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The Fleet
Welcome to life in orbit. After a plague surges out of control, the infected begin to overrun humanity's cities one by one, forcing those who survive to take orbit. Commander Dalton James has walked many paths, most of them in search of whiskey. Now humanity looks to him for survival. However, as the fleet discovers a brand new race and its horrible secret, Dalton may just be the right man for the job. With a rugged brown coat on his back and a revolver hanging from his side, Dalton James is in no mood for games. Now, high-tech weaponry clashes with the zestful tongue of a man who's had enough.
- GenresScience Fiction
121 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2014
110 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 15, 2015
The Fleet
John Davis
"He'd rather eat nails and shit galvanized spaghetti than to bring an alien race onto his ship and reveal the layout of their home in the sky."
Yeah, there's a reason some books are downloadable for free on Kindle...Nice cover but it all goes off in the ditch from there. Not awful, or God-awful, or horrible...just plain bad writing. 2-dimensional cardboard cut-out characters, thoughtless plot development, and lots of grammatical errors.
This is the literary equivalent of paint-by-numbers "art" done all in a single color - gray. It would be a kindness to say that this book needs a really good editor and a massive rewrite, but realistically speaking, you can't polish a turd...no matter how careful you are, you end up just smearing it all over and making a bigger mess.
John Davis
"He'd rather eat nails and shit galvanized spaghetti than to bring an alien race onto his ship and reveal the layout of their home in the sky."
Yeah, there's a reason some books are downloadable for free on Kindle...Nice cover but it all goes off in the ditch from there. Not awful, or God-awful, or horrible...just plain bad writing. 2-dimensional cardboard cut-out characters, thoughtless plot development, and lots of grammatical errors.
This is the literary equivalent of paint-by-numbers "art" done all in a single color - gray. It would be a kindness to say that this book needs a really good editor and a massive rewrite, but realistically speaking, you can't polish a turd...no matter how careful you are, you end up just smearing it all over and making a bigger mess.
July 18, 2019
Full of action but it is short.
January 21, 2018
JA Stone, Author
I think most of Davis' negative reviews are from fellow indie authors, a little jelly over a guy who clearly knows how to chart his titles. The writing to me is akin to Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms in that you can jump in and enjoy plenty of action and get out with a smile. Yes, I love Lord of the Rings and the Once and Future King, but sometimes I prefer something lighter, fluffier, pure escapism, you know...pulp! There are still typos, but Davis has recently changed covers and I gotta say they look really cool. Three stars is max for me, only because of the typos. His editor is clearly letting the software do the work.
I think most of Davis' negative reviews are from fellow indie authors, a little jelly over a guy who clearly knows how to chart his titles. The writing to me is akin to Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms in that you can jump in and enjoy plenty of action and get out with a smile. Yes, I love Lord of the Rings and the Once and Future King, but sometimes I prefer something lighter, fluffier, pure escapism, you know...pulp! There are still typos, but Davis has recently changed covers and I gotta say they look really cool. Three stars is max for me, only because of the typos. His editor is clearly letting the software do the work.
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September 12, 2019👌read
I did not read this in sequence. I read the first book then I read this one. This is not a stand alone story. There is a lot from previous stories that I may have needed to read before this to better appreciate this short story. I probably won't continue this series because the stories are getting short for the price.
I did not read this in sequence. I read the first book then I read this one. This is not a stand alone story. There is a lot from previous stories that I may have needed to read before this to better appreciate this short story. I probably won't continue this series because the stories are getting short for the price.
May 25, 2020
Great story!
I loved this story. A perfect mix of zombies and sci-fi! If I had the funds, I would read the whole series!
I loved this story. A perfect mix of zombies and sci-fi! If I had the funds, I would read the whole series!
October 21, 2015
I like SciFi. I'm a fan of Star Wars, Firefly, and most of Star Trek and a lot of others. So I know a good space story when I find it. Somewhere within morass is a story ... but I couldn't find it. There are places that had potential in this book. Any single scene could have been developed and edited and turned into a good story. Unfortunately, they're just thrown together with little to no cohesion. I got the book for free and when I do that, I always try to write a review to help the author. One always hopes it will be a good review. I truly wish I could give this book a better rating. I don't like giving negative reviews. However, I don't know how I can make this any better.
