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Blood on the Stars #5
Cauldron of Fire
A Deadly Fight to the Finish…
The warrior culture of the Alliance has fragmented, and comrade fights comrade, brother kills brother. The Red Alliance forces, backed by the Union and its propaganda machine, have the advantage in numbers and position, and they are pushing forward, driving relentlessly toward the final attack, the one that will destroy their enemies.
The Gray Alliance forces are weaker, trapped in the great Sentinel-2 fortress where they’ve established their headquarters. Their enemies have the larger fleets and armies, and control of the homeworld…but the Grays have Tyler Barron and Dauntless.
The Confederation’s celebrated captain and his famous ship have been reinforced, and the newly promoted Commodore Barron now commands a small fleet of battleships, every vessel Admiral Striker could spare to reinforce the faltering Gray forces.
One final battle is all that stands between the Red fleet and victory, and it seems the Grays have no choice but to stand on the defensive and wait for the fight they know they can’t win. Unless they try something else, a wild gamble, a desperate plan to pull victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat. It will take all Barron and his people can give, and put Dauntless and the ships of his task force to the test. But it is the only way to win the victory, to prevent the Reds from a triumph that can lead only to a disastrous invasion of the Confederation, one that Barron knows he has to stop…whatever the cost.
Blood on the Stars
Book 1: Duel in the Dark
Book 2: Call to Arms
Book 3: Ruins of Empire
Book 4: Echoes of Glory
Book 5: Cauldron of Fire
Book 6: Dauntless (coming January 2018)
The warrior culture of the Alliance has fragmented, and comrade fights comrade, brother kills brother. The Red Alliance forces, backed by the Union and its propaganda machine, have the advantage in numbers and position, and they are pushing forward, driving relentlessly toward the final attack, the one that will destroy their enemies.
The Gray Alliance forces are weaker, trapped in the great Sentinel-2 fortress where they’ve established their headquarters. Their enemies have the larger fleets and armies, and control of the homeworld…but the Grays have Tyler Barron and Dauntless.
The Confederation’s celebrated captain and his famous ship have been reinforced, and the newly promoted Commodore Barron now commands a small fleet of battleships, every vessel Admiral Striker could spare to reinforce the faltering Gray forces.
One final battle is all that stands between the Red fleet and victory, and it seems the Grays have no choice but to stand on the defensive and wait for the fight they know they can’t win. Unless they try something else, a wild gamble, a desperate plan to pull victory from the jaws of almost certain defeat. It will take all Barron and his people can give, and put Dauntless and the ships of his task force to the test. But it is the only way to win the victory, to prevent the Reds from a triumph that can lead only to a disastrous invasion of the Confederation, one that Barron knows he has to stop…whatever the cost.
Blood on the Stars
Book 1: Duel in the Dark
Book 2: Call to Arms
Book 3: Ruins of Empire
Book 4: Echoes of Glory
Book 5: Cauldron of Fire
Book 6: Dauntless (coming January 2018)
430 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2017
1311 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 4, 2017
This is a very long book. It could have easily been broken into two separate books, but it begins a story and ends it in this single volume which is typical of the previous books in this series.
Tyler Barron and the Dauntless are deep in Alliance territory having formed an alliance with the new (Grey) Imperator Tarkus Vennius. They are preparing to attack a Red Alliance supply convoy which they have been doing for some time. These attacks are slightly annoying the Red Alliance, but the Grey Alliance doesn’t have enough resources to effectively mount an aggressive offense. Now, there appears to be a traitor within the Grey Alliance higher command. They are being attacked with more forces than would be expected for a routine supply convoy escort.
One of the major differences in the Red Alliance Forces is the presence of a new character, Jovi Grachus, an extradorinaiy fighter pilot who has a major grudge attitude toward Tyler Barron and the Dauntless. Jovi was the best friend of Commander-Altum Katrine Rigellus. They have lived, played and grew up together on the Rigellus’ estate since they were very small children. The loss of her best friend Kat was very hard on Jovi. She was not able to accompany her friend and the Vindictus when they were sent to test the Confederation. But, now she has made a vow to avenge the death of her friend and all those involved. She knows that Captain Tyler Barron and the Dauntless defeated Kat, but she assumes something was done that gave the Dauntless an unfair advantage because Kat and her ship were just too good. She also believed that Tarkus Vennius had ordered Kat on the ill-fated mission without proper support. We know that it was the Council and the Imperatrix herself that made those orders without any input from Commander-Maximus Vennius.
So, now we have a vengeful hot-shot pilot out to make those responsible for Kats death pay and pay dearly. Her attack squadron is causing havoc with the Grey fighter squadrons. Kyle “Thunder” Jamison and Jake “Raptor” Stockton noticed this vastly improved Red squadron almost immediately. Unfortunately, the battle did not allow for a concentrated attack on that Red squadron so she was able to escape that first encounter. Little did they know that the false Imperator, Calavius, also notices Jovi’s talents and promotes her to lead the entire Red Alliance fighter wing.
So, this book kind of has two stories going on at the same time. One is the background story of how will the Grey Alliance defeat the Red Alliance given that the former has so few assets. Even with the addition of a few more Confederation super-battleships, things still won’t go well for the Greys if they can’t come up with some kind of wild plan.
The second story is about the fighter pilots. Without giving away the story, the Grey Alliance and specifically Dauntless’s veteran fighter pilots are in extreme danger.
So, while all this is going on, the Confederation is still fighting a war with the Union. They have both been on the defense, but the Confederation Senate now wants action and has order Admiral Striker to attack. He obviously doesn’t believe his forces are enough to make a successful attack, but orders are orders. Unfortunately, the Union has been out in the Badlands and found something that might just tip the balance of power in the war.
So, how does all of this end. Well, you’ll read how the Confederation and Alliance end up, but the Confederation and Union are still at war and will continue to be for quite some time or if the Union does in fact, have a dangerous new weapon, that war might be over very soon also!
Tyler Barron and the Dauntless are deep in Alliance territory having formed an alliance with the new (Grey) Imperator Tarkus Vennius. They are preparing to attack a Red Alliance supply convoy which they have been doing for some time. These attacks are slightly annoying the Red Alliance, but the Grey Alliance doesn’t have enough resources to effectively mount an aggressive offense. Now, there appears to be a traitor within the Grey Alliance higher command. They are being attacked with more forces than would be expected for a routine supply convoy escort.
One of the major differences in the Red Alliance Forces is the presence of a new character, Jovi Grachus, an extradorinaiy fighter pilot who has a major grudge attitude toward Tyler Barron and the Dauntless. Jovi was the best friend of Commander-Altum Katrine Rigellus. They have lived, played and grew up together on the Rigellus’ estate since they were very small children. The loss of her best friend Kat was very hard on Jovi. She was not able to accompany her friend and the Vindictus when they were sent to test the Confederation. But, now she has made a vow to avenge the death of her friend and all those involved. She knows that Captain Tyler Barron and the Dauntless defeated Kat, but she assumes something was done that gave the Dauntless an unfair advantage because Kat and her ship were just too good. She also believed that Tarkus Vennius had ordered Kat on the ill-fated mission without proper support. We know that it was the Council and the Imperatrix herself that made those orders without any input from Commander-Maximus Vennius.
So, now we have a vengeful hot-shot pilot out to make those responsible for Kats death pay and pay dearly. Her attack squadron is causing havoc with the Grey fighter squadrons. Kyle “Thunder” Jamison and Jake “Raptor” Stockton noticed this vastly improved Red squadron almost immediately. Unfortunately, the battle did not allow for a concentrated attack on that Red squadron so she was able to escape that first encounter. Little did they know that the false Imperator, Calavius, also notices Jovi’s talents and promotes her to lead the entire Red Alliance fighter wing.
So, this book kind of has two stories going on at the same time. One is the background story of how will the Grey Alliance defeat the Red Alliance given that the former has so few assets. Even with the addition of a few more Confederation super-battleships, things still won’t go well for the Greys if they can’t come up with some kind of wild plan.
The second story is about the fighter pilots. Without giving away the story, the Grey Alliance and specifically Dauntless’s veteran fighter pilots are in extreme danger.
So, while all this is going on, the Confederation is still fighting a war with the Union. They have both been on the defense, but the Confederation Senate now wants action and has order Admiral Striker to attack. He obviously doesn’t believe his forces are enough to make a successful attack, but orders are orders. Unfortunately, the Union has been out in the Badlands and found something that might just tip the balance of power in the war.
So, how does all of this end. Well, you’ll read how the Confederation and Alliance end up, but the Confederation and Union are still at war and will continue to be for quite some time or if the Union does in fact, have a dangerous new weapon, that war might be over very soon also!
October 5, 2017
Barron battles continues
Commodore Barron battles continues, can he help to get the Alliance forces to see the truth. There will be losses either way, but the union has a new weapon. He and the confederations forces will need all the help they can get to end this way.
Commodore Barron battles continues, can he help to get the Alliance forces to see the truth. There will be losses either way, but the union has a new weapon. He and the confederations forces will need all the help they can get to end this way.
January 14, 2020
Okay first off the good. I like it, quite a lot. I'm 5 books into the series after all. The plot is great, the characters sincere in their actions, and the action fun.
Now the bad. Please get an editor. Anyone. For the following reasons;
At least 2 chapter headings that give the wrong locations. Like if you have a chapter heading that gives a location, make sure it's the right one (Chapters 22+47 if I recall, maybe more).
The same applies to place / character names. Several times just totally wrong. I've had to reread sections before just to figure out what names were meant to be there.
Repetition. Not of plot but of feelings. This one had a little less than the previous books and I like knowing that pilot A thinks pilot B could be the one to beat them, and pilot B thinking the same about pilot A (trying not to use named spoilers...) What I don't like is being told that same thing OVER and OVER and OVER again. At LEAST once per dogfight, MANY times throughout the book. The same occurs for most characters as if we have to be reminded of their relationships every single time they appear on the page. To the point where I started skimming the fighter scenes. It's repetitive and feels like padding.
Enemy POVs. I love them. Mostly. If you're going to use opposing POVs for the SAME fight, please tighten them up. Each on their own are good, together it just drags them out way too long.
Enemy tactics. I get it, the protagonists are meant to face overwhelming odds and be victorious at the end, that's just storytelling. Against the Union in the earlier books it makes sense that the enemy has terrible tactics, but the Alliance are meant to be equal to the crew of Dauntless and superior to the crew of the other Confed ships. Which means instead of overwhelming force (which doing some quick math actually made the ENTIRE Alliance stronger than the ENTIRE Confed fleet at the start of the book yet) it should be more equal fights and tactical fighting from both sides. An example of this would be the fighter ambush - 150 Alliance interceptors and 100 bombers Vs MAX Confed 150 interceptors (70 of which are supposed to be fresh from the academy) and 2 battleships. There is no way that an offensive force that large wouldn't take out the battleships in the first wave. Like zero chance. Especially considering the battleships were too far apart to be able to help each other the entire fight. I got frustrated enough with that fight (and the repetition mentioned above to choreograph how it would have actually worked...) But yea, better tactics from supposedly competent militant society (which I'm sure we'll suddenly see in future books given how this one turned out).
So... I liked it. I'll continue to read the series (at a slow rate since I can't handle this frustration often), but please EDIT EDIT EDIT.
Now the bad. Please get an editor. Anyone. For the following reasons;
At least 2 chapter headings that give the wrong locations. Like if you have a chapter heading that gives a location, make sure it's the right one (Chapters 22+47 if I recall, maybe more).
The same applies to place / character names. Several times just totally wrong. I've had to reread sections before just to figure out what names were meant to be there.
Repetition. Not of plot but of feelings. This one had a little less than the previous books and I like knowing that pilot A thinks pilot B could be the one to beat them, and pilot B thinking the same about pilot A (trying not to use named spoilers...) What I don't like is being told that same thing OVER and OVER and OVER again. At LEAST once per dogfight, MANY times throughout the book. The same occurs for most characters as if we have to be reminded of their relationships every single time they appear on the page. To the point where I started skimming the fighter scenes. It's repetitive and feels like padding.
Enemy POVs. I love them. Mostly. If you're going to use opposing POVs for the SAME fight, please tighten them up. Each on their own are good, together it just drags them out way too long.
Enemy tactics. I get it, the protagonists are meant to face overwhelming odds and be victorious at the end, that's just storytelling. Against the Union in the earlier books it makes sense that the enemy has terrible tactics, but the Alliance are meant to be equal to the crew of Dauntless and superior to the crew of the other Confed ships. Which means instead of overwhelming force (which doing some quick math actually made the ENTIRE Alliance stronger than the ENTIRE Confed fleet at the start of the book yet) it should be more equal fights and tactical fighting from both sides. An example of this would be the fighter ambush - 150 Alliance interceptors and 100 bombers Vs MAX Confed 150 interceptors (70 of which are supposed to be fresh from the academy) and 2 battleships. There is no way that an offensive force that large wouldn't take out the battleships in the first wave. Like zero chance. Especially considering the battleships were too far apart to be able to help each other the entire fight. I got frustrated enough with that fight (and the repetition mentioned above to choreograph how it would have actually worked...) But yea, better tactics from supposedly competent militant society (which I'm sure we'll suddenly see in future books given how this one turned out).
So... I liked it. I'll continue to read the series (at a slow rate since I can't handle this frustration often), but please EDIT EDIT EDIT.
January 27, 2018
Was surprising
I really couldn't see the outcome of the book until the last pages. The death of so many characters was the first unpredictable turn in all the series. With a little more attention to building the characters and a little more work on building a believable societal structure, it might have been stunning.
I think that a small plane carrier is not a capital ship and has to focus almost exclusively on aerospace launch and retrieval of every kind. Asking the same vessel to stand in line of battle with energy weapons, missiles or projectile turrets is a dangerously stupid double tasking. That's why I think that battleships will make an appearance in any space navy and maybe a dedicated strike craft carrier (provided the technology supports them).
The universe is the same genetically and culturally bland world that so many of these writers create. I wonder if it's laziness, lack of creativity or an unconscious political statement.
For an afternoon escape, it might be OK. If you can overlook a lot of flaws in the storytelling and war movie cliches.
I really couldn't see the outcome of the book until the last pages. The death of so many characters was the first unpredictable turn in all the series. With a little more attention to building the characters and a little more work on building a believable societal structure, it might have been stunning.
I think that a small plane carrier is not a capital ship and has to focus almost exclusively on aerospace launch and retrieval of every kind. Asking the same vessel to stand in line of battle with energy weapons, missiles or projectile turrets is a dangerously stupid double tasking. That's why I think that battleships will make an appearance in any space navy and maybe a dedicated strike craft carrier (provided the technology supports them).
The universe is the same genetically and culturally bland world that so many of these writers create. I wonder if it's laziness, lack of creativity or an unconscious political statement.
For an afternoon escape, it might be OK. If you can overlook a lot of flaws in the storytelling and war movie cliches.
June 15, 2025
Repetitiv, bland characters, worst book so far in the series.
January 8, 2025
So, Cauldron of Fire picks up pretty much right after the previous book (or maybe it doesn't, time passes in this series and the author rarely bothers to mention it: it could've been a week, it could've been two years), Captain Barron and the Dauntless are still entangled in the Alliance Civil War, trying to help the non-hostile crazy space Romans beat the hostile/treacherous crazy space Romans who have aligned themselves with that darned perfidious Union (crazy space French totalitarians) and promised to open a second front in the Union's war with the Confederation should they win, a situation which would probably doom the Confederation, given how stretched its military forces are. But the hostile/treacherous crazy space Romans have an ace up their sleeves, a crazy skilled pilot who just happens to blame our heroes for killing her friend, after said friend invaded their nation, committed a couple war crimes, and tried to start a war: CLEARLY A PARAGON OF VIRTUE. So she's all hopped up on vengeance and thus (obviously) completely unbeatable by all of the previously ultra-skilled Confederation pilots who are now helpless before her despite having far more experience against more capable foes than she has and better technology. Sigh... let's get real for a moment: vengeance isn't a superpower. If you make a vengeful character focused and give them time to improve themselves and have a plan (or at least give us a chance to see how competent and focused they are in a believable way (like... say, the first John Wick movie, the sequels... eeeehh...)), sure, that can make for an interesting revenge story, but just introducing us to some rando, having her swear revenge for something that really, she doesn't have any right to be angry about, and then making her basically unstoppable in combat is just stupid. The Count of Monte Cristo didn't escape the Chateau d'If and then storm Fernand's home screaming bloody vengeance. No, you want a good revenge story, you have to make the character EARN it (take John Wick again, that's a revenge story that escalates things in a very interesting and believable way), especially if they're the antagonist because a weak revenge story just feels petty and dumb, which is exactly why I was so ticked off by Abaddon's Gate when I read it and haven't been back to that series since (though I do mean to... eventually). Anyway, I'm completely off topic, so let's move on to my thoughts on the book.
Talk about a book of two halves. I REALLY disliked the first half (mostly because of the whole crazy revenge-obsession subplot), with the story spending far too much time following around a stupidly vengeful idiot and our protagonists being idiotically passive and throwing in a hastily assembled subplot about what the Union has been up to out in the Badlands, but the second half was much MUCH better. Honestly, if I didn't already have book 6 I might've given up at the halfway point and just dropped the series, I was just that annoyed. I have a real problem with the power scaling and spatial awareness in these books. The Confederation has major technological advantages over its enemies but often this seems to have practically no effect on the course of battles, and sometimes it seems like things happen just because the author wants the drama. Likewise, everything seems to happen too fast. As Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy informed us all: Space is Big, like REALLY Big. I don't care if your fighter is going .005 c, it's still going to take you hours to travel interplanetary distances. It just makes me long for John Campbell's Lost Fleet books which always seemed to nail those kinds of things. All in all, I don't know where I am with this series. I kinda like it, I'm kinda infuriated with it, particularly as more and more the series has as bad a case of Soap Opera-itis as I've ever seen (oh look, the Confederation is on the verge of turning things around and being able to go on the Offensive! Not so fast, our idiot leaders want us to rush to the Offensive before we're ready and what's this? It looks like those dastardly Union devils have unearthed THE PERFECT WEAPON FOR THEIR NEEDS WHICH JUST HAPPENED TO BE LYING AROUND FOR THEM TO TAKE AND USE BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DID! Just too much Deus ex Machina, not enough EARNED victories and twists (especially for the villains). Then Allan turns around and writes a good action scene or has his protagonist actually think up something interesting and I start enjoying the book again... for now, I think I'm going to get them through the end of the Confed-Union War arc (which ends with the next book), but I'm very hesitant about continuing further with the series after that.
Talk about a book of two halves. I REALLY disliked the first half (mostly because of the whole crazy revenge-obsession subplot), with the story spending far too much time following around a stupidly vengeful idiot and our protagonists being idiotically passive and throwing in a hastily assembled subplot about what the Union has been up to out in the Badlands, but the second half was much MUCH better. Honestly, if I didn't already have book 6 I might've given up at the halfway point and just dropped the series, I was just that annoyed. I have a real problem with the power scaling and spatial awareness in these books. The Confederation has major technological advantages over its enemies but often this seems to have practically no effect on the course of battles, and sometimes it seems like things happen just because the author wants the drama. Likewise, everything seems to happen too fast. As Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy informed us all: Space is Big, like REALLY Big. I don't care if your fighter is going .005 c, it's still going to take you hours to travel interplanetary distances. It just makes me long for John Campbell's Lost Fleet books which always seemed to nail those kinds of things. All in all, I don't know where I am with this series. I kinda like it, I'm kinda infuriated with it, particularly as more and more the series has as bad a case of Soap Opera-itis as I've ever seen (oh look, the Confederation is on the verge of turning things around and being able to go on the Offensive! Not so fast, our idiot leaders want us to rush to the Offensive before we're ready and what's this? It looks like those dastardly Union devils have unearthed THE PERFECT WEAPON FOR THEIR NEEDS WHICH JUST HAPPENED TO BE LYING AROUND FOR THEM TO TAKE AND USE BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DID! Just too much Deus ex Machina, not enough EARNED victories and twists (especially for the villains). Then Allan turns around and writes a good action scene or has his protagonist actually think up something interesting and I start enjoying the book again... for now, I think I'm going to get them through the end of the Confed-Union War arc (which ends with the next book), but I'm very hesitant about continuing further with the series after that.
October 25, 2017
Tyler Barron and the Dauntless aid the Gray Alliance against Calavius and the Red Alliance.
Tyler Barron leads CFS Dauntless and three other Confederation battleships to assist the leader of the Gray Alliance - Tarkus Vennius. Ironically, Vennius had raised and mentored Captain Katrine Rigellus. In an unofficial foray into Confederation space, Katrine had taken the pride of the Alliance fleet, the Invictus, into an unfortunate encounter with Captain Tyler Barron, commanding CFS Dauntless. The epic battle that followed eventually lead to the destruction of the Invictus and the death of Katrine Rigellus. Now Barron is allied with the man who had felt like a father to Katrine.
In a Union engineered coup, Commander Calavius had accused Vennius of rebelling, abducting and murdering the Imperatrix in his attempted coup. Calavius and his supporters held the capital planet Palatia and the communication hub controlling the information shared across the Alliance.
The action quickly intensifies as Commodore Barron, the Dauntless and the rest of the Confed contingent, with the small force of ships marshalling the Gray Alliance. But controlling the media, most of the Alliance forces went to the Red Alliance.
The action is amazingly described with glorious detail in both the ship-to-ship and the man-to-man combat sequences. The characters are lifelike and lively. Warm and loving one minute and snarling in-your-face the next, the characters really lead the story, but the action! I read the last 25% in one sitting, couldn't put it down! 2 hours later I finished, but couldn't stand. My legs and butt were completely numb. I know, TMI, but really, I loved this book, story and series! I'm pretty sure that you will too. It's great, great military space opera sci-fi addition to the Blood on the Stars series.
Tyler Barron leads CFS Dauntless and three other Confederation battleships to assist the leader of the Gray Alliance - Tarkus Vennius. Ironically, Vennius had raised and mentored Captain Katrine Rigellus. In an unofficial foray into Confederation space, Katrine had taken the pride of the Alliance fleet, the Invictus, into an unfortunate encounter with Captain Tyler Barron, commanding CFS Dauntless. The epic battle that followed eventually lead to the destruction of the Invictus and the death of Katrine Rigellus. Now Barron is allied with the man who had felt like a father to Katrine.
In a Union engineered coup, Commander Calavius had accused Vennius of rebelling, abducting and murdering the Imperatrix in his attempted coup. Calavius and his supporters held the capital planet Palatia and the communication hub controlling the information shared across the Alliance.
The action quickly intensifies as Commodore Barron, the Dauntless and the rest of the Confed contingent, with the small force of ships marshalling the Gray Alliance. But controlling the media, most of the Alliance forces went to the Red Alliance.
The action is amazingly described with glorious detail in both the ship-to-ship and the man-to-man combat sequences. The characters are lifelike and lively. Warm and loving one minute and snarling in-your-face the next, the characters really lead the story, but the action! I read the last 25% in one sitting, couldn't put it down! 2 hours later I finished, but couldn't stand. My legs and butt were completely numb. I know, TMI, but really, I loved this book, story and series! I'm pretty sure that you will too. It's great, great military space opera sci-fi addition to the Blood on the Stars series.
January 12, 2019
2.5 star, and rounded up, because for some reason I do continue reading them. The books are action packed, I enjoy that. The overall story isn't bad. The characters are bland, it is always more of the same, they would be fine for the first book, but we learn nothing new, nothing changes. It is more of the same. This is also true for pretty much everything else. There is little depth to the universe in Blood on the Stars. It seems that the method to travel to another star system lets you end up at a precise location at your destination (the other side of the gate). Yet apparently no one has considered fortifying those positions ever. Some slight spoilers following:
May 11, 2020
As I have said before, the Blood on the Stars series is the best Jay Allan series I've read (which is hard to say as I also have enjoyed Allan's other series as well). Cauldron of Fire is the fifth book in the Blood on the Stars series and just like the other books I felt pulled into the story from the very first page. The characters are excellent - you can't help feeling empathetic towards the characters as they struggle with different experiences and the losses of people they love and care about. In the latest book, Commodore Tyler Barron and their Gray Alliance allies are in a life and death struggle, aware that their cause against the Reds could well end at any time. Back home in the Confederation, Admiral Van Striker is pushed by the Senate to make one all out effort to end the war with the Union, a move he knows might well cost the Confederation Fleet dearly. Naturally, the Union is at it's devious best as they plot and scheme to bring down the Confederation. Great action and battles fill out what is an exceptionally entertaining book. So looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.
October 12, 2017
Two and half stars. In my review of Book #3 in this series I commented on the all the amazing engineers. This book became a much, much more of the same story for the fighter pilots. The endless repetition of "great aces" struggling against their foes in a drawn out battle for vengeance actually became boring rather quickly. The addition of an enemy ace didn't add depth or perspective it just caused another round of repetitions. This was a literary version of the directions on a shampoo bottle; "Wash, rinse, repeat". Thankfully we eventually run out of shampoo....
If you want to read about the the struggles of fighter pilots I would recommend Winged Victory by V.M. Yeates. Its 100 years old and still offers a fresh perspective.
Honestly, I started skimming through the many, many fighter battles in "Cauldron of Fire". The only reason I rated as high as I did was the fairly well crafted continuation of the larger story arc of the series and some interesting development of several of the characters.
If you want to read about the the struggles of fighter pilots I would recommend Winged Victory by V.M. Yeates. Its 100 years old and still offers a fresh perspective.
Honestly, I started skimming through the many, many fighter battles in "Cauldron of Fire". The only reason I rated as high as I did was the fairly well crafted continuation of the larger story arc of the series and some interesting development of several of the characters.
October 8, 2017
Before you start this one, please note it is the fifth book in a series: you will need to read the others, in order, or this one won’t make much sense as each installment builds upon the other.
Without having a spoiler, I enjoyed this one but it was a little slow in parts as there is a lot of personal reflection between many of the characters for both the Alliance and the Confederacy. You have your usual big finish with the resolution of the current problem and the introduction of a new one to set the stage for the next book in the series which, according to the end notes will be released in January 2018.
I picked this up for $2.99 in the Kindle store – if you have enjoyed the previous books in the series I’ll bet you will like this one, also.
Without having a spoiler, I enjoyed this one but it was a little slow in parts as there is a lot of personal reflection between many of the characters for both the Alliance and the Confederacy. You have your usual big finish with the resolution of the current problem and the introduction of a new one to set the stage for the next book in the series which, according to the end notes will be released in January 2018.
I picked this up for $2.99 in the Kindle store – if you have enjoyed the previous books in the series I’ll bet you will like this one, also.
August 9, 2020
6/10: Good light-weight read, well done.
War, he thought. We can fight it, endure it, master it…but in the end, do any of us really survive it?
This one took a little more effort to get through than the others so far in the series. Probably more to do with my preferences than the writing. I wanted more of Tyler and Andi, and quite frankly, I'd had enough of the fighter battles, and battleship battles, and Marine battles by the end of the story.
It just seemed the same old same old to me.
But Andi in the Badlands, now that's intriguing.
So, I'm going to take a break from this series and head on over to Andi's spin-off series, and maybe get to see some old Imperial tech and a bit of Imperial history. Now that could be a series worth reading!
War, he thought. We can fight it, endure it, master it…but in the end, do any of us really survive it?
This one took a little more effort to get through than the others so far in the series. Probably more to do with my preferences than the writing. I wanted more of Tyler and Andi, and quite frankly, I'd had enough of the fighter battles, and battleship battles, and Marine battles by the end of the story.
It just seemed the same old same old to me.
But Andi in the Badlands, now that's intriguing.
So, I'm going to take a break from this series and head on over to Andi's spin-off series, and maybe get to see some old Imperial tech and a bit of Imperial history. Now that could be a series worth reading!
October 24, 2017
I've been enjoying this series. After reading the first book, I confess that I took to reading the first five and the last five chapters. I like the characters, but the plots are somewhat predictable. The good guys get into a pickle, a desperate situation from which they are saved by either a) a clever idea they had to surprise the bad guys; b) a difficult choice they made to save the day; or c) a sky hook, a deus ex machina, the cavalry coming over the hill.
I like me some cavalry to the rescue. But it tells me what kind of plot / story I'm reading. Enjoyable. Light reading.
If you like strong characters and um, dramatic space battles you'll enjoy this series. I have.
I like me some cavalry to the rescue. But it tells me what kind of plot / story I'm reading. Enjoyable. Light reading.
If you like strong characters and um, dramatic space battles you'll enjoy this series. I have.
October 31, 2017
Great story, poor quality
I have to say that Jay Allen has a knack for coming up with great stories. The characters are engaging, the plots are complex enough to keep you interested, and there is plenty of action. Another thing there is aplenty are typos. There are so many, many typos that these books are frustrating to read.
I just looked to see about reading another of Allen's series, and noticed there are actually warnings from Amazon that readers are reporting "quality issues" in the form of many typos. I decided to just skip it. If he can't be bothered to have a friend proofread for him, I'm really not interested.
I have to say that Jay Allen has a knack for coming up with great stories. The characters are engaging, the plots are complex enough to keep you interested, and there is plenty of action. Another thing there is aplenty are typos. There are so many, many typos that these books are frustrating to read.
I just looked to see about reading another of Allen's series, and noticed there are actually warnings from Amazon that readers are reporting "quality issues" in the form of many typos. I decided to just skip it. If he can't be bothered to have a friend proofread for him, I'm really not interested.
November 7, 2017
Tyler Barron is Awesome!
Blood on the Stars is one of my favorite series. Book one was amazing, had me hooked, but they have gotten even better since! Back in the 90s, I read Rouge Squadron books. I loved fighter novels (Flight of the Firefox, etc...) but space dog fights were even cooler. I haven't found many sci-fi novels with such great fighter combat as this series, but it is also so much more than that! I felt my emotions welling up at a few points, the characters face struggles you can feel in your own gut. if you haven't already read book one, start reading book one ASAP!
Blood on the Stars is one of my favorite series. Book one was amazing, had me hooked, but they have gotten even better since! Back in the 90s, I read Rouge Squadron books. I loved fighter novels (Flight of the Firefox, etc...) but space dog fights were even cooler. I haven't found many sci-fi novels with such great fighter combat as this series, but it is also so much more than that! I felt my emotions welling up at a few points, the characters face struggles you can feel in your own gut. if you haven't already read book one, start reading book one ASAP!
February 5, 2021
A solid 4 stars.
This is how I like my war stories. Inventive tactics without a magic plot device plucked from the authors's sitting crack to paper over the story cracks.
The extra star is for not mentioning race, skin color or lazy virtue signalling that seems to be obligatory nowadays. Earth is a forgotten, smoldering rock and the people are picking new ways to disagree. The baddies do all have french names though, which is how it should be. In my defense, my favorite character is thefrench baddie super assassin, Lille.
An enjoyable page turner if you like seeing what blows up next.
This is how I like my war stories. Inventive tactics without a magic plot device plucked from the authors's sitting crack to paper over the story cracks.
The extra star is for not mentioning race, skin color or lazy virtue signalling that seems to be obligatory nowadays. Earth is a forgotten, smoldering rock and the people are picking new ways to disagree. The baddies do all have french names though, which is how it should be. In my defense, my favorite character is the
An enjoyable page turner if you like seeing what blows up next.
October 3, 2017
Just what you expect
A solid read with everything expected from JA and definitely entertaining. More of the story concentrates on individual conflicts and some of those resolutions are forced. As is usually the case story arc resolutions are somewhat "by the grace of god". Honestly though this is what we expect from JA, an entertaining story, some character depth\development and exciting storytelling. Who else out there writes so prodigiously, keeping us entertained and only charges 2.99 for the privilege.
A solid read with everything expected from JA and definitely entertaining. More of the story concentrates on individual conflicts and some of those resolutions are forced. As is usually the case story arc resolutions are somewhat "by the grace of god". Honestly though this is what we expect from JA, an entertaining story, some character depth\development and exciting storytelling. Who else out there writes so prodigiously, keeping us entertained and only charges 2.99 for the privilege.
November 28, 2018
Great tale, characters; annoyingly repetitive
I really enjoyed the imagination, characters, and situational development this installment brought to “Blood on the Stars”.
However, the writing remains endlessly repetitive, as if each chapter were an episode following the preceding one by a month or two. I adapted fairly easily, though, as I began rapidly skimming the text until new information appeared.
The great tale, this great new installment to the tale, the enjoyable characters all make dealing with the annoying repetition worth it.
I really enjoyed the imagination, characters, and situational development this installment brought to “Blood on the Stars”.
However, the writing remains endlessly repetitive, as if each chapter were an episode following the preceding one by a month or two. I adapted fairly easily, though, as I began rapidly skimming the text until new information appeared.
The great tale, this great new installment to the tale, the enjoyable characters all make dealing with the annoying repetition worth it.
April 24, 2019
After taking a break from reading the preceding books in the series, I picked up where I left off. The break was beneficial, renewing my enjoyment in the tale. While I found the end state of the book's main characters to be somewhat predictable, that in no way detracted from the pleasure derived from the experience of getting there.
I recommend the series and am looking forward to the next installment.
Finally, I was pleased to find that this book had relatively few of the editing/proofreading escapes that troubled some of the earlier entries, a welcome improvement.
I recommend the series and am looking forward to the next installment.
Finally, I was pleased to find that this book had relatively few of the editing/proofreading escapes that troubled some of the earlier entries, a welcome improvement.
May 14, 2020
Battle after battle
Barron, and crew are back. Rip roaring battles. We have the Union trying to take over the Alliance. The Confederation dukeing it out to the bitter end with the Union with a new weapon. The Confederation trying to save the Alliance from itself. And of course there is Andi. Good old Andi just out there finding things. The good guys could not be any better and the bad guys so evil. Just lots of action, emotion and cliff hanger as to what will Barron run into next.
Barron, and crew are back. Rip roaring battles. We have the Union trying to take over the Alliance. The Confederation dukeing it out to the bitter end with the Union with a new weapon. The Confederation trying to save the Alliance from itself. And of course there is Andi. Good old Andi just out there finding things. The good guys could not be any better and the bad guys so evil. Just lots of action, emotion and cliff hanger as to what will Barron run into next.
December 27, 2019
As things come together
At first,I did think "Why talk about the alliance if they are not going to be part of the story". Well I spoke to soon. The story has come full circle,with unforseen twist and turns on my part. Meaning some stories are easy to follow and predict. So enjoy being surprised even if it makes me uncomfortable. And I'm pleased to say I have no idea the direction the book will take.
At first,I did think "Why talk about the alliance if they are not going to be part of the story". Well I spoke to soon. The story has come full circle,with unforseen twist and turns on my part. Meaning some stories are easy to follow and predict. So enjoy being surprised even if it makes me uncomfortable. And I'm pleased to say I have no idea the direction the book will take.
November 28, 2020
A Reckoning of Sorts
The Union spy winds an Alliance greedy hero around his finger tightly, then once again is foiled by the hero of the Confederation. Yes, Barron is still here, as is the fighter pilot Stockton, as brash as ever. There is action at all levels: battleships in armadas, fighters and bombers, even marines struggling on firm ground. Enemies become allies, in part, but evil almost wins ... but await the final battle.
The Union spy winds an Alliance greedy hero around his finger tightly, then once again is foiled by the hero of the Confederation. Yes, Barron is still here, as is the fighter pilot Stockton, as brash as ever. There is action at all levels: battleships in armadas, fighters and bombers, even marines struggling on firm ground. Enemies become allies, in part, but evil almost wins ... but await the final battle.
December 17, 2020
If you can work out when to skip several pages at a time this book is not terrible, barely. For whatever reason, probably to stretch this thing into book length, the author lavishes repetitive recaps. Every time he switches to a different character view point you have to sit through the same rehash of whatever emotional struggle that character is toiling with. If you skip a few pages each viewpoint switch it's barrable.
November 13, 2022
Allan really knows how to deliver a solid military sci-fi tale. Cauldron of fire is arguably the best in the series as it pits honour against power lust, and compares and contrasts the various cultures of the antagonists. There’s nothing particularly subtle here, but the way he balances real jeopardy against realistic victories is laudable. Yes, you know or favourite battleship will prevail, but it does so with style.
October 10, 2017
Ive really enjoyed this series. The continued growth of the cast of characters is amazing. Telling the story of the Alliance civil war, with the Confederation assistance, and keeping the Union/Confederation war simmering, was a huge accomplishment.
Kudos to Allen for keeping it all engaging and page turning till the end. Im really looking forward to the next book and how the series wraps up.
Kudos to Allen for keeping it all engaging and page turning till the end. Im really looking forward to the next book and how the series wraps up.
December 16, 2018
Continuing excellent space opera
I continue to be very taken with the world created here. The characters are very likable, the situations tense and believable. The stakes are real as well, as characters I’ve come to like are placed in true peril and many have died. Gripping, interesting, and excellent stories are found in this series. Very excited to continue the series.
I continue to be very taken with the world created here. The characters are very likable, the situations tense and believable. The stakes are real as well, as characters I’ve come to like are placed in true peril and many have died. Gripping, interesting, and excellent stories are found in this series. Very excited to continue the series.
April 30, 2020
Getting repetitive...
This book in the series is getting a bit repetitive. The “we’re outnumbered but our fighting spirit will get us through” is a bit too much book after book. Although the author does a good job brining new creations into the mix the cliche dialogue is getting too tiresome. I hope that the author begins to change things around a bit in the next book.
This book in the series is getting a bit repetitive. The “we’re outnumbered but our fighting spirit will get us through” is a bit too much book after book. Although the author does a good job brining new creations into the mix the cliche dialogue is getting too tiresome. I hope that the author begins to change things around a bit in the next book.
June 16, 2022
Book number 5
This is book five of a really good series. Maybe series is the wrong word. Maybe it should be SAGA! The Confederation v the Union. Only the Union is a dictatorship led by a madman and the Confederacy is lead by a bunch of theaving politicians. Sound familiar? The universe is a big place, two identical things can happen!
This is book five of a really good series. Maybe series is the wrong word. Maybe it should be SAGA! The Confederation v the Union. Only the Union is a dictatorship led by a madman and the Confederacy is lead by a bunch of theaving politicians. Sound familiar? The universe is a big place, two identical things can happen!
June 19, 2023
I have written reviews of books #1-4 already of this series. Like the previous entries this one has adventure, interesting characters, plot twists, cliff hangers, Outerspace warfare, enemies and friends who get into tight situations, drama, etc. The story line continues, and the current situation has a satisfactory ending. Reco0mmened reading - after you read the previous #1-4.
October 5, 2017
Great book
Another great book of this series. Good continuation of the story, character development and a good storyline. I'll be definitely waiting for the next book of this series.
Another great book of this series. Good continuation of the story, character development and a good storyline. I'll be definitely waiting for the next book of this series.
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