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A review of 'Dauntless' |
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Fishpond AU
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Jack Campbell
This is book 1 of the Lost Fleet
Ace Books, Science Fiction
Overall: 10 out of 10
Reviewer: Kipper
Book Synopsis
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century - and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he had been heroically idealized beyond belief . Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics. Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance's one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic "Black Jack" legend.
Book Review
The central character, 'Black Jack' Geary, is a wonderful concept - he was stuck in a life pod at the start of a war (think Ripley for the start of Aliens), and has been recovered after the war has raged on for decades. All of the experienced officers have long since died, so traditions and skills have largely vanished. Captain Geary's knowledge and skills are invaluable, but its the real sense of someone out of time, trying to do the right thing while coming to terms with losing everything that makes this book so powerful.
The space battles are absolutely amazing, and the cast of characters very effective. I thoroughly recommend this book - I think the series is going to be a classic that I'll reread time after time.
Written: 2008-09-12 13:30:22
Last Updated: 2008-09-12 13:30:09 |
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Swords and Starships
