”Peace is good. The cost of war is so terrible. But I know nothing of peace. I’ve been molded for war. I hate war. I hate the death, I hate knowing more will die, I hate being away from those I love, but… but it is what I know.”So far, I am really enjoying this second sequence of The Lost Fleet saga. It seems to have a few more dimensions than the original story arc. For one thing, instead of just dealing with the war between the Alliance and the Syndicate worlds—in other words, conflict between...

Someone please shoot Tanya! Why are most of the women in this series so repulsive in one way or another? How can a military captain be this unprofessional, stupid, gullible, and petulant? She’s either worshipping Black Jack or whining, nagging, and acting like a total nightmare! She is genuinely unhinged and bloodthirsty—constantly looking to shoot or kill people, even the innocent ones. How Geary can tolerate her and not shut her down is beyond me. If you’re looking for a gripping military sci-...

If you want to read Invincible (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, Book 2), all you need to know is, "a bunch of adorable teddy bear cow aliens are the most vicious genocidal aliens since the Daleks." If that sentence intrigues you, then you'll absolutely enjoy this latest sci-fi book review pick from Jack Campbell. We meet a race so insidious, so dangerous, and yet so adorable that they pose a genuine threat to all life in the universe. I had a huge amount of fun with this group of baddies an...

I came *this* close to downgrading this book to two stars. For some time now, I've been wavering back and forth on The Lost Fleet series. There are some things I like; I enjoy the starship battles at relativistic speeds and the deep plotlines involving political betrayal and blackmail. Of course, there are also things I really, really don't like. I'm not a fan of the heavy space opera elements, and the relationship between Geary and his captain is honestly nausea-inducing. The story feels stiff ...

I honestly feel like I should shout, SCORE! I managed to read three books in a row this week that I’m rating a full 5 stars. How often does that even happen?This is the second installment in the Beyond the Frontier series by Jack Campbell (though I suppose you could call it the seventh in The Lost Fleet saga, but since the fleet has already returned to Alliance space, well... anyway). We’re back with Admiral John “Black Jack” (don’t call me Black Jack) Geary, finding ourselves out at the very ed...

Yawn. Wake me up when it’s finally over. I’m really not feeling these new aliens, and honestly, Black Jack is starting to wear me out. The battle scenes in Invincible (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, Book 2) by Jack Campbell have gone completely stale. Ships are being tossed around like poker chips, and since you have no real connection to any of them, you just don't care. Whenever a question or a problem pops up, there is always some salty, old chief with a convenient answer or a young eng...

Jack Campbell’s original Lost Fleet series started as the literary equivalent of a summer popcorn movie: fun, cool, and packed with action. The characters were initially a bit flat and the story followed a formula, but it was an absolute blast regardless. I breezed through the first three books and found myself eagerly waiting for what came next. Somewhere along the way, especially since the fleet ventured "Beyond the Frontier," things began to evolve. Slowly, Campbell has started to flesh out h...

I’d been waiting a long time for Invincible (The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier, Book 2) to come out, and I had fairly high expectations. Now that I’ve finished it, I’m not sure the wait was actually worth it. Maybe this book series has gone on for too long. It feels like Jack Campbell has run out of fresh ideas, and to 'develop' the story, he just bogs it down further in bad politics, deceit, and backstabbing that feels like a cheap soap opera.I really don’t enjoy the ships constantly breaking...

The second installment in the 'Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier' series. This story picks up right where the previous book left off, with the fleet caught between two hostile alien civilizations. Pushing forward means being pulverized by new alien threats; retreating through the jump point means facing an ambush by the Enigma aliens. Admiral Geary has to find a way out of this impossible mess, and fast. Beyond this immediate crisis, the fleet is plagued by a mountain of internal issues—from plum...

I enjoyed this entry much more than the previous book, Dreadnaught. The pacing felt significantly improved, even if it took a little while to find its rhythm at the start. I did struggle a bit to fully buy into the antagonists as they were presented, but overall, it was a much more exciting read. I genuinely enjoy the dynamic between Geary and Desjani, and the secondary characters really add depth to the story. If you are looking for a gripping space opera book review, this is a solid pick. Ove...