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Trinity #1
Trinity
SPACE BATTLES AND GRIT FROM MASTER OF STARFARING ADVENTURE AND MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION DAVE BARA, AUTHOR OF THE LIGHTSHIP CHRONICLES SERIES.REDEMPTION AT TRINITYThe Rim rebellion was glorious—and doomed from the start. Brilliant Rim Confederation Navy space ship captain Jared Clement skuttled his career and professional life by joining the rebels against the overwhelming force of the 5 Suns Alliance. The rebel cause was just. That didn’t matter. Ten years later, Clement regrets nothing, but would prefer to be left alone to his thoughts and drink. But a new chance to command a ship of incredible potential is thrust in his lap—humanity’s first truly faster-than-light vessel. The Trinity, a newly discovered star system where strange signs of possible space farers may lead to humanity’s first alien encounter. Or to interstellar war. Humanity is on the brink of a new age, and everything depends on one crusty star ship captain, his gritty crew, and the Beauregard, a ship that was never meant to wage war turned into a weapon-bristling battleship that will either propel humanity to ultimate destruction—or into a new starfaring age of exploration and conflict. And along the way, a noble lost cause—one Captain Jared Clement—may finally get his revenge. And find his redemption.At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).About “[A] rousing. . . far-future tale, taking hard-drinking former Rim Confederacy Navy Capt. Jared Clement of the gunship Beauregard into a whopper of a galactic confrontation. . . . [with] Clement’s rebirth as an idealistic military commander, leading to breathless Horatio Hornblower–type ship-to-ship action updated into a Star Trek–like environment. . . [with] plenty of fun, derring-do, and even some tension-relieving fraternization will keep readers invested in Clement and crew. This is an entertaining escape from the here and now.”—Publishers WeeklyAbout Dave “. . . fun, fast, and proper science fiction, where the stakes are big and things matter.”—New York Times best-selling author Simon R. Green on Dave Bara’s Lightship Chronicles Series“This energetic mélange of tried-and-true elements—futuristic jargon, military and romantic tactics, and multiple levels of skullduggery—easily grabs the reader’s attention; more impressive is that Bara’s story holds that attention all the way to the end.” —Publishers Weekly on The Lightship Chronicles Series“Bara manages to ramp up the depth and complexity of his world while retaining that sense of excitement, suspense, and adventure.” —Barnes & Noble Sci Fi & Fantasy BlogDave Bara is the author of The Lightship Chronicles Series including Impulse, Starbound, and Defiant. His other works include Saint Cochrane's World, Speedwing and stories in anthologies Infinite Stars, Star Destroyers, and The Chronicles of the Davids. Dave grew up as a fan of the Gemini and Apollo space programs and dreamed of being an astronaut one day. Since that time he has restricted his journeys into space to the written word. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2021
2 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Dave Bara
13 books52 followersDave Bara was born at the dawn of the space age and grew up watching the Gemini and Apollo space programs on television. He dreamed of becoming an astronaut one day. This soon led him to an interest in science fiction, especially on television. His early years were filled with dozens of episodes of the original Star Trek, Lost in Space, The Outer Limits, and The Twilight Zone.
He began to read science fiction voraciously in his teens, with authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frederick Pohl, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Gordon Dickson, and Joe Haldeman being among his favorites. This led him to try his hand at writing, which he continued all through his college years, even using a novel project as part of his undergraduate degree studies. During these years the story concepts for what would become The Lightship Chronicles series began to take form.
Dave's writing is influenced by the many SF novels he has read over the years, but most notable were books like Dune (Herbert), The Mote In God's Eye (Niven and Pournelle), Dorsai! (Dickson), The Forever War (Haldeman), Tau Zero (Poul Anderson) and the Foundation novels (Asimov), among many others.
Dave looks forward to bringing SF fans many years of exciting and interesting writing, heroic characters, and soaring adventure in the years to come.
Look for IMPULSE: The Lightship Chronicles, Volume I on February 3, 2015 from DAW Books in the US and Del Rey Books in the UK and Europe. Volume II, STARBOUND, should be coming later in 2015.
He began to read science fiction voraciously in his teens, with authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frederick Pohl, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Gordon Dickson, and Joe Haldeman being among his favorites. This led him to try his hand at writing, which he continued all through his college years, even using a novel project as part of his undergraduate degree studies. During these years the story concepts for what would become The Lightship Chronicles series began to take form.
Dave's writing is influenced by the many SF novels he has read over the years, but most notable were books like Dune (Herbert), The Mote In God's Eye (Niven and Pournelle), Dorsai! (Dickson), The Forever War (Haldeman), Tau Zero (Poul Anderson) and the Foundation novels (Asimov), among many others.
Dave looks forward to bringing SF fans many years of exciting and interesting writing, heroic characters, and soaring adventure in the years to come.
Look for IMPULSE: The Lightship Chronicles, Volume I on February 3, 2015 from DAW Books in the US and Del Rey Books in the UK and Europe. Volume II, STARBOUND, should be coming later in 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 1, 2022
1.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
Long after he was defeated in a revolution, spaceship commander Clement is a quiet drunk when he's approached to captain an experimental ship on a mysterious mission. But what he finds there is much more than he bargained for.
Review
The book starts well – washed up captain getting by and drinking when an old name calls him back for one last mission. It’s not innovative, but that’s alright; tried and true works too, sometimes. For the first quarter of the book or so, Bara stays within the lines, and offers a decent military SF adventure, albeit with remarkably lax discipline on ship. it feels like a sequel, but it’s a refreshingly short book for these days.
There are some rough moments, and I had a little trouble believing that the hero, Clement, attracted both loyalty and romance as depicted, but I was willing to let that go by. The science, for what reads as hard-ish military SF, was thin, and I had a number of ‘What?!’ moments. One key piece of technology – one reason the revolution failed – is seemingly abandoned, almost never to be seen again, even on a fully kitted out experimental ship (it does get one or two passing mentions, but no more, even though it would solve key plot problems).
For me, though, the book lost an increasingly tenuous grip on credibility when the ship reaches its goal, and Clement proceeds to take really outrageous actions with no thought for consequences or realism. To my mind, the plot got worse from there. His action has predictable consequences, but everyone seems quite surprised. Later, it turns out there’s a key plot twist, but, examined, it makes no real sense at all. The bad guy, transparently labeled ‘Bad, don’t trust’, almost down to a tag around his neck, has no twist at all – he’s bad. Meanwhile, the people Clement has pissed off with his irresponsible (or, according to the book, reasonable) action are quickly determined to be “conquerors. Slavers. Genocidal. Fanatics. They don’t fight for a reason or a creed or a purpose, they only fight because they are ordered to.” based on virtually no evidence.
Clement has a passing, convenient interest in protecting the innocent; but only occasionally, when he remembers, and when he needs to seem like he has a grand moral purpose. Later, though, he proposes – I kid you not – herding them into reservations. Because that has always protected people in the past, right? I won’t even mention the lesbian who sleeps with a man while under the influence … and then keeps doing it, because why not? By the way, it’s the kind of book where a man would a) never have sex with another man against his own preferences, and b) would certainly not keep doing it. By the way, no one is able to resist that initial sexual influence, except, of course, Clement, who believes in duty. It’s a minor scene, honestly, but hard to believe it has been written this century.
When I picked up this book, I made a mistake. I thought I had read a prior book of the author’s, and thought it was okay, though not great. About a third of the way through this, when struck by an egregiously incredible action, I went to check my review of the prior book, Starbound . I had indeed read a prior Bara book. I hadn’t like it at all. I liked this one less.
Much of this book felt rushed and underdeveloped, almost like a synopsis intended to sell a full story. I thought after a while that maybe this had just been a passion project that the author felt he had to get off his chest. But there’s a sequel. I honestly don’t whom I could recommend it to. It’s just too slapdash and inconsistent to work. I guess if you like macho military SF and aren’t too bothered with consequences or credibility, go to it. It does read quickly and has some neat plot elements, if only the rest of the plot made sense.
Summary
Long after he was defeated in a revolution, spaceship commander Clement is a quiet drunk when he's approached to captain an experimental ship on a mysterious mission. But what he finds there is much more than he bargained for.
Review
The book starts well – washed up captain getting by and drinking when an old name calls him back for one last mission. It’s not innovative, but that’s alright; tried and true works too, sometimes. For the first quarter of the book or so, Bara stays within the lines, and offers a decent military SF adventure, albeit with remarkably lax discipline on ship. it feels like a sequel, but it’s a refreshingly short book for these days.
There are some rough moments, and I had a little trouble believing that the hero, Clement, attracted both loyalty and romance as depicted, but I was willing to let that go by. The science, for what reads as hard-ish military SF, was thin, and I had a number of ‘What?!’ moments. One key piece of technology – one reason the revolution failed – is seemingly abandoned, almost never to be seen again, even on a fully kitted out experimental ship (it does get one or two passing mentions, but no more, even though it would solve key plot problems).
For me, though, the book lost an increasingly tenuous grip on credibility when the ship reaches its goal, and Clement proceeds to take really outrageous actions with no thought for consequences or realism. To my mind, the plot got worse from there. His action has predictable consequences, but everyone seems quite surprised. Later, it turns out there’s a key plot twist, but, examined, it makes no real sense at all. The bad guy, transparently labeled ‘Bad, don’t trust’, almost down to a tag around his neck, has no twist at all – he’s bad. Meanwhile, the people Clement has pissed off with his irresponsible (or, according to the book, reasonable) action are quickly determined to be “conquerors. Slavers. Genocidal. Fanatics. They don’t fight for a reason or a creed or a purpose, they only fight because they are ordered to.” based on virtually no evidence.
Clement has a passing, convenient interest in protecting the innocent; but only occasionally, when he remembers, and when he needs to seem like he has a grand moral purpose. Later, though, he proposes – I kid you not – herding them into reservations. Because that has always protected people in the past, right? I won’t even mention the lesbian who sleeps with a man while under the influence … and then keeps doing it, because why not? By the way, it’s the kind of book where a man would a) never have sex with another man against his own preferences, and b) would certainly not keep doing it. By the way, no one is able to resist that initial sexual influence, except, of course, Clement, who believes in duty. It’s a minor scene, honestly, but hard to believe it has been written this century.
When I picked up this book, I made a mistake. I thought I had read a prior book of the author’s, and thought it was okay, though not great. About a third of the way through this, when struck by an egregiously incredible action, I went to check my review of the prior book, Starbound . I had indeed read a prior Bara book. I hadn’t like it at all. I liked this one less.
Much of this book felt rushed and underdeveloped, almost like a synopsis intended to sell a full story. I thought after a while that maybe this had just been a passion project that the author felt he had to get off his chest. But there’s a sequel. I honestly don’t whom I could recommend it to. It’s just too slapdash and inconsistent to work. I guess if you like macho military SF and aren’t too bothered with consequences or credibility, go to it. It does read quickly and has some neat plot elements, if only the rest of the plot made sense.
February 20, 2024
Trinity by Dave Bara is a space opera/military science fiction novel. Most of the book is about a crew of rebels who have been recruited by their former enemies and led by Captain Jared Clement to test a new type of FTL and also explore a possibly habitable solar system. The book is action-packed as this type of science fiction usually is. It was a fun fast read for fans of this genre.
May 8, 2022
I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled onto this new series by Dave Bara but I am rather glad that I did. It is not WOW great but it is definitely an above average good piece of military science fiction and space opera.
I actually don’t know what the series is called since it’s not on the book cover neither on the Amazon or Goodreads pages but I do know that a second book, Trinity’s Children, is scheduled to come out.
As the book blurb states Captain Jared was on the just but loosing side of a war. What the blurb doesn’t say is that he was betrayed. When the story starts he gets a chance to once again captain a star ship. Something that he both eagerly and reluctantly accepts.
What he doesn’t know is that this will result in him once again crossing paths with the person that betrayed him. Oh, and he will more or less fire the first shots in another interstellar war, find Trinity inhabited and invent some new cool weaponry. All in a days work for a former rebel.
I found Captain Jared a very likable character and he is undoubtedly competent, and can think ahead. Those two things are more or less a must for me with respect to liking a book or not.
During the course of the story Captain Jared has to deal with a surprise invasion force with a somewhat surprising origin and with a big-ass ship, a traitor in the ranks and a mutiny. Given that I have already written that I like this book it should come as no surprise that the outcome of these dealings are not exactly to the benefit of the bad guys.
I like the story. It is somewhat original. It has a nice mix of mystery, discovery and, of course, action. I do especially like the ship manoeuvres and space combat. They are well done, plausible and generally respects physics as we know it. Also, the planted traitor is nicely dealt with which I also like of course. I hate books very traitors and saboteurs just get away with it.
There were a few twists along the road and they weren’t all of the predictable variety. Overall the story set things up quite well for a continuation. One where Captain Jared appears to have a slightly brighter future than at the beginning of the book.
So I guess the next one coming out is on the to-read shelf for me.
I actually don’t know what the series is called since it’s not on the book cover neither on the Amazon or Goodreads pages but I do know that a second book, Trinity’s Children, is scheduled to come out.
As the book blurb states Captain Jared was on the just but loosing side of a war. What the blurb doesn’t say is that he was betrayed. When the story starts he gets a chance to once again captain a star ship. Something that he both eagerly and reluctantly accepts.
What he doesn’t know is that this will result in him once again crossing paths with the person that betrayed him. Oh, and he will more or less fire the first shots in another interstellar war, find Trinity inhabited and invent some new cool weaponry. All in a days work for a former rebel.
I found Captain Jared a very likable character and he is undoubtedly competent, and can think ahead. Those two things are more or less a must for me with respect to liking a book or not.
During the course of the story Captain Jared has to deal with a surprise invasion force with a somewhat surprising origin and with a big-ass ship, a traitor in the ranks and a mutiny. Given that I have already written that I like this book it should come as no surprise that the outcome of these dealings are not exactly to the benefit of the bad guys.
I like the story. It is somewhat original. It has a nice mix of mystery, discovery and, of course, action. I do especially like the ship manoeuvres and space combat. They are well done, plausible and generally respects physics as we know it. Also, the planted traitor is nicely dealt with which I also like of course. I hate books very traitors and saboteurs just get away with it.
There were a few twists along the road and they weren’t all of the predictable variety. Overall the story set things up quite well for a continuation. One where Captain Jared appears to have a slightly brighter future than at the beginning of the book.
So I guess the next one coming out is on the to-read shelf for me.
October 24, 2021
Captain Jared Clement is a war hero from the losing side, a war where he lost everything after a devastating betrayal. Years later, he’s lying low, drinking, and barely eking out a living. He lives in a complex world where the colonists are spread out among various planets, but due to food shortages, it’s vital that they branch out to a new system. Clement is recruited to make first contact, and since he can’t resist the cutting-edge technology of his new ship, he accepts the mission, even if it means working for his old enemy. He’s reunited with old friends and new, including his tough commander Tanitha Yan, but none of them are prepared for where the mission takes them.
This classic sci-fi adventure is an enticing play of intergalactic politics, planetary economics, explosive space battles, high intensity maneuvers, and concise military tactics. Clement is both clever and ruthless as he and his crew face high stakes and impossible odds in their mission to uproot corruption and protect the defenseless. Fans of sci-fi author Jack Campbell, namely his Lost Fleet series, will enjoy this.
(This review was originally written for Library Journal magazine.)
This classic sci-fi adventure is an enticing play of intergalactic politics, planetary economics, explosive space battles, high intensity maneuvers, and concise military tactics. Clement is both clever and ruthless as he and his crew face high stakes and impossible odds in their mission to uproot corruption and protect the defenseless. Fans of sci-fi author Jack Campbell, namely his Lost Fleet series, will enjoy this.
(This review was originally written for Library Journal magazine.)
November 5, 2021
Here's a fun and easy read that is a non-stop interstellar romp. Loads of action in a well-drawn universe that keeps you riveted. More plot driven than a character study, but the author gives us enough characterization to empathize with the cast. A classic page turner and very much worth your time, particularly if you like interstellar exploration, possible first contact, space battles aplenty and even a little romance.
January 22, 2022
This book reminds me of SF from the so-called Golden Age, but not in a good way. Actions happen that are interesting, but not really motivated. People behave in such a way to move the plot, but not in the way real humans would act.
Unlike some of those old books, the author tries to put in some love interest and character development, but he doesn't know how, so it comes across as forced.
Unlike some of those old books, the author tries to put in some love interest and character development, but he doesn't know how, so it comes across as forced.
June 3, 2022
I didn't have much hope for Trinity at the beginning, with over-the-top characterizations and one sci-fi trope after another. Over the course of the book, though, the writing improved considerably and the ending was actually satisfying.
January 10, 2022
Great story line, full of twists and betrayals.
February 17, 2022
Prety good. I hope it all works out for the good guys!
April 1, 2022
Love it
Totally enjoyable space opera with a solid storyline. Excellent characters,
Overall a very good read. Loved captain Clement the scoundrel hero of the story.
Totally enjoyable space opera with a solid storyline. Excellent characters,
Overall a very good read. Loved captain Clement the scoundrel hero of the story.
April 23, 2022
If you’re a space opera fan or a fan of Firefly or Star Trek, this is not to be missed.
June 13, 2022
A very good read, and I like that there was some space for character growth within all the action
December 5, 2022
The characters were wooden and kind of thinly sketched but I don’t read a ton of military sci-fi. They might seem fine for that genre…. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great.
July 30, 2023
What a turkey! If this isn’t an outlier, Baen Books has fallen a long way since Jim Baen was at the helm. Dave Bara seems to have a tenuous understanding of science and no editor to correct things.
On page 1 we learn that Dave Bara apparently doesn’t know that a light-hour is not a unit of time but a unit of distance when he writes that something happened ���over thirty-eight light-hours ago.” Where was his editor?
On page 44 neither Bara nor his copy editor seem to know that “populous” is an adjective while “populace” is a noun, writing about “a starving populous seeking to emigrate”.
A bit later they can’t decide whether slowing down is “braking” or “breaking”, using both in adjoining paragraphs!
Finally, at the beginning of Chapter 10 there was this howler. (Slower-than-light interstellar) “Ark ships usually ran with large solar panels to power the interior environment for the passengers.”
Solar panels, light-years from the nearest sun?
I read the sequel to see if it got better. The editing did, not so much the science or the writing.
On page 1 we learn that Dave Bara apparently doesn’t know that a light-hour is not a unit of time but a unit of distance when he writes that something happened ���over thirty-eight light-hours ago.” Where was his editor?
On page 44 neither Bara nor his copy editor seem to know that “populous” is an adjective while “populace” is a noun, writing about “a starving populous seeking to emigrate”.
A bit later they can’t decide whether slowing down is “braking” or “breaking”, using both in adjoining paragraphs!
Finally, at the beginning of Chapter 10 there was this howler. (Slower-than-light interstellar) “Ark ships usually ran with large solar panels to power the interior environment for the passengers.”
Solar panels, light-years from the nearest sun?
I read the sequel to see if it got better. The editing did, not so much the science or the writing.
September 12, 2023
Fun, fast War SF
February 4, 2024
Exciting space adventures but it was the people who made it intertesting.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews