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Kris Longknife #3
Defiant
Born into a family of wealth and political power. Kris Longknife turned her back on high society and followed a different family tradition by joining the Marines. But now she finds herself relieved of duty. She's gotten in the way of someone's agenda--to bring down her father, the Prime Minister of Wardhaven.
Now, with the fleet off on a propaganda mission. Wardhaven is left vulnerable to enemy warships that establish orbit around the planet demanding surrender. With the remnants of the fleet ordered to stand down. Kris declares herself Commander-in-Chief and plans a desperate gambit to defend her world. Commandeering every spaceworthy vessel she can get her hands on and recruiting every able-bodied person willing to risk their life. Kris leads the most important mission of her career--and it may be her last...
Now, with the fleet off on a propaganda mission. Wardhaven is left vulnerable to enemy warships that establish orbit around the planet demanding surrender. With the remnants of the fleet ordered to stand down. Kris declares herself Commander-in-Chief and plans a desperate gambit to defend her world. Commandeering every spaceworthy vessel she can get her hands on and recruiting every able-bodied person willing to risk their life. Kris leads the most important mission of her career--and it may be her last...
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 25, 2005
61 people are currently reading
661 people want to read
About the author
Mike Shepherd
80 books565 followersA pseudonym used by Mike Moscoe.
Mike was born in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Hospital -- and left that town at the age of three days for reasons he does not presently recall. But they had to draft him to get him back there. He missed very little of the rest of the country. Growing up Navy, he lived about everywhere you could park an aircraft carrier.
Mike was one of those college students who didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation. In 1968, his Uncle Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two days into boot camp, the Army was wondering if they might not have been a bit hasty. Mike ended the day in the Intensive Care Unit of the local Army hospital. Despite most of Mike’s personal war stories being limited to "How I flunked boot camp," he can still write a rollicking good military SF yarns.
Mike didn’t survive all that long as a cab driver (he got lost) or bartender (he made the drinks too strong) but he figured he could at least work for the Navy Department as a budget analyst. Until he spent the whole day trying to balance the barracks accounts for paint. Finally, about quitting time, a grinning senior analyst took him aside and let him in on the secret. They'd hidden the money for refitting a battleship in that little account. Slowly it dawned on Mike that there were a few things about the Navy that even a kid who grew up in it would never understand.
Over the next twenty years, Mike branched out into other genres, including instruction memos, policies, performance standards and even a few labor contracts. All of those, you may notice, lack a certain something. Dialogue ... those things in quotes. In `87, Mike’s big break came. He landed on a two year special project to build a digital map showing where the trees, rivers, roads, Spotted Owls and other critters were in western Oregon. The list went on and on with no end in sight and two years became ten.
Since there was no writing involved in his new day job, Mike had to do something to get the words out. He signed up for a writing class at Clark Community College and proudly turned in a story ... Star Wars shoots down the second coming of Christ.
Two years later, Analog bought "Summer Hopes, Winter Dreams" for the March, 1991 issue. Four years later he sold his first novel. In the ten years since then, Mike’s turned in twelve novels and is researching the next three.
Mike's love for Science Fiction started when he picked up "Rocket Ship Galileo" in the fifth grade, and then proceeded to read every book in the library with a rocket sticker on its spine.
Mike digs for his stories among people and change. Through his interest in history, he has traces the transformations that make us what we are today. Science launches us forward into an ever changing universe. Once upon a time, the only changes in peoples lives came with the turning of the seasons and the growing wrinkles on their brows. Today, science drives most of the changes in our daily lives. Still, we can't avoid the pressure of our own awakening hormones or hardening arteries. Mike is happiest when his stories are speeding across thin ice, balanced on the edge of two sharp blades, one anciently human, the other as new as tomorrow's research.
Trained in International Relations and history, salary administration and bargaining, theology and counseling, Mike is having a ball writing about Kris Longknife ... coming of age while the world her grand parents built threatens to crash down around her ears. These are books I think you’ll love ... and my granddaughter and grandsons too!
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife Ellen, his mother-in-law and any visiting grandkids. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grand-children for story ideas and upgrading his computer -- all are never ending.
Mike was born in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Hospital -- and left that town at the age of three days for reasons he does not presently recall. But they had to draft him to get him back there. He missed very little of the rest of the country. Growing up Navy, he lived about everywhere you could park an aircraft carrier.
Mike was one of those college students who didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation. In 1968, his Uncle Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two days into boot camp, the Army was wondering if they might not have been a bit hasty. Mike ended the day in the Intensive Care Unit of the local Army hospital. Despite most of Mike’s personal war stories being limited to "How I flunked boot camp," he can still write a rollicking good military SF yarns.
Mike didn’t survive all that long as a cab driver (he got lost) or bartender (he made the drinks too strong) but he figured he could at least work for the Navy Department as a budget analyst. Until he spent the whole day trying to balance the barracks accounts for paint. Finally, about quitting time, a grinning senior analyst took him aside and let him in on the secret. They'd hidden the money for refitting a battleship in that little account. Slowly it dawned on Mike that there were a few things about the Navy that even a kid who grew up in it would never understand.
Over the next twenty years, Mike branched out into other genres, including instruction memos, policies, performance standards and even a few labor contracts. All of those, you may notice, lack a certain something. Dialogue ... those things in quotes. In `87, Mike’s big break came. He landed on a two year special project to build a digital map showing where the trees, rivers, roads, Spotted Owls and other critters were in western Oregon. The list went on and on with no end in sight and two years became ten.
Since there was no writing involved in his new day job, Mike had to do something to get the words out. He signed up for a writing class at Clark Community College and proudly turned in a story ... Star Wars shoots down the second coming of Christ.
Two years later, Analog bought "Summer Hopes, Winter Dreams" for the March, 1991 issue. Four years later he sold his first novel. In the ten years since then, Mike’s turned in twelve novels and is researching the next three.
Mike's love for Science Fiction started when he picked up "Rocket Ship Galileo" in the fifth grade, and then proceeded to read every book in the library with a rocket sticker on its spine.
Mike digs for his stories among people and change. Through his interest in history, he has traces the transformations that make us what we are today. Science launches us forward into an ever changing universe. Once upon a time, the only changes in peoples lives came with the turning of the seasons and the growing wrinkles on their brows. Today, science drives most of the changes in our daily lives. Still, we can't avoid the pressure of our own awakening hormones or hardening arteries. Mike is happiest when his stories are speeding across thin ice, balanced on the edge of two sharp blades, one anciently human, the other as new as tomorrow's research.
Trained in International Relations and history, salary administration and bargaining, theology and counseling, Mike is having a ball writing about Kris Longknife ... coming of age while the world her grand parents built threatens to crash down around her ears. These are books I think you’ll love ... and my granddaughter and grandsons too!
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife Ellen, his mother-in-law and any visiting grandkids. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grand-children for story ideas and upgrading his computer -- all are never ending.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
January 9, 2016
We're deep enough in the series that you should know what to expect, by now. And you really don't want to skip around in a series like this one (where each subsequent story depends on developments in the previous). Really, you need to know the background coming into this even though Shepherd does his best to give sketched backgrounds where needed.
This has been a really steady series, quality-wise. This is the weakest story so far, but at four stars, you know that wasn't much of a drawback for me. The biggest problem is that the novel really consists of two relatively distinct parts, neither large enough to constitute a full novel. The first deals with a planet with a pacific islander flavor. The second is back home on Wardhaven and some political fallout from Kris' dad screwing up. There is some continuity between the two, but really no stronger than between individual books in the series so it's not a strong connection.
That said, Kris remains a great draw and seeing her confront difficulties and overcoming with her mix of daring and solid leadership is as engaging as always. The side characters remain as engaging as ever as well. This book has more fallout than previous as the action is more serious (so it makes sense that the consequences would also ramp up). I actually appreciated it, even if Shepherd had to cheat a bit to get there. And no, I'm not going to go into it because frankly, I doubt most would catch or care because the emotional impact was so strong and exactly right for the characters involved. So while I flagged it at the time, I find I don't find it detracting from my satisfaction.
