What do you think?
Rate this book
The Lost Fleet #6
Victorious
Captain "Black Jack" Geary slept for a century, but even that cryogenic slumber could not have prepared him for the planet-shattering conflict between the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds. In this sixth and final installment of Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet, this great war comes thundering to an exhilarating, action-packed conclusion. Military sci-fi for true thrill seekers. A mass-market original.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2010
335 people are currently reading
2183 people want to read
About the author
Jack Campbell
115 books3,029 followersJack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 525 reviews
May 27, 2019
Two stars is more than generous. 3 of 10 stars
April 24, 2010
Finally, it is over. This series should have been half the size it ended up being. Why, because it repeated. Then the next failing of the author, it repeated. So all these extra pages, were just rehashes of scenes that had already taken place with a new noun to show that it was a different place, but the same thing happening, or all the characters talking about how that thing that happened before was just like this, or do you remember the thing that happened, let me refresh your memory by describing it for pages.
So many pages that the author stretched out his mercenary hand for three extra books.
Where do we succeed and fail with this tale though. We reach a conclusion, finally. The war is over. Our angst ridden hero can retire. Accept that the entire book has a subtheme where he won't retire and will be back fighting the new threat instantly.
Prepare yourself for another six book arc that can be told in three. So much time is spent on high school he said she said that you hope either the hero or his untouchable love interest die so it is over. This series was never a romance, and certainly in high school so much desire for another never took up so much of ones life.
So what makes a science fiction naval epic any good, action. In this case, since the hero commands a giant fleet, naval combat. Which is over so quickly you could have blinked. Pages in the front serve as a guide to tell you how many ships the hero commands and where some were lost. But who cares. The author will tell you in one half sentence how a certain ship, of which you have never heard, has gone down. Then he will track it through the entire series. But you are not invested in those characters. Not even many aboard the flagship. The secondary characters have no personalities for he has invested all of that into the hero.
You thus don't really care about anyone else in the series. Several loose ends are let loose, and the inability of anyone but the hero to think has to leave you wondering how in the 100 years the hero was asleep, the gene pool could have been reduced to recreating the idiots amongst us.
If you read any book in the series, get it from the library. Skim it and forget it. There are much better combat and fleet arc books out there. Certainly many that one can believe in the hero, the other characters, and the situation.
So many pages that the author stretched out his mercenary hand for three extra books.
Where do we succeed and fail with this tale though. We reach a conclusion, finally. The war is over. Our angst ridden hero can retire. Accept that the entire book has a subtheme where he won't retire and will be back fighting the new threat instantly.
Prepare yourself for another six book arc that can be told in three. So much time is spent on high school he said she said that you hope either the hero or his untouchable love interest die so it is over. This series was never a romance, and certainly in high school so much desire for another never took up so much of ones life.
So what makes a science fiction naval epic any good, action. In this case, since the hero commands a giant fleet, naval combat. Which is over so quickly you could have blinked. Pages in the front serve as a guide to tell you how many ships the hero commands and where some were lost. But who cares. The author will tell you in one half sentence how a certain ship, of which you have never heard, has gone down. Then he will track it through the entire series. But you are not invested in those characters. Not even many aboard the flagship. The secondary characters have no personalities for he has invested all of that into the hero.
You thus don't really care about anyone else in the series. Several loose ends are let loose, and the inability of anyone but the hero to think has to leave you wondering how in the 100 years the hero was asleep, the gene pool could have been reduced to recreating the idiots amongst us.
If you read any book in the series, get it from the library. Skim it and forget it. There are much better combat and fleet arc books out there. Certainly many that one can believe in the hero, the other characters, and the situation.
January 11, 2013
Okay...great book, great series. I almost went down to 4 stars because of the continuing underlying love story, the unspoken (because of honor) love of Black Jack ("I'm not Black Jack") for the Captain. Still, handled well and I got passed it. At least it wasn't still with our resident politician who has been one of the great annoyances in this series, neither did the love story overwhelm the storyline.
Still one of the better military/semi-space opera reads I've come across. Dealing with two long standing historical legend/archetypes and laying them in a science fiction universe, doing it well with a good plot, in depth characters and plenty of action. Again, great book.
Here our hero is finally poised to tie things up in the war..if he can balance between holding on to command and preventing his crews from a military coup to put him in power. But don't think that things are going to get simple in Black Jack's ("I'm not Black Jack") life...oh know. We still have a totally unknown group of aliens on the other side of Syndicate Space...a group of aliens who want to spread into Human space.
I will try the next series that follows this one. I've been told it's not as good, but now I have to at least try it.
I can endorse this series...I'm even thinking of going back for a reread already. Again, highly recommended.
Still one of the better military/semi-space opera reads I've come across. Dealing with two long standing historical legend/archetypes and laying them in a science fiction universe, doing it well with a good plot, in depth characters and plenty of action. Again, great book.
Here our hero is finally poised to tie things up in the war..if he can balance between holding on to command and preventing his crews from a military coup to put him in power. But don't think that things are going to get simple in Black Jack's ("I'm not Black Jack") life...oh know. We still have a totally unknown group of aliens on the other side of Syndicate Space...a group of aliens who want to spread into Human space.
I will try the next series that follows this one. I've been told it's not as good, but now I have to at least try it.
I can endorse this series...I'm even thinking of going back for a reread already. Again, highly recommended.
February 18, 2022
3.5⭐
*Updated 18/02/22 Adds Review; Adjusts Rating *
This is the final book in the original Lost Fleet series and the last one in my 2022 re-read. I'll save the subsequent series for whenever I next feel the need for some cozy space battles :)
《Minor Spoiler Alert》Our hero, Black Jack Geary, gives a sound thrashing to the evil 😈 aliens 👽 who've been messing around with the human race and still manages to win the affections of his blood thirsty true love. Campbell's attempt at romantic dialog is painfully funny but fortunately there's usually a space battle just a few pages away. Decent escapist fare. -30-
*Updated 18/02/22 Adds Review; Adjusts Rating *
This is the final book in the original Lost Fleet series and the last one in my 2022 re-read. I'll save the subsequent series for whenever I next feel the need for some cozy space battles :)
《Minor Spoiler Alert》Our hero, Black Jack Geary, gives a sound thrashing to the evil 😈 aliens 👽 who've been messing around with the human race and still manages to win the affections of his blood thirsty true love. Campbell's attempt at romantic dialog is painfully funny but fortunately there's usually a space battle just a few pages away. Decent escapist fare. -30-
December 2, 2022
Number Six of the Lost Fleet series.
Geary has been elevated to Fleet Admiral by the Alliance Grand Council but he's not too thrilled with the promotion. Under his leadership, the fleet heads out to take the war back to the Syndics' home system. In the meantime, the elusive aliens are still up to their old dirty tricks. In the book they're labeled the "enigma race" and that's supremely fitting.
This review will be short and sweet tonight because it's been a long day. This was just as well-written as the previous five books. The characters are still varied, from the heroic honorable sort on down to the weasels. The story is still just as absorbing, and the stakes have increased dangerously with each book. Incidentally, I loved the ending.
This is a really long series, and so far I am still in for the long haul!
Geary has been elevated to Fleet Admiral by the Alliance Grand Council but he's not too thrilled with the promotion. Under his leadership, the fleet heads out to take the war back to the Syndics' home system. In the meantime, the elusive aliens are still up to their old dirty tricks. In the book they're labeled the "enigma race" and that's supremely fitting.
This review will be short and sweet tonight because it's been a long day. This was just as well-written as the previous five books. The characters are still varied, from the heroic honorable sort on down to the weasels. The story is still just as absorbing, and the stakes have increased dangerously with each book. Incidentally, I loved the ending.
This is a really long series, and so far I am still in for the long haul!
September 6, 2014
The story of Admiral Geary the Lost Fleet comes to a close. Wracked by massive losses in the war, and with their economy pushed to the brink, the Syndicate worlds collapse into chaos. Star system after star system is engulfed in Civil War. Into this fray, the newly promoted Fleet Admiral Geary leads the Alliance forces to the Syndicate home system for the final battle to end this hundred year war.
The remnants of the Syndicate fleet are waiting for Geary. They are led by the same ruthless, cunning CEO who out-foxed the Alliance at the beginning of the series. And, to make matters worse, the Executive Council has a nasty trap waiting for Geary. This being one of the Lost Fleet books, you can probably already guess what happens next. Geary and his crew out-think and out-fight the Syndics and win the day - despite the devilish, last minute intervention on the part of the mysterious alien race.
Now, with victory at hand, the aliens - the Enigma race - finally come out into the open. They use the weakness of the Syndicates to try to seize a chunk of Syndicate space, thereby relocating (or worse) billions of humans. Geary and his ships, of course, race to the rescue and end the book in an epic confrontation with the Enigma race. Once again, he manages to out-think and out-fight these mysterious aliens who have been working to undermine humanity for hundreds of years. (What are the odds?)
I'm worried that these books are growing a bit stale for me. The combat and politics are great. I like big space battles and political maneuvering - plots and counter-plots. Unfortunately, the character development in the series is just ... well ... stale. After six or seven books I want more development out of my characters. I want to care about them. And I just don't. They are devices to move the plot along rather than living, breathing characters. The best representation of this is Geary himself. He is the driver of the story - the great hero. But he just doesn't feel real to me - especially in the Space Opera relationship with his Captain.
On that note, some people have said that Geary is modeled after Washington - the great hero of the American Revolution. Washington was a man who, if the stories are true, always did the right thing. It is true that he resisted efforts to make him a King of Dictator. That's kind of like Geary. That being said, I think the true model for Geary is not Washington, but Washington's own idol, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the great roman Consul and Dictator, who, when the crisis had passed, left Rome and returned to his farms in the provinces. That's what Geary does in this book. He lays down his Rank and tries to walk away.
All of the above aside, I am still pushing on in the series. The main story arc of the conflict between humanity and the aliens is a good one. I like the space combat, and I am curious to see where it all goes.
Three broadsides of hell-lances out of five.
The remnants of the Syndicate fleet are waiting for Geary. They are led by the same ruthless, cunning CEO who out-foxed the Alliance at the beginning of the series. And, to make matters worse, the Executive Council has a nasty trap waiting for Geary. This being one of the Lost Fleet books, you can probably already guess what happens next. Geary and his crew out-think and out-fight the Syndics and win the day - despite the devilish, last minute intervention on the part of the mysterious alien race.
Now, with victory at hand, the aliens - the Enigma race - finally come out into the open. They use the weakness of the Syndicates to try to seize a chunk of Syndicate space, thereby relocating (or worse) billions of humans. Geary and his ships, of course, race to the rescue and end the book in an epic confrontation with the Enigma race. Once again, he manages to out-think and out-fight these mysterious aliens who have been working to undermine humanity for hundreds of years. (What are the odds?)
I'm worried that these books are growing a bit stale for me. The combat and politics are great. I like big space battles and political maneuvering - plots and counter-plots. Unfortunately, the character development in the series is just ... well ... stale. After six or seven books I want more development out of my characters. I want to care about them. And I just don't. They are devices to move the plot along rather than living, breathing characters. The best representation of this is Geary himself. He is the driver of the story - the great hero. But he just doesn't feel real to me - especially in the Space Opera relationship with his Captain.
On that note, some people have said that Geary is modeled after Washington - the great hero of the American Revolution. Washington was a man who, if the stories are true, always did the right thing. It is true that he resisted efforts to make him a King of Dictator. That's kind of like Geary. That being said, I think the true model for Geary is not Washington, but Washington's own idol, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the great roman Consul and Dictator, who, when the crisis had passed, left Rome and returned to his farms in the provinces. That's what Geary does in this book. He lays down his Rank and tries to walk away.
All of the above aside, I am still pushing on in the series. The main story arc of the conflict between humanity and the aliens is a good one. I like the space combat, and I am curious to see where it all goes.
Three broadsides of hell-lances out of five.
October 13, 2018
The final book in the Lost Fleet series, or at least the last book in the story arc. If you have read any of these then you can partially guess how it ends up. There is still one huge unanswered question and the later parts of this book does start to explore that. I'm guessing that later books from Jack Campbell carry on this story and I look forward to reading them at a later date.
My four star rating reflects my overall enjoyment of the 6 books in the series. Reading them quickly one after the other I found that there was a bit of a dip in interest towards the end. Mainly due to some repetition and shortage of new ideas I think. Also, the ending felt a bit rushed. But the concepts of space combat being effected by relativistic effects was outstanding throughout. If you are into Space Opera with thrilling space battles then this is the series for you.
My four star rating reflects my overall enjoyment of the 6 books in the series. Reading them quickly one after the other I found that there was a bit of a dip in interest towards the end. Mainly due to some repetition and shortage of new ideas I think. Also, the ending felt a bit rushed. But the concepts of space combat being effected by relativistic effects was outstanding throughout. If you are into Space Opera with thrilling space battles then this is the series for you.
July 20, 2019
A good but not terribly great ending to the story. 3 Stars.
August 3, 2018
The finale of THE LOST FLEET SAGA is one which ends the major story arc of time-lost Captain John "Black Geary" and his quest to bring the Alliance fleet home after a disastrous mission traps it light years from home behind enemy lines. The fleet successfully brought itself home in the climax of the previous book and this story deals with the follow up as well as questions of what to do next. Also, whether John Geary is now too dangerous to be allowed to live for the civilian government.
I'm not usually a fan of "military versus civilian" stories but a theme of the books is how that sort of relationship is toxic. Geary wants nothing more than the civilian government to trust the military and vice versa but because he's such a legendary hero (made more so by recent actions), people believe he's potentially another Julius Caesar. The problem is, if they did arrest or kill him, it would lead to the very outcome they are afraid of. Also, you know, being horribly unjust and a terrible way to reward a victorious general.
I like this conflict as a nice change of pace for the usual naval battles of the series as it's something Geary is not very good at. Political maneuvering is not his forte. We do get plenty of naval combat, though, as they finally set upon defeating the Syndics once and for all as well as dealing with the mysterious "Enigma" race. We also get a answer to how they're going to deal with the hypergates that threaten to end the human race if they're turned into weapons.
In conclusion, this was a great series and this is a great finale. It leaves more space open for writing about the universe but resolves all major plot points. It's also something that ends on a satisfying and romantic note.
10/10
I'm not usually a fan of "military versus civilian" stories but a theme of the books is how that sort of relationship is toxic. Geary wants nothing more than the civilian government to trust the military and vice versa but because he's such a legendary hero (made more so by recent actions), people believe he's potentially another Julius Caesar. The problem is, if they did arrest or kill him, it would lead to the very outcome they are afraid of. Also, you know, being horribly unjust and a terrible way to reward a victorious general.
I like this conflict as a nice change of pace for the usual naval battles of the series as it's something Geary is not very good at. Political maneuvering is not his forte. We do get plenty of naval combat, though, as they finally set upon defeating the Syndics once and for all as well as dealing with the mysterious "Enigma" race. We also get a answer to how they're going to deal with the hypergates that threaten to end the human race if they're turned into weapons.
In conclusion, this was a great series and this is a great finale. It leaves more space open for writing about the universe but resolves all major plot points. It's also something that ends on a satisfying and romantic note.
10/10
October 20, 2011
At last – it’s come to this. The final instalment in the Lost Fleet series, except I see there is a new sequence that’s just kicked off with Dreadnaught. Not quite sure what that is about even though I can garner a good guess, but for now, this is where the metal meets the meat.
For a final book in a military Sci-Fi series, Victorious is perhaps a bit subdued, at first glance. There are none of the huge space battles, which pretty much defined the series up to this point, for the full first half of the book (and a bit). Yet, the pacing is still pretty good and it never gets boring. There is a lot of tactical and strategic maneuvering leading up to the expected, and inevitable, engagement with the Syndics, but when it comes it’s all over so fast that it’s almost a bit of an anti-climax. Um, if you think the Alliance and Syndic fleets meeting in battle is a spoiler, then you haven’t been paying attention in class. Of course, and fortunately, things don’t end there. There is the little matter of the Enigma aliens that has to be dealt with.
I’ve been itching to know what the aliens' story is since they were first alluded to in the earlier Lost Fleet books, but the author seemed very reticent about the issue, skating around the subject book after book until, well, now. This part of the novel is arguably the more suspenseful and more enjoyable part of Victorious.
All told, there is no new ground broken here and no real surprises. This is the sixth and final instalment in a series that has been pretty consistent in both presentation and content. Again, the novel reads really fast, and if you’ve already read books one through five, you’d be silly not to read this. As for the series as a whole: was it worth it? It sure was.
For a final book in a military Sci-Fi series, Victorious is perhaps a bit subdued, at first glance. There are none of the huge space battles, which pretty much defined the series up to this point, for the full first half of the book (and a bit). Yet, the pacing is still pretty good and it never gets boring. There is a lot of tactical and strategic maneuvering leading up to the expected, and inevitable, engagement with the Syndics, but when it comes it’s all over so fast that it’s almost a bit of an anti-climax. Um, if you think the Alliance and Syndic fleets meeting in battle is a spoiler, then you haven’t been paying attention in class. Of course, and fortunately, things don’t end there. There is the little matter of the Enigma aliens that has to be dealt with.
I’ve been itching to know what the aliens' story is since they were first alluded to in the earlier Lost Fleet books, but the author seemed very reticent about the issue, skating around the subject book after book until, well, now. This part of the novel is arguably the more suspenseful and more enjoyable part of Victorious.
All told, there is no new ground broken here and no real surprises. This is the sixth and final instalment in a series that has been pretty consistent in both presentation and content. Again, the novel reads really fast, and if you’ve already read books one through five, you’d be silly not to read this. As for the series as a whole: was it worth it? It sure was.
April 28, 2025
What a boring book! That final battle with the Syndics was like seeing grass grow - mostly because they had to just wait, wait, wait. If it hadn't been for Geary almost getting arrested - yup, that's the thanks he got after saving the Fleet! - and the showdown with the aliens, Victorious would have been nothing to write about.
I really like how Mr. Campbell brings politics into the action. I'm so naïve that it would have never occurred to me that Geary was in so much danger after all he did! I know Rione kept harping on that in the first few books but how the politicians treated Geary was still shocking to me. Once I knew the original fleet commander (Admiral Block) planned to install himself as a dictator, it made sense but again, still shocking! Geary saved all of their asses and the first thing the authorities do upon his arriving home was try to arrest him?
Desjani as usual drives me nuts with her nonsense. For all her ideas of being a professional, she's now treating Geary as if he was her partner. How is it professional expecting preferential treatment? And Geary apologizing for sleeping with Rione!! It drove me nuts, nobody has the right to judge any past relationships you had, no matter the reasons. The fact that Geary doesn't shut down Dejani's jealous sniping drives me crazier.
Anyhow, I still love Geary and the world. Totally looking forward to the companion series!
I really like how Mr. Campbell brings politics into the action. I'm so naïve that it would have never occurred to me that Geary was in so much danger after all he did! I know Rione kept harping on that in the first few books but how the politicians treated Geary was still shocking to me. Once I knew the original fleet commander (Admiral Block) planned to install himself as a dictator, it made sense but again, still shocking! Geary saved all of their asses and the first thing the authorities do upon his arriving home was try to arrest him?
Desjani as usual drives me nuts with her nonsense. For all her ideas of being a professional, she's now treating Geary as if he was her partner. How is it professional expecting preferential treatment? And Geary apologizing for sleeping with Rione!! It drove me nuts, nobody has the right to judge any past relationships you had, no matter the reasons. The fact that Geary doesn't shut down Dejani's jealous sniping drives me crazier.
Anyhow, I still love Geary and the world. Totally looking forward to the companion series!
November 11, 2013
The 6 books in this series (the lost fleet) could probably be compressed into two or three books. Each paperback is about 300 pages long, but it feels that much less is happening in each book than the number of pages would suggest.
The strategic parts and the description of battles near light speed are really thought provoking, fun, and easily the best part of the series.
On the other hand, the characters (with a few exceptions) are poor, and the romantic subplots are even worse. The author's idea of relationship seems to be two people shouting "you will never understand me!" at each other, and that is not fun to read at all.
It would also be nice to have an empathetic enemy in the series. All the antagonists are either single-mindedly evil, facelessly doing their job, or secretly wishing they could side with the protagonist.
I enjoyed books 1, 5 and 6 the most, since they depart from the "win battle-fight with romantic interest-win battle-fight with romantic interest" pattern of the other books.
The strategic parts and the description of battles near light speed are really thought provoking, fun, and easily the best part of the series.
On the other hand, the characters (with a few exceptions) are poor, and the romantic subplots are even worse. The author's idea of relationship seems to be two people shouting "you will never understand me!" at each other, and that is not fun to read at all.
It would also be nice to have an empathetic enemy in the series. All the antagonists are either single-mindedly evil, facelessly doing their job, or secretly wishing they could side with the protagonist.
I enjoyed books 1, 5 and 6 the most, since they depart from the "win battle-fight with romantic interest-win battle-fight with romantic interest" pattern of the other books.
August 30, 2024
I thought the entire series was a light, fun, fast read. I enjoyed the hurry up and wait of the space battles.
I hated, hated, hated the love triangle and romance aspects. Dude, that is not your genre - either colab or stay far, far away.
I hated, hated, hated the love triangle and romance aspects. Dude, that is not your genre - either colab or stay far, far away.
July 27, 2019
Pues es un poco absurdo hacer una review de un libro que tendría que ser exactamente la misma que la de los cinco anteriores, porque Victorioso (al contrario de lo que me esperaba) es absolutamente fiel al canon fijado por Campbell y del que no se ha desviado un milímetro en media docena de volúmenes.
Así que aprovecharé este espacio para hacer una valoración de toda la saga. Es ingenua, está escrita con una evidente sencillez, en ocasiones es repetitiva hasta la extenuación, pero a pesar de ello (o tal vez por ello) es muy entretenida, muy fácil de leer y en conjunto resulta bastante recomendable. No va a quedar marcada entre tus lecturas preferidas, pero tampoco te va a costar leer un libro tras otro.
Podríamos intentar profundizar en sus planteamientos políticos, que reflejan el mismo tipo de simpleza que ha hecho presidente a Trump ("los políticos son todos malos, los militares todos buenos, la democracia está bien pero tampoco es para tanto", etc, etc) o en esa construcción de personajes casi caricaturesco, con unos "buenos" tan buenos que dan hasta risa y unos "malos" tan malos que dan aún más risa. Pero no merece la pena ni creo que fuese justo hacerle esto a una saga pensada para entretener sin más. Lo mejor es sentarse en el sillón del director de la flota y preparar, con horas de antelación, unos combates que duran fracciones de segundo, pero que Campbell describe con una precisión y una belleza insuperables. Porque La Flota Perdida no va a ganar muchos premios literarios, pero pocas veces la misma batalla contada una docena de veces resultará tan entretenida.
Así que aprovecharé este espacio para hacer una valoración de toda la saga. Es ingenua, está escrita con una evidente sencillez, en ocasiones es repetitiva hasta la extenuación, pero a pesar de ello (o tal vez por ello) es muy entretenida, muy fácil de leer y en conjunto resulta bastante recomendable. No va a quedar marcada entre tus lecturas preferidas, pero tampoco te va a costar leer un libro tras otro.
Podríamos intentar profundizar en sus planteamientos políticos, que reflejan el mismo tipo de simpleza que ha hecho presidente a Trump ("los políticos son todos malos, los militares todos buenos, la democracia está bien pero tampoco es para tanto", etc, etc) o en esa construcción de personajes casi caricaturesco, con unos "buenos" tan buenos que dan hasta risa y unos "malos" tan malos que dan aún más risa. Pero no merece la pena ni creo que fuese justo hacerle esto a una saga pensada para entretener sin más. Lo mejor es sentarse en el sillón del director de la flota y preparar, con horas de antelación, unos combates que duran fracciones de segundo, pero que Campbell describe con una precisión y una belleza insuperables. Porque La Flota Perdida no va a ganar muchos premios literarios, pero pocas veces la misma batalla contada una docena de veces resultará tan entretenida.
September 7, 2018
This is the final book in this part of the Lost Fleet saga and finds John Geary and the fleet returned triumphant to Alliance space. There is has to convince the General Congress of the Alliance federation of his action. Then there is the possibility that he might be about to start a military coup. The story moves on to his overcoming the politicians and moving back into space in order to try to bring the 100 years war with the Syndicate Worlds to an end. Then there is the threat posed by the suspected alien force beyond the Syndicate Empire. Lots of politics and how might the conquered worlds treat John Geary and his fleet. On the side there is his relationship with Captain Tanya Desjani and his great niece Jane Geary, the daughter of his brother's son, how confusing is that, and herself a ships Captain.
The stories have become a little repetitive at least in the fleet manoeuvring and battle sequences but the politics and personal relationships continue to fascinate with not a dry eye at the end. There is another series. Lost Fleet:Beyond the Frontier but not certain that I will fly with that one.
Have only marked as a three but possibly 3.5 for the ending alone.
The stories have become a little repetitive at least in the fleet manoeuvring and battle sequences but the politics and personal relationships continue to fascinate with not a dry eye at the end. There is another series. Lost Fleet:Beyond the Frontier but not certain that I will fly with that one.
Have only marked as a three but possibly 3.5 for the ending alone.
September 14, 2018
Victorious falls short of expectations, despite providing an adequate resolution to the primary conflict of the Lost Fleet series.
Instead of allowing his audience and his characters to enjoy a satisfactory conclusion to the overall plot established in the preceding five books, author John Hemry (a.k.a., "Jack Campbell") chooses to diminish the potential enjoyment value of this novel by using it as a vehicle to introduce his next series of books (Beyond The Frontier). Additionally, the tedious and forced romance subplot receives far too much attention here.
Nonetheless, the writing in this installment of the series is at parity with that of the previous entries, and most of the outstanding narrative questions are addressed. For those reasons, this review rates Victorious at four out of five stars.
The Lost Fleet series ultimately satisfied this reviewer's desire to read well-written military science fiction involving interstellar conflict and fleets of spacefaring warships; as a result, Hemry's other works are likely to be referenced when scratching similar itches in the future.
Instead of allowing his audience and his characters to enjoy a satisfactory conclusion to the overall plot established in the preceding five books, author John Hemry (a.k.a., "Jack Campbell") chooses to diminish the potential enjoyment value of this novel by using it as a vehicle to introduce his next series of books (Beyond The Frontier). Additionally, the tedious and forced romance subplot receives far too much attention here.
Nonetheless, the writing in this installment of the series is at parity with that of the previous entries, and most of the outstanding narrative questions are addressed. For those reasons, this review rates Victorious at four out of five stars.
The Lost Fleet series ultimately satisfied this reviewer's desire to read well-written military science fiction involving interstellar conflict and fleets of spacefaring warships; as a result, Hemry's other works are likely to be referenced when scratching similar itches in the future.
April 14, 2022
Solid ending to the series. Excited to begin my re-read kf the sequel series Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier. I can’t remember how far I got into it last time, but I enjoy the weird alien races in it.
July 6, 2015
What a joy these books were to read. All out action, I've started the next series but will take it slow cause I need a break from full on scifi.
November 23, 2016
Good read! This story is the last of the Lost Fleet, enemy vanquished and fleet returns home!
May 1, 2013
Victorious
The Lost Fleet Book 6
By Jack Campbell
A Review by Eric Allen
I promised a real review on the final book of The Lost Fleet, no matter how much repeating of points made in my review of the first book I may have to do, and here it is.
