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The Lost Fleet #2
Fearless
Captain John "Black Jack" Geary tries a desperate gamble to lead the Alliance Fleet home-through enemy-occupied space-only to lose half the Fleet to an unexpected mutiny.
295 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 30, 2007
543 people are currently reading
2673 people want to read
About the author
Jack Campbell
108 books3,013 followersJack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series. Under the name Jack Campbell, he has written four volumes of the Lost Fleet series, and on his website names two more forthcoming volumes. He has also written over a dozen short stories, many published in Analog magazine, and a number of non-fiction works.
John G Hemry is a retired United States Navy officer. His father, Jack M. Hemry, also served in the navy and as John points out was a mustang. John grew up living in several places including Pensacola, San Diego, and Midway Island.
John graduated from Lyons High School in Lyons in 1974 then attended the US Naval Academy (Class of '78) where he was labeled 'the un-midshipman' by his roommates.
He lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids. His two eldest children are diagnosed as autistic and suffer from Neuro immune dysfunction syndrome (NIDS), an auto-immune ailment which causes their illness, but are progressing under treatment.
John is a member of the SFWA Musketeers whose motto reads: 'The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword, but the Wise Person Carries Both'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 721 reviews
December 9, 2014
2.5 Stars
Another decent, straightforward read. The 2-D villains (the evil empire and doubters in the fleet... basically everyone not on team Geary) started to get annoying, as did the simplistic analysis of military doctrine (tactics=good, flying your spaceship into your enemies death-ray=bad) which was especially disappointing as I had actually enjoyed it in the previous book. On the Brightside Geary's attempts to maintain morale in the fleet were written with surprising deftness and the battle scenes were still cool. I'll continue on with this series as it's light and pretty enjoyable and also in the hope that the military strategy and villains will be fleshed out more in the future.
Another decent, straightforward read. The 2-D villains (the evil empire and doubters in the fleet... basically everyone not on team Geary) started to get annoying, as did the simplistic analysis of military doctrine (tactics=good, flying your spaceship into your enemies death-ray=bad) which was especially disappointing as I had actually enjoyed it in the previous book. On the Brightside Geary's attempts to maintain morale in the fleet were written with surprising deftness and the battle scenes were still cool. I'll continue on with this series as it's light and pretty enjoyable and also in the hope that the military strategy and villains will be fleshed out more in the future.
August 17, 2014
This is a good book... It holds up well. If you've seen my review of the first volume you know I like it also. This one "held the line" though there was a while when I thought I might end up dropping the rating on this one to 3 stars. It was in danger of becoming a sort of "one trick pony".
Without spoilers I'll simply say that a key plot device has been the problems Captain Geary has with ship commanders who aren't sanguine with his command. The problem is that while it does add realism to the story it also become so tedious as to drive (me) up the walls. He manages to handle a lot of that...a lot. Unfortunately there is one character in the series that is (to my mind) an unfortunate inclusion.
I'll mention who below a spoiler warning. The point is that the Captain would actually be faced with this situation but the fact that he'd have to face a mind numbing, stressful situation full of repetitive conversations and arguments doesn't mean it will make good reading.
Still, I like military science fiction/fiction, find the inspiration behind these interesting and the main character a good idea. The book finally does settle down and get back into it's story and weave a good one. There's plenty of action though the main plot doesn't move along quite as much as I'd like to have seen.
Overall a good book, an interesting read based on a good idea.
**************** Spoiler Below *****************
Without spoilers I'll simply say that a key plot device has been the problems Captain Geary has with ship commanders who aren't sanguine with his command. The problem is that while it does add realism to the story it also become so tedious as to drive (me) up the walls. He manages to handle a lot of that...a lot. Unfortunately there is one character in the series that is (to my mind) an unfortunate inclusion.
I'll mention who below a spoiler warning. The point is that the Captain would actually be faced with this situation but the fact that he'd have to face a mind numbing, stressful situation full of repetitive conversations and arguments doesn't mean it will make good reading.
Still, I like military science fiction/fiction, find the inspiration behind these interesting and the main character a good idea. The book finally does settle down and get back into it's story and weave a good one. There's plenty of action though the main plot doesn't move along quite as much as I'd like to have seen.
Overall a good book, an interesting read based on a good idea.
**************** Spoiler Below *****************
March 6, 2011
I don't expect a lot out of military space fiction. Stock characters well rendered, a couple of bad military jokes, a good fight scene, a clever tactical response to a situation, maybe even a little rumination on the nature of war.
This book lacked any of those redeeming qualities. In fact, unless you like meticulously described space naval battles, rendered in military command speak, this book lacked pretty much any redeeming qualities. (To be fair, the battles seem very precise and I'm sure are really cool to folks who like that sort of thing. I just couldn't care enough to expend the mental energy on following the tediously dictated battles.)
The dialog consisted of dull polemics, awkward and repetitive "emotional" exchanges, and female characters saying out loud and affirming what Black Jack just thought. In fact, the phrase, "as if [she/he/they] had read his mind" should be banned from this man's word processor.
The polemics seem to be about the fact that tactics are better than bull rushing into battle, discipline is better than mob rule, and experience is better than stupid ignorance. Golly gee willikers, I never would have guessed those things if I hadn't read two whole books about it!
The worst, though, is the characters. In military fiction, sci-fi or other another genre, you expect your stock characters. Two dimensional, yes, but rendered with humor and a few distinguishing characteristics. Here's the fiery redhead with a temper problem, here's the idealistic Paladin type looking for a father figure, here's the big brute with an unexpected soft side, here's the religious guy who is suffering a crisis of faith. If it's a good writer, maybe your fiery redhead with a temper problem also has an interesting hobby or verbal quirk. And at the very least, your mechanic should wear his hat turned to the side and chew on a cigar.
However, even such two-dimensional characters seem beyond Mr. Campbell's ability and instead we get characters distinguished only by their names and, if we're luck, one word. The villains are all, without exception, evil or stupid or both. We get told that Falco is charming, but never see him be charming. We know that Desjani is calm because it's the only adjective -- besides "admiring" -- that ever gets ascribed to her. Duellos is loyal, the Furious's captain is feisty..... we don't even get physical descriptions or get a distinguishing world/city/ethnicity. The "romantic" character of Rion get TWO adjective -- she's skeptical and inscrutable.
I won't even go into the generic blandness of the world he's created -- Alliance vs. Syndic, hell lances, and "by the ancestors." He couldn't even be bothered to come up with interesting names for the entirely cliche and dull aspects of his universe, but, like a five year old, decided to name his dog "Mr. Dog" and his cat, "Mrs. Cat."
I read this book and the previous one on the recommendation of a dear friend who really enjoyed it. And I loved the premise -- Black Jack, hero of the Alliance, back from the dead to lead a lost fleet in a hopeless war. The alien provocateurs were a nice touch. I wanted to like this series. But the complete failure of any basic writing acumen has made it too painful to read any further.
If you want really GOOD military sci fi, I suggest you try the Torin Kerr series by Tanya Huff.
This book lacked any of those redeeming qualities. In fact, unless you like meticulously described space naval battles, rendered in military command speak, this book lacked pretty much any redeeming qualities. (To be fair, the battles seem very precise and I'm sure are really cool to folks who like that sort of thing. I just couldn't care enough to expend the mental energy on following the tediously dictated battles.)
The dialog consisted of dull polemics, awkward and repetitive "emotional" exchanges, and female characters saying out loud and affirming what Black Jack just thought. In fact, the phrase, "as if [she/he/they] had read his mind" should be banned from this man's word processor.
The polemics seem to be about the fact that tactics are better than bull rushing into battle, discipline is better than mob rule, and experience is better than stupid ignorance. Golly gee willikers, I never would have guessed those things if I hadn't read two whole books about it!
The worst, though, is the characters. In military fiction, sci-fi or other another genre, you expect your stock characters. Two dimensional, yes, but rendered with humor and a few distinguishing characteristics. Here's the fiery redhead with a temper problem, here's the idealistic Paladin type looking for a father figure, here's the big brute with an unexpected soft side, here's the religious guy who is suffering a crisis of faith. If it's a good writer, maybe your fiery redhead with a temper problem also has an interesting hobby or verbal quirk. And at the very least, your mechanic should wear his hat turned to the side and chew on a cigar.
However, even such two-dimensional characters seem beyond Mr. Campbell's ability and instead we get characters distinguished only by their names and, if we're luck, one word. The villains are all, without exception, evil or stupid or both. We get told that Falco is charming, but never see him be charming. We know that Desjani is calm because it's the only adjective -- besides "admiring" -- that ever gets ascribed to her. Duellos is loyal, the Furious's captain is feisty..... we don't even get physical descriptions or get a distinguishing world/city/ethnicity. The "romantic" character of Rion get TWO adjective -- she's skeptical and inscrutable.
I won't even go into the generic blandness of the world he's created -- Alliance vs. Syndic, hell lances, and "by the ancestors." He couldn't even be bothered to come up with interesting names for the entirely cliche and dull aspects of his universe, but, like a five year old, decided to name his dog "Mr. Dog" and his cat, "Mrs. Cat."
I read this book and the previous one on the recommendation of a dear friend who really enjoyed it. And I loved the premise -- Black Jack, hero of the Alliance, back from the dead to lead a lost fleet in a hopeless war. The alien provocateurs were a nice touch. I wanted to like this series. But the complete failure of any basic writing acumen has made it too painful to read any further.
If you want really GOOD military sci fi, I suggest you try the Torin Kerr series by Tanya Huff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2023
3.7⭐ Rounded Up
Updated 02/15/22 Adds Review
The second of Campbell's original Lost Fleet series, before it became encumbered with sequels, prequels and parallel-quels.
Our hero, Black Jack Geary, fights threats external, internal and alien to bring the Lost Fleet closer to home and still has time to find love, or at least, lust with the enigmatic politician, Victoria Rione. It's better than a lot of space opera for it's characters and plots, although it'll never be mistaken for literature. Who cares? -30-
Updated 02/15/22 Adds Review
The second of Campbell's original Lost Fleet series, before it became encumbered with sequels, prequels and parallel-quels.
Our hero, Black Jack Geary, fights threats external, internal and alien to bring the Lost Fleet closer to home and still has time to find love, or at least, lust with the enigmatic politician, Victoria Rione. It's better than a lot of space opera for it's characters and plots, although it'll never be mistaken for literature. Who cares? -30-
April 24, 2025
Enjoyed this book so much! Exciting and chuck full of action. First, poor Geary (as I've taken to calling him) rescues some prisoners of war including Captain Falco, a gloryhound who thinks he's the only one who can save the Alliance and wants Geary's job. Then, he gets in trouble with Rione because she thinks he's risking the fleet in a crazy mission to compete with Falco. To top it all off, 39 ships mutinied!! I felt so bad for the poor man and wonder how he just didn't give up.
