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Black Fleet Trilogy #1
Warship
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2015)In the 25th century humans have conquered space. The advent of faster-than-light travel has opened up hundreds of habitable planets for colonization, and humans have exploited the virtually limitless space and resources for hundreds of years with impunity.
So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy? Would humanity fold and surrender, or would they return to their evolutionary roots and meet force with force? One ship—and one captain—will soon be faced with this very choice.
Against incredible odds, Jackson Wolfe is determined to save humanity–and in the process, might end up saving himself.
So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy? Would humanity fold and surrender, or would they return to their evolutionary roots and meet force with force? One ship—and one captain—will soon be faced with this very choice.
Against incredible odds, Jackson Wolfe is determined to save humanity–and in the process, might end up saving himself.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 631 reviews
March 21, 2015
Faster than Light travel has been a Godsend to humanity. With unlimited resources and unlimited planets to colonize, the wars of the twenty-first and twenty-second centuries are a distant, uncomfortable memory of a darker, more savage past. With no shooting war in over a hundred years, the interstellar navies of the loosely aligned human states, atrophy. The new, sleek, ultra-modern ships = while powerful - are built more for shuttling civilians about space than for honest-to-goodness in your face combat.
The Blue Jacket is an anachronism of that more lethal age. Although built after the last war, it was still built with war in mind. Massive plating and shields line her hull. Multiple, redundant systems run through her bones. The old girl even carries a battery of rail guns designed for close ship-to-ship combat rather than lobbing missiles across mind-boggling distances. The point being that Bluejacket despite her age was intended to take a punch.
Like the Blue Jacket, her commander, Jackson Wolfe, is a misfit in the new navy as well. He's from old Earth rather than the new colonies. It is common knowledge that only the best and the brightest were siphoned off to settle the stars. The people who remained behind actually still fought the occasional police action or ground war! They just weren't as bright and enlightened as the off-worlders. They were also browner.
Wolfe and Blue Jacket are rushed out of dry dock on a seemingly pointless mission. They are to shuttle an arrogant politician's aide to an unspecified location. The Admiral also lets Wolfe know that this will be Blue Jacket's last mission. When they return the ship will be salvaged for scrap. There is no need for an old, relic like the Blue Jacket in an era of budget cuts. And there is no room for an Earther as captain in the new navy.
Surprise, surprise! Things do not go according to plan. Blue Jacket finds a devastated colony planet. All two million inhabitants are gone as are the cities and towns. Jumping to the next system they find another devastated system - and this time there is a massive, alien ship in orbit. The Blue Jacket engages the alien craft. The two ships engage in a series of savage engagements across multiple systems.
The Blue Jacket is bruised and battered, but she's game for the contest. Her multiple redundant systems, her thick armor, and even her antiquated rail guns save her skin time and time again. That and her crew's creativity help them protect multiple human colonies from certain annihilation. When the end comes, the old girl gives as good as she gets.
Wow! I'd been hankering for some good spaceship battles, and this book came out of nowhere to deliver. I can't even remember how it wound up in my kindle, but thank goodness it did. This book was utterly unexpected and so, so much fun. I have no doubt that low expectations played a part in my enjoyment, but the book was a blast.
Four and a half stars rounded down to four. From an enjoyment perspective, I'd give the book five stars, but I just can't do that. It was too linear. I predicted almost everything that happened in the story. But I think that is OK. Sometimes it's not about originality and newness. Sometimes it's just about fun. And this book was packed with fun. When the shooting started, it just never let up.
The Blue Jacket is an anachronism of that more lethal age. Although built after the last war, it was still built with war in mind. Massive plating and shields line her hull. Multiple, redundant systems run through her bones. The old girl even carries a battery of rail guns designed for close ship-to-ship combat rather than lobbing missiles across mind-boggling distances. The point being that Bluejacket despite her age was intended to take a punch.
Like the Blue Jacket, her commander, Jackson Wolfe, is a misfit in the new navy as well. He's from old Earth rather than the new colonies. It is common knowledge that only the best and the brightest were siphoned off to settle the stars. The people who remained behind actually still fought the occasional police action or ground war! They just weren't as bright and enlightened as the off-worlders. They were also browner.
Wolfe and Blue Jacket are rushed out of dry dock on a seemingly pointless mission. They are to shuttle an arrogant politician's aide to an unspecified location. The Admiral also lets Wolfe know that this will be Blue Jacket's last mission. When they return the ship will be salvaged for scrap. There is no need for an old, relic like the Blue Jacket in an era of budget cuts. And there is no room for an Earther as captain in the new navy.
Surprise, surprise! Things do not go according to plan. Blue Jacket finds a devastated colony planet. All two million inhabitants are gone as are the cities and towns. Jumping to the next system they find another devastated system - and this time there is a massive, alien ship in orbit. The Blue Jacket engages the alien craft. The two ships engage in a series of savage engagements across multiple systems.
The Blue Jacket is bruised and battered, but she's game for the contest. Her multiple redundant systems, her thick armor, and even her antiquated rail guns save her skin time and time again. That and her crew's creativity help them protect multiple human colonies from certain annihilation. When the end comes, the old girl gives as good as she gets.
Wow! I'd been hankering for some good spaceship battles, and this book came out of nowhere to deliver. I can't even remember how it wound up in my kindle, but thank goodness it did. This book was utterly unexpected and so, so much fun. I have no doubt that low expectations played a part in my enjoyment, but the book was a blast.
Four and a half stars rounded down to four. From an enjoyment perspective, I'd give the book five stars, but I just can't do that. It was too linear. I predicted almost everything that happened in the story. But I think that is OK. Sometimes it's not about originality and newness. Sometimes it's just about fun. And this book was packed with fun. When the shooting started, it just never let up.
June 6, 2016
Okay...weirdness. The plot in this series and the plot in another series I picked up about the same time is/are so close that it's...well the books should be pictured in the dictionary next to the word, "uncanny".
Civilization spreading in an explosive way after FTL travel is developed... No war for so long humans have become complacent... One ship placed in a situation where it has to stand against incredible odds.
Still it's not really a been there done that. It's handled well and I can also recommend these.
Enjoy.
Civilization spreading in an explosive way after FTL travel is developed... No war for so long humans have become complacent... One ship placed in a situation where it has to stand against incredible odds.
Still it's not really a been there done that. It's handled well and I can also recommend these.
Enjoy.
December 5, 2023
Another novel that came out of nowhere and pressed all the right buttons.
This may well be a triumph of style over substance, that’s to say there aren’t too many new ideas here but the story is executed in commendable fashion. I found Warship to be suspenseful, thrilling and ultimately entertaining. The novel is very focused and trimmed of excess (for the most part). In the end it was everything I was hoping for, given the genre, and a good example of how to keep things both taut and interesting without cluttering the pages with too many characters and sub-plots. Good old-fashioned storytelling, but with just enough of a high-tech edge.
Yes, the author is working with some tried and tested conventions here, but so what? If it’s a good book I don’t give two hoots. Any book that can grip me as completely as Warship did, is going to get a high rating.
My one gripe with the book is purely cosmetical: the pages in the paperback aren’t numbered, which was just ever so slightly annoying because I don’t use a bookmark (I usually just remember which page I’m on, give or take).
I have ordered the rest of the trilogy from Amazon, ‘nuff said. 4.5 stars, rounded up because I can (and I don’t get paid for this so I can pretty much hand out stars like confetti if I feel like it).
This may well be a triumph of style over substance, that’s to say there aren’t too many new ideas here but the story is executed in commendable fashion. I found Warship to be suspenseful, thrilling and ultimately entertaining. The novel is very focused and trimmed of excess (for the most part). In the end it was everything I was hoping for, given the genre, and a good example of how to keep things both taut and interesting without cluttering the pages with too many characters and sub-plots. Good old-fashioned storytelling, but with just enough of a high-tech edge.
Yes, the author is working with some tried and tested conventions here, but so what? If it’s a good book I don’t give two hoots. Any book that can grip me as completely as Warship did, is going to get a high rating.
My one gripe with the book is purely cosmetical: the pages in the paperback aren’t numbered, which was just ever so slightly annoying because I don’t use a bookmark (I usually just remember which page I’m on, give or take).
I have ordered the rest of the trilogy from Amazon, ‘nuff said. 4.5 stars, rounded up because I can (and I don’t get paid for this so I can pretty much hand out stars like confetti if I feel like it).
January 25, 2015
A frustrating read that never really left the starport. The book is concerned with the last hurrah of an aggrieved captain on a condemned ship. The inane descriptive passages coupled with vapid character interactions meant that the periods of downtime were tedious at best. The battle sequences were underwhelming and a silent enemy provided little excitement. The ship's hierarchy was well crafted and believable but an improbable mutiny was an unnecessary development. The impossible escape and the notion that a war hero would be allowed to dither under armed guard until all was righted at the final hour was preposterous and scuttled the denouement. The author acknowledged that the book was based on an earlier work and one cannot but feel further refinement was required or at least a long stay in the maintenance bay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2015
WARSHIP is a book in which the Captain of said ship gets in and out of his chair on the bridge a whole lot. Basically when you look through the outer wrapping it is a novel about a few people who sit in a room together. If that sounds boring to you imagine actually reading the entire 296 pages.
