Thirty years before the start of the Great War, a small starship has a deadly encounter with a massive alien warship on the fringes of the Outer Rim.
When Lieutenant Armon Vance found himself assigned to the oldest ship in the fleet, stationed on the edge of the known galaxy, he figured his Fleet career was over. In fact he was about to embark on the most important mission of his young career and his captain would rely heavily on him to help them get back alive after encountering a massive military warship of the Votainion Armada. In the spirit of grand Naval adventures of the past, Corvette packs exciting military action into a swiftly moving story of heroics and bravery in deep space.
I love the characters and the story line. While not fully polished, more than makes up for it with the enjoyable prose. A fun read that does not slow down the reader. If you like books by authors like Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov, then you will probably like this writer. In my opinion, the audience should be at least 16, though some would be OK with younger.
I love a story where the outnumbered, out gunned little guy comes out the winner, and this is just such a story. Good characters, tense battle sequences, and a plot that moves along at a nice pace.
Good storyline, however the aliens could have been developed more in detail. The Corvette style ship of the second world war era is used in this book very successfully, quick & nibble but able to pack a punch in battle.
"Corvette," a short, space yarn, heavily themed around Jack tars from the British Empire Naval Age of Sail, with WW II submarine warfare thrown in too, is so silly and dumb, it's unintentionally funny. Unfortunately for the author, an apparently prolific writer, it is a case of laughing at, not with.
The story takes place sometime in the future. A worn out Federation Fleet corvette, is dispatched to a remote system, to investigate the cause of a distress beacon, being launched from a civilian, exploratory vessel. The discovery of a violently slaughtered crew, and presence of blue-skinned, Neanderthal-like humanoids, known as the "Blue Devils," puts the corvette's crew into peril.
The beginning of the book is filled with errors: mistaken words (i.e. "birth" instead of berth), inconsistent descriptions (i.e. Sub-Lieutenant Lester starts with long hair in a ponytail, then a few passages later, has short hair, in a pixie style), three (3) KIA's change to four (4) later in, and many other examples.
What makes the book hilarious, is how ridiculously dumb the plot, plot devices, and narratives are. If done intentionally, it could pass as satire. The rub is, it is all done unintentionally. The author pounds "Horatio Hornblower," "Master and Commander," and "The Enemy Below," into an inane, ludicrous story. A newly assigned lieutenant described as "...roguishly pretty (sic)...," is shown to her berth by her cabin mate, immediately takes off her top, flashes her breasts, and unsuccessfully attempts to seduce her. During combat, half the limited number, chain of command, decide to shower in the unisex facilities at the same time, ogling each other, before nudely slipping and sliding, knocked to the deck by enemy fire. A captured enemy combatant, is not placed under armed guard, and kills an officer, who had been multitasked, as medical officer, in addition to being the sensor operator. The warship, a space vessel has portholes. The executive officer, the "FO," can smell the "...acrid stench of space." It just goes on and on. It's as if the Monty Python troupe, crewed this vessel and story.
"Corvette," is not recommended, unless you wish to have a few chuckles, at someone else's expense. It was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
Eew Sometimes old placement are good to have around
This book was interesting because it has a good plot, no profanity, and no sex; quite an accomplishment. There were many editing errors not just spelling but words being left out. The ending was good , leaving room for a new book in the series. I am looking forward to reading it.
Corvette is a great story. The plot is realistic and I felt like I was right there with the crew the whole time. The characters feel real because Ken allows them to develop and grow as they learn about new environments, aliens, etc., instead of using the "we know everything" approach and presenting simple solutions to every problem. A real page turner.
L t. Vance a bright young academy graduate with limited experience is posted as First Officer aboard an ancient corvette. Thinking his career was going to take off, he wondered if he had pissed off someone in the upper ranks. Little did he know the education that was yet to come. I like the story and characters. I wonder what is driving the Blue Devils. I look forward to the next book.
My only dislike in this book was that I really would have preferred a longer book, allowing more interaction between the protagonists. McConnell successfully mines navy tradition and transfers these traditions to interstellar space. He includes a lot of action, but he also focuses on the interpersonal relationships of serving on a fairly small vessel.
I hope to see more from Ken McConnell in the future. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS: NAVY/MILITARY SPACE OPERA!
This book is like bubblegum. Easy to chew but the sugar was quickly gone leaving you wanting another piece. A little short on details but the characters were good.