The characters have no depth or real personalities and there didn't seem to be any real purpose to anything they were doing. There is a lot of telling about the characters but very little showing. They spend a lot of time sitting in chairs reminiscing, particularly Commander Dalton James, punctuated by brief snippets of shooting at something or chasing something or talking about something they're going to shoot or chase.
Based on what I read, I think there was an intention to have a point. It just didn't happen and halfway through I gave up. I didn't really want to do that. I like finishing books and there were a couple of threads in this story that could have made a good book if developed properly.
The writing, I'm sorry to say, was terrible. Paragraph development was terrible. Most paragraphs contained multiple fragments - clauses and phrases with no subject or no verb or neither. There is incorrect word usage, overuse in descriptions, and info dumps of back story. Most chapters or scenes have spurts of dialogue followed by long mental ramblings of the POV character in that scene. Elements in the story, such as the "infected" are not clarified or explained in any of the info dumps but the love relationships of a couple of characters are.
Speaking of chapters, there aren't any. There are no chapter breaks, just a star and these can be easily overlooked on my old Kindle. I kept getting confused with this and trying to find a stopping point was frustrating. While I've heard some authors do this, I find it very annoying. Chapter breaks, identifiable ones, serve a purpose. On e-readers, as well as print books, they are clear stopping points so you can go to work, the bathroom, to bed, etc. In this novel, they were even more desperately needed because of the author's decision to 'head jump". Head jumping is going into the head of more than one character within a single scene. This is bad writing and confusing reading. Multiple points of view is fine and currently is fairly common practice. Head jumping is just annoying and a bad use of multiple POV. There is also a lot of "place" jumping. Breaks would allow for a smoother transition from one place to another and avoid confusion. The author needs to clearly identify scenes (chapter) and he needs to pick a head to stay in during an entire scene.
I'm doubtful that the author even used an editor. If he did, he needs to fire them. If it was a friend, don't let them near anything else. Just find a good editor who can give you a good overview of the problems. And there are more but this is a depressing review and I won't beat a dead horse. Take it down and bury it. Or, even better, make a challenge of it. Find the real story line and rewrite it. Then get a competent editor.
The result of this story is that I won't be tempted to buy one of the other books he has up. This is why editing matters.
The characters have no depth or real personalities and there didn't seem to be any real purpose to anything they were doing. There is a lot of telling about the characters but very little showing. They spend a lot of time sitting in chairs reminiscing, particularly Commander Dalton James, punctuated by brief snippets of shooting at something or chasing something or talking about something they're going to shoot or chase.
Based on what I read, I think there was an intention to have a point. It just didn't happen and halfway through I gave up. I didn't really want to do that. I like finishing books and there were a couple of threads in this story that could have made a good book if developed properly.
The writing, I'm sorry to say, was terrible. Paragraph development was terrible. Most paragraphs contained multiple fragments - clauses and phrases with no subject or no verb or neither. There is incorrect word usage, overuse in descriptions, and info dumps of back story. Most chapters or scenes have spurts of dialogue followed by long mental ramblings of the POV character in that scene. Elements in the story, such as the "infected" are not clarified or explained in any of the info dumps but the love relationships of a couple of characters are.
Speaking of chapters, there aren't any. There are no chapter breaks, just a star and these can be easily overlooked on my old Kindle. I kept getting confused with this and trying to find a stopping point was frustrating. While I've heard some authors do this, I find it very annoying. Chapter breaks, identifiable ones, serve a purpose. On e-readers, as well as print books, they are clear stopping points so you can go to work, the bathroom, to bed, etc. In this novel, they were even more desperately needed because of the author's decision to 'head jump". Head jumping is going into the head of more than one character within a single scene. This is bad writing and confusing reading. Multiple points of view is fine and currently is fairly common practice. Head jumping is just annoying and a bad use of multiple POV. There is also a lot of "place" jumping. Breaks would allow for a smoother transition from one place to another and avoid confusion. The author needs to clearly identify scenes (chapter) and he needs to pick a head to stay in during an entire scene.
I'm doubtful that the author even used an editor. If he did, he needs to fire them. If it was a friend, don't let them near anything else. Just find a good editor who can give you a good overview of the problems. And there are more but this is a depressing review and I won't beat a dead horse. Take it down and bury it. Or, even better, make a challenge of it. Find the real story line and rewrite it. Then get a competent editor.
The result of this story is that I won't be tempted to buy one of the other books he has up. This is why editing matters.
May 12, 2015
I admit it. I stopped reading about 7% of the way through the kindle version. But don't let me discourage you, reader, from giving this book your consideration and your custom.
Perhaps you will notice, as I did, that Mr Davis innovatively departs from the traditional prose. The tyranny of sentence structure doesn't threaten him. For example:
“People of the fleet.” Dalton said with hesitation in his voice. Though his words be nothing short of the truth.
Davis, John (2014-04-14). The Fleet (p. 9). Serenity Valley Publishing. Kindle Edition.
“Moments ago, a small ship and its crew left to explore the clutches of uncharted space around us. Deep black frontier that, up until now, lay unexplored. I await their return and the information they bring back with them. At which time we will begin down one of two roads,” Dalton said firmly. “If word of resources is their findings, the fleet will indeed journey into the black as originally planned. However, if they return with news of no resources close by, I cannot go through with a plan that could send us to our graves.” His statement brought chaos to the crowd. Mixed emotions as many were ready to leave now, while others agreed with his reasoning."
Davis, John (2014-04-14). The Fleet (pp. 9-10). Serenity Valley Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Perhaps those snippets will entice you to take this adventure. It's only 118 pages, what do you have to lose?
In my imagination, those paragraphs arrived at the spaceship of my sci-fi-loving mind and promised that there was no water to be found in the desert we faced, and I could not go through with a plan that was likely to see me dessicated before I got to the good parts.
May the schwartz be with you.
Perhaps you will notice, as I did, that Mr Davis innovatively departs from the traditional prose. The tyranny of sentence structure doesn't threaten him. For example:
“People of the fleet.” Dalton said with hesitation in his voice. Though his words be nothing short of the truth.
Davis, John (2014-04-14). The Fleet (p. 9). Serenity Valley Publishing. Kindle Edition.
“Moments ago, a small ship and its crew left to explore the clutches of uncharted space around us. Deep black frontier that, up until now, lay unexplored. I await their return and the information they bring back with them. At which time we will begin down one of two roads,” Dalton said firmly. “If word of resources is their findings, the fleet will indeed journey into the black as originally planned. However, if they return with news of no resources close by, I cannot go through with a plan that could send us to our graves.” His statement brought chaos to the crowd. Mixed emotions as many were ready to leave now, while others agreed with his reasoning."
Davis, John (2014-04-14). The Fleet (pp. 9-10). Serenity Valley Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Perhaps those snippets will entice you to take this adventure. It's only 118 pages, what do you have to lose?
In my imagination, those paragraphs arrived at the spaceship of my sci-fi-loving mind and promised that there was no water to be found in the desert we faced, and I could not go through with a plan that was likely to see me dessicated before I got to the good parts.
May the schwartz be with you.
May 4, 2016
The Fleet is a crazy mash-up of just about every trendy genre. Zombies drove human off their worlds and into space while they're contending with vampires, and eventually cowboys show up at the same time as they encounter cannibals. While many complain of the cardboard characters throughout, it only adds to the silliness Davis paints for us.
If there was one flaw, it was that this series is a serial. Some minor storylines come to an end, but for the most part, the whole series has to be read to get the complete story. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since we as a society are enjoying serials more and more across all our entertainment options, but if you're looking for a resolution before jumping into the next piece, you won't find it.
If there was one flaw, it was that this series is a serial. Some minor storylines come to an end, but for the most part, the whole series has to be read to get the complete story. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since we as a society are enjoying serials more and more across all our entertainment options, but if you're looking for a resolution before jumping into the next piece, you won't find it.
January 19, 2015
I really enjoyed this sci-fi tale, a quick read that grabs the readers attention and draws them in. Follow humans as they fight alien zombies, cannibals and a variety of revolting space creatures. Readers will love the combination of war, horror and romance as they follow Dalton James and Adam with Cambria and Sarah as romantic interest although sometimes love isn't the right word to describe the rocky relationships. Great job and can't wait to read other titles by this author.