Because of the fallout, I think this book may be where the reader can commit to the rest of the books or not. If you find it off-putting or too much then this is a good place to stop. Personally, I'm all in and will be on a quest to get the rest of the books from the library today. I suppose there's a chance Shepherd could bungle later on, but if he does, I'm only out turning the books in early. Since finishing one without having the next to move onto fills me with dread, I'm just going to get them all now. So call this a win...
This has been a really steady series, quality-wise. This is the weakest story so far, but at four stars, you know that wasn't much of a drawback for me. The biggest problem is that the novel really consists of two relatively distinct parts, neither large enough to constitute a full novel. The first deals with a planet with a pacific islander flavor. The second is back home on Wardhaven and some political fallout from Kris' dad screwing up. There is some continuity between the two, but really no stronger than between individual books in the series so it's not a strong connection.
That said, Kris remains a great draw and seeing her confront difficulties and overcoming with her mix of daring and solid leadership is as engaging as always. The side characters remain as engaging as ever as well. This book has more fallout than previous as the action is more serious (so it makes sense that the consequences would also ramp up). I actually appreciated it, even if Shepherd had to cheat a bit to get there. And no, I'm not going to go into it because frankly, I doubt most would catch or care because the emotional impact was so strong and exactly right for the characters involved. So while I flagged it at the time, I find I don't find it detracting from my satisfaction.
Because of the fallout, I think this book may be where the reader can commit to the rest of the books or not. If you find it off-putting or too much then this is a good place to stop. Personally, I'm all in and will be on a quest to get the rest of the books from the library today. I suppose there's a chance Shepherd could bungle later on, but if he does, I'm only out turning the books in early. Since finishing one without having the next to move onto fills me with dread, I'm just going to get them all now. So call this a win...
September 17, 2019
I'm going through the Mike Shepard Kris Longknife series one book at a time and am enjoying it tremendously. It's the story of a Princess and soldier (call her the Prince Harry of her universe) who is called repeatedly to sort out the horrible situations that the bureaucracy of her newly-independent world has caused through mismanagement. Here, she's found herself slandered in the media and her father has lost his position as the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, he his replacements have left the planet undefended when their enemies are plotting a war of conquest.
The beginning is a bit slow with Kris visiting a world that can best be termed SPACE HAWAII. I feel like the cultural handling was a bit tone deaf here because I have lived in Hawaii and think it was a bit theme park in its depiction of the local peoples. However, the book quickly picked back up once our heroine returned to Wardhaven.
Kris is almost superhumanly competant at everything she does and basically is the sole voice that can lead to the salvation of her world but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Competance Fic is one of my favorites and Mike Shepard is never too easy on his heroine. Indeed, the losses suffered i the road to victory are some of the strongest parts of this book and make me enjoy it all the more. I've already picked up the 4th volume.
8.5/10
The beginning is a bit slow with Kris visiting a world that can best be termed SPACE HAWAII. I feel like the cultural handling was a bit tone deaf here because I have lived in Hawaii and think it was a bit theme park in its depiction of the local peoples. However, the book quickly picked back up once our heroine returned to Wardhaven.
Kris is almost superhumanly competant at everything she does and basically is the sole voice that can lead to the salvation of her world but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Competance Fic is one of my favorites and Mike Shepard is never too easy on his heroine. Indeed, the losses suffered i the road to victory are some of the strongest parts of this book and make me enjoy it all the more. I've already picked up the 4th volume.
8.5/10
February 3, 2014
I'm in two minds as to whether or not killing off a main character is a great way to enhance a book or a terrible thing to do to the reader! This is a reread so I knew it was coming and it actually made me remember why I'd stopped reading the series; not the death here but that if I recall right (- it's getting vaguer as I progress, I think I must've read up to book 4 but not 5 so I've reread each later volume less then the earlier ones) then the death of a character, not as important but definitely visible in the next novel. However I'm feeling good and brave so I'll carry on regardless. The action continues unabated so no reason to let a little death drag me down!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2022
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
With this third book in the series, we finally get the payoff on the science fiction aspect of the story as most of the book is a long space battle. Plenty of pew pew and ship-to-ship fighting as a ragtag fleet takes on several mysterious destroyers bent on taking out Wardhaven.Story: The navy still has no idea what to do with "One of THOSE Longknifes" and so gives Kris captaincy of a small patrol boat - PF109. It is where the navy puts all the 'brats' of wealthy Wardhaven scions - the ones who cannot be controlled and a place where they can do the least amount of damage. The problem is, Kris actually wants to do something with the small but surprisingly maneuverable patrol boats other than fly them around on test runs. Turns out, things will become deadly serious as Greenwald eyes Wardhaven itself as their next target.
I really enjoyed the space battles and soap opera action. It was a welcome change from the grounded assignments of the previous two missions. As well, we got more than the 'monster of the week' and instead had direct overarching series plot points materialize and jeopardize more than just outwater planets. The events of the next book are set up nicely in this volume.
In all, I am enjoying the series now this third book in. Much better writing than Moon's Vatta's War but of course, nothing compares with the Huff Confederation novels. But it has a charm all of its own.
Note: I listened to the audio version and Dina does an excellent job with the narration.
February 10, 2025
The classic last stand
The story begins with Kris being helped by Nelly and her team to create a potential last resort, last ditch effort to protect her world from an otherwise disastrously overwhelming attack by as-yet unknown forces. The bulk of the story middle covers this.
When an actual unknown fleet appears, the mad dash to flesh out the concept is forced to move from conceptual to reality. The story builds upon that until we see Kris needing to deliver her own version of the speech given by the US president in Independence Day. (Those who haven’t seen it are missing out!)
The author also opens the book with some very appropriate examples of cases in history that show how others have risen to the challenge when they were presented with their own must-do-or-die situations. The story shows how free people can respond when their actions are the only thing protecting their continued existence as free people at the risk of their own lives. The author is also accurately describing how little many people in society understand or value the sacrifices made on their behalf, or even their belittling those who make them.
The story begins with Kris being helped by Nelly and her team to create a potential last resort, last ditch effort to protect her world from an otherwise disastrously overwhelming attack by as-yet unknown forces. The bulk of the story middle covers this.
When an actual unknown fleet appears, the mad dash to flesh out the concept is forced to move from conceptual to reality. The story builds upon that until we see Kris needing to deliver her own version of the speech given by the US president in Independence Day. (Those who haven’t seen it are missing out!)
The author also opens the book with some very appropriate examples of cases in history that show how others have risen to the challenge when they were presented with their own must-do-or-die situations. The story shows how free people can respond when their actions are the only thing protecting their continued existence as free people at the risk of their own lives. The author is also accurately describing how little many people in society understand or value the sacrifices made on their behalf, or even their belittling those who make them.
November 6, 2009
Now, I really, really like this series. After getting the first one from the library, I couldn't wait for the second book to show up and went out and bought the rest from the library. I have re-read the entire series several times since. They're wonderful books, military SF with a strong female protagonist. The action moves along so snappily that I get pulled in enough not to mind the fact that the plots are a little silly. So bear in mind that any criticism is expressed because I love.
Now, this book has the usual flaws of the series, terrible copy-editing being the most standout problem to my mind - (dear Mike Shepherd, I know a good copy editor, but, honestly, even my engineer-self could help out). The two-for-one plot is in effect here, but the starter plot here felt particularly rushed - it started well, then it was almost like, "I am bored with this" *handwave*. Also, the boy who IMNSHO should be Kris's love interest (she regularly has flirtations with boys that don't end up going anywhere, which I *love* for it's "not neatly tied up" effect (plus if I can't get a boyfriend, why should she??)) is sort of glossed over - the whole thing starts so promisingly, too, and I don't quite get why she was like meh, no.
Anyway, there is a reconstructed Pacific Island culture, with a subsistence/urban colonizer/colonized constitutional convention (I am simplifying) as a background to commando hijinks, followed by major seat-of-your-pants planetary defense. Oh, and Tommy gets married in there, too (have your Kleenex ready!) Maybe not the best of the series, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Now, this book has the usual flaws of the series, terrible copy-editing being the most standout problem to my mind - (dear Mike Shepherd, I know a good copy editor, but, honestly, even my engineer-self could help out). The two-for-one plot is in effect here, but the starter plot here felt particularly rushed - it started well, then it was almost like, "I am bored with this" *handwave*. Also, the boy who IMNSHO should be Kris's love interest (she regularly has flirtations with boys that don't end up going anywhere, which I *love* for it's "not neatly tied up" effect (plus if I can't get a boyfriend, why should she??)) is sort of glossed over - the whole thing starts so promisingly, too, and I don't quite get why she was like meh, no.
