Book Review - Lost Fleet - Dauntless

Lost Fleet – Dauntless – by Jack Campbell

Review by Jacqui Slaney

Before I started reading Fantasy and to be honest most other types of genres, I used to read Sci- Fi almost exclusively. Having an older brother who read Star Trek and authors such as Robert Heinlein and Asimov meant that these types of books were always lying around, so I was hooked at an early age. Now although I read many types of books, I still like to go back to Sci Fi now and again.

Amazon recommended this book, I did not know the author, but was intrigued by the idea so took a chance.

This is the description: 

  The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John "Black Jack" Geary – a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find himself heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.

It is not a complicated story; a hero thought years dead is found in a ships escape pod from a long ago battle. He awakes from hibernation to find that everything has changed. This is no longer the world he knew, the morals and honour that he believed in has changed dramatically after years of warfare and all the people and family that he knew have died. He himself is seen as a legend that has come back to life and will save them all. After a meeting with the enemy Captain John finds him self in charge of a fleet and has to battle against the enemy, his own legend and petty jealousies to try to get everyone home.

This is not a long story and it is the first in a series so it obviously has a very open ending. As I mentioned, it is not a complicated plot and some of the writing is a little basic. I am not sure what holds you; I have read much better stories with better science and much more action, so I think the characters themselves hold your interest.

With Geary, you get a sense of how shocking the changes in his circumstances are. He is not used to command especially of such a large number of ships and men, he has to deal with this and the fact that even the way war is now waged has changed especially with the treatment of the enemy. You see how he fights against his hero status and how this works against him with some of his officers. There are really good scene in the ships virtual conference room when he confronts those who speak against him and also how he deals with a political leader who wants to split the fleet.

If you are looking for an easy but enjoyable read and don’t expect too much star wars type battles then give this one a go, I do not think you will be disappointed.

7 out of 10