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cliffdj4's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
nannyt194's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
This is the ninth book in the Lost Fleet adventures of John Geary, which are told in a consecutive pair of military science fiction series. I am reading these books purely for entertainment, uncontaminated by flimsy excuses such as keeping appraised of the science fiction field (I'm an author as well as a reader), or wishing to learn from Campbell's handling of space battles (excellent though it is). I've read the first nine books in under a month. As you may deduce, they have entertained me well. Yes, they are somewhat formulaic, but the chosen formula suits my mood. Yes, the characterization is somewhat unsubtle, but I've rooted for the hero from the first chapter of the first book through to the final chapter of book nine -- and fully anticipate rooting for him through the remaining two books. A list of three things that I appreciated in book nine follows.... I'll be starting book ten soon.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoiler
I appreciate that the latter part of this book progresses beyond the effort to return safely to Alliance space. I like Campbell's depiction of aliens. And I found the book's conclusion moving.About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
robinwalter's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
jhouses's review against another edition
2.0
Black Jack Geary sigue proporcionando buenas siestas y, aunque no sean los libros del año, hay que reconocerle al autor el mérito de salir un poco de su zona de confort y darnos una miaja de intriga política y misteriosos alienígenas.
ftagliaca's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
asdvj's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pjonsson's review against another edition
3.0
About a year ago when I had read the previous book in the Beyond The Frontier series by Jack Campbell I was a little bit disappointed. I thought that the author didn’t really have any new ideas but just got bogged down more and more in (bad) politics, deceit and backstabbing a’la cheap soap opera. Sadly enough I feel that this book is pretty much more of the same.
The parts of the book where Geary and his fleet is trying to get back home with the captured alien ship, not to mention the live aliens that are following them, and the action this entails are nice reading for sure. However it is a very similar scenario as the original series. Fleet stranded in Syndic space tries to get home and the Syndics are doing their best to prevent it. Been there, read that.
After the fleet actually does get home around the two thirds mark or a little more the book really becomes boring with more or less nothing but politics or various dialogs about the repercussions of politics, past actions or future actions. It becomes a little bit more interesting at the very end and there are certainly some elements at the end which would be interesting if they were taken further in the next book, if there will be a next book. However given that the author have continuously shown a preference for the political aspects and forcing Geary to often have to overcome pure idiocy among the Alliance itself rather than external military threats I will continue to have my expectations on these books set somewhere on a fairly average level.
It is good books if you like this type of story. The combat parts and the fairly realistic tactical maneuvering are really good and is what have made me continue to read them. The rest I am not so thrilled about. The end, well I can say very little about it without actually revealing it but I have to say that I was somewhat underwhelmed.
The parts of the book where Geary and his fleet is trying to get back home with the captured alien ship, not to mention the live aliens that are following them, and the action this entails are nice reading for sure. However it is a very similar scenario as the original series. Fleet stranded in Syndic space tries to get home and the Syndics are doing their best to prevent it. Been there, read that.
After the fleet actually does get home around the two thirds mark or a little more the book really becomes boring with more or less nothing but politics or various dialogs about the repercussions of politics, past actions or future actions. It becomes a little bit more interesting at the very end and there are certainly some elements at the end which would be interesting if they were taken further in the next book, if there will be a next book. However given that the author have continuously shown a preference for the political aspects and forcing Geary to often have to overcome pure idiocy among the Alliance itself rather than external military threats I will continue to have my expectations on these books set somewhere on a fairly average level.
It is good books if you like this type of story. The combat parts and the fairly realistic tactical maneuvering are really good and is what have made me continue to read them. The rest I am not so thrilled about. The end, well I can say very little about it without actually revealing it but I have to say that I was somewhat underwhelmed.
mferrante83's review against another edition
4.0
Guardian by Jack Campbell marks the first of the Lost Fleet books that I’ve read in print (the rest I’ve listened to on audio) and it was an interesting experience. Insofar as I could tell the digital galley sent to me by the publisher was a pdf or at least a very very poorly formatted mobi file. This is a fact that is inconsequential as far as the novel’s content goes but certainly makes a big difference in my enjoyment of the reading experience. The formatting wasn’t too horrible however and I speed through the novel at lightning speed. Audiobooks have the benefit of control the rate at which I consume (assuming I don’t want to increase the playback speed) fiction, however they also have the benefit of allowing me to enjoy a book a can’t put down while actually doing other things. Reading Guardian in print definitely saw my attention to other responsibilities greatly lessened as I wanted to know what was going to happen next with an almost feverish desire.
Guardian is the third book of the second Lost Fleet series, Beyond the Frontier, chronicling the journey of the Alliance fleet and its commander John “Blackjack” Geary. For those not in the know this is pure military space opera. Where the original series saw the fleet trying to return home from deep within enemy territory Beyond the Frontier saw the fleet seeking to establish contact with alien entities beyond the borders of known space. Things haven’t gone completely to plan as Geary and the Fleet encounter the hostile Enigma race as well as the suicidely insular “bearcows” and it is the horrific (if only in appearance) spider-like race dubbed “Dancers” that the fleet has made peaceful contact with. Guardian opens with the fleet entering the Midway system (as seen in Tarnished Knight) and managing to scare off a Syndic fleet attempting to reestablish control there. As the Fleet attempts to traverse the chaotic space of the Syndicate (and former Syndicate) worlds it must deal with Syndicates who have a renewed interest in stopping the fleet and who must resolve in underhanded tactics in order to prevent restarting a war it cannot afford.
If all that doesn’t sound complicated enough there is a growing political problem at home; a growing disconnect between the active military, the military command structure, and the politicians running the government. At the center of this political storm is Admiral John Geary who is either loved, feared, or hated (or some combination thereof) by each of these different parties. Campbell does a brilliant job of playing the tension generated by this political situation against the real dangers of traversing enemy space. Tossed into this mix are the Dancer “allies” whose own motivations are somewhat clouded due to the language barrier. Campbell is, as ever, a deft hand at relaying military action and does a fantastic job at illustrating the powerful support structure Geary has built around himself and the fleet over the course several books.
While Campbell has gotten better at portraying the relationships between certain characters, particularly the strange relationship triangle of Geary, Rione, and Desjani, these relationships remain secondary to the grand themes that drive the action of the series. That isn’t so much a critique at this point so much as something I’ve come to adjust to with Campbell’s writing. Campbell has so far managed to craft a fairly complete picture of Admiral Geary over the course of these novels. He never comes off as perfect and his flaws are apparent when contrasted against the various characters he surrounds himself with.
As in the past my biggest complaint about Guardian is that it is over way too quickly. While there is a ton of action and many twists and turns there still is a lot left unresolved. Once again Campbell has introduced a variety of new things over the course of the novel from the ever-growing political tensions to the huge twist at the novel’s conclusion but Guardian marks the first time that I’ve begun to wonder of Campbell has bitten off a bit more than he chew. With twist presented in the novel’s final chapters there still remains a multitude of plot points that have yet to be resolved in any meaningful way: the mystery of of Enigmas, the fate of Michael Geary, the true desires of the Dancers, and the Alliance’s political problems to name the big ones. While Guardian advances some of those plots it does little, if anything, to resolve any of them. I am definitely left itching for more from Beyond the Frontier I also desperately want at least one of these plots to resolve in some way. If you’re a fan of the Lost Fleet, Guardian offers more to devour while setting the stage for what looks to be (I can hope) something huge in the future.
Guardian is the third book of the second Lost Fleet series, Beyond the Frontier, chronicling the journey of the Alliance fleet and its commander John “Blackjack” Geary. For those not in the know this is pure military space opera. Where the original series saw the fleet trying to return home from deep within enemy territory Beyond the Frontier saw the fleet seeking to establish contact with alien entities beyond the borders of known space. Things haven’t gone completely to plan as Geary and the Fleet encounter the hostile Enigma race as well as the suicidely insular “bearcows” and it is the horrific (if only in appearance) spider-like race dubbed “Dancers” that the fleet has made peaceful contact with. Guardian opens with the fleet entering the Midway system (as seen in Tarnished Knight) and managing to scare off a Syndic fleet attempting to reestablish control there. As the Fleet attempts to traverse the chaotic space of the Syndicate (and former Syndicate) worlds it must deal with Syndicates who have a renewed interest in stopping the fleet and who must resolve in underhanded tactics in order to prevent restarting a war it cannot afford.
If all that doesn’t sound complicated enough there is a growing political problem at home; a growing disconnect between the active military, the military command structure, and the politicians running the government. At the center of this political storm is Admiral John Geary who is either loved, feared, or hated (or some combination thereof) by each of these different parties. Campbell does a brilliant job of playing the tension generated by this political situation against the real dangers of traversing enemy space. Tossed into this mix are the Dancer “allies” whose own motivations are somewhat clouded due to the language barrier. Campbell is, as ever, a deft hand at relaying military action and does a fantastic job at illustrating the powerful support structure Geary has built around himself and the fleet over the course several books.
While Campbell has gotten better at portraying the relationships between certain characters, particularly the strange relationship triangle of Geary, Rione, and Desjani, these relationships remain secondary to the grand themes that drive the action of the series. That isn’t so much a critique at this point so much as something I’ve come to adjust to with Campbell’s writing. Campbell has so far managed to craft a fairly complete picture of Admiral Geary over the course of these novels. He never comes off as perfect and his flaws are apparent when contrasted against the various characters he surrounds himself with.
As in the past my biggest complaint about Guardian is that it is over way too quickly. While there is a ton of action and many twists and turns there still is a lot left unresolved. Once again Campbell has introduced a variety of new things over the course of the novel from the ever-growing political tensions to the huge twist at the novel’s conclusion but Guardian marks the first time that I’ve begun to wonder of Campbell has bitten off a bit more than he chew. With twist presented in the novel’s final chapters there still remains a multitude of plot points that have yet to be resolved in any meaningful way: the mystery of of Enigmas, the fate of Michael Geary, the true desires of the Dancers, and the Alliance’s political problems to name the big ones. While Guardian advances some of those plots it does little, if anything, to resolve any of them. I am definitely left itching for more from Beyond the Frontier I also desperately want at least one of these plots to resolve in some way. If you’re a fan of the Lost Fleet, Guardian offers more to devour while setting the stage for what looks to be (I can hope) something huge in the future.
ghostmuppet's review against another edition
3.0
Another solid entry in the series. We see another slight change in the plot, which is good as the story will not stale up. However, I do get the feeling that we are in 'that' season where daft stuff will start to happen to our main heroes. I will keep on reading as this is a good old, low brow, space opera and is not taxing.
Of course, if you have got to this point, you know all this. If you started here - WHAT THE HELL, go back and start from the beginning.
Of course, if you have got to this point, you know all this. If you started here - WHAT THE HELL, go back and start from the beginning.