January 22, 2015
I was really looking forward to a book that was supposed to contain the following: zombies, vampires, first contact (with an advanced cannibalistic race), and military sci-fi. Just one or two of those would have made for a good story. But mashing them all together, the end result was "lacking". Character development was almost non-existent; there was no prelude or background. I felt that I walked into a movie that was half-way finished.
June 14, 2015
Interesting Mix
Space travel, zombies,vampires and cannibals all in one short book. The action is enough to keep you interested and believe it or not, wanting to know what happens next. The main character seems to overshadow the other characters with his bravado like he is going to be the sole savior of the races in the system. For a character that started out kinda wimpy sure put on his badass boots right quick. I'll read book two out of pure curiosity.
Space travel, zombies,vampires and cannibals all in one short book. The action is enough to keep you interested and believe it or not, wanting to know what happens next. The main character seems to overshadow the other characters with his bravado like he is going to be the sole savior of the races in the system. For a character that started out kinda wimpy sure put on his badass boots right quick. I'll read book two out of pure curiosity.
June 29, 2015
First off, This book is short and feels incomplete. A lot of things get set up and then just......stops. You don't really get to know the characters to well. The story background is interesting. But the covert actions that the main character is forced into almost detracts from the "big picture". Fortunately, this was a "free" book. I doubt I'll buy the next in the series (it too is pretty short) because I don't want to feel cheated again.
February 10, 2016
Not very good. The characters are stereotypes and lack depth and development, the dialogue is cheesy and unrealistic, the writing is choppy and doesn't flow well and the story isn't very imaginative. It also needs a thorough edit. Not a great contribution to the genre of the space opera novel. Sorry, I couldn't finish it.
January 18, 2017
Good story
I started reading this book not knowing it had a prequel, so a few references were unknown. Other than that, a good story with a witty protagonist. The story is sprinkled with tongue in cheek lines that amuse, likeable characters, scary Nemesis, frightening scenarios. I will be reading the next one in the series.
I started reading this book not knowing it had a prequel, so a few references were unknown. Other than that, a good story with a witty protagonist. The story is sprinkled with tongue in cheek lines that amuse, likeable characters, scary Nemesis, frightening scenarios. I will be reading the next one in the series.
November 1, 2015
Great read
Lots of action . I really enjoyed reading this book it has a good storyline and is a page turner . I didn't think I would be into a book about zombies but this was good and throw in the aliens and it just gets better.
Lots of action . I really enjoyed reading this book it has a good storyline and is a page turner . I didn't think I would be into a book about zombies but this was good and throw in the aliens and it just gets better.
December 26, 2014
Loved the book but the ending leaves you hanging.
March 17, 2015
Crazy as it sounds
As crazy as it sounds with vampires and zombies, this is an over the top fun read. A nice ride.
As crazy as it sounds with vampires and zombies, this is an over the top fun read. A nice ride.
August 27, 2015
Okay
Not a great read, the author has some interesting ideas through. Not sure I recommend to other sci-fi readers. Will try one more to see.
Not a great read, the author has some interesting ideas through. Not sure I recommend to other sci-fi readers. Will try one more to see.
March 16, 2016
Light and 'fluffy' action/sci-fi novel. If you're looking for a quick diversion with a strong flavour of a John Wayne western crossed with a WWII flick, this is your book.
June 8, 2016
Readable
Well worth the price of free. Would have been better if the author had access to spell check and the service of a proof reader. An enjoyable read.
Well worth the price of free. Would have been better if the author had access to spell check and the service of a proof reader. An enjoyable read.
January 27, 2015
a bit trivial. I like sci-fi and my expectations were low but this was disappointing.
April 16, 2017
I am about 90% sure I had read this book but I can't find where I read it in my goodreads. oh well. It was still an interesting story and sooner or later I am sure I will get around to reading the next one in the series.
April 22, 2017
This book is living proof that you should always use a proofreader.
I had to give up. The woeful punctuation and incorrect use of words finally broke me. I gave up at 17%. I know i couldn't write a book and kudos for the hard work and imagination; but please get a professional to proof your work.
I had to give up. The woeful punctuation and incorrect use of words finally broke me. I gave up at 17%. I know i couldn't write a book and kudos for the hard work and imagination; but please get a professional to proof your work.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews