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Green Zone War #2
Star Peregrine
A desperate captain. A crippled ship. An impossible choice.
The frigate Kestrel has been shot to pieces. She’s out of fuel, stranded deep behind enemy lines. It looks hopeless. But Tom Thrush, junior lieutenant and acting captain, has sworn he’ll get his people home.
Escape means fuel, and that means taking it from the enemy. A daring raid gives the Kestrel a fighting chance – but a rescued prisoner has some disturbing news. A ragtag local militia has put together a fleet. The fleet is gathering – and it’s about to blunder into a trap.
There’s only one way the militia fleet will survive. The battered, exhausted crew of the Kestrel must turn their backs on safety and plunge once more into battle. They’re hurt. They’re scared. But they have their duty. The Kestrel is a ship of war, and she will not die easy.
The frigate Kestrel has been shot to pieces. She’s out of fuel, stranded deep behind enemy lines. It looks hopeless. But Tom Thrush, junior lieutenant and acting captain, has sworn he’ll get his people home.
Escape means fuel, and that means taking it from the enemy. A daring raid gives the Kestrel a fighting chance – but a rescued prisoner has some disturbing news. A ragtag local militia has put together a fleet. The fleet is gathering – and it’s about to blunder into a trap.
There’s only one way the militia fleet will survive. The battered, exhausted crew of the Kestrel must turn their backs on safety and plunge once more into battle. They’re hurt. They’re scared. But they have their duty. The Kestrel is a ship of war, and she will not die easy.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2018
158 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 6, 2025
While I'm not blown away, this is above average quality space-opera. I'll hold this series in reserve for when I need a sure thing after reading a couple of flops in a row.
April 23, 2018
Space captain
Tom Thrush, a captain by default. He leads is crew in several rescues of innocent people. He fights Dawn Alliance. He wants so much to be the captain he is by default, but he is always questioning himself. I enjoyed this book and the first one, Rumors of war! A good series. All the characters are well thought out.
Tom Thrush, a captain by default. He leads is crew in several rescues of innocent people. He fights Dawn Alliance. He wants so much to be the captain he is by default, but he is always questioning himself. I enjoyed this book and the first one, Rumors of war! A good series. All the characters are well thought out.
April 11, 2018
Good story with a great pace, with characters to root for, looking forward to book three.
January 26, 2022
Star Peregrine follows on from book 1, in which we are with Tom Thrush, aboard the frigate Kestrel of the United Worlds, battered, shot up, and running low on fuel, with only half of its crew after having suffered a devastating nuclear attack from the Dawn Alliance in the opening salvo of a new war. Thrush is just a Lieutenant First Grade, not even meant to be commanding, just learning, but as the highest serving officer (and only officer), on a ship that has had its higher command decimated, he is it.
But rather than running from this monumental task, Thrush has stepped up to the challenge, and although he has stumbled a few times, he has used those around him to keep from falling. In this 2nd book, Thrush is still not comfortable with the command chair, but has started to accept that he is it, and that he has to start making the hard choices to keep his crew alive, but not only that, he has to do the job that the Kestrel was meant for.
Having saved all he could from Sunshine Base in book 1, Thrush and the crew are now faced with the dilemma of needing fuel before they can return to Garnet. This is actually a really interesting start to the story, as there is a complex and rather intriguing political story, involving the crew, but also those of the alleged ‘Pirates’, those of the ‘Free People’, and their homes as well. Without giving too much away, at the start of this story, we learn that although some of the Free People have joined Thrush’s crew, that the Dawn Alliance has offered an alliance to those of the Free People.
Whilst this causes a lot of unrest for some time (I’ll let you read about it), it quickly becomes apparent that the Dawn Alliance is very ‘selective’ in their use of the word “ALLIANCE”, and this changes the attitude of several of the crew.
One of these is Alice Rose, who has quickly become a main character of the story. Whilst this series is mainly told through the eyes of Tom Thrush, in book #2, we are starting to see more and more of the story told through other characters as well, and this really expands the scope of the storyline.
Alice, having been one of the former Free People, but now having joined the crew of the Kestrel, has struggled with many of her decisions. She was unsure if it was the was the right choice to join the crew of the Kestrel, but new it was a better choice than dying in the brig (and given that Fagan was critically injured in the cells, well?).
However, in this book, she is faced with even greater challenges, when the ship is out of fuel, and they have little or no options of where to go, the Dawn Alliance having taken several of the options available.
Alice however, knows of an option that is only known to the Free Worlds, and again, has to decide where her true loyalties lie, and are they worth the life of the crew of the Kestrel.
There are strong elements of Battlestar Galactica in this second book – as the Kestrel desperately tries to seek a safe harbour from the Dawn Alliance – very reminiscent of the Galactica trying to find supplies with the Cylons chasing them.
This book also has some really fascinating and intriguing political elements, as multiple characters are involved in power struggles between 3 different factions, the Navy of the United Worlds, the Dawn Alliance and the Free People. Thrush continues to try and run his ship, all the while dealing with not just his own crew, but those of the Free Peoples, as well as some of the rescued people he has on board. Meanwhile, there are the Free People, some of who are angry feeling that they are being used, some who are trying to assimilate, but feel like they are betraying their own people, and some that are still behind bars as they are just angry at everything. Then there is the Dawn Alliance, who shoot to kill, but allegedly come in peace to certain people.
And so Tom Thrush is faced with a very difficult decision, again, without giving too much away (some is alluded to in the synopsis), but as Thrush is trying to find fuel, and after a very desperate mission to get some, Tom learns of some disturbing information.
There is going to be a meeting of the Free Peoples at a particular location, to discuss the current situation, given that only some of their worlds and people are protected by the alleged ‘Alliance’. However, the Dawn Alliance is going to use this as an opportunity to wipe them out.
Tom therefore has a choice, help them, and potentially earn new allies, especially those on board his own ship, or just head to Garnet and pass on the information to someone else, and not risk his crew anymore, as they have been through enough? What would his former captain do? What are the Dawn Alliance going to do? What should he do?
Elwood has done a brilliant job of again creating some compelling and gripping characters and placing them in some fascinating scenarios that are not only clever, but intriguing and thrilling.
Thrush is outstanding as the Lieutenant, thrust into the roll of Acting Captain, but having no clue what to do, and doing the role purely by instinct. Fortunately for the crew, his instincts are better than most Captains that served, and as a result, he manages to pull through, albeit shaken. As a result, the crew are starting to gain some trust in him.
There are some that hate him, and continue to berate him, which gives this story a real element of realism as well.
Added to this are new characters like Alice, one of the Free People, who is just fascinating, struggling to understand her place on the ship.
Overall, Star Peregrine is an exceptional sequel to what was a brilliant first book in the series, and is a lead in to what is going to be an enthralling, well-thought out and very clever character driven story. It has elements of Mil Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Invasion, and a bit of Galactic Empire. Best of all though, it has compelling characters, telling their stories against a back drop of powerful, and gritty combat scenes that are masterfully described. This is a series not to be missed.
But rather than running from this monumental task, Thrush has stepped up to the challenge, and although he has stumbled a few times, he has used those around him to keep from falling. In this 2nd book, Thrush is still not comfortable with the command chair, but has started to accept that he is it, and that he has to start making the hard choices to keep his crew alive, but not only that, he has to do the job that the Kestrel was meant for.
Having saved all he could from Sunshine Base in book 1, Thrush and the crew are now faced with the dilemma of needing fuel before they can return to Garnet. This is actually a really interesting start to the story, as there is a complex and rather intriguing political story, involving the crew, but also those of the alleged ‘Pirates’, those of the ‘Free People’, and their homes as well. Without giving too much away, at the start of this story, we learn that although some of the Free People have joined Thrush’s crew, that the Dawn Alliance has offered an alliance to those of the Free People.
Whilst this causes a lot of unrest for some time (I’ll let you read about it), it quickly becomes apparent that the Dawn Alliance is very ‘selective’ in their use of the word “ALLIANCE”, and this changes the attitude of several of the crew.
One of these is Alice Rose, who has quickly become a main character of the story. Whilst this series is mainly told through the eyes of Tom Thrush, in book #2, we are starting to see more and more of the story told through other characters as well, and this really expands the scope of the storyline.
Alice, having been one of the former Free People, but now having joined the crew of the Kestrel, has struggled with many of her decisions. She was unsure if it was the was the right choice to join the crew of the Kestrel, but new it was a better choice than dying in the brig (and given that Fagan was critically injured in the cells, well?).
However, in this book, she is faced with even greater challenges, when the ship is out of fuel, and they have little or no options of where to go, the Dawn Alliance having taken several of the options available.
Alice however, knows of an option that is only known to the Free Worlds, and again, has to decide where her true loyalties lie, and are they worth the life of the crew of the Kestrel.
There are strong elements of Battlestar Galactica in this second book – as the Kestrel desperately tries to seek a safe harbour from the Dawn Alliance – very reminiscent of the Galactica trying to find supplies with the Cylons chasing them.
This book also has some really fascinating and intriguing political elements, as multiple characters are involved in power struggles between 3 different factions, the Navy of the United Worlds, the Dawn Alliance and the Free People. Thrush continues to try and run his ship, all the while dealing with not just his own crew, but those of the Free Peoples, as well as some of the rescued people he has on board. Meanwhile, there are the Free People, some of who are angry feeling that they are being used, some who are trying to assimilate, but feel like they are betraying their own people, and some that are still behind bars as they are just angry at everything. Then there is the Dawn Alliance, who shoot to kill, but allegedly come in peace to certain people.
And so Tom Thrush is faced with a very difficult decision, again, without giving too much away (some is alluded to in the synopsis), but as Thrush is trying to find fuel, and after a very desperate mission to get some, Tom learns of some disturbing information.
There is going to be a meeting of the Free Peoples at a particular location, to discuss the current situation, given that only some of their worlds and people are protected by the alleged ‘Alliance’. However, the Dawn Alliance is going to use this as an opportunity to wipe them out.
Tom therefore has a choice, help them, and potentially earn new allies, especially those on board his own ship, or just head to Garnet and pass on the information to someone else, and not risk his crew anymore, as they have been through enough? What would his former captain do? What are the Dawn Alliance going to do? What should he do?
Elwood has done a brilliant job of again creating some compelling and gripping characters and placing them in some fascinating scenarios that are not only clever, but intriguing and thrilling.
Thrush is outstanding as the Lieutenant, thrust into the roll of Acting Captain, but having no clue what to do, and doing the role purely by instinct. Fortunately for the crew, his instincts are better than most Captains that served, and as a result, he manages to pull through, albeit shaken. As a result, the crew are starting to gain some trust in him.
There are some that hate him, and continue to berate him, which gives this story a real element of realism as well.
Added to this are new characters like Alice, one of the Free People, who is just fascinating, struggling to understand her place on the ship.
Overall, Star Peregrine is an exceptional sequel to what was a brilliant first book in the series, and is a lead in to what is going to be an enthralling, well-thought out and very clever character driven story. It has elements of Mil Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Invasion, and a bit of Galactic Empire. Best of all though, it has compelling characters, telling their stories against a back drop of powerful, and gritty combat scenes that are masterfully described. This is a series not to be missed.
September 9, 2022
I like a lot of things about it. If we were already far enough in the future I'd consider it a military scifi version of what steampunk was to early 1900's scifi. So much of what this series is doing seems like what would have been an excellent simple scifi TV show before Babylon 5 and Firefly raised the expectations of plausible science. If you can't tell yet I really like it, but it takes short cuts in developing interpersonal relationships and throws science to the side for "wouldn't it be cool if..." I absolutely recommend it to people who haven't moved up to more meaty scifi and for people who just want the "pew pews" over the "no fireballs in space" expectations of harder scifi.
November 30, 2022
(3.5 Stars)
This series is entertaining and this book is better than the first one.
The good about this book: Better story pacing, more likeable characters, good battle sequencing, and the main character is not being rewarded for bad behavior. Also the narration is really good and most of the characters have their own "voice".
The bad: I don't really know how to describe it... the characters seem to just change, rather than grow from previous experiences... It isn't bad storytelling, it just seems like they are missing out on good development.
This book had a much better logical ending and I am moving on to the next book in the series.
This series is entertaining and this book is better than the first one.
The good about this book: Better story pacing, more likeable characters, good battle sequencing, and the main character is not being rewarded for bad behavior. Also the narration is really good and most of the characters have their own "voice".
The bad: I don't really know how to describe it... the characters seem to just change, rather than grow from previous experiences... It isn't bad storytelling, it just seems like they are missing out on good development.
This book had a much better logical ending and I am moving on to the next book in the series.
May 7, 2018
Very nice story
The story continues to be tense and the series hooked me from the first book. The main character despite his self-doubt, continues to fight against poor odds to rescue as many as possible from enemy forces.
Characters started out crisp and relatable but the writer pushes character development as a major part of his storytelling. The action scenes are very tense and since it rests more on the characters than their machines, seemed plausible. The story plot was good and the metaplot promises to be just as interesting.
I'm looking forward to the next book.
The story continues to be tense and the series hooked me from the first book. The main character despite his self-doubt, continues to fight against poor odds to rescue as many as possible from enemy forces.
Characters started out crisp and relatable but the writer pushes character development as a major part of his storytelling. The action scenes are very tense and since it rests more on the characters than their machines, seemed plausible. The story plot was good and the metaplot promises to be just as interesting.
I'm looking forward to the next book.
August 11, 2018
I’ve been smashing through books recently at about 1 a week, this has taken 3 weeks. Utterly tepid story, poor characters, uninteresting plot.
Forced myself to finish it just in case it came good but it doesn’t. Avoid this series.
Forced myself to finish it just in case it came good but it doesn’t. Avoid this series.
May 8, 2018
Boring
The long battle sections and the final surrender were just too much. I had hopes that the ship would escape but the author didn't see it that way. To bad...
The long battle sections and the final surrender were just too much. I had hopes that the ship would escape but the author didn't see it that way. To bad...
February 8, 2020
Here's a link to my review for the series as a whole.
January 6, 2022
The Continuation of book one, and also a solid, if not complex story. I liked it enough to move to book three.
April 10, 2022
An OK tale, but don’t pay too much attention or the mistakes will irritate.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews