What do you think?
Rate this book
The Genesis Fleet #1
Vanguard
Jack Campbell returns to the world of the New York Times bestselling Lost Fleet novels with an action-packed military science fiction series that explores the founding of the Alliance...and the men and women who fought to create it.
Earth is no longer the center of the universe. After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies. But the vast distances of space mean that the old order of protection and interstellar law offered by Earth has ceased to exist.
When a nearby world attacks, the new colony of Glenlyon turns to Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted Marine. With nothing but improvised weapons and a few volunteers, Geary and Darcy must face down warships and armored soldiers—or die trying.
As battles rage and pirates take an increasing toll throughout the colonies, the only hope for lasting peace lies with Carmen Ochoa, a “Red” from the anarchic world of Mars, and Lochan Nakamura, a failed politician. They have a plan: to lay the groundwork for mutual defense that could someday grow into an alliance. But if their efforts don’t succeed, the growing power of aggressor worlds could turn regions of space founded on freedom into battlefields between the first interstellar empires....
Earth is no longer the center of the universe. After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies. But the vast distances of space mean that the old order of protection and interstellar law offered by Earth has ceased to exist.
When a nearby world attacks, the new colony of Glenlyon turns to Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted Marine. With nothing but improvised weapons and a few volunteers, Geary and Darcy must face down warships and armored soldiers—or die trying.
As battles rage and pirates take an increasing toll throughout the colonies, the only hope for lasting peace lies with Carmen Ochoa, a “Red” from the anarchic world of Mars, and Lochan Nakamura, a failed politician. They have a plan: to lay the groundwork for mutual defense that could someday grow into an alliance. But if their efforts don’t succeed, the growing power of aggressor worlds could turn regions of space founded on freedom into battlefields between the first interstellar empires....
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 16, 2017
407 people are currently reading
3721 people want to read
About the author
Jack Campbell
115 books3,031 followersJack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
June 24, 2017
2 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/06/24/...
I really wanted to like my first venture into the military sci-fi of Jack Campbell, but sadly it was just not meant to be. To be fair though, Vanguard is the first book of The Genesis Fleet, a new prequel series to Campbell’s The Lost Fleet which I have not read, so it’s possible that I may be missing some of the context required to fully appreciate this book. Still, to the novel’s credit, I also think it was set up to be a perfectly fine jumping on point, so that, at least, was not a source of my issues. It actually took me a while to gather my thoughts and put my finger on what didn’t work, because after all, the book had an interesting premise, the characters were awesome, and the writing style was as good as I remember from the author’s fantasy novels, but ultimately I think it was the execution of it all that failed to hook me.
As I said, Vanguard is the start of a new prequel series, meant to explore the founding of the Alliance, one of the two major human powers involved in the interstellar war featured in The Lost Fleet books. While the technology for faster-than-light travel is still relatively new at this point, Earth is already no longer the only major hub for humanity in the universe, with new colonies springing up on more and more worlds. That also means, however, that the old order of law and protection has ceased to exist. Earth forces no longer have the will or resources to police the systems, and as a result, space piracy and corruption are on the rise.
In other words, it’s everyone for themselves as the rules start to break down and a lawless frontier mentality quickly takes hold. As aggressive worlds begin to prey on the weak, a new pacifist colony called Glenlyon is one of the first to fall victim to this rash of unruliness. Threatened by an enemy warship in their system, the desperate colony has little in the way of defense and thus are forced to turn to a group of former Earth soldiers for help.
At first, things were great with this book. I really enjoyed how it began. Something about the idea of wild space really appeals to me, and humanity’s uncontrolled spread through the universe was a good backdrop to the chaotic events taking place in this story. Life in the new colonies is full of danger and uncertainties, and the writing really gets that point across. In addition to the attack on Glenlyon, we also get to see how settlers traveling to new worlds face the risk of being captured and enslaved by pirates, or how new colonies can be the targets of sabotage or persecution. Only a few are willing to stand up for justice and do what’s right.
Which brings us to the characters, who are all compelling at least on paper. Heading up the main cast is former junior Earth fleet officer Robert Geary, whose name should be significant to fans of The Lost Fleet, since the character is supposed to be an ancestor of the main protagonist from the original series. Up next is a onetime enlisted Marine named Mele Darcy, a strong and capable woman trying to follow her own moral compass. Then there’s Lochan Nakamura, a disgraced politician who has left his old life behind for a chance at a brand new start, and he was probably one of the more interesting of the main characters. And finally, Carmen Ochoa was my favorite—an Earth official from Mars who was in charge of “conflict resolutions”, she has her own reasons for getting into this mix.
Everything was going well for the first few chapters, but then everything fell apart. One of the problems, I think, was pacing. I couldn’t help but feel much of the first half of the book could have been compressed because so much was the story here was filled with aimless back-and-forth between the characters, resulting in a narrative that kept spinning its wheels in place. The characters themselves I found intriguing, but my disinterest in their individual plot threads made it a struggle to connect with them on any deeper level. If I were in the habit of abandoning books, I might have thrown in the towel right then and there, but I pressed on in the hopes things would get better. The good news is, the story did pick up again after a while, but by then it was too late to turn my disappointment around, and I’m afraid even the superb action scenes at the end could not save the book’s lackluster and forgettable middle sections.
In the end, I suppose the potential of the story was there, but it was presented in a way that tried my patience and wore me down. This is not my first experience with the author, but this is my first time trying his military science fiction and admittedly I was tempted by the promise of a new series, new characters, and new stories when in retrospect I probably should have started with The Lost Fleet. You can be sure that’s in my plans now, and who knows, perhaps I will even revisit this series once I’m done to see if it gives me a new perspective. For now though, I’ll probably set The Genesis Fleet aside.
I really wanted to like my first venture into the military sci-fi of Jack Campbell, but sadly it was just not meant to be. To be fair though, Vanguard is the first book of The Genesis Fleet, a new prequel series to Campbell’s The Lost Fleet which I have not read, so it’s possible that I may be missing some of the context required to fully appreciate this book. Still, to the novel’s credit, I also think it was set up to be a perfectly fine jumping on point, so that, at least, was not a source of my issues. It actually took me a while to gather my thoughts and put my finger on what didn’t work, because after all, the book had an interesting premise, the characters were awesome, and the writing style was as good as I remember from the author’s fantasy novels, but ultimately I think it was the execution of it all that failed to hook me.
As I said, Vanguard is the start of a new prequel series, meant to explore the founding of the Alliance, one of the two major human powers involved in the interstellar war featured in The Lost Fleet books. While the technology for faster-than-light travel is still relatively new at this point, Earth is already no longer the only major hub for humanity in the universe, with new colonies springing up on more and more worlds. That also means, however, that the old order of law and protection has ceased to exist. Earth forces no longer have the will or resources to police the systems, and as a result, space piracy and corruption are on the rise.
In other words, it’s everyone for themselves as the rules start to break down and a lawless frontier mentality quickly takes hold. As aggressive worlds begin to prey on the weak, a new pacifist colony called Glenlyon is one of the first to fall victim to this rash of unruliness. Threatened by an enemy warship in their system, the desperate colony has little in the way of defense and thus are forced to turn to a group of former Earth soldiers for help.
