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Blood on the Stars #3
Ruins of Empire
Jay Allan's Blood on the Stars...
War rages between the Confederation and the Union. Shattered fleets watch each other warily across a war torn frontier. Both sides are licking their wounds, gathering strength to continue the fight.
Blood on the Stars Series
Book 1: Duel in the Dark
Book 2: Call to Arms
Book 3: Ruins of Empire
Book 4: Echoes of Honor (coming Summer 2017)
Captain Tyler Barron and the crew of Dauntless are finally enjoying the rest they’ve earned while their aging battleship Dauntless gets the repairs and refit it desperately needs. But their respite will be short-lived. In the Badlands, deep in the haunted vastness of pre-Cataclysmic space, a new discovery threatens to upset the balance of power.
Orbiting a world in a distant system is an ancient battleship, vastly larger and enormously more advanced than anything possessed by the contending powers…and the Union has already sent forces to seize it. The Confederation has no ships close enough to intervene, to get there before the enemy…none save Dauntless.
Barron and his crew must race across the Badlands, find the ancient artifact, and somehow hold it, keep the Union forces from taking it, until reinforcements arrive. They will be outnumbered and outgunned, but there can be no retreat. Not this time. Nothing less than the fate of all human-inhabited space is at stake.
If the Confederation is able to rediscover the technology of the ancients, it will be safe for generations to come, its defensive forces untouchable by its enemies. But if the Union gets there first, if it can adapt the incredible power of mankind’s lost technology, it will gain the power to enslave all humanity.
This fight isn’t for territory. It isn’t for position or tactical advantage. It is for the future.
War rages between the Confederation and the Union. Shattered fleets watch each other warily across a war torn frontier. Both sides are licking their wounds, gathering strength to continue the fight.
Blood on the Stars Series
Book 1: Duel in the Dark
Book 2: Call to Arms
Book 3: Ruins of Empire
Book 4: Echoes of Honor (coming Summer 2017)
Captain Tyler Barron and the crew of Dauntless are finally enjoying the rest they’ve earned while their aging battleship Dauntless gets the repairs and refit it desperately needs. But their respite will be short-lived. In the Badlands, deep in the haunted vastness of pre-Cataclysmic space, a new discovery threatens to upset the balance of power.
Orbiting a world in a distant system is an ancient battleship, vastly larger and enormously more advanced than anything possessed by the contending powers…and the Union has already sent forces to seize it. The Confederation has no ships close enough to intervene, to get there before the enemy…none save Dauntless.
Barron and his crew must race across the Badlands, find the ancient artifact, and somehow hold it, keep the Union forces from taking it, until reinforcements arrive. They will be outnumbered and outgunned, but there can be no retreat. Not this time. Nothing less than the fate of all human-inhabited space is at stake.
If the Confederation is able to rediscover the technology of the ancients, it will be safe for generations to come, its defensive forces untouchable by its enemies. But if the Union gets there first, if it can adapt the incredible power of mankind’s lost technology, it will gain the power to enslave all humanity.
This fight isn’t for territory. It isn’t for position or tactical advantage. It is for the future.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2017
1471 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
May 6, 2017
Formulaic, Ponderous, Hackneyed Writing
"Ruins of Empire: Blood on the Stars III," is a hopelessly formulaic, ponderous, poorly written and executed story, authored by Mr. Jay Allan.
The story continues the saga of the commander of the "CFS Dauntless," Captain Tyler Barron, his crew, and the Confederation forces at war against the nefarious, invading Union. While Confederation warships are arrayed against the Union forces, the "Dauntless," is dispatched on an unsupported mission to the "Badlands," to secure an ancient, technologically highly advanced, human vessel, and prevent the multiple Union elements from obtaining control of the ship.
The author, Mr. Allan, has written around thirty (30) books, and still is incapable of writing a cogent, coherent, narrative. "Ruins of Empire," is a prime example of a hobbyist, indie author, has experienced some commercial success, and has not progressed in any demonstrable progress as an author. The author writes plots, with plot devices, that often lead into a blind alleys. How does Mr. Allan, extricate his story from these dead ends? He just stops the narrative, moves on to another, and when he returns to the prior, he only writes a few lines, AFTER events have ended, without any credible explanation. Or the author just ignores his only plot inconsistencies (i.e.- CO and XO are separated by "...eight light minutes...," causing transmission time lag. Author makes note of transmission time specifically. Immediately subsequent, the two characters have a "real time" transmission conversation, WITHOUT any time lag, though STILL separated at the SAME distance.). Mr. Allan builds up, builds up, and repeatedly FAILS to execute.
Needless repetition also abounds throughout Mr. Allan's story. When certain MC's or reoccurring Secondary Characters appear, they are relentlessly re-described, again, and again, and again, in the SAME terms. The "action" sequences all follow the same formulaic sequence, cookie-cutter approach: launch fighters, engage, maneuver "Dauntless," fire main weapons, take hits, primary weapons down, fire secondary weapons, make repairs, defeat enemy...ad nasuem repetition.
Finally, Mr. Allan writes poorly. His use of "...of course," is relentless. The equivocation, lack of confidence, makes most of his sentences meaningless. This chronic writing affliction is easily surpassed by the author's most glaring writing abomination-his uncontrollable addiction in using the conjunction "...but." Only commas and periods are use more than the word"...but...," by Mr. Allan. If you read this or any of Mr. Allan's works, try an experiment. For one chapter, highlight his use of "but's." After the chapter ends, go back, flip through the pages, and you will see his affliction.
"Ruins of Empire," is not recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
"Ruins of Empire: Blood on the Stars III," is a hopelessly formulaic, ponderous, poorly written and executed story, authored by Mr. Jay Allan.
The story continues the saga of the commander of the "CFS Dauntless," Captain Tyler Barron, his crew, and the Confederation forces at war against the nefarious, invading Union. While Confederation warships are arrayed against the Union forces, the "Dauntless," is dispatched on an unsupported mission to the "Badlands," to secure an ancient, technologically highly advanced, human vessel, and prevent the multiple Union elements from obtaining control of the ship.
The author, Mr. Allan, has written around thirty (30) books, and still is incapable of writing a cogent, coherent, narrative. "Ruins of Empire," is a prime example of a hobbyist, indie author, has experienced some commercial success, and has not progressed in any demonstrable progress as an author. The author writes plots, with plot devices, that often lead into a blind alleys. How does Mr. Allan, extricate his story from these dead ends? He just stops the narrative, moves on to another, and when he returns to the prior, he only writes a few lines, AFTER events have ended, without any credible explanation. Or the author just ignores his only plot inconsistencies (i.e.- CO and XO are separated by "...eight light minutes...," causing transmission time lag. Author makes note of transmission time specifically. Immediately subsequent, the two characters have a "real time" transmission conversation, WITHOUT any time lag, though STILL separated at the SAME distance.). Mr. Allan builds up, builds up, and repeatedly FAILS to execute.
Needless repetition also abounds throughout Mr. Allan's story. When certain MC's or reoccurring Secondary Characters appear, they are relentlessly re-described, again, and again, and again, in the SAME terms. The "action" sequences all follow the same formulaic sequence, cookie-cutter approach: launch fighters, engage, maneuver "Dauntless," fire main weapons, take hits, primary weapons down, fire secondary weapons, make repairs, defeat enemy...ad nasuem repetition.
Finally, Mr. Allan writes poorly. His use of "...of course," is relentless. The equivocation, lack of confidence, makes most of his sentences meaningless. This chronic writing affliction is easily surpassed by the author's most glaring writing abomination-his uncontrollable addiction in using the conjunction "...but." Only commas and periods are use more than the word"...but...," by Mr. Allan. If you read this or any of Mr. Allan's works, try an experiment. For one chapter, highlight his use of "but's." After the chapter ends, go back, flip through the pages, and you will see his affliction.
"Ruins of Empire," is not recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
December 10, 2019
Šis bija diezgan interesants pavērsiens kopējā sāgā. Nezinu vai autors spēs uzturēt manu interesi arī turpmākās 12+ grāmatas, bet pagaidām izklaidei ir ļoti labs.
January 19, 2018
Soap Opera
If you can ignore the parade of solely English and French named characters, some of the character interactions are almost human.
The battleship as carrier, the plucky fighter pilots, the unexplained failure to dispute a system with minefields at least, the weird lack of intelligence assets (except for the bad guys), everyone yielding the search for lost tech to the bad guys, and more are a drag.
Fortunately, I read it for free.
If you can ignore the parade of solely English and French named characters, some of the character interactions are almost human.
The battleship as carrier, the plucky fighter pilots, the unexplained failure to dispute a system with minefields at least, the weird lack of intelligence assets (except for the bad guys), everyone yielding the search for lost tech to the bad guys, and more are a drag.
Fortunately, I read it for free.
October 10, 2017
I have so many good series to read that sometimes I forget what each one is about. I knew that I wanted to get back to this one because it was by Jay Allan, one of my very favorite authors. He has written a ton of military science fiction and this one is just as good, if not better, than the rest. I actually have Book 4, “Echoes of Glory” and Book 5, “Cauldron of Fire”, and some how I bought them before I bought book 3. But, now I’m caught up and have some additional great reading to do.
Now on with the review of this book. We’re back with Captain Tyler Barron, commanding the CFS Dauntless. His ship and crew have just slightly recovered from their ordeal behind enemy lines where they destroyed a massive Union floating supply depot with the help of the CFS Intrepid. While there was a lull in the fighting, the war was still going on and the Confederation was just waiting for what the Union might do next. Although the Confederation believed it would take a while for the Union to amass enough forces to make a concentrated attack, they still had to stay vigilant. But, several battleships had to get refitted or they were going to fall completely apart. The CFS Dauntless was one of those.
So, to the pleasant surprise of Captain Tyler Barron and his crew, they were ordered back to the shipyards on Dannith for extended repairs. Why there was something of a mystery since that particular shipyard was very far in the rear and near the “Badlands”, a sector of space where previous civilizations had existed until they destroyed each other. The Badlands was a strange and eerie place where worlds have died. Destruction was very evident all around the planets and the space in-between. These civilizations had reached a technology level far in advanced of the current humans, but it had led to their total annihilation. Very few artifacts existed in this strange place and it was forbidden for spacers to travel to this sector although that brought out the worst in humanity called scavengers. They chose to roam the Badlands scavenging bits and pieces of old tech that they sold on the blackmarket. Most of this old stuff was of no use and little more than junk. The tech was also so far advanced that most who got some didn’t know what it was or what to do with it.
Then the spaceship Pegasus found something far into the Badlands. It was a monumental fine that could change the balance of power in the galaxy. The only problem is they didn’t know how to get it back to Confederation space and even if they did, they knew the Confeds would confiscate their find and probably throw them in prison. Still, this massive find could not be ignored. Then the Union showed up using the same purchased information that Captain Andromeda Lafarge of the Pegasus had obtained. For once, Captain Lafarge put her loyalty to the Confederation ahead of her personal desires and knew that the Confederation had to get control of this massive artifact before the Union took it with them.
The only problem of the Confederation was that the Union chose this time to launch a new offensive. It couldn’t be determined initially if this was a decisive attack meant to go all out or if it was a bluff. The Confed Admiral felt that he needed every ship in the fleet available for the coming battle, but with the CFS Dauntless on it’s way to Dannith, he decided to send it into the Badlands to find out just what the Pegasus and it’s Captain had found. The odds are stacked against the Dauntless once again. It doesn’t look good for the Confederation at either the front or in the Badlands. A very exciting story unfolds. Fast paced action with lots of great reading.
I’m thinking about reading book four immediately, but I might not. I can guarantee that I will get back to this series very soon. It’s just that good. Well done Jay Allan!
Now on with the review of this book. We’re back with Captain Tyler Barron, commanding the CFS Dauntless. His ship and crew have just slightly recovered from their ordeal behind enemy lines where they destroyed a massive Union floating supply depot with the help of the CFS Intrepid. While there was a lull in the fighting, the war was still going on and the Confederation was just waiting for what the Union might do next. Although the Confederation believed it would take a while for the Union to amass enough forces to make a concentrated attack, they still had to stay vigilant. But, several battleships had to get refitted or they were going to fall completely apart. The CFS Dauntless was one of those.
So, to the pleasant surprise of Captain Tyler Barron and his crew, they were ordered back to the shipyards on Dannith for extended repairs. Why there was something of a mystery since that particular shipyard was very far in the rear and near the “Badlands”, a sector of space where previous civilizations had existed until they destroyed each other. The Badlands was a strange and eerie place where worlds have died. Destruction was very evident all around the planets and the space in-between. These civilizations had reached a technology level far in advanced of the current humans, but it had led to their total annihilation. Very few artifacts existed in this strange place and it was forbidden for spacers to travel to this sector although that brought out the worst in humanity called scavengers. They chose to roam the Badlands scavenging bits and pieces of old tech that they sold on the blackmarket. Most of this old stuff was of no use and little more than junk. The tech was also so far advanced that most who got some didn’t know what it was or what to do with it.
Then the spaceship Pegasus found something far into the Badlands. It was a monumental fine that could change the balance of power in the galaxy. The only problem is they didn’t know how to get it back to Confederation space and even if they did, they knew the Confeds would confiscate their find and probably throw them in prison. Still, this massive find could not be ignored. Then the Union showed up using the same purchased information that Captain Andromeda Lafarge of the Pegasus had obtained. For once, Captain Lafarge put her loyalty to the Confederation ahead of her personal desires and knew that the Confederation had to get control of this massive artifact before the Union took it with them.
The only problem of the Confederation was that the Union chose this time to launch a new offensive. It couldn’t be determined initially if this was a decisive attack meant to go all out or if it was a bluff. The Confed Admiral felt that he needed every ship in the fleet available for the coming battle, but with the CFS Dauntless on it’s way to Dannith, he decided to send it into the Badlands to find out just what the Pegasus and it’s Captain had found. The odds are stacked against the Dauntless once again. It doesn’t look good for the Confederation at either the front or in the Badlands. A very exciting story unfolds. Fast paced action with lots of great reading.
I’m thinking about reading book four immediately, but I might not. I can guarantee that I will get back to this series very soon. It’s just that good. Well done Jay Allan!
May 22, 2020
Nominal level
Well, the first thing bothering me was how the author repeating about little things. Like how marines hate FR or ship damages with history background. It starting to get me...I mean if everybody read the first book and maybe the second book too would already know about it. No need to remind us. Now, for the story plot...I felt like the author didn’t invest too much in the artifact ship. That area would have an enormous addition to the book that may hook the readers in some more. Yet, he kept it too simple and I think that backfired on him. The overall is decent book.
Well, the first thing bothering me was how the author repeating about little things. Like how marines hate FR or ship damages with history background. It starting to get me...I mean if everybody read the first book and maybe the second book too would already know about it. No need to remind us. Now, for the story plot...I felt like the author didn’t invest too much in the artifact ship. That area would have an enormous addition to the book that may hook the readers in some more. Yet, he kept it too simple and I think that backfired on him. The overall is decent book.
February 13, 2019
Valószínűleg befejeztem ezt a sorozatot. Még többet skippeltem mint a második részben, ami nem jó jel.
Ugyanaz történik mint eddig, ugyanúgy kilövik a vadászokat akik a legjobbak a világon és mindig szanaszét lövik az ellenséget. Mindig kevesebben vannak, de mindig mindent megtesznek a Confederationért és írtó büszke rájuk a commanding officer blablabla.
Ugyanaz történik mint eddig, ugyanúgy kilövik a vadászokat akik a legjobbak a világon és mindig szanaszét lövik az ellenséget. Mindig kevesebben vannak, de mindig mindent megtesznek a Confederationért és írtó büszke rájuk a commanding officer blablabla.
October 22, 2017
This isn’t a bad story and the introduction of Andi Lafarge was interesting, but I’m getting a bit tired of the author’s need to slaughter nearly everybody in enormous ‘slug fests’. At least in this book there were some innovative tactics as well as the carnage.
However, what really annoys me about this book is the way the author writes his battle scenes. To start with he interrupted the battle with Dauntless and Vaillant and jumped off to a different battle with Intrepid, I assume trying to create some sort of suspense in the story. But I really don’t like this jumping from one battle to another, it’s the sort of thing a bad Hollywood scriptwriter would do. The final straw was the fight between Dauntless and Vaillant was coming to a climax and the story jumped to a meeting involving the fleet admiral. When it came back the battle was over!
But what is worse, is the way he messes up the logistics of the battles.
The fight between Dauntless and Vaillant almost made me just give up, he sets standards for things like fighter performance, effects of missiles, bombers, lasers etc. then completely ignores them in the battles. Often the battles just don’t make sense.
Based on the characters and the basic story I could easily give this book 4 stars, but, on half-a-dozen occasions, the author annoyed me so much I had to stop reading, which is why I have only given it 2 stars.
However, what really annoys me about this book is the way the author writes his battle scenes. To start with he interrupted the battle with Dauntless and Vaillant and jumped off to a different battle with Intrepid, I assume trying to create some sort of suspense in the story. But I really don’t like this jumping from one battle to another, it’s the sort of thing a bad Hollywood scriptwriter would do. The final straw was the fight between Dauntless and Vaillant was coming to a climax and the story jumped to a meeting involving the fleet admiral. When it came back the battle was over!
