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Angel in the Whirlwind #2
Falcone Strike
Now a celebrated war hero, Captain Kat Falcone is back at the helm of HMS Lightning…and up against near-impossible odds. After an ill-timed outburst almost ends her career, Kat is handed command of a deep-strike mission into enemy space. The objective is to gather intelligence and distract the hostile Theocracy while the Commonwealth prepares its counteroffensive.
The chances for success are slim—and for survival even slimmer.
Armed with a ragtag fleet of outdated starships, a few loyal officers, and a skeleton crew of refugees, Kat knows the Royal Navy expects her to fail. But failure almost certainly means death—or worse, as the Theocracy does not treat prisoners kindly. Pitted against the enemy defenses of her old nemesis Admiral Junayd, there is no room for error. And with a spy hidden aboard her ship, Kat will need more than her wits to survive. Can Kat enter the lion’s den, strike a blow for the Commonwealth, and escape with her life?
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2016
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487 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
May 2, 2018
Let me say some good things about how Nuttall has crafted this series. His war between empires has some nice economic nuances. The spacecraft are diverse and each model has its advantages and disadvantages which lead to some interesting tactical and strategic decisions. The idea about how to come back from a surprise start to the war has some echoes of Japan vs. USA in WWII. I particularly like how the author handles the plot involving the spy. “...had he, somehow missed the signs of a budding traitor? Or had he overlooked something that had started a person down the road to treachery? Or had he simply ignored the traitor, dismissed him as unimportant and never even considered the possibility of treachery?...Someone was going to pay for betraying their shipmates. But, it wouldn’t be enough. How could it be? The crew would be broken and scattered by the news, when they needed to pull together. Their faith in one another would be shattered. It wouldn’t be easy for them to bond again after such a betrayal.”
After the first book, I expressed some reservations: “He has chosen a “tough sell” with rich and young Kat Falcone as a newly credentialed captain of a major naval vessel. He has to:
1. Make us empathize and root for her;
2. Make her tough enough but not experienced enough to avoid mistakes or we might not care enough about each incident; and,
3. Avoid or minimize just having a stereo-typical “bad-guy” empire and similar “bad-guy” individuals who show little or no nuance."
With respect to #1: There has been a bit of a falling off of the empathy, but not to a critical stage. “Kat,” who started the first book with an “undeserved” promotion to captain, receives another promotion that makes her commodore of a fleet of Commonwealth ships. This takes place less than a year after the first promotion and there has been no comparable promotion for anyone else in the Commonwealth navy.
With respect to #2: Nuttall wants to have it both ways. Kat is his “Angel” and he seems unwilling to give us someone who doesn’t achieve what is asked of her. He also finds time to digress about her great beauty in ways that detract from the nature of this genre. “She sat upright, crossing her hands under her bare breasts. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t see a way to get in, snatch the prisoners, and get out…’They’d need to cut loose at least two squadrons of superdreadnoughts.’” And, “Part of her wanted him to hold her, but she knew her duty. ‘I need to sit down and think.’” There could have been something significant said about feminism in this culture, but what we get is more of a nod in that direction.
With respect to #3: The “Theocracy” is not an ISIS-type Islamic state because Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were all left behind when Earth was abandoned. Yet, every other chapter seems to make the case for the Theocracy being a future ISIS. “The Theocracy would behead every (other religion’s) priest they caught, just to make it clear that there was no other religion than theirs.” And, “(T)he Theocracy keeps its population under very tight control indeed. Men are given a very basic education mostly centered around religion, then pushed into jobs or the military; women are kept at home then married off to have the next generation…”
And, “It was impossible to fault Admiral Christian…but if he’d served the Theocracy, he would have been executed for his failure to destroy the enemy fleet. Charging right at the enemy formation, even if one was hideously out-gunned, was regarded as a good thing, no matter if it was pointless and stupid.” And, “(He) made a mental note to ensure that the story was turned into propaganda, aimed at anyone who believed that it was possible to coexist with the Theocracy. Even when an entire population surrendered and submitted, it wasn’t enough to keep them safe.”
Nuttall could have/should have put more effort into giving us something beyond what we have seen in our recent decades. Instead, he took an easier and less appealing path.
This may be as far as I go with this series, given what I have noted as serious shortcomings.
*And, by the way, the cover art is really disappointing.
After the first book, I expressed some reservations: “He has chosen a “tough sell” with rich and young Kat Falcone as a newly credentialed captain of a major naval vessel. He has to:
1. Make us empathize and root for her;
2. Make her tough enough but not experienced enough to avoid mistakes or we might not care enough about each incident; and,
3. Avoid or minimize just having a stereo-typical “bad-guy” empire and similar “bad-guy” individuals who show little or no nuance."
With respect to #1: There has been a bit of a falling off of the empathy, but not to a critical stage. “Kat,” who started the first book with an “undeserved” promotion to captain, receives another promotion that makes her commodore of a fleet of Commonwealth ships. This takes place less than a year after the first promotion and there has been no comparable promotion for anyone else in the Commonwealth navy.