At first, things were great with this book. I really enjoyed how it began. Something about the idea of wild space really appeals to me, and humanity’s uncontrolled spread through the universe was a good backdrop to the chaotic events taking place in this story. Life in the new colonies is full of danger and uncertainties, and the writing really gets that point across. In addition to the attack on Glenlyon, we also get to see how settlers traveling to new worlds face the risk of being captured and enslaved by pirates, or how new colonies can be the targets of sabotage or persecution. Only a few are willing to stand up for justice and do what’s right.
Which brings us to the characters, who are all compelling at least on paper. Heading up the main cast is former junior Earth fleet officer Robert Geary, whose name should be significant to fans of The Lost Fleet, since the character is supposed to be an ancestor of the main protagonist from the original series. Up next is a onetime enlisted Marine named Mele Darcy, a strong and capable woman trying to follow her own moral compass. Then there’s Lochan Nakamura, a disgraced politician who has left his old life behind for a chance at a brand new start, and he was probably one of the more interesting of the main characters. And finally, Carmen Ochoa was my favorite—an Earth official from Mars who was in charge of “conflict resolutions”, she has her own reasons for getting into this mix.
Everything was going well for the first few chapters, but then everything fell apart. One of the problems, I think, was pacing. I couldn’t help but feel much of the first half of the book could have been compressed because so much was the story here was filled with aimless back-and-forth between the characters, resulting in a narrative that kept spinning its wheels in place. The characters themselves I found intriguing, but my disinterest in their individual plot threads made it a struggle to connect with them on any deeper level. If I were in the habit of abandoning books, I might have thrown in the towel right then and there, but I pressed on in the hopes things would get better. The good news is, the story did pick up again after a while, but by then it was too late to turn my disappointment around, and I’m afraid even the superb action scenes at the end could not save the book’s lackluster and forgettable middle sections.
In the end, I suppose the potential of the story was there, but it was presented in a way that tried my patience and wore me down. This is not my first experience with the author, but this is my first time trying his military science fiction and admittedly I was tempted by the promise of a new series, new characters, and new stories when in retrospect I probably should have started with The Lost Fleet. You can be sure that’s in my plans now, and who knows, perhaps I will even revisit this series once I’m done to see if it gives me a new perspective. For now though, I’ll probably set The Genesis Fleet aside.
May 15, 2022
Iskreno rečeno moram reći da sam malo razočarana ovom knjigom. Pitka je i akcija, kada je ima, je odlična i drži pažnju ali ono što se dešava između akcija... joj.
Priča je ok, malo klišeirizana ali služi svrsi ali gde me knjiga gubi su sami likovi. Oni jesu fino napisani ali interakcija između likova je tako kruta i jednodimenzionalna da skoro boli da se čita. Sada ne znam da li je to bio problem i ranije kod mister Džeka ali to nije bolo oči pošto su pretežno svi bili vojnici a oni su obavezni da pričaju na određeni način. Ovde to nije tolko slučaj i jako, jako bode oči.
Jednom kada krene akcija e onda postaje zanimljivo. Detalno opisano, interesantno i pola vremena nemaš pojma će naši junaci uspeti ili ne. Pošto je ovo novi serijal nema besmrtnih karaktera i ta neizvesnost fino začinjava ovu čorbu :P
Za sada mi je teško da preporučim ovu knjigu sem ako niste već fan ovog univerzuma pa bolje sačekati da vidimo kako će se priča dalje razvijati.
Priča je ok, malo klišeirizana ali služi svrsi ali gde me knjiga gubi su sami likovi. Oni jesu fino napisani ali interakcija između likova je tako kruta i jednodimenzionalna da skoro boli da se čita. Sada ne znam da li je to bio problem i ranije kod mister Džeka ali to nije bolo oči pošto su pretežno svi bili vojnici a oni su obavezni da pričaju na određeni način. Ovde to nije tolko slučaj i jako, jako bode oči.
Jednom kada krene akcija e onda postaje zanimljivo. Detalno opisano, interesantno i pola vremena nemaš pojma će naši junaci uspeti ili ne. Pošto je ovo novi serijal nema besmrtnih karaktera i ta neizvesnost fino začinjava ovu čorbu :P
Za sada mi je teško da preporučim ovu knjigu sem ako niste već fan ovog univerzuma pa bolje sačekati da vidimo kako će se priča dalje razvijati.
March 7, 2018
Campbell's Lost Fleet prequel series has the expected fast-paced space navy action and unbridled optimism readers bank on, but the results are a bit less memorable than his earlier novels.
June 4, 2017
Jack Campbell is one of my favorite military Sci-fi authors. I am a big fan of his “Lost Fleet Series” and its various spine-off series. This new series, “Genesis Fleet” is set in the time before the “Lost Fleet”, in other words, it is a prequel to the “Lost Fleet Series”.
War weary Earth refuses to be the policeman of the universe any more. Without a universal policeman to keep order, the pirates and two-bit plundering dictators are in full force. The four main characters to emerge are a failed politician, Lochan Nakamura, looking for a new start; an Earth bureaucrat, Carmen Ochoa, who grew up on anarchic Mars; a former Marine, Mele Darcy, looking for something to fight for and a former Naval Officer with the name of Robert Geary.
The book is well written. Campbell’s trademark is he creates men and women doing what is right even if it is difficult or unpopular. Campbell also attempts to use actual physics in his space battles. The book is full of action, strong characters and complex politics on multiple worlds. I cannot wait for the next book in the saga.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine and a half hours long. Christian Rummel does an excellent job narrating the book. Rummel is an author, actor and award-winning audiobook narrator. I am so glad they kept Rummel as he was the narrator of the Lost Fleet and all of its spine-offs.
War weary Earth refuses to be the policeman of the universe any more. Without a universal policeman to keep order, the pirates and two-bit plundering dictators are in full force. The four main characters to emerge are a failed politician, Lochan Nakamura, looking for a new start; an Earth bureaucrat, Carmen Ochoa, who grew up on anarchic Mars; a former Marine, Mele Darcy, looking for something to fight for and a former Naval Officer with the name of Robert Geary.
The book is well written. Campbell’s trademark is he creates men and women doing what is right even if it is difficult or unpopular. Campbell also attempts to use actual physics in his space battles. The book is full of action, strong characters and complex politics on multiple worlds. I cannot wait for the next book in the saga.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine and a half hours long. Christian Rummel does an excellent job narrating the book. Rummel is an author, actor and award-winning audiobook narrator. I am so glad they kept Rummel as he was the narrator of the Lost Fleet and all of its spine-offs.
June 2, 2017
Things are changing. . . the discovery of the jump drive has led to massive expansion of human colonization. And a breakdown of the social order where old Earth might be obeyed.
One character is the only former naval man on one colony threatened by a ship for protection money. Two other characters were stranded by pirates among the other passengers, and find their rescuers as rapacious. One just is trying to escape her past as a Red, from Mars.
Conflict and troubles, involving a boarding party, a false recruitment pitch, a hint of unofficial interest, a discussion of mayors, an inexplicable attack, and more.
A jump back into the past for the Lost Fleet universe. The ending, while rounding this out, does point rather strongly at its trilogy status.
One character is the only former naval man on one colony threatened by a ship for protection money. Two other characters were stranded by pirates among the other passengers, and find their rescuers as rapacious. One just is trying to escape her past as a Red, from Mars.
Conflict and troubles, involving a boarding party, a false recruitment pitch, a hint of unofficial interest, a discussion of mayors, an inexplicable attack, and more.
A jump back into the past for the Lost Fleet universe. The ending, while rounding this out, does point rather strongly at its trilogy status.
October 14, 2021
Jako miłośniczka klimatu sci-fi bawiłam się przy niej dobrze chociaż fabuła nie jest porywająca. Język jest prosty co może podpasować osobom zaczynającym z tym gatunkiem, ale mi brakowało jednak rozległych opisów świata i maszyn. Muszę jednak dodać, że jest to prequel a ja nie czytałam serii podstawowej od której może powinnam zacząć.
Podsumowując - spoko, ale czegoś mi zabrakło.
Podsumowując - spoko, ale czegoś mi zabrakło.
September 14, 2019
Jack Campbell knows how to spin a tale that grabs you and doesn't let you go until the end. Against the odds Geary prevails in very surprising ways.
This is a great series
This is a great series
March 21, 2019
“[We thought] we’d all get along, and everyone else would leave us alone because it’s such a big universe.” “Did they ask anybody who actually lives in this universe whether that made sense?”
Best space opera I’ve read in years because it’s more than that genre implies. Team of Sullenbergers space opera, but so much more. I would like to have their luck.
“In a universe run by humans, drills over time often become self-licking ice cream cones that justify whatever purpose those in charge of the drills are looking for.”
Ignore the military stories written by non-veterans. Campbell has been there and done that. It shows. The military heritage is more than phraseology deep, though he has the jargon right. That business about ignoring the real heroes and rewarding the uninvolved: totally true.
“It mattering and your being remembered are two different things.”
Silly explanation of jump space, but at least he has an explanation. So much science fiction these days is more fiction than science.
“Why do I go after guys who follow the rules?” “Opposites attract?”
Quibble: I do have trouble with how objects impacting at fraction of light speed fail to obliterate what’s hit. The momentum of even a tiny object moving at .01 percent of light, this astronomical.
“Instead of rejecting reality because it produces problems for your idealism, you believe that there are realistic ways to fix things for the better.”
Best space opera I’ve read in years because it’s more than that genre implies. Team of Sullenbergers space opera, but so much more. I would like to have their luck.
“In a universe run by humans, drills over time often become self-licking ice cream cones that justify whatever purpose those in charge of the drills are looking for.”
Ignore the military stories written by non-veterans. Campbell has been there and done that. It shows. The military heritage is more than phraseology deep, though he has the jargon right. That business about ignoring the real heroes and rewarding the uninvolved: totally true.
“It mattering and your being remembered are two different things.”
Silly explanation of jump space, but at least he has an explanation. So much science fiction these days is more fiction than science.
“Why do I go after guys who follow the rules?” “Opposites attract?”
Quibble: I do have trouble with how objects impacting at fraction of light speed fail to obliterate what’s hit. The momentum of even a tiny object moving at .01 percent of light, this astronomical.
“Instead of rejecting reality because it produces problems for your idealism, you believe that there are realistic ways to fix things for the better.”
November 25, 2019
Old Earth and the Old Colonies are drastically downsizing their militaries as new colonies are forming in a new direction. When Gelnlyon is faced with extortion attempts and invasion Robert Geary and Mele Darcy as the only former military in the colony are asked to develop and lead the defense depite the pacifist views of the ruling council. An action packed science fiction thriller.
June 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It's not perfect. But it was entertaining enough. My main complaint about the first few volumes of the Lost Fleet, which were the first of this author's books that I read, was that it didn't really focus much on the people, and instead focused more on the numbers and the battle maneuvers. This books is pretty much the opposite, which I quite enjoyed. It has a sort of dystopian feel to it, rather than the military sci-fi that Jack Campbell is most well known for. And I thought that it was a nice change of pace from the Lost Fleet and the Lost Stars. I did laugh out loud at the epilogue/teaser for the next book.
I see a lot of negative reviews for this book where the main complaint seems to be that Jack Campbell still writes like Jack Campbell, as if he is suddenly going to write in a completely different style from his previous books because he's starting a new series. Expecting an author to improve with new books is not unreasonable, but expecting an author to suddenly become a different author because you don't like his style is.
I do have one little complaint, though. The book does jump around quite a bit. There's four or five viewpoint characters, in two separate star systems. And it kind of randomly jumps between characters and locations without much warning. It seems like it jumps around in mid-scene sometimes, leaving things undone, and moving on to the other storyline before this one can progress much. The author seems to be struggling a bit with the multiple viewpoints and locations. Pretty much all of his books are single viewpoint books. The only exception before now has been his Pillars of Reality Audible series, which he didn't struggle holding together much, because the two viewpoint characters were usually in the same location. Here, he's definitely having trouble knowing when the appropriate time to cut to another character or storyline actually is. And it leaves a lot of the scenes in the book feeling like they're ending abruptly, and leaving things unsaid. I don't mind it too much, but it does add a bit of a whiplash effect to reading that some people may find annoying.
If you enjoy Jack Campbell's books, you'll probably enjoy this one. If you've never read the Lost Fleet, or heard of Jack Campbell, this is probably not the book to start on with him. If you're not really a fan of his work, well, don't expect him to suddenly become a different author in his newest series.
I see a lot of negative reviews for this book where the main complaint seems to be that Jack Campbell still writes like Jack Campbell, as if he is suddenly going to write in a completely different style from his previous books because he's starting a new series. Expecting an author to improve with new books is not unreasonable, but expecting an author to suddenly become a different author because you don't like his style is.
I do have one little complaint, though. The book does jump around quite a bit. There's four or five viewpoint characters, in two separate star systems. And it kind of randomly jumps between characters and locations without much warning. It seems like it jumps around in mid-scene sometimes, leaving things undone, and moving on to the other storyline before this one can progress much. The author seems to be struggling a bit with the multiple viewpoints and locations. Pretty much all of his books are single viewpoint books. The only exception before now has been his Pillars of Reality Audible series, which he didn't struggle holding together much, because the two viewpoint characters were usually in the same location. Here, he's definitely having trouble knowing when the appropriate time to cut to another character or storyline actually is. And it leaves a lot of the scenes in the book feeling like they're ending abruptly, and leaving things unsaid. I don't mind it too much, but it does add a bit of a whiplash effect to reading that some people may find annoying.
If you enjoy Jack Campbell's books, you'll probably enjoy this one. If you've never read the Lost Fleet, or heard of Jack Campbell, this is probably not the book to start on with him. If you're not really a fan of his work, well, don't expect him to suddenly become a different author in his newest series.
May 19, 2017
I am going to admit I was a little lukewarm to the idea of a prequel series set at the beginning of the Alliance in the Gearyverse. I wanted more Geary or more Drakon/Iceni; after all, we sort of already knew that the Alliance was successfully founded - where's the fun in that when we knew the outcome?
Was I wrong.... wow! Vanguard is more of the same that we came to expect from those other novels - and when you're talking the Gearyverse - that is not a bad thing at all. We're introduced to the Geary's great-great-great ancestors and other equally interesting characters as they defend their new homes from pirates and other ne'er-do-wells.
I think a synopsis of the action would be: Lost Fleet - large fleet battles, small marine actions; Phoenix Stars - small fleet battles, large army battles; Genesis Fleet - tiny fleet battles, small army battles.
But, as always, Campbell's real gift is in creating heroes that you can't help but like... and this book is no exception.... and we even get Duct Tape!!!
One minor caveat - the disdain for the legal profession that is endemic in the Gearyverse continues (or begins... depending on how you look at it) and the politicians/political factions on Geary's new home planet have been seen before in the main Gearyverse - you'll recognize them as the same type of individuals that the Geary had to deal with in that time period.
Was I wrong.... wow! Vanguard is more of the same that we came to expect from those other novels - and when you're talking the Gearyverse - that is not a bad thing at all. We're introduced to the Geary's great-great-great ancestors and other equally interesting characters as they defend their new homes from pirates and other ne'er-do-wells.
I think a synopsis of the action would be: Lost Fleet - large fleet battles, small marine actions; Phoenix Stars - small fleet battles, large army battles; Genesis Fleet - tiny fleet battles, small army battles.
But, as always, Campbell's real gift is in creating heroes that you can't help but like... and this book is no exception.... and we even get Duct Tape!!!
One minor caveat - the disdain for the legal profession that is endemic in the Gearyverse continues (or begins... depending on how you look at it) and the politicians/political factions on Geary's new home planet have been seen before in the main Gearyverse - you'll recognize them as the same type of individuals that the Geary had to deal with in that time period.
July 9, 2018
See my full thoughts here: https://youtu.be/EEbENLo4MV4
Military sci-fi is a genre that should be way better than it usually is. It revolves around action, intelligent strategy, neat worlds, political conflict, and badasses smoking cigars. This should not be hard to make interesting, but somehow dozens of authors always fail to do so. And "Vanguard" is just like most of its contemporaries, a few good ideas wrapped up in a shit package.
This book is about... oh, who gives a shit? Bad guys attack a space colony and good guys fight them. There's a couple of actions scenes, some political talk, some worldbuilding, then it's over. And most of it isn't bad, the plot is simple and fast-paced and the action is good. I just couldn't get into any of it because that characters were all the absolute dullest blocks of wood in existence.
I honestly can't remember anything about any of them. No physical descriptions or personalities at all. In any sort of fiction the characters are the audience's connection to the world and story, they make us care about what happens. It's impossible to feel tense or scared during an action scene if you don't care about who wins, and because of that this book is just dull.
Not bad enough to warrant a one star, not good enough to warrant reading. Even if you like military sci-fi, "Vanguard" is just a slog.
Military sci-fi is a genre that should be way better than it usually is. It revolves around action, intelligent strategy, neat worlds, political conflict, and badasses smoking cigars. This should not be hard to make interesting, but somehow dozens of authors always fail to do so. And "Vanguard" is just like most of its contemporaries, a few good ideas wrapped up in a shit package.
This book is about... oh, who gives a shit? Bad guys attack a space colony and good guys fight them. There's a couple of actions scenes, some political talk, some worldbuilding, then it's over. And most of it isn't bad, the plot is simple and fast-paced and the action is good. I just couldn't get into any of it because that characters were all the absolute dullest blocks of wood in existence.
I honestly can't remember anything about any of them. No physical descriptions or personalities at all. In any sort of fiction the characters are the audience's connection to the world and story, they make us care about what happens. It's impossible to feel tense or scared during an action scene if you don't care about who wins, and because of that this book is just dull.
Not bad enough to warrant a one star, not good enough to warrant reading. Even if you like military sci-fi, "Vanguard" is just a slog.
September 23, 2018
If Tom Clancy leaves you thinking, "Those characters weren't one-dimensional enough, and they did not speak in enough clichés!", then this book is for you!
Four principle characters drift along the spaceship tracks, ragtag loners looking for a new life:
SHE is a rough ex-Marine, who fights her bosses as hard as the enemy! Her code: honor!
HE is an underappreciated former junior naval officer, unsure of himself! His code: honor!
OTHER SHE comes from the hardscrabble streets of Mars, disguising her origins even as she becomes a Conflict Mediator!
OTHER HE is a failed politician, failed husband, a loner who discovers he needs people!
TOGETHER, THEY ARE... the start of a new franchise series.
The action scenes are silly (jumping across space, boarding ships, bravely charging hills) but move at a decent clip; I ended up skipping any dialogue, or caring about new characters (bold pilots! zealous volunteers! self-serving politicians! those crazy engineers!) to cut to the battles. Jack Campbell is providing what a lot of readers want; I want to go re-read 'Altered Carbon' or 'Counting Heads'.
Four principle characters drift along the spaceship tracks, ragtag loners looking for a new life:
SHE is a rough ex-Marine, who fights her bosses as hard as the enemy! Her code: honor!
HE is an underappreciated former junior naval officer, unsure of himself! His code: honor!
OTHER SHE comes from the hardscrabble streets of Mars, disguising her origins even as she becomes a Conflict Mediator!
OTHER HE is a failed politician, failed husband, a loner who discovers he needs people!
TOGETHER, THEY ARE... the start of a new franchise series.
The action scenes are silly (jumping across space, boarding ships, bravely charging hills) but move at a decent clip; I ended up skipping any dialogue, or caring about new characters (bold pilots! zealous volunteers! self-serving politicians! those crazy engineers!) to cut to the battles. Jack Campbell is providing what a lot of readers want; I want to go re-read 'Altered Carbon' or 'Counting Heads'.
January 28, 2019
This is the first book in the Genesis Fleet series by Jack Campbell a.k.a. John G. Hemry. This one is set in the universe of the “Lost Fleet” and “Lost Stars” series, but several hundred years earlier. Mankind has several colonies that were founded using sublight starflight and taking many years to get to them. Mankind has now discovered the jump drive and has started fanning out to even further stars, starting settlements on habitable worlds. The original colonies are now known as the "Old Colonies" and many people are leaving them for much the same reasons that they left Earth. But as you’d expect, knowing human nature, some colonists decide it would be easier to concentrate on building fighting ships and raiding other planets than to build up a strong local economy. Robert Geary finds himself on one of the new colonies that has come under attack. Because of his Space Navy background he is asked to find a way to defend his new home. With the help of some new friends he tries to do just that. This book is a great start to this series and I recommend it to fans of Military Science Fiction and fans of Jack Campbell a.k.a. John G. Hemry.
September 20, 2018
The Young Hornblower In Space - without the mild humour. Juvenile pulp that relies solely on naval actions performed MacGyver style while torturing the plot. Like reading the Jerry Bruckheimer adaptation of The Expanse.
October 15, 2021
Kosmos... czy są dobre książki z tym tematem w tle?
Już od najmłodszych lat fascynował mnie kosmos. Nieskończona pustka przeplatana pojedynczymi rozbłyskami gwiazd. A w tej pustce wciąż czekające na odpowiedź pytanie “czy jesteśmy jedyną inteligentną formą życia w kosmosie?”. Na to pytanie Jack Campbell nie odpowiada. Nie to jest jednak istotą “Floty”, pierwszej części nowej serii opery kosmicznej to właściwie prequel istniejącej serii “Zaginionej Floty”.