Anyway, there is a reconstructed Pacific Island culture, with a subsistence/urban colonizer/colonized constitutional convention (I am simplifying) as a background to commando hijinks, followed by major seat-of-your-pants planetary defense. Oh, and Tommy gets married in there, too (have your Kleenex ready!) Maybe not the best of the series, but enjoyable nonetheless.
March 4, 2016
This is the 3rd book in the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd. Like the first two it is a great Military/Space Opera Science Fiction. In this one Kris is sent on a diplomatic mission to the planet Hikila, where she negotiates with a Pacific-island culture to join The United Sentients. While there she has too save some hostages form a group of local malcontents. Then, she returns to Wardhaven while it's in the middle of a political election battle, the main fleet has been lured away, and six battleships are bearing down on her home planet.
Playing "the princess card," Kris, who'd previously been removed from her navy command, assumes command of the defense of the realm "by right of blood, by right of name, by right of title." As the countdown to contact with the enemy begins, the action, so far all Kris's, now starts to shift around from the defenders to the attackers and back. You know what the plans are, you wait to see how they're going to be executed.
A must read for fans of Kris Longknife and Mike Shepherd/Mike Moscoe.
Playing "the princess card," Kris, who'd previously been removed from her navy command, assumes command of the defense of the realm "by right of blood, by right of name, by right of title." As the countdown to contact with the enemy begins, the action, so far all Kris's, now starts to shift around from the defenders to the attackers and back. You know what the plans are, you wait to see how they're going to be executed.
A must read for fans of Kris Longknife and Mike Shepherd/Mike Moscoe.
November 15, 2019
deux histoires dans un volume, avec politique, diplomatie, action et relations entre des personnages attachants ; la première partie est dépaysante comme des vacances dans les iles, mais j'ai été plus intéressée par la seconde, la bataille de la défense de la planète Wardhaven; idéaliste et prenant. Quelques réserves sur la vie quotidienne et la technologie du futur, pas toujours assez futuriste.
July 14, 2014
A good series. Enjoyable!
June 19, 2015
My last foray into the world of Kris Longknife was a couple years ago. I realized that I was simply beginning to miss this quirky protagonist and her adventures, so I picked up "Defiant" and easily devoured it. Like the two previous books in the series, it satisfied my need to read something fun and lighthearted with believable characters and sometimes larger-than-life situations. Spoilers follow.
"Defiant" is comprised of two main stories. The first is Kris's diplomatic mission to the planet Hikila to negotiate with its people on her grandfather King Ray's behalf and act as her grandfather's stand-in to comfort the planet's queen, a long time friend, on her deathbed. Of course, as seems to be Kris's luck, the mission turns out to be more than she bargained for and she ends up thwarting a political disaster and saves some hostages in the process. When she returns to Wardhaven, Kris finds herself almost immediately launched into another crisis: the navy's main fleet has been called away and six battleships are heading for the mostly unprotected planet. With political unrest complicating matters planet-side, Kris pulls together a rag-tag team of navy reserves, merchant captains and crew, and volunteers and manages to form her own defense fleet out of whatever ships she can find and press into service.
I wonder if perhaps this book is the result of the author combining two novels, or at least two distinctly different stories, into one. Regardless, "Defiant" very much lives up to the precedent set by the previous books: it is a fun adventure in the military space opera genre that isn't looking to redefine the genre so much as wants to tell an entertaining story. On that front, it certainly succeeds. For the most part, the story is fast-paced and action packed, allowing us to see Kris try to navigate a variety of different scenarios. Our quirky protagonist finds herself participating in cultural rituals of the Polynesian people of Hikila, saving hostages in a more modern setting, participating in her best friend's wedding, preparing for an invasion, and defending her planet to the last man. She also seems to be getting the hang of when to use her princess card to assume command by right of title versus when to adhere to the rules and ranks of the navy. Simply put, there's a lot of variety in this book and quite a bit happens, making for an enjoyable reading experience.
The story isn't without its flaws, however, and there's an issue that needs to be addressed: pacing in the middle of the story. After Kris takes command of preparing for the invading fleet, we're given a blow-by-blow account of everything that needs to be done to combat the battleships. It frankly makes the book drag quite a bit in these portions and I found that I had to force myself through these chapters to get to what I knew would be an exciting battle (and it didn't disappoint). This series often gets compared to Weber's Honor Harrington books, which I try not to do since they're so vastly different, yet I can't help but feel that the pacing issues in this novel are very reminiscent of the third Honor Harrington installment ("The Short Victorious War"): a large number of pages dedicated to the buildup of the final battle. It certainly didn't ruin the book by any means, but it did dampen my enjoyment of certain chapters.
Writing-wise, I was pleased to see better editing this time around. Shepherd's writing style continues to work well for telling Kris's action-packed, non-stop adventures, as he usually doesn't bog down the story with complicated prose or unnecessary detail (with an exception I'll get to later). It was also very refreshing to have the point of view occasionally shift to the admiral of the oncoming battleships. This added suspense to both the invasion and ensuing battle by giving us a perspective from each side; if something was going well for one side, it was likely panning out poorly for the other, which gave the narrative a certain variety that was absent in the previous books.
Kris continues to be a wonderful protagonist that is both capable and believable. As I mentioned earlier, it's a lot of fun to read about her learning to effectively use the various titles and roles she has amassed, and she always seems to have a rather tongue-in-cheek way of going about things. While the previous novel demonstrated how well she fared in a more civilian and diplomatic setting, a majority of this book has her back in the military world, which is where she really seems to shine. Though she manages to find some creative solutions to big problems, she also faces her own insecurities and makes mistakes. For example, her initial plan of stopping the invasion doesn't work out and has tragic, impacting consequences for both her and her crew. These insecurities, mistakes and consequences and how she overcomes them are what make Kris a compelling character. I touched on this in my review of the last book, and I feel the need to mention it again: Shepherd needs to be careful that he doesn't push Kris into superwoman territory. She has a lot of abilities and titles now, and she seems to gain more respect from the navy with each book. Her computer Nelly is getting closer and closer to sentience, which gives Kris a huge advantage. In this book, Kris is great, but I hope the rewards and titles Kris keeps earning eventually slow.
The supporting characters are a bit of a mixed bag. Both Jack and Abby return from the last book as Kris's bodyguard and maid. Abby is as mysterious as ever; she's always prepared and always seems to have the right skill on hand to deal with the current situation. Will we ever know who she really is or who her previous employer was? I get the feeling that she'll be an enigma for a while longer. Jack is still protective and loyal, going as far as to temporarily leave his job to unofficially continue protecting Kris. He accompanies our danger-loving protagonist more often than not, and she seems to occasionally think of him as something more important than a bodyguard...I'm starting to wonder if Shepherd is perhaps beginning to foreshadow a possible romance between the two. Tom continues to be the long-suffering, yet loyal and amusing best friend. We can definitely see that he and Kris share a brother-sister bond, which makes it particularly tragic when he meets his end defending his home planet. Honovi makes more of an appearance in this book, and could be a promising character if we could just see more of him. The other characters are rather shallow. Kris's parents don't seem to receive much characterization beyond being selfish and distant. Her friends are difficult to tell apart, and, despite Shepherd's attempts, can only be characterized as "the one who has children" or "the one who has never successfully landed a ship" and so on.
I've complained in my reviews for the past books that the antagonists seemed very stereotypical and predictable. That happily isn't the case here. As I mentioned earlier, the point of view occasionally shifts to the admiral of the oncoming invasion fleet; this helped flesh the antagonists of the book out and made them more than scheming villains who are bad simply because they don't like Kris. Still, must everyone consistently comment on Kris being "one of those Longknifes?"