With respect to #2: Nuttall wants to have it both ways. Kat is his “Angel” and he seems unwilling to give us someone who doesn’t achieve what is asked of her. He also finds time to digress about her great beauty in ways that detract from the nature of this genre. “She sat upright, crossing her hands under her bare breasts. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t see a way to get in, snatch the prisoners, and get out…’They’d need to cut loose at least two squadrons of superdreadnoughts.’” And, “Part of her wanted him to hold her, but she knew her duty. ‘I need to sit down and think.’” There could have been something significant said about feminism in this culture, but what we get is more of a nod in that direction.
With respect to #3: The “Theocracy” is not an ISIS-type Islamic state because Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were all left behind when Earth was abandoned. Yet, every other chapter seems to make the case for the Theocracy being a future ISIS. “The Theocracy would behead every (other religion’s) priest they caught, just to make it clear that there was no other religion than theirs.” And, “(T)he Theocracy keeps its population under very tight control indeed. Men are given a very basic education mostly centered around religion, then pushed into jobs or the military; women are kept at home then married off to have the next generation…”
And, “It was impossible to fault Admiral Christian…but if he’d served the Theocracy, he would have been executed for his failure to destroy the enemy fleet. Charging right at the enemy formation, even if one was hideously out-gunned, was regarded as a good thing, no matter if it was pointless and stupid.” And, “(He) made a mental note to ensure that the story was turned into propaganda, aimed at anyone who believed that it was possible to coexist with the Theocracy. Even when an entire population surrendered and submitted, it wasn’t enough to keep them safe.”
Nuttall could have/should have put more effort into giving us something beyond what we have seen in our recent decades. Instead, he took an easier and less appealing path.
This may be as far as I go with this series, given what I have noted as serious shortcomings.
*And, by the way, the cover art is really disappointing.
January 28, 2016
Like the first instalment in this book series from Christopher Nuttall this book is my cup of tea. The adventures of Captain Kat Falcone and the war against the religious fanatics in the Theocracy continues at a brisk pace. Kat is already a war hero and it is safe to say that she adds to that reputation in this book.
As the book blurb states Kat has somewhat of an outburst at a gathering with a lot of high brass, lords and political dimwits. Well, outburst and outburst. She tells a particular stupid, incompetent and arrogant dimwit exactly what he should be told. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, said dimwit have connections high up among the “noble” society of political dimwits which renders her position a bit precarious. To say that it ends her career…well that is a bit of an overstatement to put it mildly since, luckily, Mr. Nuttall has balanced the political dimwits with a number of characters that actually have something else than hot air between their ears. People who also wields some power.
Thus Kat is given a command, although officially the story is another one to satisfy above mentioned dimwits, and a mission which puts her far into enemy territory and gives her ample opportunity to prove herself, again, as well as deal some serious pain to the lunatics in the Theocracy.
Of course it would be little suspense if Kat would be given a huge state of the art battle fleet to wreak havoc on the Theocracy so instead she is given a somewhat less than modern fleet to say the last, with the exception of her own ship The Lightning of course. To make matters worse the crew is mostly in the same bad shape as the ships not to mention that one of them is a spy.
So the stage is set for a nice adventure and the book does deliver quite nicely on that. Kat is managing to throw quite a few grains of sand into the Theocracy’s machinery and Admiral Junayd, who the Theocracy in their infinite wisdom (irony) have chosen to post behind the frontlines after Kat spoiled his plans in the previous book. I quite like that the book does indeed follow both sides to quite a large extent so that we do really get to read about the surprise effects and humiliation that Kat manages to bestow onto the religious lunatics. Well Admiral Junayd himself is neither lunatic nor very religious really but, unfortunately for him, most of the other people around him are.
The book moves along at a decent, fairly brisk, pace while Kat pummels the Theocracy. Not everything goes Kat’s way of course and the before mentioned spy manages to cause quite some damage. In the end though Kat has enhanced her reputation as a war hero quite a bit and there is also a slightly surprising turn of events involving a certain Admiral Junayd in the last few chapters. As usual the writing is good, there are several good characters as well as a good story.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
As the book blurb states Kat has somewhat of an outburst at a gathering with a lot of high brass, lords and political dimwits. Well, outburst and outburst. She tells a particular stupid, incompetent and arrogant dimwit exactly what he should be told. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, said dimwit have connections high up among the “noble” society of political dimwits which renders her position a bit precarious. To say that it ends her career…well that is a bit of an overstatement to put it mildly since, luckily, Mr. Nuttall has balanced the political dimwits with a number of characters that actually have something else than hot air between their ears. People who also wields some power.
Thus Kat is given a command, although officially the story is another one to satisfy above mentioned dimwits, and a mission which puts her far into enemy territory and gives her ample opportunity to prove herself, again, as well as deal some serious pain to the lunatics in the Theocracy.
Of course it would be little suspense if Kat would be given a huge state of the art battle fleet to wreak havoc on the Theocracy so instead she is given a somewhat less than modern fleet to say the last, with the exception of her own ship The Lightning of course. To make matters worse the crew is mostly in the same bad shape as the ships not to mention that one of them is a spy.
So the stage is set for a nice adventure and the book does deliver quite nicely on that. Kat is managing to throw quite a few grains of sand into the Theocracy’s machinery and Admiral Junayd, who the Theocracy in their infinite wisdom (irony) have chosen to post behind the frontlines after Kat spoiled his plans in the previous book. I quite like that the book does indeed follow both sides to quite a large extent so that we do really get to read about the surprise effects and humiliation that Kat manages to bestow onto the religious lunatics. Well Admiral Junayd himself is neither lunatic nor very religious really but, unfortunately for him, most of the other people around him are.
The book moves along at a decent, fairly brisk, pace while Kat pummels the Theocracy. Not everything goes Kat’s way of course and the before mentioned spy manages to cause quite some damage. In the end though Kat has enhanced her reputation as a war hero quite a bit and there is also a slightly surprising turn of events involving a certain Admiral Junayd in the last few chapters. As usual the writing is good, there are several good characters as well as a good story.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
March 13, 2019
Captain "Kat" Falcone has a new mission to take a bunch of junk starships and raid behind enemy lines. She will face the same Admiral who has fallen from grace and is out to earn back his place within Theocratic society; she will also have to deal with a spy on board.
I had such high hopes that this second book in the series would improve my opinion, but I'm disappointed. I concede that some of the fault lies in the narrator of the audio version. It is possible that had I read the print form that my brain would have overlooked some of the things that turned me off. However, two things that I am sure of - 1) I think the author could have done a better job of characterizing Kat as a woman. Her femininity was shown only in the way she ran her fingers through her long hair (luckily I didn't have to take a shot every time I heard that phrase) and the one time she showed emotion after losing some of her crew. And 2) the naval strategy and maneuvers were lacking expertise. I am NO expert, but I've read better. I don't think I will be continuing the series.
I had such high hopes that this second book in the series would improve my opinion, but I'm disappointed. I concede that some of the fault lies in the narrator of the audio version. It is possible that had I read the print form that my brain would have overlooked some of the things that turned me off. However, two things that I am sure of - 1) I think the author could have done a better job of characterizing Kat as a woman. Her femininity was shown only in the way she ran her fingers through her long hair (luckily I didn't have to take a shot every time I heard that phrase) and the one time she showed emotion after losing some of her crew. And 2) the naval strategy and maneuvers were lacking expertise. I am NO expert, but I've read better. I don't think I will be continuing the series.
February 4, 2016
Quite good..
February 29, 2016
"Giving the enemy a bloody nose...." (again)
The second book in this series is flat. It has very little plot line and the tension of any sort of interesting action just isn't in it. I really liked the first book so I plunged into the second anticipating that it would be more of the same. But no matter how I've tried to bravely go, it's just ho-hum. There are numerous places in which Mr Nutall could have created some excitement and anticipation, only to have the missions turn out pretty much as you knew it would
Attention: possible Spoiler Alert!! Predictably, when the captain and XO discover that a spy is among the crew, the XO goes through personnel files and finds the suspected spy without problems. Catching the right man first time through, he confesses with nil buildup of tension. Nothing to keep the reader interested enough to keep going. And what is it about getting a phrase, description or other expression sand then working it to death. If the author used the phrase "...giving [the enemy] a bloody nose" that is so interesting that if he uses it once, I swear, he uses it 15 times. And that is just one of the expressions that he overuses. "Smiling coldly" abounds as well as several others, issues that an editor would have addressed had he used one.
I am a longtime fan of s-f, all the way from when they were typed and mimeoed (or whatever the process was back then). As such, I don't tend to get as upset as some of the other reviewers do about the typos or even a lot of editing issues. But when I'm paying a large corporation for the book and the editing is so nonexistent or poorly done, I begin to have issues with it.
Christopher Nutall is a proficient writer and I like reading his books generally. But this one seems to not quite have gelled before he put it out. A little more work, a better polish and he could have come up with a way better book.
As it is, three stars is probably more generous than it deserves. The idea is great and I love thee British science e fiction. Had this stayed in the oven just a little longer I think he may have had a way better book. At least there would have been fewer bloody noses.
The second book in this series is flat. It has very little plot line and the tension of any sort of interesting action just isn't in it. I really liked the first book so I plunged into the second anticipating that it would be more of the same. But no matter how I've tried to bravely go, it's just ho-hum. There are numerous places in which Mr Nutall could have created some excitement and anticipation, only to have the missions turn out pretty much as you knew it would
Attention: possible Spoiler Alert!! Predictably, when the captain and XO discover that a spy is among the crew, the XO goes through personnel files and finds the suspected spy without problems. Catching the right man first time through, he confesses with nil buildup of tension. Nothing to keep the reader interested enough to keep going. And what is it about getting a phrase, description or other expression sand then working it to death. If the author used the phrase "...giving [the enemy] a bloody nose" that is so interesting that if he uses it once, I swear, he uses it 15 times. And that is just one of the expressions that he overuses. "Smiling coldly" abounds as well as several others, issues that an editor would have addressed had he used one.