Dla osób niezaznajomionych z twórczością tego amerykańskiego autora, Floty opowiadają o odległej przyszłości ludzi, w której wszechświat kolonizowany jest przez mieszkańców “Starej Ziemi”, spustoszonej, pozostawionej bez zasobów i jakiejkolwiek nadziei. Jedyne, co pozostało ze starej cywilizacji to chęć szybkiego zarobku, nawet kosztem innych. Bezprawiu przeciwdziałać ma kilka znanych bardziej (Robert Geary) i mniej (Czerwoniec) nazwisk. Ich zadaniem jest stworzenie tytułowej floty od niemal zera i obrona tego, co dziś nazywają cywilizacją.
Przed sięgnięciem po lekturę floty postawiłam sobie wyzwanie - czy odnajdę się w tym już dosyć rozbudowanym uniwersum bez poznawania dotychczasowych książek. I wiecie co? Udało się. Głównie za sprawą tego, że Awangarda dzieje się na kilkaset lat przed wydarzeniami pierwszej serii, ale nie można odmówić autorowi lekkiego pióra. Byłam pod wielkim wrażeniem opisów taktyki i manewrów bojowych, choć zważając na doświadczenie militarne Campbella trudno oczekiwać amatorszczyzny.
Zachęcam, aby zasiąść w kokpicie i odlecieć w daleką na tysiące lat świetlnych podróż, by zanurzyć się w uniwersum Floty.
Już od najmłodszych lat fascynował mnie kosmos. Nieskończona pustka przeplatana pojedynczymi rozbłyskami gwiazd. A w tej pustce wciąż czekające na odpowiedź pytanie “czy jesteśmy jedyną inteligentną formą życia w kosmosie?”. Na to pytanie Jack Campbell nie odpowiada. Nie to jest jednak istotą “Floty”, pierwszej części nowej serii opery kosmicznej to właściwie prequel istniejącej serii “Zaginionej Floty”.
Dla osób niezaznajomionych z twórczością tego amerykańskiego autora, Floty opowiadają o odległej przyszłości ludzi, w której wszechświat kolonizowany jest przez mieszkańców “Starej Ziemi”, spustoszonej, pozostawionej bez zasobów i jakiejkolwiek nadziei. Jedyne, co pozostało ze starej cywilizacji to chęć szybkiego zarobku, nawet kosztem innych. Bezprawiu przeciwdziałać ma kilka znanych bardziej (Robert Geary) i mniej (Czerwoniec) nazwisk. Ich zadaniem jest stworzenie tytułowej floty od niemal zera i obrona tego, co dziś nazywają cywilizacją.
Przed sięgnięciem po lekturę floty postawiłam sobie wyzwanie - czy odnajdę się w tym już dosyć rozbudowanym uniwersum bez poznawania dotychczasowych książek. I wiecie co? Udało się. Głównie za sprawą tego, że Awangarda dzieje się na kilkaset lat przed wydarzeniami pierwszej serii, ale nie można odmówić autorowi lekkiego pióra. Byłam pod wielkim wrażeniem opisów taktyki i manewrów bojowych, choć zważając na doświadczenie militarne Campbella trudno oczekiwać amatorszczyzny.
Zachęcam, aby zasiąść w kokpicie i odlecieć w daleką na tysiące lat świetlnych podróż, by zanurzyć się w uniwersum Floty.
January 13, 2024
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum!
We meet several people who are trying to start their lives over, that discover depths that they never realized they possessed. Unfortunately for them & the societies that they are joining, the wisdom of the ancient Roman General Vegetius has been ignored or forgotten by human societies throughout history. So it comes as no surprise to the reader that knows anything about history that a story set in the distant future will have multiple groups that are either ignorant of what history has taught again and again or that they are willfully blind to think that just because THEY want to be peaceful and not bother others that other people don’t exist who want their stuff & are willing to take it by force.
So this new series is a bit different from other work Jack Campbell has given us. While his other works are quite good, this series lets us explore a future frontier existence where the various colonies are not just far away from potential help from earth but also are very unlikely to get any kind of assistance from an earth that’s weary and impotent. (I know, run on sentences!)
The possibilities are intriguing to explore, so I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
We meet several people who are trying to start their lives over, that discover depths that they never realized they possessed. Unfortunately for them & the societies that they are joining, the wisdom of the ancient Roman General Vegetius has been ignored or forgotten by human societies throughout history. So it comes as no surprise to the reader that knows anything about history that a story set in the distant future will have multiple groups that are either ignorant of what history has taught again and again or that they are willfully blind to think that just because THEY want to be peaceful and not bother others that other people don’t exist who want their stuff & are willing to take it by force.
So this new series is a bit different from other work Jack Campbell has given us. While his other works are quite good, this series lets us explore a future frontier existence where the various colonies are not just far away from potential help from earth but also are very unlikely to get any kind of assistance from an earth that’s weary and impotent. (I know, run on sentences!)
The possibilities are intriguing to explore, so I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
November 20, 2017
An excelent start to a new series set centuries before his Lost Fleet work. Not beholden to knowledge of the previous books to enjoy, but with a few easter-eggy references to the themes of the predecessors that reward the long-time reader.
May 23, 2017
full disclaimer: I LOVE Jack JG Campbell Hemry.
whenever I read a book and rant "why didn't they write this" or "Why did they write that?!" Jack Campbell comes along a short time later and delivers the book that I asked for as if he had my house bugged by the NSA. Also he is ON FIRE! popping out best sellers twice a year like a coked up 25 year old. end disclaimer.
Vanguard. Value for time/money. well worth the read.
-yes this is a prequel, and it has the traditional weaknesses. the parents / ancestors of later characters all knew each other and had the same look, smell, and catch phrases of their famous prodigy. this is either a fatal failure, or simple fan service. this book keeps that hackneyed trope to an acceptable minimum wile introducing enough personality deviation to keep it real, and keep it fresh.
-How This Excels from other Prequels is that most of those other Prequels are just/only fan service with NO NEW IDEAS. Vanguard introduces us to a world we know (Gearyverse) as it's wild west origin. the action adventure here is far more immediate, personal, and swashbuckling as befits any prequel worth it's salt. This book has fresh ideas and is fun. It's true to the greater world and has daring do, just a bit more romance, and heroes that aren't all in uniform.
Jack JG Campbell Hemry has done it again. to the honor of our ancestors.
whenever I read a book and rant "why didn't they write this" or "Why did they write that?!" Jack Campbell comes along a short time later and delivers the book that I asked for as if he had my house bugged by the NSA. Also he is ON FIRE! popping out best sellers twice a year like a coked up 25 year old. end disclaimer.
Vanguard. Value for time/money. well worth the read.
-yes this is a prequel, and it has the traditional weaknesses. the parents / ancestors of later characters all knew each other and had the same look, smell, and catch phrases of their famous prodigy. this is either a fatal failure, or simple fan service. this book keeps that hackneyed trope to an acceptable minimum wile introducing enough personality deviation to keep it real, and keep it fresh.
-How This Excels from other Prequels is that most of those other Prequels are just/only fan service with NO NEW IDEAS. Vanguard introduces us to a world we know (Gearyverse) as it's wild west origin. the action adventure here is far more immediate, personal, and swashbuckling as befits any prequel worth it's salt. This book has fresh ideas and is fun. It's true to the greater world and has daring do, just a bit more romance, and heroes that aren't all in uniform.
Jack JG Campbell Hemry has done it again. to the honor of our ancestors.
May 15, 2019
I’ve read several series from Jack Campbell. Most notably The Lost Fleet and The Lost Fleet: Beyond The Frontier and I generally liked them. Not as much as some military sci-fi but mostly I’ve found them above average. That pretty much goes for this first book in this new series as well.
It is set in the same universe as the previously mentioned ones but plays out a lot earlier when humanity were in the early stages of expanding via FTL travel. The writing style, characters, military action is very much the same which means it is quite good. I do think the author is overdoing the computer hacking stuff a bit though. I mean we’re well aware of computer hacking issues today and the need to protect, especially military, hardware. This is way into the future and even though this hardware is supposed to be old from the view of the characters in the book there’s really no way it can be so easy to hack it as is done in the book. At least not to the extent it is done.
It is a nice adventure story about a fledgling new colony that is about that is about to discover that not everyone is playing nice, that pirates are very very real and that it’s a long long way to Earth and the nearest sheriff.
I do quite like the main protagonist, the hero if you so will, as well as the two “sub-heroes”. Although our hero is learning as he goes he is a quite competent person and doesn’t hesitate in doing his duty.
The one gripe I have about the book is that the author is going down the same rabbit hole as he did in the other series. That is he drags in way too much useless politics and bean counting. Our hero is constantly screwed over by useless and incompetent politicians that simply do not understand the danger they are in. At least in this book they are mostly not evil, just dumb asses. Come on, even after our hero as cleaned up their mess and saved the day the screw him over again.
Apart from that I really enjoyed the book. Also, the small cliffhanger at the end, which is really opening up the next book, is kind of showing the finger at previously mentioned useless politicians.
It is set in the same universe as the previously mentioned ones but plays out a lot earlier when humanity were in the early stages of expanding via FTL travel. The writing style, characters, military action is very much the same which means it is quite good. I do think the author is overdoing the computer hacking stuff a bit though. I mean we’re well aware of computer hacking issues today and the need to protect, especially military, hardware. This is way into the future and even though this hardware is supposed to be old from the view of the characters in the book there’s really no way it can be so easy to hack it as is done in the book. At least not to the extent it is done.
It is a nice adventure story about a fledgling new colony that is about that is about to discover that not everyone is playing nice, that pirates are very very real and that it’s a long long way to Earth and the nearest sheriff.
I do quite like the main protagonist, the hero if you so will, as well as the two “sub-heroes”. Although our hero is learning as he goes he is a quite competent person and doesn’t hesitate in doing his duty.
The one gripe I have about the book is that the author is going down the same rabbit hole as he did in the other series. That is he drags in way too much useless politics and bean counting. Our hero is constantly screwed over by useless and incompetent politicians that simply do not understand the danger they are in. At least in this book they are mostly not evil, just dumb asses. Come on, even after our hero as cleaned up their mess and saved the day the screw him over again.
Apart from that I really enjoyed the book. Also, the small cliffhanger at the end, which is really opening up the next book, is kind of showing the finger at previously mentioned useless politicians.
August 16, 2017
I truly enjoy reading series novels, especially space opera. But when you get to ten to fifteen-plus novels in a universe, it is daunting to try to start reading that new author. Fortunately, sometimes authors make it easy.
Vanguard is the first book in the new Genesis Fleet series. Well-known author Jack Campbell is taking a break from his best-selling Lost Fleet/Lost Stars series to go to what amounts to a "prequel series". This is perfect for me because I don't have to ALREADY be familiar with longstanding characters or previous adventures in this universe.
Rather, Vanguard is set early in the spacefaring era where Earth has colonized other star systems. There is Old Earth and, at this point, Old Colonies, but the action mostly concerns new colonies being founded now or just in the past few years.
Not surprisingly, I enjoyed this book very much. I intend to read the next books in the Genesis Fleet as they come out. When I have time, I do plan to go back and read the entire Lost Fleet/Lost Stars books IN ORDER from the beginning. [These books were written starting in 2006. I just checked & it is looking good that I can get the earlier books through my local public library. If the library doesn't have one or two, I will likely be able to download the book for my Kindle.]
So here is the good news. If you had also heard of Jack Campbell but had hesitated to dive in to the most recent book or two in either the Lost Fleet or Lost Stars series, go ahead and start with Vanguard, set in the same universe! I strongly recommend Vanguard for all who enjoy military science fiction, good world-building, & a well-told story, especially space opera!
Vanguard is the first book in the new Genesis Fleet series. Well-known author Jack Campbell is taking a break from his best-selling Lost Fleet/Lost Stars series to go to what amounts to a "prequel series". This is perfect for me because I don't have to ALREADY be familiar with longstanding characters or previous adventures in this universe.
Rather, Vanguard is set early in the spacefaring era where Earth has colonized other star systems. There is Old Earth and, at this point, Old Colonies, but the action mostly concerns new colonies being founded now or just in the past few years.
Not surprisingly, I enjoyed this book very much. I intend to read the next books in the Genesis Fleet as they come out. When I have time, I do plan to go back and read the entire Lost Fleet/Lost Stars books IN ORDER from the beginning. [These books were written starting in 2006. I just checked & it is looking good that I can get the earlier books through my local public library. If the library doesn't have one or two, I will likely be able to download the book for my Kindle.]
So here is the good news. If you had also heard of Jack Campbell but had hesitated to dive in to the most recent book or two in either the Lost Fleet or Lost Stars series, go ahead and start with Vanguard, set in the same universe! I strongly recommend Vanguard for all who enjoy military science fiction, good world-building, & a well-told story, especially space opera!
May 24, 2021
Vanguard is suspenseful, exciting, and imaginative. It would be a worthwhile book even if it were a standalone novel, and it is excellent as the first installment of the "Lost Fleet" prequel trilogy.
January 4, 2018
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
As much as I loved the Lost Fleet series (all of them) this fell a bit flat for me. Likely the narrator from the Audible version I listened to had something to do with it. But it was a case of too many characters, not enough interesting action, and people I just didn't care to follow. As well, a lot of it felt like something I have read before in a Campbell book, just rejigged. Things picked up in the end nicely but it was a hard slog through most of the book.Story: As Earth expands, things are not always peaceful in the outer reaches. Into this world of pirates and claim jumpers, a group of people will come together to fight to protect a new colony.
The cast is quite large and the story feels like it was culled directly from stories of the settling of the "Wild West' in the United States. From 'sailors' being shanghaid, claims and claim jumping on planets, and might making right in lawless areas that Earth justice just can't reach. Readers will likely assume the book is about Geary, ancestor of the protagonist from the Lost Fleet. But he shares main character duties with 6 other people so this book has a bigger scope.
As with all Jack Campbell books, there are decent men and women just trying to do right in the world. The men will be simple and calm; the women will be crafty and overemotional. That the males are always going to be clueless about the emo females is a given in a Jack Campbell novel. Just once, I'd like to see a world that has emo/overemotional men, simple and non-crafty women, men NOT confused about women and what they want, men in touch with their own feelings, and perhaps even non hetero characters, for once. Vanguard, as with most of Campbell's books, feels like it is populated by characters from the 1960s only.