The inevitable foe that WARSHIP fights displays levels of technology that should wipe the Captain and his crew from existence. But dogged determinism, a never-give-up attitude and some plain old good luck save the day. Or in other words: The plot is laboured, trite and cliched, the characters are paper thin caricatures of recycled pop icons and a lack of creativity is evident throughout the entire book.
This book really deserved one-star but I loved that the Winters bitch got it in the end. Hence the extra star.
By awarding WARSHIP two stars I mean only one thing, without the wonders of amazon’s self-publishing platform no-one apart from the author and his mum would have ever read this book.
The inevitable foe that WARSHIP fights displays levels of technology that should wipe the Captain and his crew from existence. But dogged determinism, a never-give-up attitude and some plain old good luck save the day. Or in other words: The plot is laboured, trite and cliched, the characters are paper thin caricatures of recycled pop icons and a lack of creativity is evident throughout the entire book.
This book really deserved one-star but I loved that the Winters bitch got it in the end. Hence the extra star.
By awarding WARSHIP two stars I mean only one thing, without the wonders of amazon’s self-publishing platform no-one apart from the author and his mum would have ever read this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2015
Vrlo zabavna, mada predvidiva, space opera. Slabo toga je originalno, od likova do dogadjaja ali opet sve je nekako fino upakovano da mi je leglo. Lako se cita, koristi tek kolko treba terminologije da ideju kako je nesto moguce ali ne ulazi previse u detalje tako da je vecina knjige nesto sto se desava umesto ekspozicije.
Isto tako svidja mi se i postavka svemira, odnosno cinjenica posto je svemir tako velik a imamo tehnologiju da brzo putujemo nema vise ratova za resorse ili mesto za zivot. Samim tim kada se desi nesto nepredvidjeno nisu bas spremni za to.
Kao sto rekoh zabavno. Nikakvo remek delo al taman stivo koje me je interesovalo da citam.
Isto tako svidja mi se i postavka svemira, odnosno cinjenica posto je svemir tako velik a imamo tehnologiju da brzo putujemo nema vise ratova za resorse ili mesto za zivot. Samim tim kada se desi nesto nepredvidjeno nisu bas spremni za to.
Kao sto rekoh zabavno. Nikakvo remek delo al taman stivo koje me je interesovalo da citam.
December 2, 2019
First and foremost, I have to say the book is not bad. Or maybe just not terrible. I mean, I am giving it two stars. Two stars is not terrible... right?
Be that as it may, it does have a lot of flaws: I could not help but feel the writing had a definite sloppiness about it, for example. Like the penchant for repeating words over and over, terms, whole phrases or ideas. A lot of things also felt like padding, in both first and second half of the books, though in the second half stuff was at least happening. Most of the time.
I get that the first half might have been meant mostly to establish characters and do some world-building (The latter of which I enjoyed well enough) but at least as far as characters go, there are none that are terribly interesting. The MC feels like a thinly disguised generic bad-ass with troubled past and drinking problem, and the rest of the cast are not too terribly better. We spend a lot of time revolving around the ship, giving orders and waiting, but not much, if any, of that time is spent exploring those characters and their reaction to such a huge, world-changing event beyond a few shallow lines.
But yeah, despite all the above, the book entertains. Whether that is enough or not is up to you. As for me, I am not actually sure whether I'll read or not the second entry. I might just give it a try to see if the author does get better at it, and learns from the missed opportunities here.
Be that as it may, it does have a lot of flaws: I could not help but feel the writing had a definite sloppiness about it, for example. Like the penchant for repeating words over and over, terms, whole phrases or ideas. A lot of things also felt like padding, in both first and second half of the books, though in the second half stuff was at least happening. Most of the time.
I get that the first half might have been meant mostly to establish characters and do some world-building (The latter of which I enjoyed well enough) but at least as far as characters go, there are none that are terribly interesting. The MC feels like a thinly disguised generic bad-ass with troubled past and drinking problem, and the rest of the cast are not too terribly better. We spend a lot of time revolving around the ship, giving orders and waiting, but not much, if any, of that time is spent exploring those characters and their reaction to such a huge, world-changing event beyond a few shallow lines.
But yeah, despite all the above, the book entertains. Whether that is enough or not is up to you. As for me, I am not actually sure whether I'll read or not the second entry. I might just give it a try to see if the author does get better at it, and learns from the missed opportunities here.
January 31, 2015
Nice start, can't wait for the next book. This read started off a little slow and ended with a bang; literally, mag-cannons, laser batteries, missiles and nukes.
The first thing I ask when I start a military sci-fi novel is what type of combat: here it is ship-ship (versus space marines, ground combat).
The book is a light and quick read. Not hard scifi, but enough of a nod to science-physics to keep things honest. When the fighting starts (about midway through the book) it is non-stop straight through to the end.
Looking forward to the next installment and would recommend it to anyone looking for their next military scifi read.
The first thing I ask when I start a military sci-fi novel is what type of combat: here it is ship-ship (versus space marines, ground combat).
The book is a light and quick read. Not hard scifi, but enough of a nod to science-physics to keep things honest. When the fighting starts (about midway through the book) it is non-stop straight through to the end.
Looking forward to the next installment and would recommend it to anyone looking for their next military scifi read.
February 20, 2017
A great military scifi story. Review to follow.
October 24, 2018
I liked the story line, but I didn't connect or care about the characters and didn't really get excited about anything going on. it was solid, jut not for me. I think it needed more "flesh". I may check out book 2.
August 21, 2015
VERY Military SF with Alien Space Battles
This book is perfect for everyone who yearns for more science fiction in the mode of the original Star Trek.
This book is perfect for everyone who yearns for more science fiction in the mode of the original Star Trek.
May 23, 2017
I have been reading science fiction for over 40 years and 'Warship' by Joshua Dalzelle has to rank among some of the best in space warfare.
The characters are very well developed and you truly care what happens to them.
Granted this is science fiction, but the author has obviously spent a great amount of time working out the science for his universe. Much is based on current theories and it is written and explained very well. As a science geek, I look for that in the stories I read. Yes, there can be and are great stories that bypass the science to focus on other things, but when the science is used and explained, it needs to be done as well as Dalzelle has done here.
Not only is this a story of man's expansion throughout the universe, it is also a cautionary tale of probabilities. Just what or who else is out there and how will they react to us grabbing world after world?
Jackson Wolfe is the Captain of the TCS Blue Jacket, DS-701. A Raptor-class destroyer, part of the Black Fleet. A fleet of aged ships in a time of peace.
Peace that is going to slip away in a dramatic fashion and Captain Wolfe and his crew will be the ones to confront the cause.
I am looking forward to reading the next two novels in the trilogy and am quite unhappy I don't have them at hand.
The characters are very well developed and you truly care what happens to them.
Granted this is science fiction, but the author has obviously spent a great amount of time working out the science for his universe. Much is based on current theories and it is written and explained very well. As a science geek, I look for that in the stories I read. Yes, there can be and are great stories that bypass the science to focus on other things, but when the science is used and explained, it needs to be done as well as Dalzelle has done here.
Not only is this a story of man's expansion throughout the universe, it is also a cautionary tale of probabilities. Just what or who else is out there and how will they react to us grabbing world after world?
Jackson Wolfe is the Captain of the TCS Blue Jacket, DS-701. A Raptor-class destroyer, part of the Black Fleet. A fleet of aged ships in a time of peace.
Peace that is going to slip away in a dramatic fashion and Captain Wolfe and his crew will be the ones to confront the cause.
I am looking forward to reading the next two novels in the trilogy and am quite unhappy I don't have them at hand.
September 25, 2016
Definitely a page turner with a satisfying ending. There are a lot of reused tropes that you likely pick up if you are a any kind of "star fleet" fan. The captain with the tarnished record, the insubordinate crew and dumb bureaucrats but crafted in a way that makes it a pleasure to read. It's really about the action and the characters. I pretty much binge read this book and will probably read the rest of the Trilogy.
November 9, 2023
A gripping military space opera I could barely put down.
June 23, 2017
You can guess what it is about just by looking at its cover and you might have read another book that has a similar plot. But the character buildup done by Joshua Dalzelle and the descriptions of the space engagements are top notch.
So first the plot - Humans have finally conquered space and believe it or not they have explored and found just vacuum. Its dark out there and they are the only ones with a candle. So they have left earth for greener pastures. Having found nothing they have grown complacent and pencil pushers are th norm. In this drab universe we find Captain Jackson Wolfe. A native Earther (there seems to be a stigma attached to earthers by the Spacers) added to this he serves in the Black Fleet or the Dumping Ground for the Military miscreants. After his ship the Blue Jacket a Raptor class destroyer goes in for a refit they are harassed out of dock for what seems to be a glorified transportation assignment. The crew including the brand new XO feel annoyed. But it all leads up to a final mission to go out and check a patrol ship sudden loss of communication.
What they don't know is that an Alien race are sending a gigantic ship. They have devastated complete solar systems, the Blue Jacket and Captain Jackson Wolfe turn out to be Humanities first line of defense. Its in this battles that the novel really shines.
So first the plot - Humans have finally conquered space and believe it or not they have explored and found just vacuum. Its dark out there and they are the only ones with a candle. So they have left earth for greener pastures. Having found nothing they have grown complacent and pencil pushers are th norm. In this drab universe we find Captain Jackson Wolfe. A native Earther (there seems to be a stigma attached to earthers by the Spacers) added to this he serves in the Black Fleet or the Dumping Ground for the Military miscreants. After his ship the Blue Jacket a Raptor class destroyer goes in for a refit they are harassed out of dock for what seems to be a glorified transportation assignment. The crew including the brand new XO feel annoyed. But it all leads up to a final mission to go out and check a patrol ship sudden loss of communication.
What they don't know is that an Alien race are sending a gigantic ship. They have devastated complete solar systems, the Blue Jacket and Captain Jackson Wolfe turn out to be Humanities first line of defense. Its in this battles that the novel really shines.
Read
March 7, 2024Narrated by Mark Boyett. In the 25th century humans have colonised hundreds of planets. War is a thing of the past, so the Black Fleet is being wound up and the obsolete battleships decommissioned. Captain Jackson Wolfe, captain of the last warship, will soon be out of a job. Wolfe, cursed with a commanding officer who hates him, a crew renowned for its disciplinary problems, and a tendency to take solace in alcohol is not in the best position to repel a powerful alien vessel, but he’s the only one on the spot when two colonies are destroyed by something that looks like an asteroid, but is definitely an alien ship, one that outclasses Wolfe and his crew in every way. Despite the tendency to go into great detail about the ship’s nuts and bolts and how they all wor (which seems to be a feature of military SF) this fairly zips along. The narration is well done and it kept me listening.
October 9, 2021
We’ve got this rug at our place. It’s old and dingy, it’s a few tones of green so drab it appears grey. But it’s got this cool sort of mosaic design to it. As an artiste, I took it upon myself to fix.
All I have to do is color a few thousand pieces of fabric that look more like a kitchen backsplash than they do a rug into something nice. The missus has tons of fabric paint in every imaginable color. So, I decide to give it a go and see what I can do.
In the interest of space. I learned a few things.
1: Painting the rug is fine. It seemed stupid to me to consider it at all, but it really works. It bonds well with the material and doesn’t flake off or bleed out of the area I want it to.
2: Um, to do it well it takes time. I could slap some paint over it relatively quickly if I wanted to, but I’ve already mentioned the mosaic design it has, so I’m treating it like it is a mosiac, each teeny, little square is its own thing, and needs its own attention. I listened to this book in its entirety, its sequel, as well as a third book unrelated to this in any way.
3: It looks goddammned amazing.
4: I’m not even 30% done.
5: It was my wife’s idea, I was skeptical and wanted no part of it, and then I saw her the vision for it, changed it, and demanded the right to completely take it over before she had a chance to start.
So, I’ll end up with the best-looking rug on earth, one day. The rug itself was either cheap, or free, but I’ll probably run through $100 in paint before I’m done. That’s okay, it’ll be worth more to me than a dump truck filled with gold.
Anyways, like I said, I listened to this book, it’s one of those free-if-you-have-audible books that Audible is using in its ‘plus catalog,’ which is filled with mostly older works (like, out-of-copyright) or past its prime sort of stories. This one happened to be a diamond in there just waiting for me to find.
It is military sf, which I know nothing about, it’s all “Yes, sir” and “Quartermaster on deck, sir!” sort of dialog, along with what appears to be real-time breakdowns of space battles (meaning, if an hour passed in the fictional world of the book during a battle, it also took an hour for me to listen to). It was full of tactics and jargon and missile-this and torpedo-that.
That isn’t what made it good. It was the down-on-his-luck captain that was trying to overcome out-of-touch superiors, racist peers, unmotivated underlings, and his own alcoholism while fighting, alone, a vastly superior alien species.
So yeah, it was good. I recommend it.
All I have to do is color a few thousand pieces of fabric that look more like a kitchen backsplash than they do a rug into something nice. The missus has tons of fabric paint in every imaginable color. So, I decide to give it a go and see what I can do.
In the interest of space. I learned a few things.
1: Painting the rug is fine. It seemed stupid to me to consider it at all, but it really works. It bonds well with the material and doesn’t flake off or bleed out of the area I want it to.
2: Um, to do it well it takes time. I could slap some paint over it relatively quickly if I wanted to, but I’ve already mentioned the mosaic design it has, so I’m treating it like it is a mosiac, each teeny, little square is its own thing, and needs its own attention. I listened to this book in its entirety, its sequel, as well as a third book unrelated to this in any way.
3: It looks goddammned amazing.
4: I’m not even 30% done.
5: It was my wife’s idea, I was skeptical and wanted no part of it, and then I saw her the vision for it, changed it, and demanded the right to completely take it over before she had a chance to start.
So, I’ll end up with the best-looking rug on earth, one day. The rug itself was either cheap, or free, but I’ll probably run through $100 in paint before I’m done. That’s okay, it’ll be worth more to me than a dump truck filled with gold.
Anyways, like I said, I listened to this book, it’s one of those free-if-you-have-audible books that Audible is using in its ‘plus catalog,’ which is filled with mostly older works (like, out-of-copyright) or past its prime sort of stories. This one happened to be a diamond in there just waiting for me to find.
It is military sf, which I know nothing about, it’s all “Yes, sir” and “Quartermaster on deck, sir!” sort of dialog, along with what appears to be real-time breakdowns of space battles (meaning, if an hour passed in the fictional world of the book during a battle, it also took an hour for me to listen to). It was full of tactics and jargon and missile-this and torpedo-that.
That isn’t what made it good. It was the down-on-his-luck captain that was trying to overcome out-of-touch superiors, racist peers, unmotivated underlings, and his own alcoholism while fighting, alone, a vastly superior alien species.
So yeah, it was good. I recommend it.
October 27, 2015
This is a pretty good piece of military science fiction that should please most people that are into these kind of books. It is perhaps somewhat light reading but it is a good adventure story with plenty of likable characters, a good somewhat mysterious enemy and quite good ship versus ship action.
This is the, not too original, story about a hero that is not exactly in favour by the upper brass of the navy he is on. Partly because of his origin (Earth) but also because a lot of the upper brass is appointed, not by virtue of their competence, but by their political skills and their support from the usually incompetent politicians.
Not too surprisingly our hero have to fight an uphill battle, even after it is evident that there is a clear and present threat to humanity. Also not to surprising he manages to come out pretty much on top much owing to the fact that he is indeed a good starship captain.
The book introduces several characters, some of which start off being not so likeable. However in a few twists, some more unexpected than others, a lot of the characters turns out to be not only likeable but even allies of our hero. I quite liked the Aston Lynch / Pike character. He was one of the more surprising twists in the story.
One thing that I really liked with this book is that the despicable, manipulating, useless and generally destructive politicians do not really get the upper hand. On the contrary, the worst of them gets the very treatment that I whish we could bestow on some of our present day useless oxygen wasters.
As a whole this was a pleasant, perhaps somewhat quick, read that is well enough written, has nice characters and have ship to ship combat that can stand up to the work of some of the better authors in the genre.
This is the, not too original, story about a hero that is not exactly in favour by the upper brass of the navy he is on. Partly because of his origin (Earth) but also because a lot of the upper brass is appointed, not by virtue of their competence, but by their political skills and their support from the usually incompetent politicians.
Not too surprisingly our hero have to fight an uphill battle, even after it is evident that there is a clear and present threat to humanity. Also not to surprising he manages to come out pretty much on top much owing to the fact that he is indeed a good starship captain.
The book introduces several characters, some of which start off being not so likeable. However in a few twists, some more unexpected than others, a lot of the characters turns out to be not only likeable but even allies of our hero. I quite liked the Aston Lynch / Pike character. He was one of the more surprising twists in the story.
One thing that I really liked with this book is that the despicable, manipulating, useless and generally destructive politicians do not really get the upper hand. On the contrary, the worst of them gets the very treatment that I whish we could bestow on some of our present day useless oxygen wasters.
As a whole this was a pleasant, perhaps somewhat quick, read that is well enough written, has nice characters and have ship to ship combat that can stand up to the work of some of the better authors in the genre.
May 25, 2015
An old warship, on its last legs with a reject crew and captain with an unfortunate ancestry - not exactly the ideal combination to be sending into war. I enjoyed this book, though it does invite comparison to the Dauntless Lost Feet series by Jack Campbell. I liked the characters and universe enough to return for book 2 in the series. Its a reasonably short novel. It doesn't have a great deal of depth but its a decent start.
November 23, 2015
Поразительно, какое количество осточертевших клише можно уместить в одну небольшую книгу.
Капитан дестроера оказывается первой, последней и единственной линией защиты на пути неизвестной силы, уничтожающей колонию за колонией, пока командование считает, что у того начались галлюцинации? ЧТО ЖЕ БУДЕТ ДАЛЬШЕ.
Варп-драйв был не создан людьми, а реверснут с уцелевших обломков разбившегося корабля пришельцев? ДА ЧТО ВЫ ГОВОРИТЕ.
НО ЧТО ЖЕ ЭТО - ПРОДВИНУТАЯ БИОТЕХНОЛОГИЯ, ОГРОМНЫЙ ЖИВОЙ ОРГАНИЗМ, ИЛИ ПОЛНОЕ ТВОРЧЕСКОЕ БЕССИЛИЕ?
Почитайте лучше Blindsight.
Капитан дестроера оказывается первой, последней и единственной линией защиты на пути неизвестной силы, уничтожающей колонию за колонией, пока командование считает, что у того начались галлюцинации? ЧТО ЖЕ БУДЕТ ДАЛЬШЕ.
Варп-драйв был не создан людьми, а реверснут с уцелевших обломков разбившегося корабля пришельцев? ДА ЧТО ВЫ ГОВОРИТЕ.
НО ЧТО ЖЕ ЭТО - ПРОДВИНУТАЯ БИОТЕХНОЛОГИЯ, ОГРОМНЫЙ ЖИВОЙ ОРГАНИЗМ, ИЛИ ПОЛНОЕ ТВОРЧЕСКОЕ БЕССИЛИЕ?
Почитайте лучше Blindsight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2022
Decent space opera, that mainly focuses on the political fracturing of the human race hundreds of years from now as they have expanded to multiple systems and planets, but have not encountered competition from other species until now. General corporate structures and nation/regional alliances are maintained, but humanity has not fought a war in centuries even as they have maintained a military leading to gaps in overall preparedness. Overall did not blow me away, but interested me enough to read the 2nd book in the trilogy.
June 29, 2015
Pretty Good Star Trek Style Book
This book has a very "Star Trek" feel to it. This is a military sci-fi novel and it follows a rather predictable path. If you enjoy the feel of being "on the bridge" of a starship then you'll enjoy this book. I found it a bit slow at times but the battle scenes were exciting. While there's not much in the way of creating new ideas or a unique universe it's still a good start to a trilogy for this genre.
This book has a very "Star Trek" feel to it. This is a military sci-fi novel and it follows a rather predictable path. If you enjoy the feel of being "on the bridge" of a starship then you'll enjoy this book. I found it a bit slow at times but the battle scenes were exciting. While there's not much in the way of creating new ideas or a unique universe it's still a good start to a trilogy for this genre.
December 8, 2015
Military science fiction tale about a future humanity that has been at war for 200 years and what happens when an alien ship is encountered that is destroying worlds and everything and everyone on them. The odds are against them but they've never met Jackson Wolfe before.
Part of a trilogy, I've already ordered the next two books
Recommended
Part of a trilogy, I've already ordered the next two books
Recommended
September 5, 2016
Hned jak se to prehoupne pres povinne seznamovaci detaily, tak vas kniha chytne, nepusti a prectete ji jednim dechem. Odpustite silene hnusnou Cz obalku, par korektorskych chybek, kycovite jmeno hlavniho hrdiny a uzijete si starou dobrou hardcore sci-fi valecnou jizdu. A ted zase sedet a marne cekat dalsi rok na pokracovani....
January 14, 2018
This is an excellent piece of military Science Fiction. It is easily comparable to works by John Ringo and David Weber. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
June 28, 2022
Several cuts above most military scifi out there. It’s fun scifi with an authentic military twist by someone who can write well. Thumbs up from me.
Read
November 4, 2022starts slow, but very exciting battles. It's very Navy. Excellent narrator.
January 5, 2023
I was in the mood for a good-ol military SF story, and this one pretty much filled that need.
Jackson Wolfe is a down on his luck Captain commanding an old and poorly maintained destroyer, the Blue Jacket, on her last voyage. He has had a long struggle to gain even this command -- he is a "filthy Earther" after all. He has some personal problems and crew problems weighing on him too. But, no need to feel too sorry for him. He is one of those "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" types.
His ship is dispatched to deliver a mysterious passenger to a rendezvous and then sent to on to investigate odd occurrences including a missing ship in a rim world system. That is where they run into big trouble. Humanity has finally met up with an alien intelligence -- an advanced, hostile, and very odd alien intelligence. They are not inclined to play nice.
From that point on (about halfway through the book) the action is hot and heavy. The Blue Jacket engages in running space battles with all kinds of weapons being used --heavy lasers, magnetic cannons, missiles, and plasma beams. Every engagement is do-or-die. During all this Captain Wolfe has to deal not only with the powerful enemy, but also with the creaky systems in the old ship and his less than optimal crew.
There are some unexpected twists in the story, but it finishes with a satisfactory ending that sets things up for additional stories.
All in all good military SF. To me it is more space opera than hard SF (though there is quite a bit of tech-talk).
Mark Boyett's narration is quite good.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Jackson Wolfe is a down on his luck Captain commanding an old and poorly maintained destroyer, the Blue Jacket, on her last voyage. He has had a long struggle to gain even this command -- he is a "filthy Earther" after all. He has some personal problems and crew problems weighing on him too. But, no need to feel too sorry for him. He is one of those "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" types.
His ship is dispatched to deliver a mysterious passenger to a rendezvous and then sent to on to investigate odd occurrences including a missing ship in a rim world system. That is where they run into big trouble. Humanity has finally met up with an alien intelligence -- an advanced, hostile, and very odd alien intelligence. They are not inclined to play nice.
From that point on (about halfway through the book) the action is hot and heavy. The Blue Jacket engages in running space battles with all kinds of weapons being used --heavy lasers, magnetic cannons, missiles, and plasma beams. Every engagement is do-or-die. During all this Captain Wolfe has to deal not only with the powerful enemy, but also with the creaky systems in the old ship and his less than optimal crew.
There are some unexpected twists in the story, but it finishes with a satisfactory ending that sets things up for additional stories.
All in all good military SF. To me it is more space opera than hard SF (though there is quite a bit of tech-talk).
Mark Boyett's narration is quite good.
3.5 stars rounded up.
December 25, 2023
A solid naval sci-fi starter novel.
2015's "Warship" shows promise. Humanity has started to colonize planets outside of our solar system but for all that time, no alien (hostile or otherwise) have been found and for 200+ years, the navy has not seen combat and its ships are getting long in the tooth.
Enter Captain Jackson Wolfe and his soon-to-be-mothballed destroyer Bluejacket, sent on an unspecified rendezvous mission with a passenger who makes no real attempt to hide the fact he's a spy. Despite being undermanned and with those he does have, most are trash that have been passed around the fleet, Jackson does his best with what he has (including his own drinking problem). But along the way, a mysterious signal from a colony planet reveals said planet has been completely wiped out.
Enter the aliens. Or specifically, the one alien ship that seems to be the culprit. Wolfe sends a message back to headquarters that isn't believed because of reasons, so Wolfe and his crew are stuck being the only thing standing in the way of this new threat and nearby colony planets.
And he's fighting a mutiny.
Overall, it's not a bad start. Wolfe's behavior as Captain sometimes runs a little inhuman/martinet -- like a caricature of a ship captain than a human being but given that he's not exactly a GOOD captain (given his status, ship, and crew), this can be forgiven.
Very little about the aliens is explained in this first volume, which is forgivable because nobody knows yet, but hopefully, there's more to them than merely "threat." We shall see.
2015's "Warship" shows promise. Humanity has started to colonize planets outside of our solar system but for all that time, no alien (hostile or otherwise) have been found and for 200+ years, the navy has not seen combat and its ships are getting long in the tooth.
Enter Captain Jackson Wolfe and his soon-to-be-mothballed destroyer Bluejacket, sent on an unspecified rendezvous mission with a passenger who makes no real attempt to hide the fact he's a spy. Despite being undermanned and with those he does have, most are trash that have been passed around the fleet, Jackson does his best with what he has (including his own drinking problem). But along the way, a mysterious signal from a colony planet reveals said planet has been completely wiped out.
Enter the aliens. Or specifically, the one alien ship that seems to be the culprit. Wolfe sends a message back to headquarters that isn't believed because of reasons, so Wolfe and his crew are stuck being the only thing standing in the way of this new threat and nearby colony planets.
And he's fighting a mutiny.
Overall, it's not a bad start. Wolfe's behavior as Captain sometimes runs a little inhuman/martinet -- like a caricature of a ship captain than a human being but given that he's not exactly a GOOD captain (given his status, ship, and crew), this can be forgiven.
Very little about the aliens is explained in this first volume, which is forgivable because nobody knows yet, but hopefully, there's more to them than merely "threat." We shall see.
April 3, 2025
Warship is a particular flavour of sci-fi that just isn't for me. While I have read and enjoyed military sci-fi in the past, this one is much more military than it is sci-fi. The characters, the way they act and talk, and the environment are all very emblematic of this.
The plot and setting are quite interesting. In a future where conflict of any kind are pretty much non-existent and humans have begun to colonise other star systems, a space vessel comes across a "terrifying new enemy". However, I found myself wanting more, particularly in terms of world building. There is a bit of an info dump in the epilogue that reveals a few really interesting tidbits about the world, and some key characters. This section was so fun I'm actually interested to read the next book, but I can't help but wish details like this would have been revealed earlier, to provide more interest to the characters and the setting.
Additionally, this book takes place almost exclusively on a ship. I'd have loved to have seen some exotic locales, or even a futuristic Earth, through the eyes of our protagonist. Again, this may be my issue, I knowingly picked up a military sci-fi called "Warship", so perhaps I should have known better.
The plot and setting are quite interesting. In a future where conflict of any kind are pretty much non-existent and humans have begun to colonise other star systems, a space vessel comes across a "terrifying new enemy". However, I found myself wanting more, particularly in terms of world building. There is a bit of an info dump in the epilogue that reveals a few really interesting tidbits about the world, and some key characters. This section was so fun I'm actually interested to read the next book, but I can't help but wish details like this would have been revealed earlier, to provide more interest to the characters and the setting.
Additionally, this book takes place almost exclusively on a ship. I'd have loved to have seen some exotic locales, or even a futuristic Earth, through the eyes of our protagonist. Again, this may be my issue, I knowingly picked up a military sci-fi called "Warship", so perhaps I should have known better.
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