I am a longtime fan of s-f, all the way from when they were typed and mimeoed (or whatever the process was back then). As such, I don't tend to get as upset as some of the other reviewers do about the typos or even a lot of editing issues. But when I'm paying a large corporation for the book and the editing is so nonexistent or poorly done, I begin to have issues with it.
Christopher Nutall is a proficient writer and I like reading his books generally. But this one seems to not quite have gelled before he put it out. A little more work, a better polish and he could have come up with a way better book.
As it is, three stars is probably more generous than it deserves. The idea is great and I love thee British science e fiction. Had this stayed in the oven just a little longer I think he may have had a way better book. At least there would have been fewer bloody noses.
March 5, 2016
This is book two in the Angel in the Whirlwind series about Kat Falcone. Captain Kat Falcone is back in command of HMS Lighting. The mission is a deep strike mission into enemy space to gather intelligence and distract the Theocracy while the Commonwealth prepares a counter offensive. Kat has gained the confidence of King Hadrian, and has been given a brevet rank of Commodore. Her ship HMS Lightening has been newly outfitted but the rest of the ships in her squadron are outdated and understaffed and to top it off there is a spy aboard.
The book is well written and the plot flows smoothly with some exciting twist. The last half of the book has some space battles and Kat adds some captured ships to her fleet. It is obvious that Nuttall is building the base for future books in the series. I am enjoying this series so far. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. I had less difficulty with the narrator Lauren Ezzo this time; sort of getting use to her style of reading but still do not like the flat dull delivery of some of the characters.
The book is well written and the plot flows smoothly with some exciting twist. The last half of the book has some space battles and Kat adds some captured ships to her fleet. It is obvious that Nuttall is building the base for future books in the series. I am enjoying this series so far. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. I had less difficulty with the narrator Lauren Ezzo this time; sort of getting use to her style of reading but still do not like the flat dull delivery of some of the characters.
January 1, 2016
While Falcone Strike follows a familiar pattern it tells a very good story in the process. I met Kat Falcone in book one of the series and enjoyed how she handled a very bad situation. Now she is back and has put herself at risk by tell a blowhard with powerful friends just what is and is not. As a result she is sent behind enemy lines to make as much trouble as she can with a less than stellar fleet to do it with.
The plot flowed smoothly and the action matched the problems that Kat faced. The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are shades of grey. It was fun to see how Kat would solve the problems with a less than excellent fleet of ships. The world building is set to allow some very interesting plot development in future books. All in all a fun Space Opera series. I am looking forward to meeting Kat in future books.
December 24, 2021
I enjoyed the main story, although it seemed to take a long time before anything happened, however once the action started the pace did pick up. Overall not a bad Space Opera but I was a little annoyed with some of the details that didn’t really make sense.
Some of my misgivings started with a civilian dimwit making some disparaging remarks about Admiral Christian and Kat defends him, from that we are supposed to believe that the chief of the Navy is prepared to court martial her. Both her and the Admiral are war heroes, she is a member of one the most powerful ruling houses. That doesn’t make sense and then there is the ‘Spy’. I found the whole spy sub-plot unconvincing.
However, this is a series I will continue to read and I look forward to the next book.
Some of my misgivings started with a civilian dimwit making some disparaging remarks about Admiral Christian and Kat defends him, from that we are supposed to believe that the chief of the Navy is prepared to court martial her. Both her and the Admiral are war heroes, she is a member of one the most powerful ruling houses. That doesn’t make sense and then there is the ‘Spy’. I found the whole spy sub-plot unconvincing.
However, this is a series I will continue to read and I look forward to the next book.
June 24, 2017
a little to errr................ LIKED it. im a huge honor Harrington fan. in a way im unhappy with the series as it builds her EXO into a bigger and bigger character. just not a person im into. also the whole side thing with davis. moments just.. i dunno. ever thought of using a bob girl? seriously. build davis character and there time together so it makes a bit more emotional sense . other than that.. not a bad series. id like to see side characters fleshed out a tiny bit more. besides the EXo
September 11, 2017
Yet another great read
We continue to follow the heroine of this series, Kat has been given a new task. Go behind enemy lines and cause as much problems as she is able. But before she returns to the safety of home space, she is able to rescue commonwealth POWs. One which she are anyone else expected.
We continue to follow the heroine of this series, Kat has been given a new task. Go behind enemy lines and cause as much problems as she is able. But before she returns to the safety of home space, she is able to rescue commonwealth POWs. One which she are anyone else expected.
