Helpful Score: 2
This story of The Lost Fleet universe is told entirely as perceived by peoples of the Syndicate Worlds as they deal with the defeat and disintegration of their empire.
Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry) is one hell of a storyteller. This is space opera spun by a master of military science fiction, author of series such as: Starks War, Paul Sinclair (JAG in space), and The Lost Fleet. He himself is a retired naval officer, and since he knows military discipline well, he can posit the question: what happens when a totalitarian military regime crumbles under its own oppression, and citizens who know no other system must not only rid themselves of the old order, but find their way alone in a remote star system? After centuries in which democracy has been lost in time, and replaced by the Syndicate, a corporate structure run by ruthless CEO despots, the people of this Orwellian society must figure out not only how to eliminate an oppressive secret police, but how to survive when they are threatened by remnants of the empire and an invading alien race that has beaten the empires defenses. Campbells characters are sexy, and multidimensional, with conflicting motivations of self preservation and hatred of the back-stabbing society that is all theyve ever known. They dont trust each other, even in bed, but they suspect that the old system of spies, assassins, secrets and duplicitous self interest is not going to be enough to save them, especially since it failed the Syndicate.
The pacing of the story is quick (I could hardly put it down to eat) and only flags at the end after multiple military campaigns converge, and Campbell ties up loose ends, setting us up for the next book in this new series. For those who have read the other novels in The Lost Fleet series, the events of The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight take place between those of The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Dreadnaught, and The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Invincible.
Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry) is one hell of a storyteller. This is space opera spun by a master of military science fiction, author of series such as: Starks War, Paul Sinclair (JAG in space), and The Lost Fleet. He himself is a retired naval officer, and since he knows military discipline well, he can posit the question: what happens when a totalitarian military regime crumbles under its own oppression, and citizens who know no other system must not only rid themselves of the old order, but find their way alone in a remote star system? After centuries in which democracy has been lost in time, and replaced by the Syndicate, a corporate structure run by ruthless CEO despots, the people of this Orwellian society must figure out not only how to eliminate an oppressive secret police, but how to survive when they are threatened by remnants of the empire and an invading alien race that has beaten the empires defenses. Campbells characters are sexy, and multidimensional, with conflicting motivations of self preservation and hatred of the back-stabbing society that is all theyve ever known. They dont trust each other, even in bed, but they suspect that the old system of spies, assassins, secrets and duplicitous self interest is not going to be enough to save them, especially since it failed the Syndicate.
The pacing of the story is quick (I could hardly put it down to eat) and only flags at the end after multiple military campaigns converge, and Campbell ties up loose ends, setting us up for the next book in this new series. For those who have read the other novels in The Lost Fleet series, the events of The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight take place between those of The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Dreadnaught, and The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Invincible.