Like the last book, there was a lot of nuanced conflict. Falco may be incompetent but he has good qualities. Even though you want to strangle Rione at times, you know she's right in mistrusting Geary. Geary yields so much freaking power and as we all know "Absolute power corrupts, absolutely"! Even though you know Geary is such a good, capable, honorable man, somebody needs to stay his hand if he's ever tempted.
The funniest part of the book was when Rione jumped Geary's bones and she almost had to hit him over the head with the fact that she wanted to hook up with him. He was so flummoxed!! But it was very interesting that even after sleeping together, they still distrust each other. Poor Geary will have to sleep with one eye open!! Hahahaha!!
Anyhow, loving this series and I can't wait to read the next book!
Like the last book, there was a lot of nuanced conflict. Falco may be incompetent but he has good qualities. Even though you want to strangle Rione at times, you know she's right in mistrusting Geary. Geary yields so much freaking power and as we all know "Absolute power corrupts, absolutely"! Even though you know Geary is such a good, capable, honorable man, somebody needs to stay his hand if he's ever tempted.
The funniest part of the book was when Rione jumped Geary's bones and she almost had to hit him over the head with the fact that she wanted to hook up with him. He was so flummoxed!! But it was very interesting that even after sleeping together, they still distrust each other. Poor Geary will have to sleep with one eye open!! Hahahaha!!
Anyhow, loving this series and I can't wait to read the next book!
November 2, 2022
For those needing to know, this book is free from expletives, blasphemy, violence and smut. I still think that is quite an impressive feat, since I don't recall ever reading military sci-fi without at least one of those.
The MC, Captain John Geary, has his hands full trying to get the fleet back to Alliance space while avoiding the Syndic forces trying to catch them. As if that's not enough, he's very aware of the possibility of a mutiny, and he has to walk lightly when giving orders. And to further complicate matters, he's becoming increasingly convinced that there is another species fomenting antagonism between the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds. Things are certainly a mess!
Geary is a very sympathetic character. He always consistently weighs the moral and honorable aspect of his decisions. He really has his hands full in that fleet. He's like a father with 100,000 recalcitrant teenagers. Some of these characters drive me bonkers. They're so ridiculously belligerent AND stupid, or they're aggressive AND arrogant, or sometimes all of these things! It's a good thing that I'm not in charge or I'd be handing out court-martials like Halloween candy! And what is up with Rione?
Now that I've gotten that off my chest...this was a really good book 😂 I'll be reading the rest of the series.
The MC, Captain John Geary, has his hands full trying to get the fleet back to Alliance space while avoiding the Syndic forces trying to catch them. As if that's not enough, he's very aware of the possibility of a mutiny, and he has to walk lightly when giving orders. And to further complicate matters, he's becoming increasingly convinced that there is another species fomenting antagonism between the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds. Things are certainly a mess!
Geary is a very sympathetic character. He always consistently weighs the moral and honorable aspect of his decisions. He really has his hands full in that fleet. He's like a father with 100,000 recalcitrant teenagers. Some of these characters drive me bonkers. They're so ridiculously belligerent AND stupid, or they're aggressive AND arrogant, or sometimes all of these things! It's a good thing that I'm not in charge or I'd be handing out court-martials like Halloween candy! And what is up with Rione?
Now that I've gotten that off my chest...this was a really good book 😂 I'll be reading the rest of the series.
August 17, 2014
Starship battles; big, gratuitous ship-of-the-line starship battles. If you like starship battles you will probably enjoy The Lost Fleet series. If you like realistic characters and character development, not so much.
Fearless continues the saga of Black Jack Geery and the Alliance fleet trapped in Syndicate space. They manage to make it through a few more systems, but in one they pick up a strong willed Captain - fearless Flaco - from a prison camp. He attempts a power play to wrest control of the Fleet from Black Jack. As a result, the Fleet splits in two. One arm follows Black Jack, the other Flaco. Black Jack none-the-less soldiers on and continues his masterful command of his ships - overcoming more than one Syndicate force.
Unfortunately, there is, I think, a logic problem in all of this. After a century of war, the Sydicate and Alliance forces are battered. Heavy losses on both sides have reduced the operational capacity of the two sides. It is hard to implement complex strategies when your crews have less than a few years of service. As a result, the main strategy has been to smash into the enemy headlong. This is why Black Jack is so successful. Awakening after a hundred year slumber, his way of thinking isn't poisoned by the past. He implements pincer movements. He engages in a game of feigned thrusts and retreats. His tactics enable him to defeat superior Syndicate forces time and time again. Of course, as I read through yet another victory, it dawned on me that the Syndicate forces are also implementing complex strategies. They lay all sorts of traps and feints for the Alliance. Sure, Black Jack is able to overcome them, but I thought strategies of the sort that they were implementing were over and done with.
The other thing that is getting hard for me to deal with is the complete and utter lack of realism in the characters. They feel absolutely cardboard to me. Black Jack's relationship with the civilian leader is exhibit A. I couldn't buy it. It felt like the author said to himself "Gee, I should really have a relationship here" rather than feeling organic.
Three broadsides out of five. I gave the first Lost Fleet book four stars because, I think, it hit me the right way. After book two, I know what I have on my hands. The books are good and fun, but not great.
Fearless continues the saga of Black Jack Geery and the Alliance fleet trapped in Syndicate space. They manage to make it through a few more systems, but in one they pick up a strong willed Captain - fearless Flaco - from a prison camp. He attempts a power play to wrest control of the Fleet from Black Jack. As a result, the Fleet splits in two. One arm follows Black Jack, the other Flaco. Black Jack none-the-less soldiers on and continues his masterful command of his ships - overcoming more than one Syndicate force.
Unfortunately, there is, I think, a logic problem in all of this. After a century of war, the Sydicate and Alliance forces are battered. Heavy losses on both sides have reduced the operational capacity of the two sides. It is hard to implement complex strategies when your crews have less than a few years of service. As a result, the main strategy has been to smash into the enemy headlong. This is why Black Jack is so successful. Awakening after a hundred year slumber, his way of thinking isn't poisoned by the past. He implements pincer movements. He engages in a game of feigned thrusts and retreats. His tactics enable him to defeat superior Syndicate forces time and time again. Of course, as I read through yet another victory, it dawned on me that the Syndicate forces are also implementing complex strategies. They lay all sorts of traps and feints for the Alliance. Sure, Black Jack is able to overcome them, but I thought strategies of the sort that they were implementing were over and done with.
The other thing that is getting hard for me to deal with is the complete and utter lack of realism in the characters. They feel absolutely cardboard to me. Black Jack's relationship with the civilian leader is exhibit A. I couldn't buy it. It felt like the author said to himself "Gee, I should really have a relationship here" rather than feeling organic.
Three broadsides out of five. I gave the first Lost Fleet book four stars because, I think, it hit me the right way. After book two, I know what I have on my hands. The books are good and fun, but not great.
April 20, 2013
This series reminds me of Battle Star Galactica 2005. The plots a little different, but the character types look familiar. It's an enjoyable read, though it's taking a while for the main characters to become more than two dimensional cut-outs. It takes to the end of the book before they start to look human.
Having said that. I am enjoying them, if for no other reason that Jack Campbell, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, has a good idea of how and what fleet combat would shape up. I spent some of my time in the Navy maneuvering ships in a formation and sending tactical signals. I'm glad to know someone's found a use for us dinosaurs.
I've rated this book higher than I might have normally because I really like the message about how soldiers should conduct themselves in warfare and honor their ancestors. I like the way the characters struggle with the idea that if we treat the fallen, and losers of a battle the same way as our enemy has treated us (badly), then nobody wins in the end. It reminded me of how Ulysses S. Grant simply let the Confederate Army go home after Appomattox. That may be the real reason we are still a single country and not a shattered one. Hidden in the space opera is a good message. If you look for it.
Having said that. I am enjoying them, if for no other reason that Jack Campbell, a graduate of the US Naval Academy, has a good idea of how and what fleet combat would shape up. I spent some of my time in the Navy maneuvering ships in a formation and sending tactical signals. I'm glad to know someone's found a use for us dinosaurs.
I've rated this book higher than I might have normally because I really like the message about how soldiers should conduct themselves in warfare and honor their ancestors. I like the way the characters struggle with the idea that if we treat the fallen, and losers of a battle the same way as our enemy has treated us (badly), then nobody wins in the end. It reminded me of how Ulysses S. Grant simply let the Confederate Army go home after Appomattox. That may be the real reason we are still a single country and not a shattered one. Hidden in the space opera is a good message. If you look for it.
October 30, 2019
Yeah, I'm done with this series. It was somewhat boring but okay till about the half way mark, whereupon John Geary starting humbling Madam co-president. Despite neither showing the least affection for the other or any kind of desire to hump.
August 28, 2024
Slowly getting more details about the warring factions and the differences in their cultures. Hopefully that continues. The characters could use a bit more depth, but like the world building and such - I expect this will be revealed more and more throughout the series.
Easy to binge series. Light, quick, easily digestible.
Easy to binge series. Light, quick, easily digestible.
March 29, 2018
I really really enjoy these books, far more than I expected to. Perhaps my expectations were so low that now I'm pleasantly surprised; I also suspect that if I continue the series too far, it'll start to feel a bit repetitive. To be fair though, I have read accounts that say war is actually like that--dull and boring and repetitive interspersed with death and trauma.
In this second installment we follow Jack Geary as he deals with a mutiny, finds love (or sex, anyway) and continues to establish his credibility. I personally like seeing the way everyone reacts to him; how on one side they're starting to salute him and think tactically instead of with blood-rage, and on the other side how they still refuse to believe he has their best interests at heart. His naysayers are incredibly dumb, but I like them for being dumb. It creates more tension where there wouldn't be any.
Also, I know Jack is a Mary Sue, but I like that he's showing the Syndics mercy. He's the good guy and it'll probably end up all well and good in the final book, but I still like the journey there.
I have the third book in the series and I'll happily continue. Hell, maybe I'll finish the whole series.
In this second installment we follow Jack Geary as he deals with a mutiny, finds love (or sex, anyway) and continues to establish his credibility. I personally like seeing the way everyone reacts to him; how on one side they're starting to salute him and think tactically instead of with blood-rage, and on the other side how they still refuse to believe he has their best interests at heart. His naysayers are incredibly dumb, but I like them for being dumb. It creates more tension where there wouldn't be any.
Also, I know Jack is a Mary Sue, but I like that he's showing the Syndics mercy. He's the good guy and it'll probably end up all well and good in the final book, but I still like the journey there.
I have the third book in the series and I'll happily continue. Hell, maybe I'll finish the whole series.
February 18, 2010
4.0 stars. Really well done Military science fiction with a fast-moving, well written story and plenty of actions. Interested to see how the series evolves in the next couple of installments.
July 16, 2015
That's it, I call it a quit for this series. It is not going worse but not going better either.
This series really reminds me what I love about military sci-fi, which is clearly missing in this series:
1. Military culture. It is obviously the main premise of this series! That the military has lost many of its culture because of the rapid replacement in the ranks. In that case it would not cause the military to loose its culture, but the military itself will cease to exist! Can you imagine a military command that is based on a vote (like those damned civilian)?
2. The technical detail of the war machine. In this series, the author does not bother to explain the difference between battleship, battle cruiser, heavy cruiser, light cruiser and destroyer. Just roughly that one is comparatively bigger than another. The readers then loose the opportunity to imagine what a light cruiser is capable of, or how slow is a battleship compared to light cruiser. The detail on the weaponry is missing also.
3. The battle itself. It seems that the protagonist has a super keen intuition to know all the enemy's plan, which I doubt happened in real military conflict. No battle plan survives the contact with the enemy. The fleet commander is also not that brilliant, he is quite obvious in his action. The only thing that made him win is that the enemy is much more stupid than him.
4. The relation between the military personnel. It is almost non existent in this novel. We have no idea who is his chief of engineer, his tactical officer, his navigational officer, his steward, etc. We only know his flagship commander, and not even her XO! It looks like that the entire fleet is run by just a hand of individuals.
It has some redeeming quality though. The mutiny is quite interesting, but not unpredicted. The heroism is quite OK, but not to detail. Overall, it is not enough to save the entire series. Bye bye Lost Fleet, you are indeed the lost series in my journey.
This series really reminds me what I love about military sci-fi, which is clearly missing in this series:
1. Military culture. It is obviously the main premise of this series! That the military has lost many of its culture because of the rapid replacement in the ranks. In that case it would not cause the military to loose its culture, but the military itself will cease to exist! Can you imagine a military command that is based on a vote (like those damned civilian)?
2. The technical detail of the war machine. In this series, the author does not bother to explain the difference between battleship, battle cruiser, heavy cruiser, light cruiser and destroyer. Just roughly that one is comparatively bigger than another. The readers then loose the opportunity to imagine what a light cruiser is capable of, or how slow is a battleship compared to light cruiser. The detail on the weaponry is missing also.
3. The battle itself. It seems that the protagonist has a super keen intuition to know all the enemy's plan, which I doubt happened in real military conflict. No battle plan survives the contact with the enemy. The fleet commander is also not that brilliant, he is quite obvious in his action. The only thing that made him win is that the enemy is much more stupid than him.
4. The relation between the military personnel. It is almost non existent in this novel. We have no idea who is his chief of engineer, his tactical officer, his navigational officer, his steward, etc. We only know his flagship commander, and not even her XO! It looks like that the entire fleet is run by just a hand of individuals.
It has some redeeming quality though. The mutiny is quite interesting, but not unpredicted. The heroism is quite OK, but not to detail. Overall, it is not enough to save the entire series. Bye bye Lost Fleet, you are indeed the lost series in my journey.
October 8, 2013
-Más consumo fácil y ligero.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. La flota de la Alianza, al mando de John Black Jack Geary, llega al sistema Sutrah huyendo de los Síndicos, pero Sutrah está dentro de la zona controlada por sus perseguidores. Además de los enemigos, dentro de la propia flota hay facciones con sus propios intereses que están dispuestas a actuar incluso poniendo en riesgo la supervivencia de todos. En Sutrah Cinco se descubre un campo de prisioneros en el que hay militares de la Alianza cuyas opiniones no siempre estarán de acuerdo con las de Geary. Segundo libro de la serie La Flota Perdida, escrita bajo seudónimo por John G. Hemry.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. La flota de la Alianza, al mando de John Black Jack Geary, llega al sistema Sutrah huyendo de los Síndicos, pero Sutrah está dentro de la zona controlada por sus perseguidores. Además de los enemigos, dentro de la propia flota hay facciones con sus propios intereses que están dispuestas a actuar incluso poniendo en riesgo la supervivencia de todos. En Sutrah Cinco se descubre un campo de prisioneros en el que hay militares de la Alianza cuyas opiniones no siempre estarán de acuerdo con las de Geary. Segundo libro de la serie La Flota Perdida, escrita bajo seudónimo por John G. Hemry.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
November 5, 2011
Popcorn reading, yum-yum. I see a bad trend - repeating boring stuff over and over. I know it's necessary, but does the video-conferencing interface need to be re-explained using the same phrasing? We get the protagonist is conflicted - can't we at least get some more backstory? The space battles are interesting, especially when dealing with relativistic effects, but it still seems like its just a normal naval battle in 3D. The "Fast Auxiliary" factory ships seem odd - not to mention the whole notion of fighting when inferior forces can so easily jump to another star system.
Anyway, I'll get through the series.
Anyway, I'll get through the series.
September 18, 2023
I enjoyed the second part as much as the first. It continues on the heels of the 1st book with the fleet making it’s way back to alliance space. It’s got more great space battles but also introduces a new internal threat. A second legendary captain is rescued from captivity and challenges captain black jack for command of the fleet. To my surprise there’s even a romantic subplot. So with enough of what I enjoyed about the 1st book and an effort to keep it fresh, I’ll definitely continue the series.
November 21, 2022
Fearless (The Lost Fleet #2) by Jack Campbell is a pretty great follow up to Dauntless. I'm glad I finally decided to continue this series. Military sci-fi isn't usually my go to but I like the style this one has. Plus, Geary is such an intriguing character. I wonder what's next in Courageous.
July 27, 2018
FEARLESS is a decent follow up to the original LOST FLEET book DAUNTLESS. The premise of the Lost Fleet saga is the Alliance's starfleet caught far behind enemy lines and only Captain John "Black Jack" Geary (frozen for a century in an escape pod) can get them back home. It's an entertaining space opera with excellent space battles and a somewhat repetitive beat of Jack angsting over the fact everyone he knows his dead while he's been made a legend by the Alliance's propaganda machine.
I liked this book a little bit more than Dauntless with Jack rescuing a infamous military maverick from a prison camp, Captain Falco, who threatens to usurp his command over the fleet. This wouldn't be a problem if not for the fact Falco is incompetent, dangerously charismatic, and possibly insane after twenty-years of imprisonment in a labor camp. Morale is also dangerously low in the fleet and John has decided to do a daring raid on the enemy's largest shipyards while the rest of their fleet is (ironically) chasing them.
I was hoping for a lengthier conflict between Captain Falco and Captain Geary for control of the fleet. I really enjoyed the battle between Captain Adama and Admiral Cain in Battlestar Galactica's reboot. This is much shorter with the two characters only sharing a short number of encounters before things come to a head.
Fearless is a solid piece of military science fiction that I found quite entertaining. There's a few minor developments character wise but the focus in this series is squarely on the tactics in space, the chain of command, and other Naval details which military enthusiasts will enjoy. I'm not a big fan of one character who gets promoted to love-interest in this book but she's also the only one not in Geary's chain of command so I suppose that was inevitable.
9/10
I liked this book a little bit more than Dauntless with Jack rescuing a infamous military maverick from a prison camp, Captain Falco, who threatens to usurp his command over the fleet. This wouldn't be a problem if not for the fact Falco is incompetent, dangerously charismatic, and possibly insane after twenty-years of imprisonment in a labor camp. Morale is also dangerously low in the fleet and John has decided to do a daring raid on the enemy's largest shipyards while the rest of their fleet is (ironically) chasing them.
I was hoping for a lengthier conflict between Captain Falco and Captain Geary for control of the fleet. I really enjoyed the battle between Captain Adama and Admiral Cain in Battlestar Galactica's reboot. This is much shorter with the two characters only sharing a short number of encounters before things come to a head.
Fearless is a solid piece of military science fiction that I found quite entertaining. There's a few minor developments character wise but the focus in this series is squarely on the tactics in space, the chain of command, and other Naval details which military enthusiasts will enjoy. I'm not a big fan of one character who gets promoted to love-interest in this book but she's also the only one not in Geary's chain of command so I suppose that was inevitable.
9/10
January 20, 2019
The Lost Fleet: Fearless by Jack Campbell is book two of his “Lost Fleet” series that I believe comprises 6 books plus further series in this universe. It covers a military conflict between warring factions of humans, the Alliance which are our good guys and the Syndicate.
Our Alliance fleet is led by “Captain John ‘Black Jack’ Geary” a legendary war hero from the past who was found in a hibernation pod floating in space and revived in book 1.
As in the first book Captain Geary must continue to get his fleet’s commanding officers to work together as it was done in the past and not follow their training of just being individually aggressive and charging in for glory and “damn the consequences!”
It’s nice to see that Jack Campbell (a pseudonym for John G. Hemry) who is a retired naval officer and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis has pushed the story along some. The crews are trusting Captain Geary more thanks to the victories of the previous book.
It will be needed as the fleet is deep behind enemy lines. Escapes through “gates” that allow faster than light travel are being cut off by swarming enemy forces that are attempting to narrow in on our fleet. Our crew is forced to scavenge and live off the land by attacking and taking from Syndicate worlds. Every move could be the last, the place where they face overwhelming odds…
I was surprised at how well this story works even as it keeps us fixed to pretty much one location, the flagship Dauntless. There are plenty of space battles and major ship action. But there is also excitement on Captain’s Geary strict adherence to the rules and laws of war that he passes onto his crew to set new examples of how a war should be fought. E.g. Warning civilians of impending attacks to give them a chance to escape before a bombardment begins. He pushes the question that many militaries must ask of themselves, “if we do what our enemy does, how are we any different from them?”
As with the first book, this second book drops some hints of a larger mystery. Are there only two players in this war? What are the implications of some newly discovered weapons? Is a military that is saving a people’s way of life, does it also have the right to take over the govt to ensure a victory?
Like the crew, I was wary of Captain Geary at first, but I’m learning to trust him and the author. I’m happy to continue my tour of duty with them and see where it takes us.
Our Alliance fleet is led by “Captain John ‘Black Jack’ Geary” a legendary war hero from the past who was found in a hibernation pod floating in space and revived in book 1.
As in the first book Captain Geary must continue to get his fleet’s commanding officers to work together as it was done in the past and not follow their training of just being individually aggressive and charging in for glory and “damn the consequences!”
It’s nice to see that Jack Campbell (a pseudonym for John G. Hemry) who is a retired naval officer and a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis has pushed the story along some. The crews are trusting Captain Geary more thanks to the victories of the previous book.
It will be needed as the fleet is deep behind enemy lines. Escapes through “gates” that allow faster than light travel are being cut off by swarming enemy forces that are attempting to narrow in on our fleet. Our crew is forced to scavenge and live off the land by attacking and taking from Syndicate worlds. Every move could be the last, the place where they face overwhelming odds…
I was surprised at how well this story works even as it keeps us fixed to pretty much one location, the flagship Dauntless. There are plenty of space battles and major ship action. But there is also excitement on Captain’s Geary strict adherence to the rules and laws of war that he passes onto his crew to set new examples of how a war should be fought. E.g. Warning civilians of impending attacks to give them a chance to escape before a bombardment begins. He pushes the question that many militaries must ask of themselves, “if we do what our enemy does, how are we any different from them?”
As with the first book, this second book drops some hints of a larger mystery. Are there only two players in this war? What are the implications of some newly discovered weapons? Is a military that is saving a people’s way of life, does it also have the right to take over the govt to ensure a victory?
Like the crew, I was wary of Captain Geary at first, but I’m learning to trust him and the author. I’m happy to continue my tour of duty with them and see where it takes us.
July 14, 2015
Well, 2.5 Stars at most. I basically read it because I had it but didn't get much of a thrill. The space battles were ok, kind of like the Spanish Armada against the English only at a substantial fraction of the speed of light. Kudos to him for fighting realistically with time lag and adjusting for seconds, minutes, hours of communication lag. I still find the premise unrealistic that both sides just execute banzai charges and may the most courageous prevail. And in this story one of the "bravest" but most incompetent captains in the Alliance Fleet is rescued from a prison planet. "Fighting Falco" then collects a bunch of ships around him to mutiny and leave the main fleet. Really did nothing to advance the story. I am also getting really annoyed at the fakey atheistic religion of "the living stars" and "honorable ancestors looking over us". I get it that he didn't want to elevate any actual religion above any other to avoid offense. But there are more "religious" prayers, pleas, comments and worship than would have been the case if Jerry Falwell was the fleet commander and the entire faculty and student body of Liberty University took the places of captains and crew. Leave "the living stars" out, puhleeze!!
August 21, 2018
This second installment of the "The Lost Fleet" series contains more action and excitement than the first, with the pages flying quickly past as a result. The writing style of John Hemry (here under the pen name, "Jack Campbell") benefits from his professional military background, which also informs the thematic substance of the narrative.
Although the introduction of a romantic subplot seems at first to be gratuitous and unnecessary, this device ultimately achieves the author's goal of intensifying the protagonist's internal sense of apprehension.
The overarching storyline continues to progress in a compelling manner, enough so that by the midpoint of "Fearless", this reviewer had already resolved to acquire the remaining four books of the series.
This novel will appeal to fans of well-written military science fiction, but for the best experience "Fearless" should be read in sequence after the first book in the series, which is "The Lost Fleet: Dauntless".
Although the introduction of a romantic subplot seems at first to be gratuitous and unnecessary, this device ultimately achieves the author's goal of intensifying the protagonist's internal sense of apprehension.
The overarching storyline continues to progress in a compelling manner, enough so that by the midpoint of "Fearless", this reviewer had already resolved to acquire the remaining four books of the series.
This novel will appeal to fans of well-written military science fiction, but for the best experience "Fearless" should be read in sequence after the first book in the series, which is "The Lost Fleet: Dauntless".
September 2, 2013
I enjoy the fact that the villains are a corporation gone out of control that runs a massive number of worlds and cares more about profit than human life. But overall I find the story to be a bit simplistic and too unreal. Every battle the heroes only loose a ship or two in the fleet while destroying all the enemy ships, thanks to the heroes brilliant tactics. Now I could see the happening once or twice but when it happens every time it gets a little ridiculous.
Other wise it's a fun read, that you can get lost in when you don't feel like thinking about anything for a while.
Other wise it's a fun read, that you can get lost in when you don't feel like thinking about anything for a while.
March 31, 2016
4.5 stars. I enjoyed this second installment more than the first. I felt like the character development and the dynamics between the ship captains was very well written. I am reading these on audio, so that may be part of it, but I will be continuing on.
August 11, 2015
Review to come! :D
November 12, 2018
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69 points/100 (3 ½ stars/5)
Captain John "Black Jack" Geary woke up after a hundred years in survival hibernation to find that he has been revered as a hero. He also finds himself in command of a fleet in enemy territory with only one goal: get home. In an impossible situation, Geary has to live up to the his name and pull off a miracle. He is plagued by troubles in command after a certain faction constantly questions his leadership. Talk about making an impossible situation even harder!
Fearless is the type of book I will do anything to avoid putting it down once I started. There is so much that happens. Each chapter is jam packed of things happening. In my mind while reading, though, there just aren't any landmarks I can point to to keep my place in the story. If I stop for any real length of time, I will have forgotten everything that happened and what I'm trying to do as the main character. There just isn't much distinguishing between events. They aren't generic, they're necessary, there are tons of things happening. Those aren't the problems. It is just hard for me to keep track of the ins and outs.
Fearless, at its heart, is about Geary establishing that he is in the lead of this force. Sure, he is still deep into enemy territory and has to pull miracles off. Sure, the goal is still to get home. Yet, there is troubles in the leadership of the other ships. They doubt his abilities because they aren't what they have come to expect from Alliance leadership. Certain factions think they can do better than him. Some of them would follow him no matter what because he is the Legendary "Black Jack" Geary. A legend who doubts he has the abilities to pull this off himself. A legend who wishes there was anyone who could take over for him instead. Yet, when someone presents himself as another possible leader, Geary finds that he really is the only man for the job. So Fearless is about Geary proving both to others and himself that he can lead them to greatness.
There is also a subplot that is running through the books about the possibility of aliens. To the Alliance, they have yet to find anyone other than humans in space. Yet, the reality is there staring them in the face. It is only a theory, yet there it is. Presented to us readers as a possibility. Interesting times are ahead, aren't they? Looking forward to it.
There is a second subplot that is romance, too. I wasn't expecting any romance at all in this series. I was not warned at all, anywhere. There isn't really any emotions wrapped up in this relationship. It is mostly a convenience of sex. Yet, I was still caught unprepared. They're going to be on this ship for a long time, too, if the past two books are any indication. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
My biggest issue as a reader is that I have entirely no idea about the scale of....well, anything. I have no idea how many ships he commands. I have no idea how many people are on the ship he is currently on, let alone all the ships in his fleet. I have no idea the scale of the amount of people he is going against, the Syndicate. This is all kept deliberately vague, I think. Easier to pull of when you don't tell the readers the numbers so they can pick everything apart. I also don't have a sense of the scale of time anything takes. I'm already bad with time, but this takes it to a whole 'nother level! I have no idea of his resources, either.
I have more questions than answers right now. We're still deep in enemy territory, and we're nowhere near home. This is going to be a long one.
69 points/100 (3 ½ stars/5)
Captain John "Black Jack" Geary woke up after a hundred years in survival hibernation to find that he has been revered as a hero. He also finds himself in command of a fleet in enemy territory with only one goal: get home. In an impossible situation, Geary has to live up to the his name and pull off a miracle. He is plagued by troubles in command after a certain faction constantly questions his leadership. Talk about making an impossible situation even harder!
Fearless is the type of book I will do anything to avoid putting it down once I started. There is so much that happens. Each chapter is jam packed of things happening. In my mind while reading, though, there just aren't any landmarks I can point to to keep my place in the story. If I stop for any real length of time, I will have forgotten everything that happened and what I'm trying to do as the main character. There just isn't much distinguishing between events. They aren't generic, they're necessary, there are tons of things happening. Those aren't the problems. It is just hard for me to keep track of the ins and outs.
Fearless, at its heart, is about Geary establishing that he is in the lead of this force. Sure, he is still deep into enemy territory and has to pull miracles off. Sure, the goal is still to get home. Yet, there is troubles in the leadership of the other ships. They doubt his abilities because they aren't what they have come to expect from Alliance leadership. Certain factions think they can do better than him. Some of them would follow him no matter what because he is the Legendary "Black Jack" Geary. A legend who doubts he has the abilities to pull this off himself. A legend who wishes there was anyone who could take over for him instead. Yet, when someone presents himself as another possible leader, Geary finds that he really is the only man for the job. So Fearless is about Geary proving both to others and himself that he can lead them to greatness.
There is also a subplot that is running through the books about the possibility of aliens. To the Alliance, they have yet to find anyone other than humans in space. Yet, the reality is there staring them in the face. It is only a theory, yet there it is. Presented to us readers as a possibility. Interesting times are ahead, aren't they? Looking forward to it.
There is a second subplot that is romance, too. I wasn't expecting any romance at all in this series. I was not warned at all, anywhere. There isn't really any emotions wrapped up in this relationship. It is mostly a convenience of sex. Yet, I was still caught unprepared. They're going to be on this ship for a long time, too, if the past two books are any indication. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
My biggest issue as a reader is that I have entirely no idea about the scale of....well, anything. I have no idea how many ships he commands. I have no idea how many people are on the ship he is currently on, let alone all the ships in his fleet. I have no idea the scale of the amount of people he is going against, the Syndicate. This is all kept deliberately vague, I think. Easier to pull of when you don't tell the readers the numbers so they can pick everything apart. I also don't have a sense of the scale of time anything takes. I'm already bad with time, but this takes it to a whole 'nother level! I have no idea of his resources, either.
I have more questions than answers right now. We're still deep in enemy territory, and we're nowhere near home. This is going to be a long one.
April 25, 2018
The second book of the lost fleet series was not as fast moving as the first, less action but more character development.
Captain Geary continues on his quest to return the Alliance Fleet to their own part of space. The Syndics continue to chase and attack them, but the biggest problems come from inside his own fleet where idiots still want to run the military as a democracy. Rescuing a flamboyant Captain who thinks he should be fleet commander just makes things worse.
Overall I would give this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Military fleet actions with some interesting character problems. There is also the beginnings of a mystery that looks like it may overshadow the main story arc.
Captain Geary continues on his quest to return the Alliance Fleet to their own part of space. The Syndics continue to chase and attack them, but the biggest problems come from inside his own fleet where idiots still want to run the military as a democracy. Rescuing a flamboyant Captain who thinks he should be fleet commander just makes things worse.
Overall I would give this one 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Military fleet actions with some interesting character problems. There is also the beginnings of a mystery that looks like it may overshadow the main story arc.
May 15, 2021
A brilliant follow up to the first book. I loved the way things played out between both Geary's supporters and his opposition. We got to explore a lot more about what makes Geary tick, and explore his relationships both past and present a little bit.
It maybe played a little too much about his doubts and fears at times, particularly with regards to his relationships, compared to the first book but I don't think it did harm to the story in the long run... just didnt quite match up to the strong start of the first.
It maybe played a little too much about his doubts and fears at times, particularly with regards to his relationships, compared to the first book but I don't think it did harm to the story in the long run... just didnt quite match up to the strong start of the first.
June 25, 2023
The series is reminding me of watching sci-fi tv. A reverse battle star galatica. Throughly enjoying the trip so far. Looking forward to turning into the next book/episode.
April 10, 2020
A fast read, lots of battles, space tactics and strategies. The overall impact on the Galaxy/Universe expands.
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