September 9, 2023
Captain Kat Falcone is assigned command of the Lightning and ordered to infiltrate enemy space to disrupt their supply lines and gain intelligence about their fleet. The Royal Navy needs time to build more ships for its war against the Theocracy. In preparation to leave, Kat gathers her forces, which mostly include relic freighters with ragtag crews. She leads them into enemy-held territory. While she conducts raids, liberates prisoners from enemy camps, and attacks supply convoys, she meets pirates, spies, and traitors. But she also meets her match in Admiral Junayd, in charge of a superdreadnought enemy fleet. Can she carry out her mission for the Commonwealth and survive? This fast-paced adventure had me rooting for Kat to succeed. I’m already looking forward to the sequel. If you’re looking for a rousing space adventure without graphic scenes of violence and gore, pick up this series.
September 12, 2023
While full of cheezy sci-fi clichés and sticking to a relatively basic plot, this story somehow continues to keep me entertained.
We follow Kat Falcone as the war between the Commonwealth and Theocracy ramps up into full. This book is full of dubious tactics, combat, and mystery.
While being very basic, the book touches on a number of dark subjects that would have the creators of the Geneva convention rolling in their Graves.
We follow Kat Falcone as the war between the Commonwealth and Theocracy ramps up into full. This book is full of dubious tactics, combat, and mystery.
While being very basic, the book touches on a number of dark subjects that would have the creators of the Geneva convention rolling in their Graves.
February 17, 2018
While there is fairly non-stop action, I'm finding this series to be formulaic and repetitive.
What's really turning me off is the distasteful nature of the antagonist theocratic empire. I think I'm done with the series at this point. I may gives the author another chance, however.
What's really turning me off is the distasteful nature of the antagonist theocratic empire. I think I'm done with the series at this point. I may gives the author another chance, however.
October 11, 2018
It is nice that this book glosses over the incongruities of the first of the series. It dives right in with action and intrigue. There is a nice juxtaposition between the to sides of the conflict and enough action in between to keep the story moving.
June 17, 2017
Summary: Simple space opera with classic goodies and baddies, but likeable main character, interesting plot, the premise is quite interesting as well - so in summary not very thought provoking but a good read. Book 2 continues from where 1 left off, but this time behind enemy lines
Plotline: The plot is well thought out, a bit predictable, but interesting
Premise: Hyperspace is never really explained (yet) but it interacts with the plot in interesting ways, simple but effective
Writing: Very readable, light
Ending: The enemy thoroughly trounced by our heroine
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: The plot is well thought out, a bit predictable, but interesting
Premise: Hyperspace is never really explained (yet) but it interacts with the plot in interesting ways, simple but effective
Writing: Very readable, light
Ending: The enemy thoroughly trounced by our heroine
Pace: Never a dull moment!
June 5, 2017
I liked this more than the first book! Kat did more badass stuff and kicked all the misogynistic butt. This book also focused on her appearance way less, which was an improvement in my opinion. It might just be me but I didn't feel the need to know how pretty her hair is while she's saving the galaxy.
March 17, 2017
As she moves through space and time our hero shows creativity and imagination inherited decisions. A good moving add on to the first book. A story full of fighting and heartbreak, much like any naval battle. A lot to read that leaves the readers asking what comes next, given the ending circumstances, that have many branches from where the author can go. A good read.
June 13, 2017
Falcone Strike was a good continuation of the series and yes you need to read the prior book before reading this one since the series follows the unfolding war between two star empires (well, one’s a ‘Commonwealth’ (with a King), and the other is a Theocracy (with a First Speaker (not actually sure if that’s the head or not)).
And, like in the previous book, I could make comparisons and differences between this book/series and the Weber Honor Harrington series, but they are more vaguely general similarities. Like aliens don’t seem to matter (until the reader is informed otherwise – in Honor’s universe), earth doesn’t matter in the fight (doesn’t exist any longer in this series, and while it exists in Honorverse, it isn’t ‘in’ on the fight), female starship captain who finds themselves in command of a spaceship in a ‘precarious’ situation (system leader for her side is a joke, defensives are poor, the planet is in open revolt, there’s a star nation/empire that ‘might try something’ but, as of yet, aren’t in open warfare . . . until they are). Etc. etc. The ‘natives’ of the ‘main’ Commonwealth systems even ‘look younger’ than they might otherwise because of medical science (just as in Honorverse), while the ‘new allies’ look their age (again, like in both series). But there are no intelligent cats, basically everyone on the ‘other side’ are evil (as opposed to Honorverse where it was more of a conflict between systems, and while one had some ‘bad things’ going for it, the people in general were ‘fighting the good fight’, unlike here where the ‘other side’ is filled with misogynistic assholes); the lead female is in the aristocracy instead of (attempted? I forget now) raped by it; and . . . uh . . . other differences.
Right so, as said, series continued. Kat Falcone, the lead, is back in Commonwealth space forced to do stuff she despises, like go to society parties. The idea being that she’s a war hero and therefore will help ‘rally the people’ to the cause. She isn’t exactly suited to the task, though, and almost gets herself tossed out of the military because of unwise words.
Instead of being tossed out, like several wanted to do to her, Falcone is instead placed at the head of another fleet (she keeps being put at the heads of fleets while constantly just getting ‘temporary’ promotions to fit the role instead of actual promotions). This fleet includes one modern warship (the one she captained in the prior book), and an assortment of crap (old broken down ships that, some of them, literally can no longer fly – and are therefore cannibalized to get the other old ships somewhat closer to being able to fly and fight). Her fleet started off with 30 ‘crap’ ships, and the task force leaves with, roughly, 15 plus Lightning, the modern warship. Their mission – take this fleet of crap that could probably be stopped by a kid with a water gun, and go behind enemy lines. Invade enemy space. And . . . do stuff. Disrupt stuff.
Good interesting read. The ‘bad side’ continue being misogynistic assholes, while Falcone continues needing hugs and f**king her boyfriend – head of the marines on her ship (not graphically described, the f**king).
Rating: 4.33
June 13 2017
And, like in the previous book, I could make comparisons and differences between this book/series and the Weber Honor Harrington series, but they are more vaguely general similarities. Like aliens don’t seem to matter (until the reader is informed otherwise – in Honor’s universe), earth doesn’t matter in the fight (doesn’t exist any longer in this series, and while it exists in Honorverse, it isn’t ‘in’ on the fight), female starship captain who finds themselves in command of a spaceship in a ‘precarious’ situation (system leader for her side is a joke, defensives are poor, the planet is in open revolt, there’s a star nation/empire that ‘might try something’ but, as of yet, aren’t in open warfare . . . until they are). Etc. etc. The ‘natives’ of the ‘main’ Commonwealth systems even ‘look younger’ than they might otherwise because of medical science (just as in Honorverse), while the ‘new allies’ look their age (again, like in both series). But there are no intelligent cats, basically everyone on the ‘other side’ are evil (as opposed to Honorverse where it was more of a conflict between systems, and while one had some ‘bad things’ going for it, the people in general were ‘fighting the good fight’, unlike here where the ‘other side’ is filled with misogynistic assholes); the lead female is in the aristocracy instead of (attempted? I forget now) raped by it; and . . . uh . . . other differences.
Right so, as said, series continued. Kat Falcone, the lead, is back in Commonwealth space forced to do stuff she despises, like go to society parties. The idea being that she’s a war hero and therefore will help ‘rally the people’ to the cause. She isn’t exactly suited to the task, though, and almost gets herself tossed out of the military because of unwise words.
Instead of being tossed out, like several wanted to do to her, Falcone is instead placed at the head of another fleet (she keeps being put at the heads of fleets while constantly just getting ‘temporary’ promotions to fit the role instead of actual promotions). This fleet includes one modern warship (the one she captained in the prior book), and an assortment of crap (old broken down ships that, some of them, literally can no longer fly – and are therefore cannibalized to get the other old ships somewhat closer to being able to fly and fight). Her fleet started off with 30 ‘crap’ ships, and the task force leaves with, roughly, 15 plus Lightning, the modern warship. Their mission – take this fleet of crap that could probably be stopped by a kid with a water gun, and go behind enemy lines. Invade enemy space. And . . . do stuff. Disrupt stuff.
Good interesting read. The ‘bad side’ continue being misogynistic assholes, while Falcone continues needing hugs and f**king her boyfriend – head of the marines on her ship (not graphically described, the f**king).
Rating: 4.33
June 13 2017
October 2, 2025
The war that started in the previous volume continues. This time, Capt. Falcone is commanding a deep strike mission into enemy territory that consists of her heavy cruiser "Lightning" and a gaggle of small and obsolete escorts.
The combat scenes are done well, and there is a solid narrative flow to the story. The book tells a complete story in the context of the overarching story of the war that began in the first book, so there isn't a significant cliffhanger problem.
The enemy's reactions seem to be driven more by plot convenience than by internal story logic, with the enemy sometimes getting unearned wins and at other times undeserved losses. That said, it's difficult to balance narrative fairness with the needs of a plot.
The protagonist strains credulity a bit, since she was the youngest captain in the fleet and was almost immediately promoted to commodore and given an independent command. There are narrative reasons for this, involving a mix of nepotism and proven competence in combat. Given other historical examples, I'm mostly willing to give this a pass, though. (See the meteoric rise of DD Eisenhower from Lt. Col. to General of the Army in WWII purely based on merit, for a salient example.)
The supporting characters are largely faceless. We get in-depth examination of the XO (a repeating character from the first book), the protagonist's love interest, and a few members of the protagonist's family, but other than that, the supporting cast is largely ignored. I take this as a result of a lack of understanding of naval culture on the author's part, and it's probably the most significant lack in the series. Efficient warships are run by tightly integrated teams of people, and we see virtually none of that in this series.
The enemies are cartoonishly evil representatives of a religious dictatorship. This would be more of a problem were there not real examples of exactly that today and in the history of our planet. But this doesn't make for much nuance. It does occasionally provide interesting dilemmas for the protagonist, though.
The technology in this world is largely hand-waved, and its capabilities don't seem especially well-defined. This makes the decision space of the characters less interesting, but it's not a fatal flaw by itself.
Overall, not a bad effort. If you can overlook the book's flaws, it can be an entertaining read. But it's not among the best of the MilSF sub-genre.
The combat scenes are done well, and there is a solid narrative flow to the story. The book tells a complete story in the context of the overarching story of the war that began in the first book, so there isn't a significant cliffhanger problem.
The enemy's reactions seem to be driven more by plot convenience than by internal story logic, with the enemy sometimes getting unearned wins and at other times undeserved losses. That said, it's difficult to balance narrative fairness with the needs of a plot.
The protagonist strains credulity a bit, since she was the youngest captain in the fleet and was almost immediately promoted to commodore and given an independent command. There are narrative reasons for this, involving a mix of nepotism and proven competence in combat. Given other historical examples, I'm mostly willing to give this a pass, though. (See the meteoric rise of DD Eisenhower from Lt. Col. to General of the Army in WWII purely based on merit, for a salient example.)
The supporting characters are largely faceless. We get in-depth examination of the XO (a repeating character from the first book), the protagonist's love interest, and a few members of the protagonist's family, but other than that, the supporting cast is largely ignored. I take this as a result of a lack of understanding of naval culture on the author's part, and it's probably the most significant lack in the series. Efficient warships are run by tightly integrated teams of people, and we see virtually none of that in this series.
The enemies are cartoonishly evil representatives of a religious dictatorship. This would be more of a problem were there not real examples of exactly that today and in the history of our planet. But this doesn't make for much nuance. It does occasionally provide interesting dilemmas for the protagonist, though.
The technology in this world is largely hand-waved, and its capabilities don't seem especially well-defined. This makes the decision space of the characters less interesting, but it's not a fatal flaw by itself.
Overall, not a bad effort. If you can overlook the book's flaws, it can be an entertaining read. But it's not among the best of the MilSF sub-genre.
October 15, 2023
I guess I like Kat Falcone and the idea that politics creeps into the military leadership in this monarchist nation, same as it does in democratic nations. I also have read the stories in the wrong (not the fictional historical order) and thus have insights into future events that makes my review a little difficult. Anyway, there are many stories about fictional future conflicts well beyond earth that rely on speculative technology of faster than light travel, so this is nothing spectacular, but has some interesting characters and political concepts.
Monarchy and dictatorship seem to dominate the fictional future in many cases and it always makes me wonder why, since neither of those kinds of governmental structures has been successful in our contemporary world of the 21st century, even if they dominate historical records. Of course, there are far fewer cases of other structures, like democracy, to compare, and they have significantly less history to judge by. Modern representative democracy has only been around for a couple of centuries and most of those are more centralized than what would be expected from the original constitutional mandates. Consider the Britain, US, India, Canada and Australia and how each has evolved to the current state of affairs. Also, note that Britain's evolution is much longer, developed democracy more slowly and has no constitution, while the states in the US have ceded power to the federal government, and the other countries were released from colony status much later and in different ways.
Monarchy and dictatorship seem to dominate the fictional future in many cases and it always makes me wonder why, since neither of those kinds of governmental structures has been successful in our contemporary world of the 21st century, even if they dominate historical records. Of course, there are far fewer cases of other structures, like democracy, to compare, and they have significantly less history to judge by. Modern representative democracy has only been around for a couple of centuries and most of those are more centralized than what would be expected from the original constitutional mandates. Consider the Britain, US, India, Canada and Australia and how each has evolved to the current state of affairs. Also, note that Britain's evolution is much longer, developed democracy more slowly and has no constitution, while the states in the US have ceded power to the federal government, and the other countries were released from colony status much later and in different ways.
February 21, 2017
This series has a number of interesting things going for it. It's very much in the style of Weber's Honor Harrington series, and here it picks up the same thing that Honor Harrington book 2 had--a battle against a crazed theocracy. The heroine is not quite the hard-as-nails heroine of the Honor Harrington series, which honestly I think I like better.
What was good: the bad guys are not overly simplistic. The politics is interestingly murky. The character is thrown into situations where her aristocratic origin can't save her; she has to make hard decisions, and she chooses to make them for good reasons (mostly).
What was less good: while the bad guys are not overly simplistic, their religion is. It is somewhat grating to read novel after novel about the evil religious empires, when the author shows no understanding of what attracts people to religion in the first place, and why these religions originally swept people off their feet. (Hint: it didn't have to do with authoritarianism.) This novel certainly fits the all-religion-is-just-evil-power-play stereotype. (Here the Honor Harrington series, I thought, really excelled, in comparison with this one: Weber shows how religion can be good, or it can really go off the rails; it does not have only the one effect or only the other.)
What was good: the bad guys are not overly simplistic. The politics is interestingly murky. The character is thrown into situations where her aristocratic origin can't save her; she has to make hard decisions, and she chooses to make them for good reasons (mostly).
What was less good: while the bad guys are not overly simplistic, their religion is. It is somewhat grating to read novel after novel about the evil religious empires, when the author shows no understanding of what attracts people to religion in the first place, and why these religions originally swept people off their feet. (Hint: it didn't have to do with authoritarianism.) This novel certainly fits the all-religion-is-just-evil-power-play stereotype. (Here the Honor Harrington series, I thought, really excelled, in comparison with this one: Weber shows how religion can be good, or it can really go off the rails; it does not have only the one effect or only the other.)
May 10, 2018
The first book in this series took a very long time to get to the action, which is definitely not the case with book two. It's got a much faster tempo all around, as Kat Falcone leads a rag-tag fleet on a deep raid into enemy territory. The mission provides an entertaining read overall, with stratagems and setbacks and long odds gambles.
The book's not flawless, of course. Characterisation remains quite thin overall - only Kat, her XO, and one enemy officer exist as much more than names - and there's a subplot about a civilian observer that doesn't seem to go anywhere in this volume (possibly in later ones). The enemy state is also aggressively evil and despotic, to an extent that some readers may well find difficult to stomach.
The book's not flawless, of course. Characterisation remains quite thin overall - only Kat, her XO, and one enemy officer exist as much more than names - and there's a subplot about a civilian observer that doesn't seem to go anywhere in this volume (possibly in later ones). The enemy state is also aggressively evil and despotic, to an extent that some readers may well find difficult to stomach.
March 10, 2023
good storyline, bad premise.
And a lot of the stories the main character is smart, but gets saddled with an underwhelming ship, is in over their head, comes back limping to bass at the end of the story, has traders amongst them. We know the main character is not going to die. Give me a book with the MC having the best of the best going up against overwhelming odds. That’s the kind of story I like and I would want to read. If somebody reads this review, maybe they can mention on my Goodreads page what types of books I should be reading. Like the story will read the next book
And a lot of the stories the main character is smart, but gets saddled with an underwhelming ship, is in over their head, comes back limping to bass at the end of the story, has traders amongst them. We know the main character is not going to die. Give me a book with the MC having the best of the best going up against overwhelming odds. That’s the kind of story I like and I would want to read. If somebody reads this review, maybe they can mention on my Goodreads page what types of books I should be reading. Like the story will read the next book
September 11, 2024
Before you start this one, please realize it is the second book in a series. You will need to have read the first book or the characters, plot, etc. won’t make much sense to you. The author picks righ up where he left off. The battle scenes are realistic and you become more invested in the characters; the technology isn’t so futuristic you cry bull on it as it is believable. I picked this up for “free” with my Kindle Unlimited subscription vs. its regular $4.99 price, and I certainly received more than $3.99 in entertainment value from it. If you enjoyed the first book in the series I’m pretty sure you will enjoy this one, also.
December 2, 2018
This was an enjoyable light read provided you like Science Fiction set mostly in space.
Whilst this is the second in an ongoing series, it works well as a stand-alone novel. It was great to have a strong central female character and whilst the story was fairly predictable it was still a very pleasant read.
"Falcone Strike" would be good reading material for long haul flights or a holiday where one does not want to overly tax one's grey matter.
Whilst this is the second in an ongoing series, it works well as a stand-alone novel. It was great to have a strong central female character and whilst the story was fairly predictable it was still a very pleasant read.
"Falcone Strike" would be good reading material for long haul flights or a holiday where one does not want to overly tax one's grey matter.
January 28, 2021
I love a lot of Nuttall's books but this one, not so much. I really liked book one in this series and looked forward to this one but I got about 20% of the way through and nothing of any import had happened. I like adventure, wars, battles etc., not lots of back story, explaining and such. I couldn't get any further. I kept putting it down, reading something else, then trying again. Didn't work. Sorry Chris.
March 19, 2019
Finally Commadore Falcone gets to take her gloves off and strike back. The book is heavily based on her tactics and strategies with a large amount of action. We get to see the weakness is the Theocracy's military system or lack there off. There is a bit of "Who done it" but fortunately it is only a side plot and doesn't wreck the story with unrealistic close calls.
July 18, 2020
Mr. Nuttall has this tremendous book output, ten or so a year. I guess it's hard to go for both quantity and quality. Certainly this series would have benefited from more plotting and more careful writing.
In short, yet another feminist cringe. What's it with the men of this age? Otherwise, marginally entertaining.
In short, yet another feminist cringe. What's it with the men of this age? Otherwise, marginally entertaining.
February 8, 2021
This is a straightforward space opera & a continuation of the previous book. There aren't a lot of new ideas here - it does feel like the author just mailed in a book. The plot is straightforward, the dialogue is uninspired, the conflicts are bland and the characters are one dimensional. The overall impression is that either side here has issues, one is bad the other is far worse.
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January 16, 2024Nothing special. Follows and expands on the setting established since book 1, which is an interesting world of social rules, aristocracy, politics and tech. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything fantastic with it. There is not enough adventure elements, outside of ship capitancy, that would enable that. Maybe subsequent books will.
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