On a random note, I've commented on every book thus far about the cultural stereotypes. This book presents us with a group of islanders that embodies every aspect of Polynesian culture...and we were given a reason for it: they don't want to lose their roots when the rest of the planet is moving toward a very modern way of life. I'm satisfied with that and wish we could have gotten something similar with previous groups.
Also, Shepherd obviously has a certain love for naval weaponry; there are several types of guns and armament described throughout the book. While it's great that Shepherd is knowledgeable in this subject, spending so much time on the different weaponry used on the ships tended to bog the story down with largely unnecessary detail. If you are a fan of the different types of guns used on a naval spaceship, however, you might enjoy the time spent on this topic.
Overall, despite its flaws and sometimes-cheesy flavour, Kris Longknife continues to be one of my favourite series simply because of how entertaining and enjoyable the books are. "Defiant" has a mostly fast paced story, variation in settings, and a great point of view shift to the antagonists that make the story satisfying and fun. Kris is still a great character and some of the secondary characters are quirky and interesting. I also like that the author doesn't come off as pretentious; he's out to write an enjoyable novel - not a groundbreaking one. The story does drag a bit in the middle while building up to the invasion, some of the characters are a bit shallow and the tech babble regarding naval weaponry and the repetition of Kris being "one of those Longknifes" can be a bit much. Despite these flaws, this is still a great book with a fun, exciting story. I give it 4 stars...it's simply too enjoyable for the negatives to outweigh the positives.
This review is also posted on Amazon.com.
"Defiant" is comprised of two main stories. The first is Kris's diplomatic mission to the planet Hikila to negotiate with its people on her grandfather King Ray's behalf and act as her grandfather's stand-in to comfort the planet's queen, a long time friend, on her deathbed. Of course, as seems to be Kris's luck, the mission turns out to be more than she bargained for and she ends up thwarting a political disaster and saves some hostages in the process. When she returns to Wardhaven, Kris finds herself almost immediately launched into another crisis: the navy's main fleet has been called away and six battleships are heading for the mostly unprotected planet. With political unrest complicating matters planet-side, Kris pulls together a rag-tag team of navy reserves, merchant captains and crew, and volunteers and manages to form her own defense fleet out of whatever ships she can find and press into service.
I wonder if perhaps this book is the result of the author combining two novels, or at least two distinctly different stories, into one. Regardless, "Defiant" very much lives up to the precedent set by the previous books: it is a fun adventure in the military space opera genre that isn't looking to redefine the genre so much as wants to tell an entertaining story. On that front, it certainly succeeds. For the most part, the story is fast-paced and action packed, allowing us to see Kris try to navigate a variety of different scenarios. Our quirky protagonist finds herself participating in cultural rituals of the Polynesian people of Hikila, saving hostages in a more modern setting, participating in her best friend's wedding, preparing for an invasion, and defending her planet to the last man. She also seems to be getting the hang of when to use her princess card to assume command by right of title versus when to adhere to the rules and ranks of the navy. Simply put, there's a lot of variety in this book and quite a bit happens, making for an enjoyable reading experience.
The story isn't without its flaws, however, and there's an issue that needs to be addressed: pacing in the middle of the story. After Kris takes command of preparing for the invading fleet, we're given a blow-by-blow account of everything that needs to be done to combat the battleships. It frankly makes the book drag quite a bit in these portions and I found that I had to force myself through these chapters to get to what I knew would be an exciting battle (and it didn't disappoint). This series often gets compared to Weber's Honor Harrington books, which I try not to do since they're so vastly different, yet I can't help but feel that the pacing issues in this novel are very reminiscent of the third Honor Harrington installment ("The Short Victorious War"): a large number of pages dedicated to the buildup of the final battle. It certainly didn't ruin the book by any means, but it did dampen my enjoyment of certain chapters.
Writing-wise, I was pleased to see better editing this time around. Shepherd's writing style continues to work well for telling Kris's action-packed, non-stop adventures, as he usually doesn't bog down the story with complicated prose or unnecessary detail (with an exception I'll get to later). It was also very refreshing to have the point of view occasionally shift to the admiral of the oncoming battleships. This added suspense to both the invasion and ensuing battle by giving us a perspective from each side; if something was going well for one side, it was likely panning out poorly for the other, which gave the narrative a certain variety that was absent in the previous books.
Kris continues to be a wonderful protagonist that is both capable and believable. As I mentioned earlier, it's a lot of fun to read about her learning to effectively use the various titles and roles she has amassed, and she always seems to have a rather tongue-in-cheek way of going about things. While the previous novel demonstrated how well she fared in a more civilian and diplomatic setting, a majority of this book has her back in the military world, which is where she really seems to shine. Though she manages to find some creative solutions to big problems, she also faces her own insecurities and makes mistakes. For example, her initial plan of stopping the invasion doesn't work out and has tragic, impacting consequences for both her and her crew. These insecurities, mistakes and consequences and how she overcomes them are what make Kris a compelling character. I touched on this in my review of the last book, and I feel the need to mention it again: Shepherd needs to be careful that he doesn't push Kris into superwoman territory. She has a lot of abilities and titles now, and she seems to gain more respect from the navy with each book. Her computer Nelly is getting closer and closer to sentience, which gives Kris a huge advantage. In this book, Kris is great, but I hope the rewards and titles Kris keeps earning eventually slow.
The supporting characters are a bit of a mixed bag. Both Jack and Abby return from the last book as Kris's bodyguard and maid. Abby is as mysterious as ever; she's always prepared and always seems to have the right skill on hand to deal with the current situation. Will we ever know who she really is or who her previous employer was? I get the feeling that she'll be an enigma for a while longer. Jack is still protective and loyal, going as far as to temporarily leave his job to unofficially continue protecting Kris. He accompanies our danger-loving protagonist more often than not, and she seems to occasionally think of him as something more important than a bodyguard...I'm starting to wonder if Shepherd is perhaps beginning to foreshadow a possible romance between the two. Tom continues to be the long-suffering, yet loyal and amusing best friend. We can definitely see that he and Kris share a brother-sister bond, which makes it particularly tragic when he meets his end defending his home planet. Honovi makes more of an appearance in this book, and could be a promising character if we could just see more of him. The other characters are rather shallow. Kris's parents don't seem to receive much characterization beyond being selfish and distant. Her friends are difficult to tell apart, and, despite Shepherd's attempts, can only be characterized as "the one who has children" or "the one who has never successfully landed a ship" and so on.
I've complained in my reviews for the past books that the antagonists seemed very stereotypical and predictable. That happily isn't the case here. As I mentioned earlier, the point of view occasionally shifts to the admiral of the oncoming invasion fleet; this helped flesh the antagonists of the book out and made them more than scheming villains who are bad simply because they don't like Kris. Still, must everyone consistently comment on Kris being "one of those Longknifes?"
On a random note, I've commented on every book thus far about the cultural stereotypes. This book presents us with a group of islanders that embodies every aspect of Polynesian culture...and we were given a reason for it: they don't want to lose their roots when the rest of the planet is moving toward a very modern way of life. I'm satisfied with that and wish we could have gotten something similar with previous groups.
Also, Shepherd obviously has a certain love for naval weaponry; there are several types of guns and armament described throughout the book. While it's great that Shepherd is knowledgeable in this subject, spending so much time on the different weaponry used on the ships tended to bog the story down with largely unnecessary detail. If you are a fan of the different types of guns used on a naval spaceship, however, you might enjoy the time spent on this topic.
Overall, despite its flaws and sometimes-cheesy flavour, Kris Longknife continues to be one of my favourite series simply because of how entertaining and enjoyable the books are. "Defiant" has a mostly fast paced story, variation in settings, and a great point of view shift to the antagonists that make the story satisfying and fun. Kris is still a great character and some of the secondary characters are quirky and interesting. I also like that the author doesn't come off as pretentious; he's out to write an enjoyable novel - not a groundbreaking one. The story does drag a bit in the middle while building up to the invasion, some of the characters are a bit shallow and the tech babble regarding naval weaponry and the repetition of Kris being "one of those Longknifes" can be a bit much. Despite these flaws, this is still a great book with a fun, exciting story. I give it 4 stars...it's simply too enjoyable for the negatives to outweigh the positives.
This review is also posted on Amazon.com.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2024
I have a hard time reading these books due to the Namby-Pamby inaction of the protagonist faction in calling out or otherwise combating the antagonist faction. It has been a consistent thing for three books now; we have the bad guys doing evil shit and the good guys constantly turning the remaining three cheeks like good little halo crowned goody-two-shoes. all while somehow things work out in the end.
I perceive the protagonist factions lack of moral fortitude as harmful to my enjoyment of the story. With avoiding the taking of serious action against the devil in the room, the costs born by innocents become especially poignant. Add to that what the gross tendency to forgive the unforgivable engenders in me the reader and my dislike for the protagonist just skyrockets.
So we consistently find the main character managing overly perfect political manoeuvrings that just so happen to solve things in favour of the protagonist's faction but at what I consider an immoral cost, excusing the inexcusable in the most two-faced Christian sort of way. No real head for an eye when proven necessary, just vile forgiveness; let the sinner sin again and again at the cost to whom!? Well, at least in this book one of the main characters' close friends ends up dying, not that it will have any effect on things other than the addition of emotional - woe us - drama.
So far, that is, three books into this series, I have found the behaviour of the human peoples in this 600+ settled human world universe questionably homogeneous in nature. The lack of diversity in the human characters' behaviour, mentality and beliefs across such a vast universe raises questions about the depth of world-building in the story. I think it would have been interesting to see more varied perspectives and cultural differences amongst the human populations across these worlds, thereby adding complexity to the narrative.
I also found some questionable points in the story such as continuity/consistency, logic and contrivances such as contrived behaviour by the MC,.. ooh like telling your super smart computer to shut up when totally stupid to ignore said.
I perceive the protagonist factions lack of moral fortitude as harmful to my enjoyment of the story. With avoiding the taking of serious action against the devil in the room, the costs born by innocents become especially poignant. Add to that what the gross tendency to forgive the unforgivable engenders in me the reader and my dislike for the protagonist just skyrockets.
So we consistently find the main character managing overly perfect political manoeuvrings that just so happen to solve things in favour of the protagonist's faction but at what I consider an immoral cost, excusing the inexcusable in the most two-faced Christian sort of way. No real head for an eye when proven necessary, just vile forgiveness; let the sinner sin again and again at the cost to whom!? Well, at least in this book one of the main characters' close friends ends up dying, not that it will have any effect on things other than the addition of emotional - woe us - drama.
So far, that is, three books into this series, I have found the behaviour of the human peoples in this 600+ settled human world universe questionably homogeneous in nature. The lack of diversity in the human characters' behaviour, mentality and beliefs across such a vast universe raises questions about the depth of world-building in the story. I think it would have been interesting to see more varied perspectives and cultural differences amongst the human populations across these worlds, thereby adding complexity to the narrative.
I also found some questionable points in the story such as continuity/consistency, logic and contrivances such as contrived behaviour by the MC,.. ooh like telling your super smart computer to shut up when totally stupid to ignore said.
December 3, 2017
http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.fr/20...
Encore un super tome dans cette série, sans doute mon préféré depuis le début.
Comme le premier tome il y a en fait ici deux aventures de Kris dans le roman. Normalement je suis moins intéressée par les histoires courtes mais ici ça marche nickel, surtout qu'elles sont intéressantes et bien construites.
Dans la première Kris est envoyé par son arrière grand père régler un souci sur une planète dont la dirigeante est une de ses amie. Cette planète est un espèce de paradis tropical composé d'une grande ile/continent et d'une myriade d'iles bien plus petite. Les colons qui se sont installés la bas sont des descendant des polynésiens et ont reconstruit une société sans technologie, sur les petites iles, voulant vivre librement comme leurs ancêtres, en harmonie avec la nature.
Mais lors de la dernière guerre il y a une 50ène d'année ils ont accepté de donner le continent qu'ils n'utilisaient pas, temporairement, à des réfugiés des bombardements. Ces réfugiés ont fini par s'installer définitivement et par développer leur propre société en marge de celle des colons d'origine qui est devenue très prospère.
Le souci c'est que dés le départ les règles sont que seuls ceux vivant comme les colons d'origine sont exonérés d’impôts et peuvent voter. Du coup les anciens réfugiés sont les seuls à financer l'état actuel auquel ils n'ont pas le droit de participer et qui grâce à eux est devenu très riche. Les 2 communautés sont maintenant quasiment en guerre et il revient à Krys d'aider à trouver un terrain d'entente entre les deux.
Dans la seconde partie nous revenons à l'histoire principale. Je ne vous en dévoilerais pas trop parce qu'à ce niveau elle est déjà bien avancée mais en gros la planète d'origine de Krys est en grand danger d'invasion alors qu'elle même est mise aux arrêts lorsque le gouvernement change de main (ils essayent de déstabiliser sa famille qui était au pouvoir jusqu'ici en les couvrant de procès).
Cette attaque arrive pile poil quand la planète est totalement désarmée, résultat sa seule défense est justement l'escadron de Krys qui était en attente de son procès et donc toujours sur place. Elle va devoir trouver un moyen de contourner les règles sans les transgresser pour sauver sa planète en organisant sa défense.
Dans les deux cas nous avons des histoires qui mêlent habilement la politique, la diplomatie et l'action/aventure. Et je trouve que c'est vraiment un bon mélange.
Pour une série de SF militaire c'est sans doute la série la moins militaire que je connaisse. Au final la grande majorité du temps on ne suis pas directement le coté militaire de la chose, du moins dans ce tome c'est le cas, comme ça l'était dans le précédent aussi.
J'ai vraiment bien aimé ces histoires. La première changeait un peu de ce qu'on a l'habitude de voir dans ce genre de livres avec son coté iles tropicales, ambiance calme et tout et la seconde revenait directement dans le vif du sujet avec la tentative de défense d'une planète entière face à une attaque en règle.
Pour ce qui est du rythme surtout sur la seconde histoire on a un rythme qui ressemble pas mal à la série des Honor Harrington (même si le ton de la série et son sujet n'ont rien à voir) et notamment au tome Une guerre victorieuse et brève, c'est à dire que la préparation de l'action et le coté diplomatique prend toujours beaucoup de temps avant d'en arriver à l'action elle même. Ici ça marche pas mal parce qu'on une histoire courte, du coup la préparation ne donne pas l'impression de durer éternellement. Par contre la grosse différence de mon point de vue, c'est que le coté humain/relationnel est mieux géré ici. Tout semble fluide, les personnages évoluent et sont très attachants.
On a un nombre de personnages secondaires assez importants, et j'aime particulièrement les personnes âgées dans cette série. On a tout un casting de vieux militaires avec du bagou, intelligents et capable de se mettre de coté pour obéir à la nouvelle génération quand il le faut. Bon je sais bien que c'est un peu trop idéaliste vu comme ça (tous ne sont pas comme ça bien sur) mais ceux la sont ceux qui me plaisent le plus en général.
Au final encore un tome que j'ai vraiment bien apprécié, même si les histoires sont indépendantes elles sont bien faites et j'ai passé un excellent moment. Je lirais bien sur la suite avec plaisir !
17/20
Encore un super tome dans cette série, sans doute mon préféré depuis le début.
Comme le premier tome il y a en fait ici deux aventures de Kris dans le roman. Normalement je suis moins intéressée par les histoires courtes mais ici ça marche nickel, surtout qu'elles sont intéressantes et bien construites.
Dans la première Kris est envoyé par son arrière grand père régler un souci sur une planète dont la dirigeante est une de ses amie. Cette planète est un espèce de paradis tropical composé d'une grande ile/continent et d'une myriade d'iles bien plus petite. Les colons qui se sont installés la bas sont des descendant des polynésiens et ont reconstruit une société sans technologie, sur les petites iles, voulant vivre librement comme leurs ancêtres, en harmonie avec la nature.
Mais lors de la dernière guerre il y a une 50ène d'année ils ont accepté de donner le continent qu'ils n'utilisaient pas, temporairement, à des réfugiés des bombardements. Ces réfugiés ont fini par s'installer définitivement et par développer leur propre société en marge de celle des colons d'origine qui est devenue très prospère.