But what is worse, is the way he messes up the logistics of the battles.
The fight between Dauntless and Vaillant almost made me just give up, he sets standards for things like fighter performance, effects of missiles, bombers, lasers etc. then completely ignores them in the battles. Often the battles just don’t make sense.
Based on the characters and the basic story I could easily give this book 4 stars, but, on half-a-dozen occasions, the author annoyed me so much I had to stop reading, which is why I have only given it 2 stars.
November 21, 2024
There's a trope in science fiction: someone finds a super-advanced artifact, but it's hard to get at and their rivals are already after it. It's a fascinating trope, but there's a problem with it: it always ends one of three ways: the artifact turns out to be something unexpectedly dangerous and has to be destroyed, the protagonists can't find a way to keep the artifact and it has to be destroyed to keep it out of the hands of the bad'uns, or the artifact mysteriously disappears. Nobody ever gets to keep the artifact because that would create world-building problems (and I do get their point, for instance, if on Stargate Atlantis they had actually gotten to KEEP their ancient battlecruiser, practically all their problems would've been solved, so that sucker had to go) that the author doesn't want to think about (you see this sort of thing a lot in the 90's/00's Star Trek and Stargate shows). Well, this book is that exactly: a massive abandoned ancient ship chock full of lost technology is found in no man's land and the Union and Confederation (despite the names, not U.S. Civil War analogues, much more akin to Manticore and the People's Republic in Weber's Honorverse, even down to the Union being vaguely French, though the combat is less Napoleonic and more World War 2-in-space-esque (sort of)) both rush to secure control of it, and it goes exactly as the trope requires. I like this series, it's a functional and generally fun space navy series, it's not Weber, but it's pretty good at building up excitement and with its battle sequences, I'd give all these books 7 stars on a 10 star scale and usually I'm nice and round up to 4 of 5. But... because I know the trope, I knew exactly how this was going to end from the start and well... it kinda ruins almost all the drama the book is trying to build, which is a problem, enough of a problem that I rounded down to 3/5 stars. That said, it's not like I'm not going to read the next book in the series.
September 10, 2017
OK, Here's how I grade my Stars. A star * for each catagory that was interesting, innovative and well written (two out of three at least):
1. Character(s), character interaction(s) and inter-character(s) development: *
2. Scenery, Backgrounds and history of plot/scenarios: *
3. Plot, suspense and how well tied together: *
4. Was it well Written?: * (Includes grammer, punctuation, spacing, slang terms, etc. I can put up with a few of these, but really not more than 1, maybe two per page, and not even that thru the whole book. I won't even write a review.)
5. Was it creative, innovative, inspiring, funny, thoughtful, caught my eye with passion(etc) : *
I give it four * stars.
Military S/F currently my reading passion.
1. 1 * for Characters. Several characters a little generic, (i.e. characters, Captain and First Officer, the two competing pilots think in the same way, but had no obvious quirks to set them apart, so I tended to skip these character views because they read the same. Over all I liked the characters and their inter-actions and actions.
2. 1 * Scenery, etc. Excellent.
3. 1 * Plot etc. well thought out, and tied together.
4. 0 * Dropped one star because of Editing. Words that sound similar but were most likely changed due to automatic spell check and author or editor did not catch it. Such instances cause a bump to me and I have to pause and think about what I just read. Usually end up taking a break and coming back to the story after the bump, without re-reading that section. (Note: The current four books suffer from the same affliction in editing, 2-3 each but still an enjoyable read.)
5. 1 * Mostly fit this category.
Overall: Good read, light fare, worth at least one read if you like Military Science Fiction.
1. Character(s), character interaction(s) and inter-character(s) development: *
2. Scenery, Backgrounds and history of plot/scenarios: *
3. Plot, suspense and how well tied together: *
4. Was it well Written?: * (Includes grammer, punctuation, spacing, slang terms, etc. I can put up with a few of these, but really not more than 1, maybe two per page, and not even that thru the whole book. I won't even write a review.)
5. Was it creative, innovative, inspiring, funny, thoughtful, caught my eye with passion(etc) : *
I give it four * stars.
Military S/F currently my reading passion.
1. 1 * for Characters. Several characters a little generic, (i.e. characters, Captain and First Officer, the two competing pilots think in the same way, but had no obvious quirks to set them apart, so I tended to skip these character views because they read the same. Over all I liked the characters and their inter-actions and actions.
2. 1 * Scenery, etc. Excellent.
3. 1 * Plot etc. well thought out, and tied together.
4. 0 * Dropped one star because of Editing. Words that sound similar but were most likely changed due to automatic spell check and author or editor did not catch it. Such instances cause a bump to me and I have to pause and think about what I just read. Usually end up taking a break and coming back to the story after the bump, without re-reading that section. (Note: The current four books suffer from the same affliction in editing, 2-3 each but still an enjoyable read.)
5. 1 * Mostly fit this category.
Overall: Good read, light fare, worth at least one read if you like Military Science Fiction.
January 13, 2020
This was the first stumble in the series for me. It was still readable, but I hope the trajectory of the series recovers.
I have enjoyed this series, and I have already started book four, but book three was bit of a slog for me. This one was just entirely too predictable to the point where there was next to no tension. I also found the resolution to the main plot point very unsatisfying. It felt like a cop out to avoid dealing with the implications of the artifact, or as the only way to dig himself out of the hole he dug with the forces arrayed against Dauntless. Either way, it felt cheap.
The other thing that is really starting to wear thin on me is "What ever it takes!" and
"No matter what!". It seems like every character has to say some variation of that at least twice a novel. It's like the series catch phrase at this point. Related, I am also a little sick of everyone being so selflessly patriotic. Surely somewhere in the navy is a guy who just likes to fly, or just needs a paycheck, or something. That's fine for Barron or the admiral, but let's see some variety from Fritz, or the Pilots, or Travis.
The battles are still fun, though they increasingly feel like "Gritty Star Trek" (while the narration of the battles is great, they're less grounded in reality than the Expanse), and the world it self is interesting. The spies have really been the underrated heroes of the whole thing, on both sides. It seems like they are given the most character development and are the least one dimensional. The villains generally have been much better written than the heroes (even if they are a bit generically evil).
So, final verdict on this one is decent, but forgettable. I hope the next one is better.
I have enjoyed this series, and I have already started book four, but book three was bit of a slog for me. This one was just entirely too predictable to the point where there was next to no tension. I also found the resolution to the main plot point very unsatisfying. It felt like a cop out to avoid dealing with the implications of the artifact, or as the only way to dig himself out of the hole he dug with the forces arrayed against Dauntless. Either way, it felt cheap.
The other thing that is really starting to wear thin on me is "What ever it takes!" and
"No matter what!". It seems like every character has to say some variation of that at least twice a novel. It's like the series catch phrase at this point. Related, I am also a little sick of everyone being so selflessly patriotic. Surely somewhere in the navy is a guy who just likes to fly, or just needs a paycheck, or something. That's fine for Barron or the admiral, but let's see some variety from Fritz, or the Pilots, or Travis.
The battles are still fun, though they increasingly feel like "Gritty Star Trek" (while the narration of the battles is great, they're less grounded in reality than the Expanse), and the world it self is interesting. The spies have really been the underrated heroes of the whole thing, on both sides. It seems like they are given the most character development and are the least one dimensional. The villains generally have been much better written than the heroes (even if they are a bit generically evil).
So, final verdict on this one is decent, but forgettable. I hope the next one is better.
May 11, 2020
This is an excellent Sci-Fi story. Captain Tyler Barron and his famous war ship, Dauntless, are returning to a distant port to get much needed repairs. The crew and the Captain are heroes in the war between the Confederation and the evil Union star cluster. While in for repairs, Barron is called into a clandestine meeting and given a special assignment by the top Confederation Admiral and the head of the Confederation Secret Service.
They are tasked to travel alone into the forbidden Bad Lands where an ancient war ship is found. It is rumored to be intact and more powerful than all of the war ships involved in the war. Ancient technology that is hundreds, if not thousands, of years more advanced than the current technologies of either the Confederation or the Union capabilities. Whoever gets this ship and learns of its superior technology will not only win the war but have the power to conquer the entire galaxy. They have only translated the name of the massive ship. It is called Planet Killer and the name alone strikes fear in the hearts of all that have heard of the find.
Dauntless must make a trip into the Bad Lands and capture and control possession of the ancient ship at all costs. If not, it may mean the end of the Confederation…..
This book is full of a lot of action. Space battles and hand to hand combat on massive space ships. The tactical strategies and use of advanced technology make this book entertaining and fun to read. Jay Allan is an excellent author and I have read all of his books. This is one of his best.
If you love Sci-Fi then this is a book that you must read. I enjoyed this story and I recommend it to you.
Jay Allan is one of the best new authors for sci-fi books. I liked this book a lot and I enjoyed reading it.
They are tasked to travel alone into the forbidden Bad Lands where an ancient war ship is found. It is rumored to be intact and more powerful than all of the war ships involved in the war. Ancient technology that is hundreds, if not thousands, of years more advanced than the current technologies of either the Confederation or the Union capabilities. Whoever gets this ship and learns of its superior technology will not only win the war but have the power to conquer the entire galaxy. They have only translated the name of the massive ship. It is called Planet Killer and the name alone strikes fear in the hearts of all that have heard of the find.
Dauntless must make a trip into the Bad Lands and capture and control possession of the ancient ship at all costs. If not, it may mean the end of the Confederation…..
This book is full of a lot of action. Space battles and hand to hand combat on massive space ships. The tactical strategies and use of advanced technology make this book entertaining and fun to read. Jay Allan is an excellent author and I have read all of his books. This is one of his best.
If you love Sci-Fi then this is a book that you must read. I enjoyed this story and I recommend it to you.
Jay Allan is one of the best new authors for sci-fi books. I liked this book a lot and I enjoyed reading it.
October 1, 2017
Wow. Space battles, ancient weapons from the future, pirates--what's not to like
So, Volume Two had some issues, but was still great. All of those issues are resolved in this, volume three of the four part series, resulting in what I think is the best of the three.
Bad guys got a little more character development--nothing like volume one, but way better than the cartoon evil from volume two. But any lack of character development among the bad guys is more than made up for by the introduction of a new set of characters--pirates! Aligned with neither the Union or the Confederacy, the Pirates join the Confederate god guys (presumably, Pirates do better in a liberal democracy than in a dictatorship) in a battle for an ancient weapon from the future.
In the meantime, an all out battle rages between the two massive fleets, with all the sprawling narrative required for a battle covering millions of miles of space.
A small quibble: the author plays fast and loose with the "rules" governing radio transmissions. At one point, the ship and the away crew cannot communicate, because the distance would require 16 minutes for radio waves to travel back and forth. A short while later, the exact same parries are talking in real time. When it comes to communications in the massive battle, there is no lag time at all. You have to chose as an author--have they figured out technology which defeats the time required by radio waves to travel through space, or haven't they. You can't have it both ways, as convenient for the plot.
Off the read volume four.
So, Volume Two had some issues, but was still great. All of those issues are resolved in this, volume three of the four part series, resulting in what I think is the best of the three.
Bad guys got a little more character development--nothing like volume one, but way better than the cartoon evil from volume two. But any lack of character development among the bad guys is more than made up for by the introduction of a new set of characters--pirates! Aligned with neither the Union or the Confederacy, the Pirates join the Confederate god guys (presumably, Pirates do better in a liberal democracy than in a dictatorship) in a battle for an ancient weapon from the future.
In the meantime, an all out battle rages between the two massive fleets, with all the sprawling narrative required for a battle covering millions of miles of space.
A small quibble: the author plays fast and loose with the "rules" governing radio transmissions. At one point, the ship and the away crew cannot communicate, because the distance would require 16 minutes for radio waves to travel back and forth. A short while later, the exact same parries are talking in real time. When it comes to communications in the massive battle, there is no lag time at all. You have to chose as an author--have they figured out technology which defeats the time required by radio waves to travel through space, or haven't they. You can't have it both ways, as convenient for the plot.
Off the read volume four.
May 8, 2017
The continuation of Tyler Barron’s adventures in the war between the Confederation and the (communist) Union continues. This time the stakes are obviously high as can be seen from the book blurb.
It is a good and entertaining book. It flips between the fight for the ancient relic and another big clash between the Confederation and the Union. Loosing any one of these conflicts could spell the doom for the Confederation. Personally I was not too happy about the jumping back and forth between the two threads. Sure, it made for a good story with plenty of pressure but both events are easily good enough for a whole book each.
As usual there is plenty of combat action in the book but also a fair amount of personal interaction. The Union political officer is a particularly nasty piece of work and it is indeed a joyful event when Barron & Co finally gets their hands on this scumbag.
The book introduces a new character, the freighter and smuggler captain Lafarge. I definitely like this woman. Strong, resourceful and she takes no shit from anyone. Needless to say she and her ship and crew plays an important role in the story.
I have to say that I was a wee bit disappointed with the ending. I cannot say much about it without spoiling too much but let’s just say that I would have liked the Confederation to retain a bit more advantages from the outcome.
On the whole though it was a soundly entertaining read. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
It is a good and entertaining book. It flips between the fight for the ancient relic and another big clash between the Confederation and the Union. Loosing any one of these conflicts could spell the doom for the Confederation. Personally I was not too happy about the jumping back and forth between the two threads. Sure, it made for a good story with plenty of pressure but both events are easily good enough for a whole book each.
As usual there is plenty of combat action in the book but also a fair amount of personal interaction. The Union political officer is a particularly nasty piece of work and it is indeed a joyful event when Barron & Co finally gets their hands on this scumbag.
The book introduces a new character, the freighter and smuggler captain Lafarge. I definitely like this woman. Strong, resourceful and she takes no shit from anyone. Needless to say she and her ship and crew plays an important role in the story.
I have to say that I was a wee bit disappointed with the ending. I cannot say much about it without spoiling too much but let’s just say that I would have liked the Confederation to retain a bit more advantages from the outcome.
On the whole though it was a soundly entertaining read. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
April 8, 2020
Still hanging on to 4 stars...
I really like the overall plot and the interesting universe the author has created. The battle scenes are exciting and fun and the characters are fleshed out reasonably well. However, as with books 1 and 2, I find the writing a bit too cheesy. Everyone’s “so” loyal...everyone has “so much respect” for their fellow crewmen. There’s loyalty and camaraderie...but it’s just too gushing. So much so, that even when offered a promotion in the crew they “turn them down” to stay on the ship. That’s just quite unbelievable. Also, the love interests are rather immature. If the author isn’t going to “grow these people up” then don’t bother with having them have adult relationships. Finally, there’s way to much informality between the crew...esp. the officers. It’s just weird. Military ships have a certain amount of formality and dignity you really don’t mess with. Even in business, you have a chain of command and a certain amount of respect for that chain. Overall, there’s been some improvement in the writing from each book...but if the author doesn’t mature the plot and characters a bit for book 4 it’s going to make it difficult for me to give another 4 stars.
I really like the overall plot and the interesting universe the author has created. The battle scenes are exciting and fun and the characters are fleshed out reasonably well. However, as with books 1 and 2, I find the writing a bit too cheesy. Everyone’s “so” loyal...everyone has “so much respect” for their fellow crewmen. There’s loyalty and camaraderie...but it’s just too gushing. So much so, that even when offered a promotion in the crew they “turn them down” to stay on the ship. That’s just quite unbelievable. Also, the love interests are rather immature. If the author isn’t going to “grow these people up” then don’t bother with having them have adult relationships. Finally, there’s way to much informality between the crew...esp. the officers. It’s just weird. Military ships have a certain amount of formality and dignity you really don’t mess with. Even in business, you have a chain of command and a certain amount of respect for that chain. Overall, there’s been some improvement in the writing from each book...but if the author doesn’t mature the plot and characters a bit for book 4 it’s going to make it difficult for me to give another 4 stars.
November 7, 2017
I've really been digging into military SF lately and my latest enjoyment has been reading the Blood on the Stars series by Jay Allan. The background of the series is growing nicely and the cast of characters is getting easier and more enjoyable to follow. It's a good series and this is a good installment of the series.
That being said, there is something about the series, and especially this book, that is just keeping me from throwing myself into it with reckless abandon. Maybe it's the constant of this ship somehow having the only people in the entire universe who can pull off amazing things or how the primary weapons are always futzing to cause drama or how the strong women of the series still seem a little too two-dimensional. It's good, but it's just not great.
So, give this series a read. See what you think. If you think it's great, that's awesome. If not, that's fine too. But the only way that we will continue to improve the work of the author and develop the next generation of good SF authors is to encourage writers like Jay Allan to keep writing more to stoke our imaginations and keep us reaching for the stars.
That being said, there is something about the series, and especially this book, that is just keeping me from throwing myself into it with reckless abandon. Maybe it's the constant of this ship somehow having the only people in the entire universe who can pull off amazing things or how the primary weapons are always futzing to cause drama or how the strong women of the series still seem a little too two-dimensional. It's good, but it's just not great.
So, give this series a read. See what you think. If you think it's great, that's awesome. If not, that's fine too. But the only way that we will continue to improve the work of the author and develop the next generation of good SF authors is to encourage writers like Jay Allan to keep writing more to stoke our imaginations and keep us reaching for the stars.
October 16, 2020
When I started the series I second-guessed Jay Allan and got it completely wrong. This time round I did the same thing, except this time I was correct.
Space pirates/brigands/treasure hunters (it all depends on which side you're on) have discovered a huge pre-Collapse spaceship in the depths of the Badlands. It's full of equipment that will enable whoever controls it to not just end the war between the Confederation and the Union but bring the entire Blood on the Stars series to a very sudden end just three books in :)
A new character is added - Andi (Andromeda) Lafarge, space buccaneer and, in time, Captain Tyler Barron's main squeeze.
As always it is basically one long battle after another, with the occasional bloody skirmish thrown in for good measure. The characters, too, remain one-dimensional.
I've read far better books but, and for me this is the difference, few that can carry space warfare to such lengths.
The over riding problem with 'Ruins of Empire' is that you just know how it is going to end almost from the start.
Space pirates/brigands/treasure hunters (it all depends on which side you're on) have discovered a huge pre-Collapse spaceship in the depths of the Badlands. It's full of equipment that will enable whoever controls it to not just end the war between the Confederation and the Union but bring the entire Blood on the Stars series to a very sudden end just three books in :)
A new character is added - Andi (Andromeda) Lafarge, space buccaneer and, in time, Captain Tyler Barron's main squeeze.
As always it is basically one long battle after another, with the occasional bloody skirmish thrown in for good measure. The characters, too, remain one-dimensional.
I've read far better books but, and for me this is the difference, few that can carry space warfare to such lengths.
The over riding problem with 'Ruins of Empire' is that you just know how it is going to end almost from the start.
May 16, 2017
Captain Tyler Barron and crew are sent for a refit to a facility at the edge of the Quarantined Zone (unofficially known as the Badlands). Knowing he will take a request from two very highly placed men as an order, they ask Captain Barron to volunteer to take the Dauntless into the Badlands to check on an ancient artifact that may be a huge weapon of the pre-Cataclysm civilization. Their mission is to see if the artifact does exist and, if so, to prevent the Union from aquiring it while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.
They will have to fight against impossible odds, but this time it's for the very freedom of the human race. If the Union gets the ancient technology they will be able to subdue and enslave all nations.
And, again, the battleship CFS Dauntless is barely operational.
I give this one 5 stars. It has some of the same kind of errors as the first two, but there is a lot less of them. The errors are minor.
This book is DRM-free.
September 22, 2017
Before you pick this one up to read, please note it is book #3 of a series: you need to have read books one and two first or this one won’t make much sense to you.
Without having a spoiler, the author picks up right where he left off with book one in the continuing war. The battle scenes are realistic, and the author paints the picture as if you are right there in the middle of things. What I like most about this series is you really feel as if you know the characters, and feel the raw emotion of the costs of war as you lose friends and loved ones. I stayed up late one night to finish this one, as I didn’t want to leave it or walk away to finish another day. This series just gets better.
The Kindle version of this title is $4.99 – if you enjoyed the first two books of the series, you will certainly receive more than $4.99 worth of entertainment value out of this one.
Without having a spoiler, the author picks up right where he left off with book one in the continuing war. The battle scenes are realistic, and the author paints the picture as if you are right there in the middle of things. What I like most about this series is you really feel as if you know the characters, and feel the raw emotion of the costs of war as you lose friends and loved ones. I stayed up late one night to finish this one, as I didn’t want to leave it or walk away to finish another day. This series just gets better.
The Kindle version of this title is $4.99 – if you enjoyed the first two books of the series, you will certainly receive more than $4.99 worth of entertainment value out of this one.
May 16, 2017
In China, if you are one in a million, there are 1,000 more just like you. If everyone has an amazingly talented, miracle worker engineer; when does it stop being amazing?
We get some of the same 'wash, rinse, repeat' of the battles as in the earlier books, but there is less in this book. Less battle and less 'wash, rinse, repeat' in those battles. The lack of constant action actually lends more space to character development and storytelling. A refreshing change. We are even introduced to a possible love interest for the Captain. Tara gets a seat in the big chair and we finally hear of an 'average' engineer. While there is some 'more of the same', it is different enough to be interesting.
We get some of the same 'wash, rinse, repeat' of the battles as in the earlier books, but there is less in this book. Less battle and less 'wash, rinse, repeat' in those battles. The lack of constant action actually lends more space to character development and storytelling. A refreshing change. We are even introduced to a possible love interest for the Captain. Tara gets a seat in the big chair and we finally hear of an 'average' engineer. While there is some 'more of the same', it is different enough to be interesting.
August 19, 2017
Not one of Allan's best...
Another book in the series that the author cruised through. Everything in the book is a rehash, mainly of book two in the series. Allan does his character development thing and then repeats it the next time the character appear. Makes for boring reading but adds volume to the book. Unfortunately Allan pretty much does his battle passages the same way. He seems to have done a cut and paste for most of the battle scenes. Once you have read the first battle passage in the book, you could peruse the other battles in the book and not miss anything. Though I cannot recommend this book or the series, I will read the next book in the series but I do not know why.
Another book in the series that the author cruised through. Everything in the book is a rehash, mainly of book two in the series. Allan does his character development thing and then repeats it the next time the character appear. Makes for boring reading but adds volume to the book. Unfortunately Allan pretty much does his battle passages the same way. He seems to have done a cut and paste for most of the battle scenes. Once you have read the first battle passage in the book, you could peruse the other battles in the book and not miss anything. Though I cannot recommend this book or the series, I will read the next book in the series but I do not know why.
August 13, 2017
Another great addition to the series.
In this chapter, Dauntless is sent on, essentially, a treasure hunt, in search of a reported alien artifact of great power. The Union has caught wind of it as well and there is a race to see to can posses it and its secrets. Lots of good fights.
In parallel, the Union starts another offensive (to distract the Confederation from going after the artifact) that threatens to break the last elements of the Confederation defenses that are preventing unfettered invasion. A good fight there too!
I'd move on to book 4 right away, but it's not available as an audiobook yet :(
In this chapter, Dauntless is sent on, essentially, a treasure hunt, in search of a reported alien artifact of great power. The Union has caught wind of it as well and there is a race to see to can posses it and its secrets. Lots of good fights.
In parallel, the Union starts another offensive (to distract the Confederation from going after the artifact) that threatens to break the last elements of the Confederation defenses that are preventing unfettered invasion. A good fight there too!
I'd move on to book 4 right away, but it's not available as an audiobook yet :(
August 3, 2020
9/10: Fantastic, left me wanting more.
No matter how great a victory he won, he’d long ago sworn to himself that he would never forget that the blood of his crew was the currency with which he paid for his triumphs.
I'm really enjoying this series, and the protagonist, Captain Tyler Barron.
But I'm loving the addition of Andi...
“Did I say you hit like my mother, Captain? I meant to say you hit like my grandmother.”
This one was a wild ride, and I can't wait to get into the next!
Rules, procedures…they only took you so far. Then people started dying unless someone went rogue.
No matter how great a victory he won, he’d long ago sworn to himself that he would never forget that the blood of his crew was the currency with which he paid for his triumphs.
I'm really enjoying this series, and the protagonist, Captain Tyler Barron.
But I'm loving the addition of Andi...
“Did I say you hit like my mother, Captain? I meant to say you hit like my grandmother.”
This one was a wild ride, and I can't wait to get into the next!
Rules, procedures…they only took you so far. Then people started dying unless someone went rogue.
November 28, 2017
Series high tension battle scenes still present making the book enjoyable but the uni-dimensional characters, with Dauntless's crew better than everyone else at everything opposing the 'evil' Union. This feels less and less realistic with lack of characters depth making them unrelatable. Fortunately the author avoid some redundancy in the space battle descriptions that the reader would have seen many times in prior books, by fast-forwarding some of the conflicts. The repetition of characters descriptions remain though.
June 9, 2023
Another exciting adventure and the slow building of characters. Others can tell you the narrative line, but I won't. New characters are introduced, previous ones have crisis and hardships. The location is new. Future plot lines are implied. When it comes down to it the adventure is great, the heroes heroic and villains evil. This is just what you want to relieve the stress of our modern life and escape into the future. Edmond Hamilton would love this book. I recommend you read the previous novels in the series before tackling this one.
May 5, 2017
Just okay
A Bit of a disappointment following the first two outstanding novels in this series. Yes there is some good space battles and some good tactical thinking. But the story is overburdened with repetition in flashbacks and repetition in relating the plaudits of members of the crew. And the over doing of the story of our hero pilot is just too much. Come on Jay, millions die but never one of your main characters. Get real.
A Bit of a disappointment following the first two outstanding novels in this series. Yes there is some good space battles and some good tactical thinking. But the story is overburdened with repetition in flashbacks and repetition in relating the plaudits of members of the crew. And the over doing of the story of our hero pilot is just too much. Come on Jay, millions die but never one of your main characters. Get real.
June 13, 2017
The series really comes into its own in this book. The cast of characters that has been building up over the first two books is in place, you know who they are, and they deliver the punch you want them to.
My one complaint is that the smuggler crew and the Captain of it was a bit over the top. The direction obvious with in the first chapter about them. Their contribution to the story was an X factor but meh.
My one complaint is that the smuggler crew and the Captain of it was a bit over the top. The direction obvious with in the first chapter about them. Their contribution to the story was an X factor but meh.
July 8, 2017
The series is getting good. The main characters that were a bit over the top before are settling in to 'normal'. They crew has to go deep into the 'badlands' to recover an ancient artifact. The book does not do a good job of covering the badlands though, and how these planets were destroyed, and why the gates to them are still functional. A decent read, however, with a bit more strategy involved than closing with and shooting it out against the enemy.
May 10, 2018
Solid third entry in the Blood on the Stars series. There was a bit of variety here, particularly with the introduction of some new characters; a potential love interest for the captain, and even a new ship. The centrepiece of the book - a lost, mysterious spaceship - is really nothing more than a Macguffin, and I was a bit disappointed at how perfunctorily it was disposed of.
Still, solid entry in the series, and a quick, entertaining read.
Still, solid entry in the series, and a quick, entertaining read.
March 1, 2019
Made no sense
A relic sat undiscovered in a remote area of space for thousands of years. It was found by the two opposing forces within hours of one another. Both opposing forces then brought battle ships to the area and fought to the end. Then to win the battle one side destroyed the artifact and all its advanced tech. Author was unwilling to develop the idea of what tech may have been on the relic. Sad
A relic sat undiscovered in a remote area of space for thousands of years. It was found by the two opposing forces within hours of one another. Both opposing forces then brought battle ships to the area and fought to the end. Then to win the battle one side destroyed the artifact and all its advanced tech. Author was unwilling to develop the idea of what tech may have been on the relic. Sad
April 24, 2019
Great Space Opera.....Top Notch!!
Great action story
The first 3 books of the “Blood on the Stars” series are very good reading with lots of action. Good guys and then the bad guys. My only complain holding me back from a 5 star review is the seemingly annoying habit of the author continually telling us over and over how amazing all the good guys are. As I read the series they become my hero’s and it takes away from the story to be told over and over how good they are.
Great action story
The first 3 books of the “Blood on the Stars” series are very good reading with lots of action. Good guys and then the bad guys. My only complain holding me back from a 5 star review is the seemingly annoying habit of the author continually telling us over and over how amazing all the good guys are. As I read the series they become my hero’s and it takes away from the story to be told over and over how good they are.
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