Monday, May 9, 2011

Dreadnaught, Beyond the Frontier by Jack Campbell


Science Fiction

The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: DreadnaughtIn the Lost Fleet series Jack Campbell has Captain John “Black Jack” Geary awake from cryogenic sleep to take command and despite overwhelming odds bring the Alliance fleet home.  In this new series, Beyond the Frontier, Geary returns with new challenges.  I wondered if Campbell could maintain the tension in this new series that was the hallmark of The Lost Fleet books.  I started reading Dreadnaught and had trouble putting it down.  A whole new set of problems kept me reading and the tension that was a hallmark of the first series was there.  Dreadnaught starts a month after the last book in the Lost Fleet series.  Geary and Tanya managed get away and marry but immediately were called back to duty.  Geary has a new assignment.  He is to command the First Fleet and his duty is to investigate the aliens and check out the Syndicate Worlds.  There are layers to the assignment.  The politicians and the military high command do not trust Geary while the people adore him.  It seems that a living hero can be very inconvenient to those in power.  Geary cannot help but wonder if he is being sent on a suicide mission.  Of course Dreadnaught ends with a cliff hanger. 

Jack Campbell (John Hemry) writes great military science fiction and terrible romance.  The interaction between Geary and Tanya in the romance area is thin at best but great in the military story.  The entire cast of characters is back; even ones that I expected to stay home are back on the ships.  The pace is great, the story good, and the action thrilling and sometimes unexpected.  Something new to look for are all the saying that include “Black Jack” in them.   While Geary does not enjoy hearing them they are amusing.

Ace published Dreadnaught, Beyond the Frontier by Jack Campbell in 2011.

I purchased Dreadnaught.

3 comments:

Pauline said...

I felt the same way! Loved the story, wished he could have had a LITTLE more romance. And I do NOT see why they can't be a couple on board. Seems wrong, after going through so much that they at least don't get their down time together as a couple.

JC Jones said...

I guess the military can be a little strange!!!

Pauline said...

Their rules can seem counter intuitive, that's for certain. I think a happy, stable crew would benefit everyone. Instead of pretending the relationship isn't there. I could see the problem before the marriage, but not after. (Particularly since the affair with 'that politician' was okay!)