After months of fighting their way through Syndic space, the Alliance Fleet under the command of Captain Geary has at last reached home. His fleet is all but out of fuel, has sustained massive damage, and taken heavy losses. But in doing so, they have crippled the Syndic forces all but removed any ability that they have to continue the war.
After being promoted to Admiral, Geary suggests a last strike on the Syndic homeworld. He will take out the remnants of the Syndic forces and force the Syndic leaders to sign a peace treaty, at gunpoint if need be. However, the Syndics may not be the only hostile force out there.
The Good? Again, the space battles in this series are spectacular. They're well laid out, and they keep to the rules that the author set out to begin with. He really understands the movements of fleets in formation, and has translated his real world experience as a Navy ship pilot into some very complicated and exciting space battles that really put almost every other sci-fi book I've ever read to shame in that regard.
The author has a very subdued and dry sense of humor that I found to be extremely entertaining. I've worked jobs where I was the boss. I understand and sympathize with Geary and all of the crap that he has to put up with as the fleet commander. There's a lot of subtle humor that someone who has not been the boss before might not pick up on. You can tell he's been a military commander in the way he quietly mocks the situation of being in charge of a bunch of idiots that don't want to be led. I thought it was hilarious. It was almost felt as though the author was including these jokes just for me and anyone else who has suffered through similar situations.
The Bad? This book is really kind of anti-climactic after the previous book. In THAT book, the fleet fights its way back to Alliance space with a spectacular battle racing desperately to stop the Syndics from setting off a weapon that could destroy an entire solar system in Alliance territory, with weapons almost completely depleted and ships running out of fuel and falling out of the fight left and right. And then, in this one... political negotiations YAY!!! The previous book raised the bar, and this one didn't quite make it over that bar, and it suffers from the comparison.
In the beginning, Geary was really the only real character in this series. He pretty much carries the entire series on his shoulders because there's really not much else to help take the burden from him. The rather small supporting cast would have had to take about fifteen steps up to even be considered cardboard cutouts. There were two types of characters. Characters that supported Geary because ... and characters that opposed him because ... We never really got to know any of them as people to know WHY they supported or opposed him. It's this series' biggest missed opportunity. We never got to feel any of the emotion behind their actions. They weren't people. They were plot devices that did what they did and said what they said for no other reason than that there needed to be some sort of internal conflict within the fleet for Geary to deal with. It didn't feel natural because none of the characters had any visible motivations except that the plot required someone to bring some opposition to the table, whether it makes sense or not that they do.
While a very few characters did develop into something more than shadows of people, they still weren't really well defined, and their motivations were never really made clear. The author still has a very big problem with writing about people. People are the most important part of a story. You can have the most exciting space battle ever, but it's not going to be as good as it could be if you don't see the PEOPLE fighting it. Ships get destroyed and Geary beats himself up about it because of all the lives lost. And I don't feel it. I don't sympathize or empathize. Why? Because the people who died were not people. They were numbers. There's a huge difference between, "two thousand people died on that ship" and, "Oh my god! That guy John I talked to and had that one thing in common with just died on that ship!!!" Numbers are numbers. PEOPLE are people. Numbers will NEVER have the same emotional impact on a reader as people do. Numbers are meaningless, no matter how many nameless, faceless people that they represent.
Again, the descriptive elements in this book are highly lacking. After six books I still can't tell you what any of the characters look like. I don't think the author has ever described a single one of them to us. The ships themselves, the ship interiors, the people, places and things, none of them are really described to us. The only place where the book does not lack in detail is in the movements of the fleet during combat. Describing a person, or a place, a room, a chair, the way someone brushes hair from her face when she's annoyed, and a thousand other little things like that are the fabric upon which the picture of the story is painted. If you leave gaps in that fabric, the story, inherrantly, has gaps in it too. They're the little things that make the story real to us, that help us connect with the fantastical within our imaginations. A skilled writer can paint a picture so vivid that you can see it perfectly in your head as it unfolds before you. When the writer fails to do so, the book feels vague and less interesting. The world doesn't jump out at you, and you don't really get a good feel for anything.
In conclusion, I found this series to be rather entertaining. The space battles really are something to see, and the author brings a lot of subtle humor to the story. Unfortunately, a lot of the supporting characters are vague, undescribed, and their motives are never really made clear to us. However, despite its flaws, this series has stayed with a consistent three stars all across the board. It could be better, but it was good enough that I found a great deal of entertainment in it. I'd recomend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction, in particular, military science fiction that centers around very realistic space battles. The books are not overly long, they're easy to read through, and the good usually outweighs the bad with them. Check out the first book to see if it's something you want to read more of.
Check out my other reviews.
The Lost Fleet Book 6
By Jack Campbell
A Review by Eric Allen
I promised a real review on the final book of The Lost Fleet, no matter how much repeating of points made in my review of the first book I may have to do, and here it is.
After months of fighting their way through Syndic space, the Alliance Fleet under the command of Captain Geary has at last reached home. His fleet is all but out of fuel, has sustained massive damage, and taken heavy losses. But in doing so, they have crippled the Syndic forces all but removed any ability that they have to continue the war.
After being promoted to Admiral, Geary suggests a last strike on the Syndic homeworld. He will take out the remnants of the Syndic forces and force the Syndic leaders to sign a peace treaty, at gunpoint if need be. However, the Syndics may not be the only hostile force out there.
The Good? Again, the space battles in this series are spectacular. They're well laid out, and they keep to the rules that the author set out to begin with. He really understands the movements of fleets in formation, and has translated his real world experience as a Navy ship pilot into some very complicated and exciting space battles that really put almost every other sci-fi book I've ever read to shame in that regard.
The author has a very subdued and dry sense of humor that I found to be extremely entertaining. I've worked jobs where I was the boss. I understand and sympathize with Geary and all of the crap that he has to put up with as the fleet commander. There's a lot of subtle humor that someone who has not been the boss before might not pick up on. You can tell he's been a military commander in the way he quietly mocks the situation of being in charge of a bunch of idiots that don't want to be led. I thought it was hilarious. It was almost felt as though the author was including these jokes just for me and anyone else who has suffered through similar situations.
The Bad? This book is really kind of anti-climactic after the previous book. In THAT book, the fleet fights its way back to Alliance space with a spectacular battle racing desperately to stop the Syndics from setting off a weapon that could destroy an entire solar system in Alliance territory, with weapons almost completely depleted and ships running out of fuel and falling out of the fight left and right. And then, in this one... political negotiations YAY!!! The previous book raised the bar, and this one didn't quite make it over that bar, and it suffers from the comparison.
In the beginning, Geary was really the only real character in this series. He pretty much carries the entire series on his shoulders because there's really not much else to help take the burden from him. The rather small supporting cast would have had to take about fifteen steps up to even be considered cardboard cutouts. There were two types of characters. Characters that supported Geary because ... and characters that opposed him because ... We never really got to know any of them as people to know WHY they supported or opposed him. It's this series' biggest missed opportunity. We never got to feel any of the emotion behind their actions. They weren't people. They were plot devices that did what they did and said what they said for no other reason than that there needed to be some sort of internal conflict within the fleet for Geary to deal with. It didn't feel natural because none of the characters had any visible motivations except that the plot required someone to bring some opposition to the table, whether it makes sense or not that they do.
While a very few characters did develop into something more than shadows of people, they still weren't really well defined, and their motivations were never really made clear. The author still has a very big problem with writing about people. People are the most important part of a story. You can have the most exciting space battle ever, but it's not going to be as good as it could be if you don't see the PEOPLE fighting it. Ships get destroyed and Geary beats himself up about it because of all the lives lost. And I don't feel it. I don't sympathize or empathize. Why? Because the people who died were not people. They were numbers. There's a huge difference between, "two thousand people died on that ship" and, "Oh my god! That guy John I talked to and had that one thing in common with just died on that ship!!!" Numbers are numbers. PEOPLE are people. Numbers will NEVER have the same emotional impact on a reader as people do. Numbers are meaningless, no matter how many nameless, faceless people that they represent.
Again, the descriptive elements in this book are highly lacking. After six books I still can't tell you what any of the characters look like. I don't think the author has ever described a single one of them to us. The ships themselves, the ship interiors, the people, places and things, none of them are really described to us. The only place where the book does not lack in detail is in the movements of the fleet during combat. Describing a person, or a place, a room, a chair, the way someone brushes hair from her face when she's annoyed, and a thousand other little things like that are the fabric upon which the picture of the story is painted. If you leave gaps in that fabric, the story, inherrantly, has gaps in it too. They're the little things that make the story real to us, that help us connect with the fantastical within our imaginations. A skilled writer can paint a picture so vivid that you can see it perfectly in your head as it unfolds before you. When the writer fails to do so, the book feels vague and less interesting. The world doesn't jump out at you, and you don't really get a good feel for anything.
In conclusion, I found this series to be rather entertaining. The space battles really are something to see, and the author brings a lot of subtle humor to the story. Unfortunately, a lot of the supporting characters are vague, undescribed, and their motives are never really made clear to us. However, despite its flaws, this series has stayed with a consistent three stars all across the board. It could be better, but it was good enough that I found a great deal of entertainment in it. I'd recomend it to anyone who enjoys science fiction, in particular, military science fiction that centers around very realistic space battles. The books are not overly long, they're easy to read through, and the good usually outweighs the bad with them. Check out the first book to see if it's something you want to read more of.
Check out my other reviews.
January 10, 2024
The final book! I’ll try to refrain from reviewing the whole series and say it was a satisfactory if— predictable— end and still left room for more series I know he has already written. Would recommend:
December 1, 2012
Ce sixième tome clôture réellement (par opposition aux fausses fins de ... par exemple ... la pénible sage d'Honor Harrington) les aventures de Jack Geary, capitaine (et ensuite amiral) de la flotte, qui a botté les fesses des syndics à peu près partout où il passait, pour finir par les forcer à la paix dans leur système spatial central. Evidement, la bataille sera monumentale, mais elle ne sera rien à côté de deux phénomèmes si typiques de ce genre de SF : l'attaque des méchants extra-terrestres, et l'Amour qui toujours triomphe des obstacles. L'Amour prenant cette fois-ci la tête du capitaine Desjani, capitaine de pavillon de notre amiral dont il s'est amouraché bien des tomes plus tôt.
Je ne critique pas vraiment cette tentative d'humaniser Geary, parce que c'est une bonne idée. Au lieu d'avoir un soldat dévoué corps et âme à la Victoire de Sa Patrie, on a ici un homme, un vrai, qui passe pas mal de temps tiraillé entre son envie d'en finir avec cette guerre et le nécessaire carnage que ça va entraîner. Il y passe pas mal de temps, mais il ne s'appitoie néanmoins aps sur son rôle de chef contraint à des décisions iniques : il a choisi d'être commandant (bon, pas vraiment d'être amiral) mais, si'il est surpris par la facilité avec laquelle ses collègues non congelés se remettent de l'horreur des combats, il ne semble pas non plus souffrir du syndrôme du survivant (qui est à mon avis une invention de notre époque, plus qu'une réalité intemporelle du soldat - oui, je dis ça de mon bureau). N'emêche, il préfère vivre sa vie (même si elle le conduit dans lun futur nécessairement différent et inconnu) plutôt que de se lamenter ad nauseam sur toutes les souffrances du passé. Et j'aime ça.
J'aime aussi toujours autant la façon dont il utilise son cerveau pour mettre au point des tactiques aussi surprenantes qu'efficaces tout en déjouant les pièges de ses adversaires, des pièges cette fois-ci assez subtils, d'ailleurs. Entre les syndics qui préfèrent se débarasser de leur flotte plutôt que de le laisser survivre, et les extra-terrestres qui se montrent toujours aussi vicieux, clairement, il y a de quoi faire en termes de malignité.
Bon, il y a cependant dans ces histoires des aspects un peu gênants, qui à mon avis sont inhérents à la SF militariste. Tiens, l'exemple le plus frappant tient précisément à la guerre. Pour arriver à ses fins, Geary n'hésite pas vraiment à balancer des projectiles cinétiques sur toute installation qu'il estime dangereuse. Au niveau des dommages collatéraux, ça se pose assez vite là : quand tu bosse dans une station d'extraction d'Helium au bord d'une géante gazeuse, et que tu dois évacuer en urgence, pas sûr que tu aie assez d'air pour attendre les secours (surtout quand ils ont décidé que tu étais un civil sacrifiable). En revanche, quand tu dézingues unv aisseau de guerre ennemi, bien sûr, tu vas aller secourir ces braves soldats ennemis ... les civils par contre, non. Pire encore, le jour où tu montes une opération d'exfiltration d'un camp de prisonniers de guerre, te pose pas trop de question avec les civils qui traînent autour (et qui sont d'ailleurs en pleine guerre civile).
Tant qu'on parle des civils, on peut aussi parler des politiciens, desquels l'auteur semble dans cette série de roman n'avoir vraiment pas une bonne image. Et encore, je litote un peu. Parce qu'aucun des politiciens évoqués dans cette oeuvre n'apparaît autrement que comme un manipulateur amoral. Je crois même qu'aucun n'essaye de changer cette image. J'espère que c'est parce que l'auteur essaye de nous présenter les relations entre l'armée comme bras armé du peuple et son donneur d'ordre (qui forcément ne comprend pas les nécessités de l'action). Mais quand même, ça fait mal.
Cela dit, il ne s'agit que de défauts mineurs face à une action qui, même si elle s'émousse vers la fin de ce tome, n'a jamais dérogé à l'objectif clair de l'auteur : une énorme bataille par roman, et quelques escarmouches moyennes en bonus.
Du coup, forcément, l'intérêt de la série est somme toute moyen : si vous voulez voir de la ferraille voler dans l'espace (et éventuellement se mettre sur la tronche), c'est parfait, sinon passez votre chemin.
Je ne critique pas vraiment cette tentative d'humaniser Geary, parce que c'est une bonne idée. Au lieu d'avoir un soldat dévoué corps et âme à la Victoire de Sa Patrie, on a ici un homme, un vrai, qui passe pas mal de temps tiraillé entre son envie d'en finir avec cette guerre et le nécessaire carnage que ça va entraîner. Il y passe pas mal de temps, mais il ne s'appitoie néanmoins aps sur son rôle de chef contraint à des décisions iniques : il a choisi d'être commandant (bon, pas vraiment d'être amiral) mais, si'il est surpris par la facilité avec laquelle ses collègues non congelés se remettent de l'horreur des combats, il ne semble pas non plus souffrir du syndrôme du survivant (qui est à mon avis une invention de notre époque, plus qu'une réalité intemporelle du soldat - oui, je dis ça de mon bureau). N'emêche, il préfère vivre sa vie (même si elle le conduit dans lun futur nécessairement différent et inconnu) plutôt que de se lamenter ad nauseam sur toutes les souffrances du passé. Et j'aime ça.
J'aime aussi toujours autant la façon dont il utilise son cerveau pour mettre au point des tactiques aussi surprenantes qu'efficaces tout en déjouant les pièges de ses adversaires, des pièges cette fois-ci assez subtils, d'ailleurs. Entre les syndics qui préfèrent se débarasser de leur flotte plutôt que de le laisser survivre, et les extra-terrestres qui se montrent toujours aussi vicieux, clairement, il y a de quoi faire en termes de malignité.
Bon, il y a cependant dans ces histoires des aspects un peu gênants, qui à mon avis sont inhérents à la SF militariste. Tiens, l'exemple le plus frappant tient précisément à la guerre. Pour arriver à ses fins, Geary n'hésite pas vraiment à balancer des projectiles cinétiques sur toute installation qu'il estime dangereuse. Au niveau des dommages collatéraux, ça se pose assez vite là : quand tu bosse dans une station d'extraction d'Helium au bord d'une géante gazeuse, et que tu dois évacuer en urgence, pas sûr que tu aie assez d'air pour attendre les secours (surtout quand ils ont décidé que tu étais un civil sacrifiable). En revanche, quand tu dézingues unv aisseau de guerre ennemi, bien sûr, tu vas aller secourir ces braves soldats ennemis ... les civils par contre, non. Pire encore, le jour où tu montes une opération d'exfiltration d'un camp de prisonniers de guerre, te pose pas trop de question avec les civils qui traînent autour (et qui sont d'ailleurs en pleine guerre civile).
Tant qu'on parle des civils, on peut aussi parler des politiciens, desquels l'auteur semble dans cette série de roman n'avoir vraiment pas une bonne image. Et encore, je litote un peu. Parce qu'aucun des politiciens évoqués dans cette oeuvre n'apparaît autrement que comme un manipulateur amoral. Je crois même qu'aucun n'essaye de changer cette image. J'espère que c'est parce que l'auteur essaye de nous présenter les relations entre l'armée comme bras armé du peuple et son donneur d'ordre (qui forcément ne comprend pas les nécessités de l'action). Mais quand même, ça fait mal.
Cela dit, il ne s'agit que de défauts mineurs face à une action qui, même si elle s'émousse vers la fin de ce tome, n'a jamais dérogé à l'objectif clair de l'auteur : une énorme bataille par roman, et quelques escarmouches moyennes en bonus.
Du coup, forcément, l'intérêt de la série est somme toute moyen : si vous voulez voir de la ferraille voler dans l'espace (et éventuellement se mettre sur la tronche), c'est parfait, sinon passez votre chemin.
June 19, 2013
Originally posted at FanLit:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Victorious is the sixth and last book in Jack Campbell’s original LOST FLEET series. (If you haven’t read the previous books, you’ll want to read them before reading this review.)
Captain Black Jack Geary and the Alliance fleet have finally arrived, battered and bruised, to their home in the Alliance system and Geary’s feet touch ground for the first time in 100 years. Not surprisingly, the Alliance senate is leery of Geary (ugh, that rhyme!) and suspect that he may be planning a coup. But all he wants to do is deliver the ominous news from space about the aliens who’ve been driving the Syndic-Alliance war all this time. Surely they have bad intentions toward the human races they’ve been manipulating.
So, after only a brief respite, Captain Geary, Tanya Desjani, Victoria Rione, and many of the other officers of the Alliance fleet, head back out in space to end the war with the Syndics and then to deal with an alien race that they know almost nothing about. This time many of their crew are newbies who are ill-prepared for war and who don’t understand the new ways that Geary has brought to the military. (Or, I should say, the old ways that Geary has brought back to the military.) Geary can’t completely trust them, but he can’t afford to offend them either. There’s a sensitive balance.
Well, from the title of the book, we all know how it’s going to end, but the journey is what we’re interested in. How can Geary end the war? What are the aliens like and what do they want? Can he stop them? Is Michael Geary still alive, and if so does his survival depend on what Black Jack does? What about Victoria Rione’s missing husband? Will Geary and Tanya end up together? Will Geary be able to have a relationship with his grandniece? Some of these questions will be answered in Victorious, some I suspect are answered in the spin-off series, and some we may never know…
I’ll wrap up my review of the LOST FLEET series by summing up my main impressions. This is an engaging story with a great protagonist, a few likeable secondary characters (though they are not as interesting or as well fleshed out as Black Jack Geary is), an exciting but often repetitive plot that occasionally strays into unbelievable territory when our characters are able to anticipate the enemies’ plans, and a touch of appealing humor. It would have benefitted by having is length reduced by about a third. I slightly resent that I had to shell out money for six books when I feel like it should have been only four books long, but based on reviews at Amazon and Goodreads, most readers were happy to do so.
I read the audio version of THE LOST FLEET which was produced by Brilliance Audio and wonderfully narrated by Christian Rummel. One thing I have neglected to mention in my previous reviews are Jack Campbell’s (John G. Hemry’s) delightful introductions to the book. These are short information-filled pieces in which he may answer a question from a reader which gives us insight into some aspect of his creation of the story. Often he compares his created world with his experience or knowledge of the modern American military. For example, in the introduction to Victorious, he mentions that readers have asked why his spaceships don’t have back-up power generators and then goes on to explain how and why they’re often not included in current designs for military equipment. I enjoyed these little nuggets of information. If you’re going to read THE LOST FLEET, I highly recommend the audio version.
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Victorious is the sixth and last book in Jack Campbell’s original LOST FLEET series. (If you haven’t read the previous books, you’ll want to read them before reading this review.)
Captain Black Jack Geary and the Alliance fleet have finally arrived, battered and bruised, to their home in the Alliance system and Geary’s feet touch ground for the first time in 100 years. Not surprisingly, the Alliance senate is leery of Geary (ugh, that rhyme!) and suspect that he may be planning a coup. But all he wants to do is deliver the ominous news from space about the aliens who’ve been driving the Syndic-Alliance war all this time. Surely they have bad intentions toward the human races they’ve been manipulating.
So, after only a brief respite, Captain Geary, Tanya Desjani, Victoria Rione, and many of the other officers of the Alliance fleet, head back out in space to end the war with the Syndics and then to deal with an alien race that they know almost nothing about. This time many of their crew are newbies who are ill-prepared for war and who don’t understand the new ways that Geary has brought to the military. (Or, I should say, the old ways that Geary has brought back to the military.) Geary can’t completely trust them, but he can’t afford to offend them either. There’s a sensitive balance.
Well, from the title of the book, we all know how it’s going to end, but the journey is what we’re interested in. How can Geary end the war? What are the aliens like and what do they want? Can he stop them? Is Michael Geary still alive, and if so does his survival depend on what Black Jack does? What about Victoria Rione’s missing husband? Will Geary and Tanya end up together? Will Geary be able to have a relationship with his grandniece? Some of these questions will be answered in Victorious, some I suspect are answered in the spin-off series, and some we may never know…
I’ll wrap up my review of the LOST FLEET series by summing up my main impressions. This is an engaging story with a great protagonist, a few likeable secondary characters (though they are not as interesting or as well fleshed out as Black Jack Geary is), an exciting but often repetitive plot that occasionally strays into unbelievable territory when our characters are able to anticipate the enemies’ plans, and a touch of appealing humor. It would have benefitted by having is length reduced by about a third. I slightly resent that I had to shell out money for six books when I feel like it should have been only four books long, but based on reviews at Amazon and Goodreads, most readers were happy to do so.
I read the audio version of THE LOST FLEET which was produced by Brilliance Audio and wonderfully narrated by Christian Rummel. One thing I have neglected to mention in my previous reviews are Jack Campbell’s (John G. Hemry’s) delightful introductions to the book. These are short information-filled pieces in which he may answer a question from a reader which gives us insight into some aspect of his creation of the story. Often he compares his created world with his experience or knowledge of the modern American military. For example, in the introduction to Victorious, he mentions that readers have asked why his spaceships don’t have back-up power generators and then goes on to explain how and why they’re often not included in current designs for military equipment. I enjoyed these little nuggets of information. If you’re going to read THE LOST FLEET, I highly recommend the audio version.
August 10, 2016
Victorious is a good conclusion to Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet series, turning it from being about a war against a human enemy to being the beginning of a conflict with an alien one. There were a few times that that turning point felt a little anticlimactic because almost all the fighting that brings an end to the war happens in the first five books, but the final battle in the Syndic home system was plenty serious enough to at least make the Alliance victory satisfying. Although . I also don't really care about the resolution of Geary and Desjani's relationship, mainly because Campbell had to do a lot of retconning after book two to establish that it even existed. I think I've been waiting, all along, for them to finally get together and move on; I expect the sequel series to be more satisfying in that respect. (I don't consider this a spoiler. You all knew it was coming.)
Victorious was good on its own, but I think it's even better as a lead-in to the next series, where humanity (led, of course, by John Geary, and they're lucky to have him) goes head-to-head against the aliens that effectively started the Alliance/Syndic war in the first place. Assuming that the aliens have heads, or bodies of any kind, because otherwise humanity is going to have a hard time finding a place to kick.
Victorious was good on its own, but I think it's even better as a lead-in to the next series, where humanity (led, of course, by John Geary, and they're lucky to have him) goes head-to-head against the aliens that effectively started the Alliance/Syndic war in the first place. Assuming that the aliens have heads, or bodies of any kind, because otherwise humanity is going to have a hard time finding a place to kick.
December 12, 2019
It's finally over. I complained earlier that this series has at least two books too many, but at least the ending was ok. I didn't really like the whole "mysterious aliens" plotline: it felt superfluous and unnecessary. But if we're going to have some mysterious aliens, at least they were mysterious enough. It wasn't bad.
That's actually the main feeling I was left with Victorious: it wasn't bad. I was pleasantly surprised, because it could've been so much worse. But the plotlines ended in more-or-less satisfying manner, we had some politics and a few actual character moments, as well - I surely didn't expect those from this series!
I don't regret I read the series, but I don't exactly recommend it, either.
That's actually the main feeling I was left with Victorious: it wasn't bad. I was pleasantly surprised, because it could've been so much worse. But the plotlines ended in more-or-less satisfying manner, we had some politics and a few actual character moments, as well - I surely didn't expect those from this series!
I don't regret I read the series, but I don't exactly recommend it, either.
November 24, 2017
Despite numerous losses and having had to face one perilous situation after another, the Fleet has finally made it back to Alliance space and the ruling council, despite fearing a military coup, has chosen to trust Geary and promotes him to Fleet Admiral. The new rank comes with authorization to launch one (hopefully) final attack against the Syndic home system and negotiate an end to the war. Even if the fleet prevails in this encounter, however, a new and potentially far more dangerous enemy remains to be dealt with: the alien race on the other side of Syndic space that has been playing Alliance and Syndics against each other for a century and doesn't hesitate to wipe out entire human-occupied star systems.
A satisfying conclusion to the series, though I felt it a little lacking in the huge epic battle scenes I've come to expect. I'm also glad we've finally got the romance issue sorted out before launching into the sequel series, which I'm eager to get started on.
A satisfying conclusion to the series, though I felt it a little lacking in the huge epic battle scenes I've come to expect. I'm also glad we've finally got the romance issue sorted out before launching into the sequel series, which I'm eager to get started on.
September 10, 2019
This book was amazing had some great character moments and were well written, also the author did a great job with the battle sequences as they were though out and creative with the strategies often reminds me of the space battles in Star Trek Deep Space Nine which were awesome also. But also the main character of John Geary does a fantastic job as leader in both combat situations and handling negotiations with the ambassadors in an attempt to broker an peace treaty with the Syndics. Can't wait to continue on with this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2020
I finished the series! I win! What do I win? Well, now I can feel justified reading the graphic novel side-story.
All in all it was.... okay. A little too much But-Wait-There's-More that you can see coming a mile off, and it felt like there was a rush to tie off all the loose ends while leaving the door open just in case.
For all my griping, it was a decent, if somewhat predictable, ride. And to be clear, that's okay! Sometimes I just want a nice straightforward adventure, and for the most part, it delivered.
All in all it was.... okay. A little too much But-Wait-There's-More that you can see coming a mile off, and it felt like there was a rush to tie off all the loose ends while leaving the door open just in case.
For all my griping, it was a decent, if somewhat predictable, ride. And to be clear, that's okay! Sometimes I just want a nice straightforward adventure, and for the most part, it delivered.
December 30, 2012
"Just joking! The aliens aren't as threatening as I've made them out to be the entire series. Let me rush to finish the series because I'm tired of writing." - Jack
Why the hell did I keep reading this series?!
Why the hell did I keep reading this series?!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 525 reviews