Le souci c'est que dés le départ les règles sont que seuls ceux vivant comme les colons d'origine sont exonérés d’impôts et peuvent voter. Du coup les anciens réfugiés sont les seuls à financer l'état actuel auquel ils n'ont pas le droit de participer et qui grâce à eux est devenu très riche. Les 2 communautés sont maintenant quasiment en guerre et il revient à Krys d'aider à trouver un terrain d'entente entre les deux.
Dans la seconde partie nous revenons à l'histoire principale. Je ne vous en dévoilerais pas trop parce qu'à ce niveau elle est déjà bien avancée mais en gros la planète d'origine de Krys est en grand danger d'invasion alors qu'elle même est mise aux arrêts lorsque le gouvernement change de main (ils essayent de déstabiliser sa famille qui était au pouvoir jusqu'ici en les couvrant de procès).
Cette attaque arrive pile poil quand la planète est totalement désarmée, résultat sa seule défense est justement l'escadron de Krys qui était en attente de son procès et donc toujours sur place. Elle va devoir trouver un moyen de contourner les règles sans les transgresser pour sauver sa planète en organisant sa défense.
Dans les deux cas nous avons des histoires qui mêlent habilement la politique, la diplomatie et l'action/aventure. Et je trouve que c'est vraiment un bon mélange.
Pour une série de SF militaire c'est sans doute la série la moins militaire que je connaisse. Au final la grande majorité du temps on ne suis pas directement le coté militaire de la chose, du moins dans ce tome c'est le cas, comme ça l'était dans le précédent aussi.
J'ai vraiment bien aimé ces histoires. La première changeait un peu de ce qu'on a l'habitude de voir dans ce genre de livres avec son coté iles tropicales, ambiance calme et tout et la seconde revenait directement dans le vif du sujet avec la tentative de défense d'une planète entière face à une attaque en règle.
Pour ce qui est du rythme surtout sur la seconde histoire on a un rythme qui ressemble pas mal à la série des Honor Harrington (même si le ton de la série et son sujet n'ont rien à voir) et notamment au tome Une guerre victorieuse et brève, c'est à dire que la préparation de l'action et le coté diplomatique prend toujours beaucoup de temps avant d'en arriver à l'action elle même. Ici ça marche pas mal parce qu'on une histoire courte, du coup la préparation ne donne pas l'impression de durer éternellement. Par contre la grosse différence de mon point de vue, c'est que le coté humain/relationnel est mieux géré ici. Tout semble fluide, les personnages évoluent et sont très attachants.
On a un nombre de personnages secondaires assez importants, et j'aime particulièrement les personnes âgées dans cette série. On a tout un casting de vieux militaires avec du bagou, intelligents et capable de se mettre de coté pour obéir à la nouvelle génération quand il le faut. Bon je sais bien que c'est un peu trop idéaliste vu comme ça (tous ne sont pas comme ça bien sur) mais ceux la sont ceux qui me plaisent le plus en général.
Au final encore un tome que j'ai vraiment bien apprécié, même si les histoires sont indépendantes elles sont bien faites et j'ai passé un excellent moment. Je lirais bien sur la suite avec plaisir !
17/20
August 28, 2022
Lieutenant Kris Longknife finds herself assigned to small, experimental ships designed to protect individual planets and made of the semi-smart metal that was used in an assassination attempt against her. The ships have all sorts of problems from equipment failures to the sheer impossibility of small ships taking on battlecruisers.
Before the problems can be solved, but with some hope in sight, Kris is pulled from the ship and arrested for dereliction of duty. This is a put-up case because her father's enemies have found a way to get him out of power and are using Kris's earlier mission as a way to keep him out.
While awaiting her court martial, her Great-grandfather King Ray sends her on a diplomatic mission to sit with one of his old comrades who is dying and, incidentally, convince her planet to join the United Sentients. She has a fight on her hands when off planet agitators attempt their own takeover of the planet.
Then, when returned home to Wardhaven, Kris learns that the planet's defense fleet have been sent to another potential member planet of the United Sentients just when a battle fleet of unknown origin comes to Wardhaven.
With the new government burying its head in the sand, it is up to Kris and quite a few co-conspirators to get her twelve ships functional and find a way to defeat the invading armada. Luckily, she isn't alone. Her Grandpa Al opens his space repair facilities to her, and she gets help from his crew along with private yacht captains, space tugs, the Army, the Navy, and even the local flying clubs. It is up to twenty-three-year-old Princess Kristine Longknife to meld all these elements together into a cohesive fighting force if she wants her planet to survive.
I enjoyed the planning, conniving, space battles, and soul-searching even while hating the losses of friends that were the inevitable result of the battle.
Before the problems can be solved, but with some hope in sight, Kris is pulled from the ship and arrested for dereliction of duty. This is a put-up case because her father's enemies have found a way to get him out of power and are using Kris's earlier mission as a way to keep him out.
While awaiting her court martial, her Great-grandfather King Ray sends her on a diplomatic mission to sit with one of his old comrades who is dying and, incidentally, convince her planet to join the United Sentients. She has a fight on her hands when off planet agitators attempt their own takeover of the planet.
Then, when returned home to Wardhaven, Kris learns that the planet's defense fleet have been sent to another potential member planet of the United Sentients just when a battle fleet of unknown origin comes to Wardhaven.
With the new government burying its head in the sand, it is up to Kris and quite a few co-conspirators to get her twelve ships functional and find a way to defeat the invading armada. Luckily, she isn't alone. Her Grandpa Al opens his space repair facilities to her, and she gets help from his crew along with private yacht captains, space tugs, the Army, the Navy, and even the local flying clubs. It is up to twenty-three-year-old Princess Kristine Longknife to meld all these elements together into a cohesive fighting force if she wants her planet to survive.
I enjoyed the planning, conniving, space battles, and soul-searching even while hating the losses of friends that were the inevitable result of the battle.
August 13, 2020
Author Mike Sheperd brings us Kris Longnife's next adventure with Defiant. Kris's homeworld of Wordhaven is undergoing a temporary change in government and due to her actions she is stripped of her command of the fast patrol boat 109. But she isn't thrown in to the brig she is asked by her great-gradfather King Ray to go to a world out on the fringe of human space and hold the hand of a friend who fought with him in battle so many decades ago. She takes on the job and goes but while she is gone she learns that the Peterwalds are gunning for that planet as well in order to bring them into their own government. When Kris returns she finds out that there are six warships heading from the jump point right to her door step and she takes it upon herself to take command of the decommissioned Fast Patrol Boats and recruit others to help defend their planet. Then the race is on as the clock beings to countdown to the beginning of the battle. This is a great book and I'm looking forward to reading Kris' next adventure. I highly recommend this book and series to all science fiction fans.
March 1, 2021
This series has gotten better as it goes along. This book, third in the series, is very nicely done.
The action and excitement are higher energy. The characters are really beginning to hit their stride.
Many sci-fi authors have problems writing in political sub-plots, Mike Shepherd does that very well.
It is not Shakespeare, but then again, I don't really care for Shakespeare. It is a fun read and that is fine with me.
The action and excitement are higher energy. The characters are really beginning to hit their stride.
Many sci-fi authors have problems writing in political sub-plots, Mike Shepherd does that very well.
It is not Shakespeare, but then again, I don't really care for Shakespeare. It is a fun read and that is fine with me.
February 18, 2020
Binge read/finished this book last night. OK, very early this morning. I don't know what it is about the characters and plot but just when I'm thinking to myself, "oh, sure" I keep reading. And reading. And reading.
Mr. Shepard, thanks for a very good read. I'll be back for more (after I take a nap).
Mr. Shepard, thanks for a very good read. I'll be back for more (after I take a nap).
June 3, 2020
I like it especially because of the battle. I still don’t like the subplot from the islands (still felt as a novella) the rest was well written. The battle maybe a little stretch but than also was David and Goliath story.
September 1, 2021
These are top‐notch yarns.
When I rate (assign stars) I subjectively hold back the fifth for something REALLY special.
The fact that I was teared 😢up all the way through the last chapter earned that accolade.
👏👏👏👏👏
When I rate (assign stars) I subjectively hold back the fifth for something REALLY special.
The fact that I was teared 😢up all the way through the last chapter earned that accolade.
👏👏👏👏👏
June 24, 2022
Another enjoyable entry in the Kris Longknife series. Exciting with lots of thrilling action and space battle.
Having said that however, I may never forgive Mike Shepherd for
Having said that however, I may never forgive Mike Shepherd for
November 22, 2017
Good reading
Good sci fi with believable characters. The ice defense against lasers is a little over used. Change laser frequency and burn through.
Good sci fi with believable characters. The ice defense against lasers is a little over used. Change laser frequency and burn through.
July 3, 2018
I can't read this series anymore - not good writing, IMHO
February 27, 2019
I like this series, don't get me wrong. But I feel Tommy's fate was undeserved. So 3 outta 5.
February 28, 2019
Intereting science in this universe but felt like it was trying to combine Honor Harrington with a few other SF characters. Overall it was enjoyable.
March 7, 2019
2005, really 3.5
March 28, 2019
Action, honor, sacrifice, epic battle.
June 12, 2022
Still enjoying the series
March 17, 2011
Courtesy of Lost Art Audiobook Review
http://literaryurbanfantasyreview.blo...
How many of them can we make die?
At the start of Defiant, I was expecting Down Periscope. Instead of giving Kris a real command, the Navy makes her commander of an experimental ship full of misfits no one else wants. I thought it was going to be funny and cheeky, just like the movie, except in space. That expectation was quickly squashed when Kris is arrested. The way Mike Shepherd described that arrest is worth a second listen. It’s very, very well written. It’s written with so much feeling, so much emphasis, that I expected the arrest and trial to be a focal point for the entire novel a la A Few Good Men. Again, this expectation was quickly dispelled when Kris is sent on a diplomatic mission to a planet Hikila (planet Hawaii), which turns into a hostage/terrorist situation. I was pretty shocked at how little time and energy Mike Shepherd spent on Kris’s rehabilitation from the arrest. About 8 hours into the book, Kris returns from Hikila and maybe five minutes of the audiobook are dedicated to a summary recounting of how while she was away a few people from Olympia talked to the media and charges were dropped. I would have loved to hear this part in detail. Instead, we have Tom and Penny’s wedding leading right into the major conflict of the book: the invasion.
Disjointedness aside, the invasion was wonderful. Mike Shepherd finally uses that third-person narration to get away from Kris and present us with the enemy. The enemy becomes much more realistic and the conflict more suspenseful. When Kris and her team start the plotting, the strategy talk, the prep work for the major conflict 6 hours to the end of the book, I wondered how it could be possible that anyone would expect a listener to hang in there for that long just for one fight. I was sure I’d get bored. Boy, was I wrong. Around 5 hours to the end of the book, a feeling started in the pit of my stomach, that feeling you get when you are a few hours away from giving a big speech – excitement and worry. Dread and anticipation. About 4 hours to the end of the book, I could not stop listening. I stay up until 2 a.m., on a Tuesday night, to finish the audiobook. Best part about listening to Defiant not in the car or at the gym, but on my computer? When Tom hits up the theme to the battle – “the March of Cambreadth” – I hit up youtube and listened along on repeat at a low volume.
On Narration:
I had found Dina Pearlman’s reading of the first two boos, Mutineer and Deserter, enjoyable. Sadly, I had issues with her reading of this audiobook. It started on Hikila. When good narrators give any Native American (or sensei - don’t ask me why) accents, they always slow down the speech. Unfortunately, Dina Pearlman didn’t just slow down the speech for the Hikila natives – she slowed down Kris’s speech, everyone's speech. Even Kris's internal dialogue became slow and over-emphasized from then on. It made the story sound insincere. That aside, what really killed it for me was her reading of “the March of Cambreadth.” Mike Shepherd dedicates about 2 hours integrating that song to the major fight. He quotes all the lyrics. He has Tom discuss a false history of the song and lets the listener know that it’s from the 21st century. He reiterates the chorus with Kris and her crew screaming along. They shoot on the song’s command, for crying out loud! And Dina Pearlman reads the lyrics with the cadence you would use when playing “patty cake” with a toddler. Now, I know not everyone is Marguerite Gavin, who as I mentioned here actually made up tunes in her reading of Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan/Hollows series and sang songs that never existed for the enjoyment of the listener and enhancement of the audiobook. And even fewer books are like the first few Anita Blake audiobooks produced by Penguin Audio that have sound effects (background music, shotgun sounds, footsteps, etc.). But this tune is integral to the most important part of Defiant, and the audiobook format provides an incredible opportunity that the text cannot. Moreover this song a simple Irish-like tune, very easy to hum, and very easy to find on youtube. I certainly never heard of it before listening to this book, and a google search got me everything I needed. The audiobook’s treatment of “the March of Cambreadth” is lacking - it's an opportunity missed - and, sadly, Dina Pearlman read the song like a cheerleader spells “be aggressive.”
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How many of them can we make die?
At the start of Defiant, I was expecting Down Periscope. Instead of giving Kris a real command, the Navy makes her commander of an experimental ship full of misfits no one else wants. I thought it was going to be funny and cheeky, just like the movie, except in space. That expectation was quickly squashed when Kris is arrested. The way Mike Shepherd described that arrest is worth a second listen. It’s very, very well written. It’s written with so much feeling, so much emphasis, that I expected the arrest and trial to be a focal point for the entire novel a la A Few Good Men. Again, this expectation was quickly dispelled when Kris is sent on a diplomatic mission to a planet Hikila (planet Hawaii), which turns into a hostage/terrorist situation. I was pretty shocked at how little time and energy Mike Shepherd spent on Kris’s rehabilitation from the arrest. About 8 hours into the book, Kris returns from Hikila and maybe five minutes of the audiobook are dedicated to a summary recounting of how while she was away a few people from Olympia talked to the media and charges were dropped. I would have loved to hear this part in detail. Instead, we have Tom and Penny’s wedding leading right into the major conflict of the book: the invasion.
Disjointedness aside, the invasion was wonderful. Mike Shepherd finally uses that third-person narration to get away from Kris and present us with the enemy. The enemy becomes much more realistic and the conflict more suspenseful. When Kris and her team start the plotting, the strategy talk, the prep work for the major conflict 6 hours to the end of the book, I wondered how it could be possible that anyone would expect a listener to hang in there for that long just for one fight. I was sure I’d get bored. Boy, was I wrong. Around 5 hours to the end of the book, a feeling started in the pit of my stomach, that feeling you get when you are a few hours away from giving a big speech – excitement and worry. Dread and anticipation. About 4 hours to the end of the book, I could not stop listening. I stay up until 2 a.m., on a Tuesday night, to finish the audiobook. Best part about listening to Defiant not in the car or at the gym, but on my computer? When Tom hits up the theme to the battle – “the March of Cambreadth” – I hit up youtube and listened along on repeat at a low volume.
On Narration:
I had found Dina Pearlman’s reading of the first two boos, Mutineer and Deserter, enjoyable. Sadly, I had issues with her reading of this audiobook. It started on Hikila. When good narrators give any Native American (or sensei - don’t ask me why) accents, they always slow down the speech. Unfortunately, Dina Pearlman didn’t just slow down the speech for the Hikila natives – she slowed down Kris’s speech, everyone's speech. Even Kris's internal dialogue became slow and over-emphasized from then on. It made the story sound insincere. That aside, what really killed it for me was her reading of “the March of Cambreadth.” Mike Shepherd dedicates about 2 hours integrating that song to the major fight. He quotes all the lyrics. He has Tom discuss a false history of the song and lets the listener know that it’s from the 21st century. He reiterates the chorus with Kris and her crew screaming along. They shoot on the song’s command, for crying out loud! And Dina Pearlman reads the lyrics with the cadence you would use when playing “patty cake” with a toddler. Now, I know not everyone is Marguerite Gavin, who as I mentioned here actually made up tunes in her reading of Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan/Hollows series and sang songs that never existed for the enjoyment of the listener and enhancement of the audiobook. And even fewer books are like the first few Anita Blake audiobooks produced by Penguin Audio that have sound effects (background music, shotgun sounds, footsteps, etc.). But this tune is integral to the most important part of Defiant, and the audiobook format provides an incredible opportunity that the text cannot. Moreover this song a simple Irish-like tune, very easy to hum, and very easy to find on youtube. I certainly never heard of it before listening to this book, and a google search got me everything I needed. The audiobook’s treatment of “the March of Cambreadth” is lacking - it's an opportunity missed - and, sadly, Dina Pearlman read the song like a cheerleader spells “be aggressive.”
April 13, 2012
Mike Shepherd Brings Back his A-Game!,
I recommend you read the previous books in the series (Mutineer and Deserter) prior to reading this installment.
To be honest, I had a hard time getting into this story. This installment didn't start to grab me until about page 160. Several times, prior to page 160, I put this book down, only to pick it up a moment later and convince myself that I should keep going, that the story is going to get better; and it did. I'm glad I stuck it out because the story took a magnificent turn. Not sure how it happened but all of a sudden after about page 200, the story was completely interesting, and more than just catching my interest. The storyline was phenomenal with excitement and nailing biting battle-action.
Two negatives: the author goes on too long on the finer details of battle-strategy, and at times seems immaturely impressed by having people call Kris "One of Those Longknifes" many times throughout the story.
Some positives: thankfully the author didn't give us the fashion show he did in the previous book. The author included more interesting strategic plays then he did the humdrum micro-detail of battle planning. Kris spent more time on a ship than she did dirt-side and Kris doesn't keep calling her title "this Princess thing" like she's playing it down. She wielded the title in this installment for the benefit of her home planet and didn't have people bending over backwards and catering to her, but instead, had them charging off into battle right beside her, for the greater good.
Things that keep me coming back to this series, especially, since the last installment was a bit discouraging: Kris's computer Nelly is so fascinating, I can't wait to see what the future holds for Nelly, as she slowly but surely is becoming self-aware. Also intriguing, finding out more about the ancient three civilizations who built the jump system millions of years ago.
I highly recommend this book to fellow SF readers and I look forward to reading the next book Resolute. The author brought back his A-game from book one and I hope it continues on in Resolute and beyond.
I also recommend this series, since the writing style is similar to dark urban fantasy readers, to fellow DUF readers looking for a good SF/space opera series and not a spacey-romance.
I recommend you read the previous books in the series (Mutineer and Deserter) prior to reading this installment.
To be honest, I had a hard time getting into this story. This installment didn't start to grab me until about page 160. Several times, prior to page 160, I put this book down, only to pick it up a moment later and convince myself that I should keep going, that the story is going to get better; and it did. I'm glad I stuck it out because the story took a magnificent turn. Not sure how it happened but all of a sudden after about page 200, the story was completely interesting, and more than just catching my interest. The storyline was phenomenal with excitement and nailing biting battle-action.
Two negatives: the author goes on too long on the finer details of battle-strategy, and at times seems immaturely impressed by having people call Kris "One of Those Longknifes" many times throughout the story.
Some positives: thankfully the author didn't give us the fashion show he did in the previous book. The author included more interesting strategic plays then he did the humdrum micro-detail of battle planning. Kris spent more time on a ship than she did dirt-side and Kris doesn't keep calling her title "this Princess thing" like she's playing it down. She wielded the title in this installment for the benefit of her home planet and didn't have people bending over backwards and catering to her, but instead, had them charging off into battle right beside her, for the greater good.
Things that keep me coming back to this series, especially, since the last installment was a bit discouraging: Kris's computer Nelly is so fascinating, I can't wait to see what the future holds for Nelly, as she slowly but surely is becoming self-aware. Also intriguing, finding out more about the ancient three civilizations who built the jump system millions of years ago.
I highly recommend this book to fellow SF readers and I look forward to reading the next book Resolute. The author brought back his A-game from book one and I hope it continues on in Resolute and beyond.
I also recommend this series, since the writing style is similar to dark urban fantasy readers, to fellow DUF readers looking for a good SF/space opera series and not a spacey-romance.
June 6, 2014
Mike Shepherd uses a very easy narrative style that makes the reading of his novels relatively pain free.
In his Kris Longknife series, Mike writes about the marine, and now princess, Kris Longknife. Yes, this is a space opera. No, there is no knight is shining armor. Yes, she has technology others cannot afford. No, she is not the image of beauty incarnate. Yes, it is cliché ridden, but readable.
Spoiler Alert – If you desire to read this book *** please stop here. The remainder contains plot information that may ruin the read.
Spoiler Alert – You were warned.
Kris is assigned to the planet, Chance, and takes command of the space station orbiting the planet. The station is called, believe it or not, High Chance (groan).
Okay, besides the obvious issues here, Kris is also given command of a spaceship from almost a century ago when along comes the Peterwall Consortium (honestly, if my employees were as brain dead or stupid as their employees, they would not be working). Throughout the book is the posturing of the protagonist and anti-hero.
Even with highly effective ships, the Perterwall’s are defeated. The explanation of the space battle is farfetched, but enjoyable none the less. You would think the Peterwalls would stop trying to kill Kris in the most inefficient ways.
Kris is joined by a number of her companions including the Maid with an abundant supply of weapons. Too convenient. Her unending supply of body armor and weapons should tell the reader to stop, but they do not. Why? I don’t know. Could be the words are thought out well, to a point, but still are very unbelievable. Sorry Mike, it drags down the score because of such thing. I was surprised they didn’t pull out the security net to find a hairclip.
All in all you will enjoy the books, but leave your brain at the door for there is very little thinking needed to enjoy the story.
In his Kris Longknife series, Mike writes about the marine, and now princess, Kris Longknife. Yes, this is a space opera. No, there is no knight is shining armor. Yes, she has technology others cannot afford. No, she is not the image of beauty incarnate. Yes, it is cliché ridden, but readable.
Spoiler Alert – If you desire to read this book *** please stop here. The remainder contains plot information that may ruin the read.
Spoiler Alert – You were warned.
Kris is assigned to the planet, Chance, and takes command of the space station orbiting the planet. The station is called, believe it or not, High Chance (groan).
Okay, besides the obvious issues here, Kris is also given command of a spaceship from almost a century ago when along comes the Peterwall Consortium (honestly, if my employees were as brain dead or stupid as their employees, they would not be working). Throughout the book is the posturing of the protagonist and anti-hero.
Even with highly effective ships, the Perterwall’s are defeated. The explanation of the space battle is farfetched, but enjoyable none the less. You would think the Peterwalls would stop trying to kill Kris in the most inefficient ways.
Kris is joined by a number of her companions including the Maid with an abundant supply of weapons. Too convenient. Her unending supply of body armor and weapons should tell the reader to stop, but they do not. Why? I don’t know. Could be the words are thought out well, to a point, but still are very unbelievable. Sorry Mike, it drags down the score because of such thing. I was surprised they didn’t pull out the security net to find a hairclip.
All in all you will enjoy the books, but leave your brain at the door for there is very little thinking needed to enjoy the story.
December 10, 2014
This is book three in the Longknife series. In this episode Kris faces the imminent threat to her planet. Kris is accused of stealing funds that were to go to farmers, while on leave awaiting a hearing, her great grandfather King Al sends her to see an old friend of his dying on a different plant. She returns to Wardhaven as an invasion is pending. She skirts the law and organizes a flotilla to defend Wardhaven against a force of hostile warships.
In this book we see Kris develop her command skills as she takes command of a large force of her own. The humorous prose adds delight to a fast pace, action packed suspenseful story. On the negative side I am getting tired of Shepherd’s constantly repeating the phrase “one of those Longknife’s.” I am beginning to enjoy “Nelly” Kris’s computer. I find Nelly’s development fascinating. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Dina Pearlman narrated the story.
In this book we see Kris develop her command skills as she takes command of a large force of her own. The humorous prose adds delight to a fast pace, action packed suspenseful story. On the negative side I am getting tired of Shepherd’s constantly repeating the phrase “one of those Longknife’s.” I am beginning to enjoy “Nelly” Kris’s computer. I find Nelly’s development fascinating. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Dina Pearlman narrated the story.
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