Campbell has a chance with Vanguard to explain many things that led up to what we know in the Lost Fleet series. Perhaps the biggest discussion in this book was how the religion of 'ancestor worship' came about - more as a way to make sense of the universe as man expanded. But there are other little tidbits as well if one reads closely.
Perhaps the main difference between this and other Campbell books is that he starts really big and then by the end of the book narrows things down. In the Lost Fleet series, he starts small - with one man - and then builds up a world around him. It means that until the characters start coming together, the story can feel like it lacks connection and immediacy.
The Audible narration was, to be honest, bad. I'm tired of the "If he has a Scottish last name, he has to talk in a Scottish accent' thing. E.g., my last name is German but no one has spoken German in my ancestry for 350 years. The narrator should have a better way of distinguishing characters than to just give everyone an accent based on their last name.
So although I never really got into Vanguard, it was by no means a terrible book. Admittedly, I have to put a lot of the blame on the narration for turning me off. I am fairly sure it was the same narrator as the Lost Fleet series but here I felt like I was listening to the same characters over and over again.
Read
October 17, 2021 "Awangarda" to pierwszy tom serii Narodziny floty, która jest prequelem do innej serii autora.
Strasznie ciężko mi ocenić w jakiś sposób tę książkę, bo wywołała we mnie mieszane uczucia. Zaczęłam czytać z dużym entuzjazmem, zaciekawiło mnie kolonizowanie nowej planety przez ludzi, którzy chcą uciec od dotychczasowego życia, jednak już na starcie okazało się, że nie pójdzie to łatwo. Pod groźbą ataku zażądano od nich haraczu no i tak rozpoczęła się ta opowieść i wojna z nowym wrogiem.
W tej książce, a zwłaszcza w jej pierwszej połowie jest baaardzo dużo polityki. Mi to na ogół nie przeszkadza, ale tutaj poziom przedstawiania różnych sytuacji czytelnikowi był bardzo nierówny. To zaskakujące, że niektóre sceny wypadły genialnie, a inne słabo. Momentami czułam się znużona i lekko zawiedziona, od tak doświadczonego autora oczekiwałam nieco więcej.
No i fabuła tak sobie szła niespiesznym tempem do przodu, aż w drugiej połowie książki zaczęło się dziać, a to, co było pod koniec - po prostu same emocje!
Autor zaserwował taką dawkę wrażeń i napięcia, ze strony końcówki pochłania się z czystą niecierpliwością. Gdyby ta książka od początku była taka to śmiało mogłabym napisać, że ją kocham! Niestety tym razem tego nie zrobię, ale jest jeszcze szansa na to w kolejnych tomach, bo na pewno po nie sięgnę.
Bohaterowie w większości jakoś szczególnie mnie do siebie nie przekonali, większość była mało wyrazista i nie budzili we mnie szczególnych uczuć.
Są jednak dwa wyjątki i to bardzo ciekawe. W powieściach science-fiction zazwyczaj prym wiodą mężczyźni, a w tej książce urzekły mnie dwie kobiety.
Mele Darcy jest po prostu wspaniała! Bohaterka taka, jakie lubię najbardziej - odważna, waleczna, silna, wytrwała, o niewyparzonym języku, swobodnym podejściu do życia, no po prostu równa i fajna babka.
Druga, o uroczym pseudonimie Ninja, to genialna hakerka, która może nie odgrywała w tej powieści głównej roli, ale ilekroć występowała to podobała mi się jej postać oraz jej swoboda i zdecydowanie.
Przez zakończenie jestem ogromnie ciekawa jak dalej potoczy się ta historia, więc mam nadzieję, że na kontynuację nie będzie trzeba długo czekać. No i skoro już wiem na co stać autora po tych wszystkich emocjach, trzymam kciuki, że nie będzie znów czekać na nie do końca książki.
Strasznie ciężko mi ocenić w jakiś sposób tę książkę, bo wywołała we mnie mieszane uczucia. Zaczęłam czytać z dużym entuzjazmem, zaciekawiło mnie kolonizowanie nowej planety przez ludzi, którzy chcą uciec od dotychczasowego życia, jednak już na starcie okazało się, że nie pójdzie to łatwo. Pod groźbą ataku zażądano od nich haraczu no i tak rozpoczęła się ta opowieść i wojna z nowym wrogiem.
W tej książce, a zwłaszcza w jej pierwszej połowie jest baaardzo dużo polityki. Mi to na ogół nie przeszkadza, ale tutaj poziom przedstawiania różnych sytuacji czytelnikowi był bardzo nierówny. To zaskakujące, że niektóre sceny wypadły genialnie, a inne słabo. Momentami czułam się znużona i lekko zawiedziona, od tak doświadczonego autora oczekiwałam nieco więcej.
No i fabuła tak sobie szła niespiesznym tempem do przodu, aż w drugiej połowie książki zaczęło się dziać, a to, co było pod koniec - po prostu same emocje!
Autor zaserwował taką dawkę wrażeń i napięcia, ze strony końcówki pochłania się z czystą niecierpliwością. Gdyby ta książka od początku była taka to śmiało mogłabym napisać, że ją kocham! Niestety tym razem tego nie zrobię, ale jest jeszcze szansa na to w kolejnych tomach, bo na pewno po nie sięgnę.
Bohaterowie w większości jakoś szczególnie mnie do siebie nie przekonali, większość była mało wyrazista i nie budzili we mnie szczególnych uczuć.
Są jednak dwa wyjątki i to bardzo ciekawe. W powieściach science-fiction zazwyczaj prym wiodą mężczyźni, a w tej książce urzekły mnie dwie kobiety.
Mele Darcy jest po prostu wspaniała! Bohaterka taka, jakie lubię najbardziej - odważna, waleczna, silna, wytrwała, o niewyparzonym języku, swobodnym podejściu do życia, no po prostu równa i fajna babka.
Druga, o uroczym pseudonimie Ninja, to genialna hakerka, która może nie odgrywała w tej powieści głównej roli, ale ilekroć występowała to podobała mi się jej postać oraz jej swoboda i zdecydowanie.
Przez zakończenie jestem ogromnie ciekawa jak dalej potoczy się ta historia, więc mam nadzieję, że na kontynuację nie będzie trzeba długo czekać. No i skoro już wiem na co stać autora po tych wszystkich emocjach, trzymam kciuki, że nie będzie znów czekać na nie do końca książki.
May 19, 2019
Read for May book group.
Read as an audio book.
This is a prequel to the Lost Fleet Series, which I've read and reviewed most of on Goodreads. I enjoyed Lost Fleet, and for the most part I enjoyed Vanguard. The difference being I read Vanguard as an audio book. I thought the narration was engaging, but did find the multiple "accents" distracting.
Premise of the book is, colony worlds have grown disillusioned with Old Earth oversight, and as they gain independence, are starting to pull away from Old Earth governance and forage their own. This is causing strife with adjoining colony worlds, who are finding themselves being bombarded, overthrown, and in some cases, forcibly conscripted as menial labor.
Our main characters find themselves standing up for themselves and the newly established colony on Glenlyon due to complications in time and distance in seeking help from Old Earth after Glenlyon comes under attack. The plot is fairly politically driven, with Glenlyon's council running the show.
The plot moves along fairly smartly. Rob Geary, "Ninja", Darcy, Carmen, and Lochan made for an interesting group of characters, each pulling from a different skill set that (obviously) complemented the others. I wasn't wild about the romance between Rob and Ninja, and I definitely wasn't thrilled about The Big Reveal right before Rob goes into battle. If I had one complaint with our group, it would be with the self deprecation ALL our characters seemed to have.
I will probably read the next in the series, but they aren't high on the reading list right now. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the book group thought of this.
Recommended if you liked the Lost Fleet Series.
Read as an audio book.
This is a prequel to the Lost Fleet Series, which I've read and reviewed most of on Goodreads. I enjoyed Lost Fleet, and for the most part I enjoyed Vanguard. The difference being I read Vanguard as an audio book. I thought the narration was engaging, but did find the multiple "accents" distracting.
Premise of the book is, colony worlds have grown disillusioned with Old Earth oversight, and as they gain independence, are starting to pull away from Old Earth governance and forage their own. This is causing strife with adjoining colony worlds, who are finding themselves being bombarded, overthrown, and in some cases, forcibly conscripted as menial labor.
Our main characters find themselves standing up for themselves and the newly established colony on Glenlyon due to complications in time and distance in seeking help from Old Earth after Glenlyon comes under attack. The plot is fairly politically driven, with Glenlyon's council running the show.
The plot moves along fairly smartly. Rob Geary, "Ninja", Darcy, Carmen, and Lochan made for an interesting group of characters, each pulling from a different skill set that (obviously) complemented the others. I wasn't wild about the romance between Rob and Ninja, and I definitely wasn't thrilled about The Big Reveal right before Rob goes into battle. If I had one complaint with our group, it would be with the self deprecation ALL our characters seemed to have.
I will probably read the next in the series, but they aren't high on the reading list right now. It will be interesting to see what the rest of the book group thought of this.
Recommended if you liked the Lost Fleet Series.
September 29, 2021
3,5. Nowa seria „Narodziny floty” to prequel serii „Zaginiona flota” z którą nie miałam nigdy do czynienia, chociaż mam w planach to zmienić.
Ziemia to zdecydowanie za mało jak na powieść sci-fi, więc przenosimy się dalej, we wszechświaty i układy słoneczne, które są kolonizowane przez ludzkość. Można zadać sobie pytanie jak? Przecież znana nam technologia nie potrafi przenieść człowieka na Marsa, a co dopiero gdzieś dalej. W tej powieści ludzkość ma technologie o której my możemy pomarzyć i podróżuje szybciej niż światło!
Zapanowały nowe porządki prawne i siły ziemskie utraciły kontrolę nad systemami, przez to ogromnie wzrosło kosmiczne piractwo i korupcja. Życie w nowych koloniach wiąże się z poważnym niebezpieczeństwem i czuć panujący strach i niepewność w zachowaniu bohaterów, którzy co chwilę narażają swoje życie. Niekontrolowane rozprzestrzenienie się ludzkości we wszechświecie było fascynujące i świetnie współgrało z rozgrywającymi się wydarzeniami. Bardzo podobali mi się bohaterowie, szczególnie silna kobieca postać Mele. Akcja czasami zwalniała i miałam wrażenie, że stoi w miejscu, jedynie co mnie trzymało wtedy przy dalszym czytaniu to charakterne postacie. Oni zawsze wiedzieli co robią, podejmowali rozsądne i mądre decyzje, nie czułam frustracji, jak często niestety bywa w książkach.
Historia ta jest warta dalszego poznania, miałam wrażenie, że niestety wiele straciłam, nie czytając wcześniej Zaginionej floty, ale nic straconego. Militarne SF to zdecydowanie mój klimat!
Ziemia to zdecydowanie za mało jak na powieść sci-fi, więc przenosimy się dalej, we wszechświaty i układy słoneczne, które są kolonizowane przez ludzkość. Można zadać sobie pytanie jak? Przecież znana nam technologia nie potrafi przenieść człowieka na Marsa, a co dopiero gdzieś dalej. W tej powieści ludzkość ma technologie o której my możemy pomarzyć i podróżuje szybciej niż światło!
Zapanowały nowe porządki prawne i siły ziemskie utraciły kontrolę nad systemami, przez to ogromnie wzrosło kosmiczne piractwo i korupcja. Życie w nowych koloniach wiąże się z poważnym niebezpieczeństwem i czuć panujący strach i niepewność w zachowaniu bohaterów, którzy co chwilę narażają swoje życie. Niekontrolowane rozprzestrzenienie się ludzkości we wszechświecie było fascynujące i świetnie współgrało z rozgrywającymi się wydarzeniami. Bardzo podobali mi się bohaterowie, szczególnie silna kobieca postać Mele. Akcja czasami zwalniała i miałam wrażenie, że stoi w miejscu, jedynie co mnie trzymało wtedy przy dalszym czytaniu to charakterne postacie. Oni zawsze wiedzieli co robią, podejmowali rozsądne i mądre decyzje, nie czułam frustracji, jak często niestety bywa w książkach.
Historia ta jest warta dalszego poznania, miałam wrażenie, że niestety wiele straciłam, nie czytając wcześniej Zaginionej floty, ale nic straconego. Militarne SF to zdecydowanie mój klimat!
September 27, 2023
Pirms Džona ‘’Melnā Džeka’’ Gerija spožās karjeras un viņa (pa)zudušās flotes sērijām, bija senči, no kura laika arī nāk viņu atvadīšanās frāze par iepriekšējām paaudzēm un fascinācija par tām, Džona paša attālā radinieka Roberta Gerija vai vienkārši Roba veidolā. Viņa The Genesis Fleet, kā jau sērijas nosaukums saka priekšā vēsta par laiku, kad tāda starpzvaigžņu sistēmu flote, kāda eksistē Melnā Džeka laikā, ir vien savas attīstības pirmsākumos, kad jump-drive tehnoloģija ir vien dažas desmitgades veca un jaunās kolonizētās planētas pie kāda cita negaidītas agresivitātes vēl paļaujas uz cilvēces dzimtās planētas aizsardzību kaut arī distances tagad ir krietni lielākas, kā pirms tam.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
July 3, 2019
I read all of the Lost Fleet universe books back in 2017, right before starting my Goodreads marathon. At that time, only Vanguard was available in the series, and with the remainder of the trilogy concluded I felt it was time to revisit the series.
Returning reminded me of that initial thrill of discovering military sci-fi - of which Campbell is a master! He is no extraordinary writer, but his stories are gripping, his characters are relatable and his ability to shoehorn realism into a future universe makes these books a genuine treat. I can’t wait to charge into his new instalments and may well revisit the entire universe of books again.
Returning reminded me of that initial thrill of discovering military sci-fi - of which Campbell is a master! He is no extraordinary writer, but his stories are gripping, his characters are relatable and his ability to shoehorn realism into a future universe makes these books a genuine treat. I can’t wait to charge into his new instalments and may well revisit the entire universe of books again.
May 6, 2019
nice sci-fi, good blend of politics and military, and well done characterization, including a decent number of female characters. I was putting it down because I kept getting super busy but kept going back.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews