of humankind's war of transcendence
There is an unseen power in the universe—a terrible force that was dominating the galaxy tens of thousands of years before the warlike Sh'daar were even aware of the existence of Sol and its planets.
As humankind approaches the Singularity, when transcendence will be achieved through technology, contact will be made.
In the wake of the near destruction of the solar system, the political powers on Earth seek a separate peace with an inscrutable alien life form that no one has ever seen. But Admiral Alexander Koenig, the hero of Alphekka, has gone rogue, launching his fabled battlegroup beyond the boundaries of Human Space against all orders. With Confederation warships in hot pursuit, Koenig is taking the war for humankind’s survival directly to a mysterious omnipotent enemy.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 8, 2012
126 people are currently reading
892 people want to read
About the author
Ian Douglas
99 books569 followersIan Douglas is a pseudonym used by William H. Keith Jr..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
January 19, 2013
I don't generally write reviews for the books I finish reading, but I must make an exception for this one.
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to writers is the "sausage stuffing" methodology of descriptive info dumps. Science fiction being one of my favorite genres, I have learned to deal with the fact that authors sometimes need to do this in order to explain a particular point in the universe they have created.
A necessary evil of the genre, Mr. Douglas turns this into a dis-art form. Describing the same thing multiple times within the same book, sometimes even copying and pasting whole sentences into sections further in the text.
I think the 50 pages of editing necessary to cut this out would more than be made up by a fluid and entertaining book.
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to writers is the "sausage stuffing" methodology of descriptive info dumps. Science fiction being one of my favorite genres, I have learned to deal with the fact that authors sometimes need to do this in order to explain a particular point in the universe they have created.
A necessary evil of the genre, Mr. Douglas turns this into a dis-art form. Describing the same thing multiple times within the same book, sometimes even copying and pasting whole sentences into sections further in the text.
I think the 50 pages of editing necessary to cut this out would more than be made up by a fluid and entertaining book.
October 6, 2023
Context is everything in this novel. If you haven’t read the two preceding entries I would highly, highly recommend reading them first.
They were ninety-eight light years from Earth, farther than any human had ever before voyaged. The emptiness, the darkness scattered with myriad unknown suns and civilizations, filled him with foreboding and a brooding sense of agitation, even fear. Humans didn’t belong out here, not in a galaxy already staked out and claimed by millions of other technic cultures.
I have been quite invested in this series from the beginning. It just seems to tick so many of the right boxes for me. It is, essentially, a military science fiction series, but with a lot of science and sense-of-wonder elements that is usually associated with hard science fiction.
He felt a rising tingle at the back of his scalp.
“Who,” he said quietly, “could possibly have built such a thing?”
In Singularity the enigmatic Sh’daar, those omnipotent "galactic overlords" (for want of a better description) who seem hell bent on erasing humanity, is demystified at last. Even though this seems to wrap up the initial story arc, there are more books in the series. Interested to see where the story will go from here.
Something I appreciate about these books, is the use of actual astronomical locations (if you will) for events to take place.
What all of this meant was that Omega Centauri quite likely was not a globular cluster at all … but the stripped-naked core of a dwarf galaxy devoured by Earth’s Milky Way untold hundreds of millions or even billions of years in the past.
The author presents interesting takes on wormhole / stargate singularities, and the nature of a technological singularity, or “transcendence”. There are also some musings on the nature of civilizations in the grand scheme of things, and what it would take for any species to have a long-term chance of survival.
As expected, there are loads of action scenes, although (arguably) not as tense as in the previous novels. The author makes great use of distance and time dilation, and its effect on large scale battles. Also: a big focus on the importance of tactics.
There was far too much going on, too much to see across the entire surrounding sphere of the heavens, to take it all in at once.
A really cool twist at the end wrapped things up neatly for me. The book is not perfect (few are), but it is entertaining as heck, and in fact the whole series so far has not disappointed. Any easy 4 – 4.5 stars (rounded up, of course).
The technology required to create not one, but six blue stars, orbiting a common center in perfect balance, to keep them in balance for millions of years as they independently burned their dwindling supplies of hydrogen fuel … the thought, the sheer scope and scale, the staggering arrogance of such celestial engineering, beggared belief.
And yet … there they were, six stars in a perfect ring, diamond-bright, intensely beautiful.
And completely impossible.
They were ninety-eight light years from Earth, farther than any human had ever before voyaged. The emptiness, the darkness scattered with myriad unknown suns and civilizations, filled him with foreboding and a brooding sense of agitation, even fear. Humans didn’t belong out here, not in a galaxy already staked out and claimed by millions of other technic cultures.
I have been quite invested in this series from the beginning. It just seems to tick so many of the right boxes for me. It is, essentially, a military science fiction series, but with a lot of science and sense-of-wonder elements that is usually associated with hard science fiction.
He felt a rising tingle at the back of his scalp.
“Who,” he said quietly, “could possibly have built such a thing?”
In Singularity the enigmatic Sh’daar, those omnipotent "galactic overlords" (for want of a better description) who seem hell bent on erasing humanity, is demystified at last. Even though this seems to wrap up the initial story arc, there are more books in the series. Interested to see where the story will go from here.
Something I appreciate about these books, is the use of actual astronomical locations (if you will) for events to take place.
What all of this meant was that Omega Centauri quite likely was not a globular cluster at all … but the stripped-naked core of a dwarf galaxy devoured by Earth’s Milky Way untold hundreds of millions or even billions of years in the past.
The author presents interesting takes on wormhole / stargate singularities, and the nature of a technological singularity, or “transcendence”. There are also some musings on the nature of civilizations in the grand scheme of things, and what it would take for any species to have a long-term chance of survival.
As expected, there are loads of action scenes, although (arguably) not as tense as in the previous novels. The author makes great use of distance and time dilation, and its effect on large scale battles. Also: a big focus on the importance of tactics.
There was far too much going on, too much to see across the entire surrounding sphere of the heavens, to take it all in at once.
A really cool twist at the end wrapped things up neatly for me. The book is not perfect (few are), but it is entertaining as heck, and in fact the whole series so far has not disappointed. Any easy 4 – 4.5 stars (rounded up, of course).
The technology required to create not one, but six blue stars, orbiting a common center in perfect balance, to keep them in balance for millions of years as they independently burned their dwindling supplies of hydrogen fuel … the thought, the sheer scope and scale, the staggering arrogance of such celestial engineering, beggared belief.
And yet … there they were, six stars in a perfect ring, diamond-bright, intensely beautiful.
And completely impossible.
December 7, 2020
This series has been consistently an above average SiFi story. Good solid science mixed with SiFi elements has made it a great read. Good aliens and alien culture also make the story a nice interesting read. Very recommended
October 20, 2012
Book three seamlessly segues from the end of Center of Gravity. Admiral Koenig leads the battlegroup further into Sh’daar territory, towards the enigmatic center of the Sh’daar civilization. Meanwhile Lieutenant Grey’s personal odyssey continues.
I was disappointed with the last book in the trilogy. The action is still good, but it is upstaged by the exploration of the enigma that is the Sh’daar. Wormholes, discussions about transcendence and the evolution of civilizations abound. Douglas has thought the whole thing out quite well and the ending makes sense. Unfortunately it feels as if the more lofty macrostory and themes don’t mix well with the military science fiction setting. Long discussions on the deep future and the deep past of technological civilizations slow the pace down too much. Mind you, these discussions are interesting, but they just don’t fit in well in this book.
On the character side, the developments are not very original, and the dialogue is wooden at best. Grey is a metaphor for humanity itself. Koenig is the consummate military officer. The rest are cardboard cutouts.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1587
I was disappointed with the last book in the trilogy. The action is still good, but it is upstaged by the exploration of the enigma that is the Sh’daar. Wormholes, discussions about transcendence and the evolution of civilizations abound. Douglas has thought the whole thing out quite well and the ending makes sense. Unfortunately it feels as if the more lofty macrostory and themes don’t mix well with the military science fiction setting. Long discussions on the deep future and the deep past of technological civilizations slow the pace down too much. Mind you, these discussions are interesting, but they just don’t fit in well in this book.
On the character side, the developments are not very original, and the dialogue is wooden at best. Grey is a metaphor for humanity itself. Koenig is the consummate military officer. The rest are cardboard cutouts.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1587
May 7, 2013
At the dawn of humanity’s transcendence, we meet a truly worthy foe. The mysterious Sh’daar emerge from a Tipler cylinder and begin “crowbarring” the starship “America” in the Texaghu Resch system. Come to find out, these ships aren’t even manned. And to make it worse, the resident Agletsch tell Admiral Koenig that the ships are piloted by none other than the ghosts of what the Sh’daar used to be. What could this mean? Are the Sh’daar nothing now but software VI’s running a galaxy off of programming? Or could these be merely deceitful lies given by a species refused pay for their services? On the far side of the cylinder, Lieutenant Trevor Gray is teased with mind games by the Sh’daar themselves, and with the help of a recon pilot called Schiere and a few starship AI programs, he has to find a way back through the Tipler machine and to the America so that he can send his new information.
Just like the last book, I feel that anyone interested in physics would be extremely interested in this book. The dynamics of the physical theories provided are phenomenal and can only be understood by the intellectual-minded. Also, anyone interested in a good story may find this book to be a nice adventure set apart from many others. This book not only contains physics, but it also contains elements of love, internal conflicts with people, alien conspiracy, ground combat, ancient history, and the like. So in short, this story would be good for anyone interested in a good SF tale of a new future.
I gave the book five stars because of its epic storytelling and rich background in modern events. Ian Douglas likes to reflect on how the modern age might affect the way humans act toward each-other and other sentient species. It really is quite amazing how well Douglas explains the history of the Sh’daar and how they came to be the leading power of the Milky Way galaxy. Also, the alien make-ups are amazing. I felt like I was reading “Revenge of the Tree Monster from the Abyss.”
Just like the last book, I feel that anyone interested in physics would be extremely interested in this book. The dynamics of the physical theories provided are phenomenal and can only be understood by the intellectual-minded. Also, anyone interested in a good story may find this book to be a nice adventure set apart from many others. This book not only contains physics, but it also contains elements of love, internal conflicts with people, alien conspiracy, ground combat, ancient history, and the like. So in short, this story would be good for anyone interested in a good SF tale of a new future.
I gave the book five stars because of its epic storytelling and rich background in modern events. Ian Douglas likes to reflect on how the modern age might affect the way humans act toward each-other and other sentient species. It really is quite amazing how well Douglas explains the history of the Sh’daar and how they came to be the leading power of the Milky Way galaxy. Also, the alien make-ups are amazing. I felt like I was reading “Revenge of the Tree Monster from the Abyss.”
September 8, 2018
A solid end to what was a solid series of military SF. There were not a huge number of plot twists, but it was well-written and the author made a good attempt at keeping the science reasonably solid. There are plenty of space battles throughout this book and through the series as a whole, but there is some degree of character development as well.
Basically, if you like military SF, you should enjoy this. If you don't, I would give it a miss.
Basically, if you like military SF, you should enjoy this. If you don't, I would give it a miss.
December 20, 2012
Ian again focuses tighly on Trevor Grey who tends to think up some weird hair-brained idea that usually works, while the titular Star Carrier, "America", Admiral'ed by Koenig, risks all on the slim chance that forty human warships will be able to stand against a foe that can manufacture stars, move planets at faster-than-light speeds, and travel through time.
As expected, the Sh'daar are basically artificial intelligence (downloaded personality constructs from once-biological entities, alien species that made up the Sh'daar Union.) Out of concern for the "Grandfather Paradox" (you grow up hating your grandfather, you create a time machine, you go back in time, you kill your grandfather, you're never born... so how did you grow up hating your grandfather?), the Sh'daar capitulate and instead seek to share leadership of the new Sh'daar Union with Humanity. After fourty years of war, it all seems tenuous and improbable. It would seem more likely that the Sh'daar wanted to simply get humans out of Sh'daar space, to avoid an unlucky accident, then they could go back to wiping out humanity-- business as usual.
The epilogue has Trevor convert from his anachronistic primitive and monogamous ways to the more modern polyamorous lifestyle of the "modern (hu)man."
twitch
twitch
OK. Sure. Right.
On the plus side, there were fewer continuity errors. The story significantly reduced the quantity of 20th century jargon and explanations of said jargon. There were a few scientific principals presented that have been postulated by modern (20th century) scientists... but there were also ideas presented which were determined to be impossible (as we understand the laws of nature) due to a loophole that humanity just can't understand ... like time travel ... or being able to manufacture stars ... or create meson beams the caused matter to compress to neutronium. Basically, I felt like Ian's story was stronger for taking the science fast-and-loose, rather than trying to behave in a consistant fashion. Perhaps he would do well writing some kind of high fantasy. With his current body of work, it would probably be best if it was military high fantasy. Is that even a genre?
As expected, the Sh'daar are basically artificial intelligence (downloaded personality constructs from once-biological entities, alien species that made up the Sh'daar Union.) Out of concern for the "Grandfather Paradox" (you grow up hating your grandfather, you create a time machine, you go back in time, you kill your grandfather, you're never born... so how did you grow up hating your grandfather?), the Sh'daar capitulate and instead seek to share leadership of the new Sh'daar Union with Humanity. After fourty years of war, it all seems tenuous and improbable. It would seem more likely that the Sh'daar wanted to simply get humans out of Sh'daar space, to avoid an unlucky accident, then they could go back to wiping out humanity-- business as usual.
The epilogue has Trevor convert from his anachronistic primitive and monogamous ways to the more modern polyamorous lifestyle of the "modern (hu)man."
twitch
twitch
OK. Sure. Right.
On the plus side, there were fewer continuity errors. The story significantly reduced the quantity of 20th century jargon and explanations of said jargon. There were a few scientific principals presented that have been postulated by modern (20th century) scientists... but there were also ideas presented which were determined to be impossible (as we understand the laws of nature) due to a loophole that humanity just can't understand ... like time travel ... or being able to manufacture stars ... or create meson beams the caused matter to compress to neutronium. Basically, I felt like Ian's story was stronger for taking the science fast-and-loose, rather than trying to behave in a consistant fashion. Perhaps he would do well writing some kind of high fantasy. With his current body of work, it would probably be best if it was military high fantasy. Is that even a genre?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2014
As with the two previous "Carrier" books, Singularity is an action-packed book that manages to be thought-provoking without being stale and over-explaining.
The rest of this review has spoilers, so read at your own risk.
"Singularity" does an excellent job of portraying the desperation of Koenig to bring an end to the Sha'dar war, and his own deteriorating mental state, with him grappling with having to decide the fates of everyone in his rag-tag fleet, and with the loss of his lover Admiral Karyn. He isn't portrayed as an unstoppable force that the rest of the crew can rely on, but the imperfect man that they need.
Another one of my favorite things about thi book, and this series at large, is how it deals with post-humanism, and man's increasingly close relationship with technology. Particularly with the Virtual Admiral Karyn serving as a way for Koenig to avoid dealing with his loss.
Ian Douglas also does an excellent job of intertwining space-combat action with hard science, which instead of making the story feel limited and boring, adds a new element if danger and suspense. While stories like Star Wars are on the more fantastical side of Sci-Fi, and Star Trek straddles the middle where science rules supreme, but a quick bout of techno-babble and increasingly creative uses of the main deflector dish, Singularity remains grounded in the truth that space is dangerous, but if you push as close to the edge as the rules will let you, you'll be in for a hell of a ride.
The rest of this review has spoilers, so read at your own risk.
"Singularity" does an excellent job of portraying the desperation of Koenig to bring an end to the Sha'dar war, and his own deteriorating mental state, with him grappling with having to decide the fates of everyone in his rag-tag fleet, and with the loss of his lover Admiral Karyn. He isn't portrayed as an unstoppable force that the rest of the crew can rely on, but the imperfect man that they need.
Another one of my favorite things about thi book, and this series at large, is how it deals with post-humanism, and man's increasingly close relationship with technology. Particularly with the Virtual Admiral Karyn serving as a way for Koenig to avoid dealing with his loss.
Ian Douglas also does an excellent job of intertwining space-combat action with hard science, which instead of making the story feel limited and boring, adds a new element if danger and suspense. While stories like Star Wars are on the more fantastical side of Sci-Fi, and Star Trek straddles the middle where science rules supreme, but a quick bout of techno-babble and increasingly creative uses of the main deflector dish, Singularity remains grounded in the truth that space is dangerous, but if you push as close to the edge as the rules will let you, you'll be in for a hell of a ride.
March 6, 2016
I've been working my way through this series over the past week and I am getting so sick of how lazy this author is.
Besides the fact that he seems to be bulking up his work count by describing and re - describing every weapon and piece of equipment with every new book, over and over again!
But so far the main protagonist has won amazing victories over technologically superior alien species using the same weapon every time!
If I have to read something that sounds like this one more time, I'm going to scream; "Luitenant grey went into battle still seething with rage over how mean other people in the navy were to him. He was incandescent with with fury but he knew his duty, so he did it. All the other space fighter squadrons were taking massive casualties. Everyone was dying and screaming. But Grey had an idea. He would use one of the 2 weapons he had at his disposal. The one that no one else ever thought to use despite the fact that Luitenant Grey had saved the solar system and the fleet with them on multiple occasions".
Ian Douglas. You are a lazy hack. I was so excited to start this series. It has such a fantastic premise and such a good cast of truly alien, aliens. But it's crap. The same guy using the same weapon to save the same horrid people in the same way every time.
Besides the fact that he seems to be bulking up his work count by describing and re - describing every weapon and piece of equipment with every new book, over and over again!
But so far the main protagonist has won amazing victories over technologically superior alien species using the same weapon every time!
If I have to read something that sounds like this one more time, I'm going to scream; "Luitenant grey went into battle still seething with rage over how mean other people in the navy were to him. He was incandescent with with fury but he knew his duty, so he did it. All the other space fighter squadrons were taking massive casualties. Everyone was dying and screaming. But Grey had an idea. He would use one of the 2 weapons he had at his disposal. The one that no one else ever thought to use despite the fact that Luitenant Grey had saved the solar system and the fleet with them on multiple occasions".
Ian Douglas. You are a lazy hack. I was so excited to start this series. It has such a fantastic premise and such a good cast of truly alien, aliens. But it's crap. The same guy using the same weapon to save the same horrid people in the same way every time.
August 21, 2020
Uncomplicated and straightforward military sci-fi. Carrier group penetrates the center of the enemy and blows stuff up. The battles, clearly inspired by US naval warfare and doctrine are nice and exciting. I did not like the spelled-out “us from America” vs the untrusted Chinese and pan-European fleet that is linked to peace keepers (and of course the US saves the galaxy). Also, the technology is annoyingly explained over and over again. Fighter specs, AI names, missile behavior, launch speeds, fleet cruise speed, sizes, etc, etc. It felt like every chapter was separately written over time and never looked at when writing the next, repeating the info that was told already. That would be the task of a good editor I suppose. Not too much character development, dialogues are plain and (too) simple; relations (personal, people, society, etc) are completely black-white and sometimes really annoying (like “Prim”, come on). There are quite some books after these three, but I will stop here; I dont expect Mr Douglas to add something surprising to the toolbox looking at the trilogy. Three stars.
September 3, 2013
Singularity closes out the first installment in the Star Carrier story and does little to diverge from its predessors:
-It has neat space battles based around actual physics
-An intriging universe populated by interesting aliens
-A very engaging plot arc and a very fast paced narrative.
It also has its share of deficiencies as well:
-Absurdly thin, and comcially "evil" politicaian characters. Basically if a character is from North America they are good/righteous/"just want to get the job done and save humanity". If they are from Europe or are a politician they are incompetent/coniving/political hacks that just care about their own advancement.
-Lots of concepts get repeated over and over again throughout the entire book series (how FTL travel works, the technologies the big baddies want us to stop developing, etc.)
Overall though these deficiencies take up a very limited amount of the book (as was the case with the previous books in the series as well) and don't detract very much from the very engaging story the reader is presented with.
-It has neat space battles based around actual physics
-An intriging universe populated by interesting aliens
-A very engaging plot arc and a very fast paced narrative.
It also has its share of deficiencies as well:
-Absurdly thin, and comcially "evil" politicaian characters. Basically if a character is from North America they are good/righteous/"just want to get the job done and save humanity". If they are from Europe or are a politician they are incompetent/coniving/political hacks that just care about their own advancement.
-Lots of concepts get repeated over and over again throughout the entire book series (how FTL travel works, the technologies the big baddies want us to stop developing, etc.)
Overall though these deficiencies take up a very limited amount of the book (as was the case with the previous books in the series as well) and don't detract very much from the very engaging story the reader is presented with.
January 13, 2015
Entire thing was a bit too abrupt and convenient almost. The Sh'daar were unreasonably hostile, unreasonably incompetent in battle, security, communication. The relationship stuff came out of nowhere, buried in all the meaningless statistics on...everything.
So they have a portal through space and time and no defenses around it. They use this tunnel to attack races who advance to much and refuse to stop, because if they advance too much they leave, and...yeah, lets kill trillions to the trillionth power because we don't want to be kinda lonely? I suppose the next books may explain this, but this is the current pause ending I'll go with.
Sand! Throw sand at anything, it dies!
So is being monogamous good or bad book?
I don't care how much the star weighs!
The mystery was kind if interesting, but kind of petered out in the end.
So they have a portal through space and time and no defenses around it. They use this tunnel to attack races who advance to much and refuse to stop, because if they advance too much they leave, and...yeah, lets kill trillions to the trillionth power because we don't want to be kinda lonely? I suppose the next books may explain this, but this is the current pause ending I'll go with.
Sand! Throw sand at anything, it dies!
So is being monogamous good or bad book?
I don't care how much the star weighs!
The mystery was kind if interesting, but kind of petered out in the end.
March 20, 2015
This review will be for the complete first three book arc of this series. This novel reminded me a lot of the Jack Campbell Lost Fleet series as there was lots of space battles with ship to ship action. In this series, humans are fighting multiple alien species and not other human groups and for the most part are behind them technologically but the author makes up for this in the tenaciousness of the human fighting spirit. The author also does a pretty good job in fleshing out the multiple main characters and well as building a nice universe to tell the tale in.
I really enjoyed this who series and look forward to reading more in the followup series. 4 stars for a fun read. Recommended for any fan of space navy military sci-fi.
I really enjoyed this who series and look forward to reading more in the followup series. 4 stars for a fun read. Recommended for any fan of space navy military sci-fi.
June 19, 2012
Pretty fast paced, until the last 50 or so pages. The formula is the same as the previous two books, many of the revelations are the same, not too surprising at the end. Mr. Douglas did present an interesting challenge to write with the conclusion of the trilogy. If I had read these with the roughly year break between I would have little to criticize, but I did read them back to back to back, and the story became a bit repetitive. Overall, a good story, a good trilogy... just some advice; read something else in between the books of the trilogy to avoid the necessary repetitiveness that a natural year between publishing dates causes.
August 15, 2022
The ending of the trilogy kind of fizzles. It was hard to swallow given the set up.
Getting there was fun, though. Interesting, big ideas, almost a survey of speculative tech given what was known say 12-13 years ago (roughly when these began being written).
Still three stars. I don't regret the time reading it. If you like science fiction, and military space opera in particular, you'll like this. Read Honor Harrington or the The Lost Fleet first... but this could live on your list somewhere.
Getting there was fun, though. Interesting, big ideas, almost a survey of speculative tech given what was known say 12-13 years ago (roughly when these began being written).
Still three stars. I don't regret the time reading it. If you like science fiction, and military space opera in particular, you'll like this. Read Honor Harrington or the The Lost Fleet first... but this could live on your list somewhere.
August 17, 2012
A great ending to the Star Carrier Trilogy. My complaints about the first two books continue in this book; too much reiteration of facts, stories, and events from the first two books. There are entire sections I must skip over because its the 3rd time I have read them.
Despite this large complaint, the action is exciting and complex. The characters are fairly strong and the events leading up to the conclusion are satisfying.
Despite this large complaint, the action is exciting and complex. The characters are fairly strong and the events leading up to the conclusion are satisfying.
August 4, 2022
It feels like a mediocre tv series with a great premise and lots of cliffhangers. The problem is just that everything in between seems not to matter. The story would be served a lot better as a movie. I really like Ian Douglas' story but it becomes too repetitive for me to give it a higher score.
March 16, 2012
I have been waiting for this book for months....I will post a review after I complete it!
April 22, 2021
Star Carrier: Singularity
Book 3
Author: Ian Douglas
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publishing Date: 2012
Pgs: 389
Dewey: PBK F DOU
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
After 30 years of war, a losing war, factions in humanity are ready to sue for peace and accept whatever terms the alien Sh’daar Empire places upon Earth. Those factions are ready to allow the aliens to dictate what humanity can do technologically and socially. The military is not. Old nationalisms inside the military are prepared to fight...to the degree that a renegade admiral takes his battlegroup centered on the Star Carrier America into the void to strike behind enemy lines and attempt to draw the forces closing on Earth away. His plan works and the America battlegroup finds itself further from Earth than any Human has ever gone.
✓✓
_________________________________________
Genre:
Science Fiction
Hard Science Fiction
Space
Militaria
Fleet Actions
Why this book:
Things blow up...space battles...I’m there.
_________________________________________
Least Favorite Character:
Gerard is a paper admiral. No way he should’ve been promoted as much or as high as he was. He’s a purely political appointee. Though he is a classic in European navies. Look at the Pre-World War I Royal Navy for examples of political appointees masquerading as admirals. Gerard's going to get his ass kicked.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
There is a hole in the story idea...well in the mechanics of their faster-than-light drive. The idea, one of the drawbacks of the system, is that while using the drive they could emerge anywhere within a given volume of space meaning that different ships would/could pop up at different times and not necessarily in the same orientation which they started in, in relation to each other. But every time, consistently, the main carrier, America, with all of the main characters on it, is always the first one to pop back into “normal” space. Now I understand why but it defeats the idea that they randomly pop back into space at the end of their flight time in FTL if America is always the first one to arrive.
Hmm Moments:
Damn, it's a ghost story. That's pretty cool.
I did not see that coming. They telegraphed it, but I didn't see it.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
The political aspects of these books always drags the plot and the pace down.
There is a tendency to repeat worldbuilding aspects like having Admiral Koenig and Lieutenant Gray have similar thoughts...exactly the same thoughts about a subject.
_________________________________________
Pacing:
The concepts, in the sense of what happens next, keep sucking me back into this book and turning the pages.
Last Page Sound:
Hmmm didn't expect that twist, especially with more books in the series. Good ending.
=======================================
Book 3
Author: Ian Douglas
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publishing Date: 2012
Pgs: 389
Dewey: PBK F DOU
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
=======================================
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
After 30 years of war, a losing war, factions in humanity are ready to sue for peace and accept whatever terms the alien Sh’daar Empire places upon Earth. Those factions are ready to allow the aliens to dictate what humanity can do technologically and socially. The military is not. Old nationalisms inside the military are prepared to fight...to the degree that a renegade admiral takes his battlegroup centered on the Star Carrier America into the void to strike behind enemy lines and attempt to draw the forces closing on Earth away. His plan works and the America battlegroup finds itself further from Earth than any Human has ever gone.
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Genre:
Science Fiction
Hard Science Fiction
Space
Militaria
Fleet Actions
Why this book:
Things blow up...space battles...I’m there.
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Least Favorite Character:
Gerard is a paper admiral. No way he should’ve been promoted as much or as high as he was. He’s a purely political appointee. Though he is a classic in European navies. Look at the Pre-World War I Royal Navy for examples of political appointees masquerading as admirals. Gerard's going to get his ass kicked.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
There is a hole in the story idea...well in the mechanics of their faster-than-light drive. The idea, one of the drawbacks of the system, is that while using the drive they could emerge anywhere within a given volume of space meaning that different ships would/could pop up at different times and not necessarily in the same orientation which they started in, in relation to each other. But every time, consistently, the main carrier, America, with all of the main characters on it, is always the first one to pop back into “normal” space. Now I understand why but it defeats the idea that they randomly pop back into space at the end of their flight time in FTL if America is always the first one to arrive.
Hmm Moments:
Damn, it's a ghost story. That's pretty cool.
I did not see that coming. They telegraphed it, but I didn't see it.
Meh / PFFT Moments:
The political aspects of these books always drags the plot and the pace down.
There is a tendency to repeat worldbuilding aspects like having Admiral Koenig and Lieutenant Gray have similar thoughts...exactly the same thoughts about a subject.
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Pacing:
The concepts, in the sense of what happens next, keep sucking me back into this book and turning the pages.
Last Page Sound:
Hmmm didn't expect that twist, especially with more books in the series. Good ending.
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October 7, 2024
This was entertaining enough for a science fiction novel, although I feel like the apparent conclusion to the existential war Humanity found itself in was a little too conveniently ended in a single offensive push. I find it hard to believe that none of the other thousands of races tried to fight back against the Sh’daar in its billion-year history, but I guess plucky Humanity is gonna be plucky.
Having said that, however, I do find the creativity of Mr. Douglas in his creation of alien races to be a lovely breath of fresh air – in both their appearance and culture – as well as our complete inability to really understand them.
I also really wasn’t a fan of how our seemingly more and more important pilot main character finds himself in a polyamorous relationship with two women – who, of course, are also banging each other because “hell yah, threesome” when he spent three whole novels pining over his lost wife and how much he just couldn’t get the loose sexual morals of everyone else. He was a monogamist for life – oh wait, but I can have two girls who will also do each other for my entertainment? Pssh, screw monogamy. It’s total fanboy salivating time.
And, of course, said pilot yet again uses the sand-filled missiles against the enemy in a way that no one had ever thought of in their hundreds of years of combat to save the day – again – and by novel, I really just mean, kind of the same way he’s done it the previous two times which turned the tide of war and had him win the day for Humanity. He’s quickly becoming a Mary Sue.
But, really, it was a fun read, and I did enjoy it, I promise! I just have hang-ups with some silly little things that kind of just are overdone cliches and eye-rollingly dumb.
Having said that, however, I do find the creativity of Mr. Douglas in his creation of alien races to be a lovely breath of fresh air – in both their appearance and culture – as well as our complete inability to really understand them.
I also really wasn’t a fan of how our seemingly more and more important pilot main character finds himself in a polyamorous relationship with two women – who, of course, are also banging each other because “hell yah, threesome” when he spent three whole novels pining over his lost wife and how much he just couldn’t get the loose sexual morals of everyone else. He was a monogamist for life – oh wait, but I can have two girls who will also do each other for my entertainment? Pssh, screw monogamy. It’s total fanboy salivating time.
And, of course, said pilot yet again uses the sand-filled missiles against the enemy in a way that no one had ever thought of in their hundreds of years of combat to save the day – again – and by novel, I really just mean, kind of the same way he’s done it the previous two times which turned the tide of war and had him win the day for Humanity. He’s quickly becoming a Mary Sue.
But, really, it was a fun read, and I did enjoy it, I promise! I just have hang-ups with some silly little things that kind of just are overdone cliches and eye-rollingly dumb.
August 21, 2019
Douglas, Ian. Singularity. Star Carrier No. 3. Harper, 2012.
Although the Star Carrier series is now eight volumes long, Singularity does wrap up a major story arc. Having successfully beaten off an alien attack on Earth, the human space fleet has been ordered back to earth to shore up defenses against another attack, but Admiral Koenig disobeys orders and persuades most of the fleet to join in a dive into a singularity that they hope will allow them to take the war to the enemy home system. This is old-school military science fiction. There are exciting battle scenes, characters that would be at home in a C. S. Forester novel, strategy that resembles World War II in the Pacific, and a whole bagful of inventive tech. Sadly, Douglas has an annoying habit of repeating the same details of exposition again and again.
Although the Star Carrier series is now eight volumes long, Singularity does wrap up a major story arc. Having successfully beaten off an alien attack on Earth, the human space fleet has been ordered back to earth to shore up defenses against another attack, but Admiral Koenig disobeys orders and persuades most of the fleet to join in a dive into a singularity that they hope will allow them to take the war to the enemy home system. This is old-school military science fiction. There are exciting battle scenes, characters that would be at home in a C. S. Forester novel, strategy that resembles World War II in the Pacific, and a whole bagful of inventive tech. Sadly, Douglas has an annoying habit of repeating the same details of exposition again and again.
May 23, 2020
A fan of pure science fiction, I like this series. This is book three in the saga of an unseen power which has many other races seemingly in it's power and will not allow human beings to develop science and technology any further because this may lead to transcendence. This last book takes you to the heart of their universe and reveals previously hidden secrets.
I like the science bits and there are lots of new ideas in this series. The author explains the science in detail and also describes the battle tactics in detail. I like it when the science is explained and is somehow believable.
I gave it four stars only because the characters do not quite become as real to me as I would like. Because I read before going to sleep every night, the following night I find I have lost the plot and can't remember all the characters and what is going on. But that is just me!
I like the science bits and there are lots of new ideas in this series. The author explains the science in detail and also describes the battle tactics in detail. I like it when the science is explained and is somehow believable.
I gave it four stars only because the characters do not quite become as real to me as I would like. Because I read before going to sleep every night, the following night I find I have lost the plot and can't remember all the characters and what is going on. But that is just me!
September 30, 2025
,,Bitwa jest krwawym i niszczącym zmierzeniem się sił fizycznych i moralnych."
Lecz jak walczyć z wrogiem, o którego sile nie mamy wielkiego pojęcia, a już o wyznawanych przezeń normach moralnych nie wiemy właściwie nic?
,,W strategii wszystko jest proste, lecz nie jest łatwe."
Czyli o tym, jak Gray został dupą wołową, bo dwie fajne laski, które kręciły się wokół niego straciły cierpliwość i ostatecznie wolały siebie nawzajem. A on został sam.
A tak na poważnie - seria Star Carrier potrafi odrzucić, już o tym wspominałam. Ilość wiedzy czysto techniczno-naukowej, która jest tu serwowana może przytłoczyć. Lub zmotywować do sięgnięcia po podręcznik. Pan Douglas miał łeb jak sklep jak to pisał i choćby za to wielki szacunek. Bo rzucanie mądrymi hasłami to jedno - co innego potrafić wyjaśnić to czytelnikowi, aby dał się nabrać, że ten świat jest w pełni realny. I działa.
I kto wie? Może za sto lat nie będzie to już ,,science fiction".
Muszę przyznać, że jak na razie ten tom podobał mi się najmniej. Nie że w ogóle, ale w porównaniu z poprzednimi szło mi oporniej. Nawet jeśli w końcu udało się spotkać tych tajemniczych Sh'daar twarzą w... cokolwiek oni mają w ramach twarzy. Ludzkości udało się wreszcie dostać odpowiedź, dlaczego Gwiezdni Panowie chcieli ich sobie podporządkować... ale to zrodziło jeszcze więcej pytań. Jak można porozumieć się z kimś zupełnie ,,obcym", skoro ludzie nawet między sobą nie potrafią się dogadać...
Lecz jak walczyć z wrogiem, o którego sile nie mamy wielkiego pojęcia, a już o wyznawanych przezeń normach moralnych nie wiemy właściwie nic?
,,W strategii wszystko jest proste, lecz nie jest łatwe."
Czyli o tym, jak Gray został dupą wołową, bo dwie fajne laski, które kręciły się wokół niego straciły cierpliwość i ostatecznie wolały siebie nawzajem. A on został sam.
A tak na poważnie - seria Star Carrier potrafi odrzucić, już o tym wspominałam. Ilość wiedzy czysto techniczno-naukowej, która jest tu serwowana może przytłoczyć. Lub zmotywować do sięgnięcia po podręcznik. Pan Douglas miał łeb jak sklep jak to pisał i choćby za to wielki szacunek. Bo rzucanie mądrymi hasłami to jedno - co innego potrafić wyjaśnić to czytelnikowi, aby dał się nabrać, że ten świat jest w pełni realny. I działa.
I kto wie? Może za sto lat nie będzie to już ,,science fiction".
Muszę przyznać, że jak na razie ten tom podobał mi się najmniej. Nie że w ogóle, ale w porównaniu z poprzednimi szło mi oporniej. Nawet jeśli w końcu udało się spotkać tych tajemniczych Sh'daar twarzą w... cokolwiek oni mają w ramach twarzy. Ludzkości udało się wreszcie dostać odpowiedź, dlaczego Gwiezdni Panowie chcieli ich sobie podporządkować... ale to zrodziło jeszcze więcej pytań. Jak można porozumieć się z kimś zupełnie ,,obcym", skoro ludzie nawet między sobą nie potrafią się dogadać...
June 9, 2025
This is a solid book. I enjoy the stories and the random physics anecdotes he puts into his stories, but it would be much appreciated if he would stop repeating basic facts about the star carrier universe. More than twice each in this book (once is enough), he would mention things about the periphery, the Agletsch, Karyn, KK missiles, Alcubierre drives, and at least a handful of other topics that have been covered since book one. Sure repeat it once whenever it comes up to remind the reader or if the reader happens to pick this book up first, but this book could’ve been tens of pages shorter if these repeated statements were removed. I’m a fan of the book and the series, but come on.
June 6, 2022
Out of the two previous books, this was my favourite. It may be because of the accrued information and time spent with this world, characters and story. Not sure, but I had a LOT of fun, finally understanding the reason for the war, and how this current story ended.
Also, I believe that the story was more focused on the individual stories of the fighters of the war, than just the macro war effort.
I also think the resolution of the understanding of the worm hole was really cool.
I will be thinking about this for a long time. Very intersting.
Also, I believe that the story was more focused on the individual stories of the fighters of the war, than just the macro war effort.
I also think the resolution of the understanding of the worm hole was really cool.
I will be thinking about this for a long time. Very intersting.
September 3, 2018
This entry in the Star Carrier series is really a mixed bag. On one hand, you have a nice conclusion for the story arc that has been passing through the past two novels, with questions answered and even more brought to the fore. But, you also have very monotonous writing, with an emphasis on filler and repeatedly explaining things over, and over again. This makes the book alternate between excitement, and tedium. Worth reading to finish the story arcs, but not worth the tedium to get there.
April 13, 2021
If you made it to the third book in the series, you’ve likely come to accept the clunky writing style and over use of info-dumps. Ups continued, and intend to complete the series because I like the story. It reminded me of some TV space opera such as Babylon 5, particularly given the time-scale of the races involved. And, there’s a bit of IM Banks, but don’t read this book because of the wonderful Prose, or for any subtlety in character or narrative.
October 12, 2017
If we are stuck to our old national identities and caste system we will not make it to the stars. And star carriers, come on... I like all the fun tech and advances, intrigued by the "Singularity" of technological idea but found my attention wandering (and wondering) as either the story or the listener got sidetracked.
June 24, 2018
Rocking end to the trilogy
A worthy end to the space battle trilogy, both in excellent writing and in the logical conclusion to the tale. Had the story ended her it would mark the best sci-fi in a decade, but more excellent books are waiting to continue the story.
Review by Steve Cole, Leanna's husband of forty one years.
A worthy end to the space battle trilogy, both in excellent writing and in the logical conclusion to the tale. Had the story ended her it would mark the best sci-fi in a decade, but more excellent books are waiting to continue the story.
Review by Steve Cole, Leanna's husband of forty one years.
June 25, 2025
Our heroes continue the hunt for aliens. The characters from the earlier books are still around, meaning Grey and Ryan, and of course Admiral Koenig.
The universe is still hostile but humanity, or at least our heroes, are getting to understand aliens slightly better. As before, the solution is aggressiveness. Kill before getting killed.
The book is an easy read. For me, a nice brain flush.
The universe is still hostile but humanity, or at least our heroes, are getting to understand aliens slightly better. As before, the solution is aggressiveness. Kill before getting killed.
The book is an easy read. For me, a nice brain flush.
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