Book 1: 05/2006
Book 2: 01/2007
Book 3: 12/2007
Book 4: 06/2008
Book 5: 04/2009
Book 6: 04/2010
Win a signed advance copy of book 6!
Have you been worried I was lost? Well I was.
Amazon turned me on to The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell via it’s recommendation service, and I gave a whole month of my life to it in one swift binge. The fourth book in this six book series, Valiant, was released on June 24th, and I was first in line to get it at my local book store. Having read the first 3 books (Duantless, Fearless and Courageous) the previous two weeks I was eager for the next chapter of the saga.
In the far distant future two factions of humanity have been waging an interstellar war for more than a century. En route to a glorious and decisive battle, the good guys (the Alliance) discover a damaged escape pod in the wreckage from one of the very first battles in the war, nearly 100 years earlier. In it is an ordinary man who has been idolized and turned into a fleet inspiring myth for the whole Alliance. Captain John “Black Jack” Geary is back from the dead and facing a myth larger than any mortal man could ever embody, a war bigger than all of humanity, and the reality that all he ever knew is gone. As the ‘decisive’ battle goes horribly wrong he finds himself as the most senior commanding officer in a fleet of more than 200 ships that are trapped and desperately out numbered in all respects… And that’s just the first 10 pages of the first book.
Summary: The Lost Fleet is fast paced, action packed military science fiction with many familiar elements. The universe is derivative but the narrative, detailed battles and strong writing bring it to life in a way that will leave you turning pages late into the early dawn hours.
The first book, Dauntless, sets up a very interesting and compelling world. Campbell sets up the concept of a fleet that is lost on numerous different levels. Literally, the remaining ship captains don’t know precisely how to get home intact. However, in addition to that they’ve lost the knowledge of how to use the old ‘jump drives’ since the advent of the much faster ‘hypernet’ system and crew members have died in battle at such a frantic pace that simple experience has been lost even amongst the most senior leaders. At at deeper level, the Alliance has lost it’s moral compass as they have fallen down the slippery slope of ‘eye for an eye’ tactics and war-crime atrocity trading. Lastly, the home worlds of the Alliance are forced to assume that the whole fleet was lost in the disastrous battle preceding the first book.
As a result, the fleet is grudgingly forced to follow a leader that is literally a historic relic, complete with ‘ancient’ tactics, experiences and morals.
The first book, Dauntless, doesn’t contain much more than a few battles and setting up the scenario for the rest of the series. It’s superb and entertaining but somehow also very unsatisfying. Moreover, the second and third books — Fearless and Courageous – were too drawn out in my opinion. I felt they could easily have been written as a single volume with very little overall story lost to the cuts. Don’t get me wrong, they were entertaining, but not nearly as much as Dauntless. They do set up some interesting plot lines while also showing that the fleet is maturing as a team. In the end though, they seem more like filler while Campbell decided where he really wanted to take the saga, and at best they are an exploration of the logistics involved in bringing a crippled fleet limping home from behind enemy lines.
So why would I rush out and buy the fourth book — Valiant – the day it was released? By the end of the third book I could sense that Campbell had gained a solid focus, and that the plot was going in a single, straight line towards a conclusion even if the fleet was zig-zagging it’s way through enemy space. That and the action was awesome for a summer read.
Valiant is by far the best book in the series so far. I can’t discuss the plot without giving away the spoilers for the first three books, but I can say that if you abandoned the fleet after the third book you’ve made a terrible mistake.
My biggest complaint about the whole series is that Campbell repeats obvious and easily remembered details from previous books ad nausea in later books. Since, there is no sane way a person could pick up this story in the middle, this only serves to annoy readers who have been around from the start. Cutting this repetition alone could save 100-200 pages throughout the whole series. I have a few other minor quibbles with the books as well, but I’ll save those for the discussion in the comments.
The verdict: All books are either good (3/5) or excellent (4/5), but the fourth is a must read (5/5), even after considering the fact that you have to read the first three to get there. You won’t be disappointed.
UPDATE (May 5, 2009): I’ve just finished book 5: Relentless (see comment #33 for mini review) but overall the series remains strong and worth your time. Many resolutions come in this book that are both satisfying and fast paced. The major downfall of this book is that it’s predictable, but I can’t imagine how that could have been helped. The ending is terrific, even if it’s in a different place than I expected considering there is still another book to go. However, I find myself MOST excited about book 6’s inevitable divergence from the previous books. Overall Book 5 is a 4/5.
UPDATE (Feb 4, 2010): For those who’ve linked in from Wikipedia (or Whatever) and who don’t wander through all of the comments on this post; the author, John G. Hemry, is participating in the discussion (and giving updates) as well: Comment #3, Comment #15, Comment #22, Comment #27, Comment #48 and #49, Comment #58, Comment #68.
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
Engineers, Power Cores, Mines. Favorite part of this series so far :)
I am just like the reviewer I could not put these books down. I found myself up until the wee hours of the morning reading. I just had to know what happened next or how they were going to get out of that situation. I would give this series a 5/5.
Thanks for an overwhelmingly positive review. I appreciate the constructive criticism as well, because I see myself as a story-teller whose job is to entertain readers.
The repeating of information from book to book poses an interesting dilemma for me. I’ve seen other complaints about it, but I’ve also heard from many readers who picked up the second, third or fourth book in the series first and only after finishing it did they go back and read the earlier books. Those are the people I include the info for so they can figure out what’s going on (and secondarily for those who’ve told me they like a refresh on things they might have forgotten since the last book came out). My compromise has been to try to keep repetition to the minimum needed to allow a new reader to understand what’s going on and hope readers familiar with things like the nature of the fleet conference room will just skim by those couple of sentences. It is a compromise, it’s not perfect, but there is a reason for it. I’ll keep trying to handle it better.
As long as I’m here, let me thank every reader of the books who helped VALIANT achieve a career milestone for me when it made the New York Times extended mass-market paperback bestseller list and the USA Today national bestseller list. That was seriously cool.
John
Hi, John. It’s seriously cool that you dropped by to comment.
Moreover I see your point about the repetition when readers have a year or so between books. I read them all in just under 3 weeks back to back and that must give me a perspective that is fairly fringe from your core demographic. When the 5th book comes out I’ll be in a better position to read, and benefit from, the reminder sections and therefore be able to comment more usefully.
Again, thanks for stopping by. Great work. I can’t wait for the last two books.
I’ve really enjoyed this series, to the point of rereading them a few times–rare for an old guy (52) like me! I think Campbell/Hembry has created a very good character in Geary, who isn’t perfect and is tortured by his alter-ego, “Black Jack”.
I do agree that there has been some repetition in the series, though I do agree with the author in his post that someone picking up a book in the middle of the series would need to know some of the back story for that individual volume to make any sense. To his credit, I think the author has done the “back story” repetition better than many authors (Harry Turtledove comes to mind), so it isn’t quite as irritating as in some other series.
The description of the physics of battles at the extreme speeds in space are excellent and rarely addressed anywhere else in fiction–TV, movies or in writing. You really do feel the tension of the battles and of the losses suffered by Geary’s fleet.
My main complaint has been the rather odd inclusion of the Shinto-like religion that everyone human in Geary’s galaxy seems to follow. Human nature and our own experiences on our rather tiny part of the solar system seem to speak against that. It DOES make a nice moral compass for Geary, but you’d sure think that humans, spread out over systems across the galaxy would have either maintained the various religions we have now OR developed others to compete with the ancestor worship referred to in the Lost Fleet. The monolithic nature of their belief systems is unrealistic to me.
BUT…that’s a minor complaint. I’m looking forward to seeing the next installment and, much as I know the Fleet wants to get home soon, I’m hoping they don’t for a while. I’ll miss ‘em.
The repetition did not really bother me because of the time laps between the books. I enjoyed the serie from the start but I lieked less Valiant (wich will not prevent me from reading the two last books :)) because I found to much of romantic problems. They are at wars and they have to bring back the ships. they are not in High school.
I have just finished Valiant and was very pleased with it. I have been very pleased with the entire series so far.
I enjoy reading Johns solutions to the myriad of problems that his fleet is encountering. Logistics being the primary problem. I also appreciate the challenges John has encountered with the fleet captains. Specifically, his trying to get them to stop rushing into battle pell mell and claiming victory by using sound tactical doctrine. Even though John has continued to defeat the Syndics, his losses, while not great in each battle, have continued to mount. It is appearent that this weighs very heavily on him.
The “moral” issues that he has been confronted with are significant also and he continues to uphold an honorable tradition.
The “romantic” aspect of the story, in my opinion, was an interesting addition to the story line. Tanya and Johns relationship has been building for a while and I am finally glad that we got some resolution. The fact that both Tanya and John have acted honorably, was the right way to go. John, being the commander of the fleet is in a very difficult position and has acted appropriately.
As to the religion question, I think that it offers an interesting alternative. Instead of wondering how we got from here to there, I choose to accept that, in the authors universe, there is where they are now, and that is the end of it.
POSITIVES:
So far, I give the author , Mr Hemry 5 stars. He has created a unique and interesting story line and I continue to look forward to the next installment. His understading and explanation of the relatavistic effects even at 0.1 and 0.2 light speed are excellent and should not be confusing to the layman.
NEGATIVES:
I feel that sometimes it is not necessary to have John Geary rationalize many decisions that he makes. If you have read the entire series you should know “why” Geary is making these decisions. I suspect that this is related to the repetition issue addressed above, and in my opinion is very minor.
I too enjoyed the romantic sub plot and do not think is distracted from the story in any way. In reality they’ve been away from family for months and you know the rest of the crew is indulging here and there. To see the leadership sacrifice and do the honorable thing only solidified their quality of character in my opinion.
Hi John G. Hemry (aka Jack Campbell) I LOVED all first 3 books and I am waiting the last one to arrive here in SAO PAULO BRAZIL.
I would like to tell you that the fleet formation ans battle description are wonderfull, but sometimes difficult to realize. Would it be difficult to include any picture or graphics in the futures editions?
Keep the excellent work! I hope one day we can see BJ Geary in an animated series or even a television series!
Regards,
Ed
Only read the first two- they were given to me. I should get around to the second two, given the rather positive reviews it is getting- just need to schronge up cash.
As for monolithic religion, there are precedents. Catholic Europe, Japan, etc. Of course, I’m thinking Campbell realizes that theistic religions and revealed religions have problems existing in a sci fi setting (look at our current situation) and that people would come up with a “religion” that doesn’t have any truely supernatural components.
Or the Alliance could be theocratic or link piety with loyalty. I don’t know, but it does make sense, given their strategy is attrition.
My only objection is the Syndicate is… well, evil. They are a combo commie and corpritist. Sort of like China- they have the pros of capitalism and the cons of communism.
I hope he goes into more detail… or I could be exaggerating. Understanding fictional worlds is harder than Wong makes it look!
John, don’t fret about the repetition. Just finish fifth book. The waiting is the hardest part. You know that!
I’ve been on a couple of other sites which had reviews of the Lost Fleet series thus far, and I quite personally love these books, I’ve read some very good scifi books from some very good authors and I would definitley rank Campbell as one of the best. Valiant was excellent, I picked up the previous 3 before hand and went through them in just under a day, couldn’t put it down. I’ll admit that Valiant handled the whole romantic interest in a way which was a little funky but honestly I felt like Campbell’s been building up to it and that it’s to be expected that this was the natural course of things though I’m still dissapointed that Rione’s getting left out as much as she is, since she’ll definitley be an important part when Geary returns to Alliance Space. My only question is that I don’t see how he’ll end the series in 2 more books since we still have like another 3 books worth of just Alien-dealings alone! Not to mention all the political intrigue and other things that Geary would be subject to on his return home, which would take at least a book by itself. So I count 4 books, not 2. :P
I’ve really enjoyed the books so far, it’s clear that the writer has a very good feel for the mentality of armed forces personnel.
One point about the books that I can’t figure out is the description of orientation. Left and right are straightforward, but I can’t understand how up and down works. Even if all the planets of a star system were orbiting on the same plane (they’re not in quite a few star systems), how could a ship know what is “above” and “below” that? If we took our own system for example, and we ignored all other planets and referenced the “plane” using Earth and the Sun, how would a ship know if the direction towards the N pole is up or down?
I know it’s a very minor detail, but it’s mentioned in every book, and I still haven’t figured it out. Can anyone here please explain?
@George (13):
if I recall correctly up and down were based on facing the sun and the rotation of the planets clockwise. If facing the sun and the planets going clockwise then you were up side up.
I agree that it’s a bit odd, but it also allowed me to think that Greary knew what he was doing without getting lost in naval terms I didn’t understand.
As for the plane.. in general most planets orbit in the same general plane. Not precicely, so the degrees reference would be hard, but from a distance not systems are nearly flat with few exceptions like Neptune.
The key thing to remember for the directions in space is that they’re all arbitrary, but as long as humans agree on which direction is defined as up based on external factors, then all ships know what other ships mean when they say “up.” For a human inhabited star system, the navigational directions for the star system specify up and down relative to the star and whatever’s orbiting it. In other words, we define an exact plane for that star system and that’s what everyone uses. (That’s based on the sort of things port directories specify on earth.) On the Lost Fleet ships, the process is automatic on arrival in a star system, with the maneuvering systems either using a preset plane for friendly star systems, or in other star systems specifying a specific plane based on the physical characteristics of the star system and displaying that same data on every ship. (All of the ships being linked by the comm net, the flagship systems make the call and the other ships accept the exact same reference for all subsequent use.) The displays the humans view reflect the defined directions, so the humans can easily tell if the way they want to go is “up” or “down” relative to that specified plane even if their individual physical orientations are in all directions. Whenever they indicate a proposed vector change, the manuevering systems provide the amount of up, down, right or left changes required. The automated support and display systems are designed to be as transparent to use as possible so humans can apply their own natural sense of orientations without worrying about the fact that the directions they’re using are based on arbitrary definitions. If they did have to worry about that, I think it would get so confusing so fast that no one would be able to figure out what anyone else meant. (The Three Stooges did a skit in which they played carpenters who couldn’t figure out which direction “right” was because whenever Moe told another Stooge to point to his right it was different than the direction Moe pointed.)
I hope that helps clarify things.
On the religion question I deliberately simplified things because I didn’t want the story hijacked by the complexities religion can easily introduce. I don’t go into differences between sects or rituals, so it’s the same religion in the sense that Earth’s religion can be described as monotheistic in most areas (Hinduism a major exception, I know). We have non-denominational chapels in which anyone can worship in their exact way their own vision of that monotheism, and if anyone refers to God humans are generally in agreement as to what that means. They may well not agree on what that God wants, but that’s true even within specific religions and sects, and since that didn’t bear on the storyline I didn’t want to subject the reader to discourses on how the different sects saw things and worshiped and so on. The real difference was between what came to be viewed as acceptable (in religious and civic terms) behavior after a century of war, and what Geary had known as acceptable behavior in the past.
Thanks for the clarifications about directions in space and the religion “thing”. Like I said in an earlier post, the issue of religion in the series is but a minor quibble for me. I’m just enjoying the ride!
Hello John,
All books are amazing and I am enjoying the ride too.
I think the last book can be a life changing or life-touching. The mercifull behaviour of the fleet towards the enemy and the effect it is causing among them and the fleet let me thinking about my own acts and how mercifull I am.
All military personel around the world should read it.
Thanks,
Ed
Just finished reading Valiant, having read the others just before reading Valiant.
And i must say, John’s writing is excellent, surely one of the best authors i’ve seen.
The story is great, and the characters are portayed realistically. And behave as one would expect, giving their backgrounds and how they are portrayed.
As for the romantic subplot in this last book, i didn’t think it was too much. Sometimes a bit drawn out. But not by much.
I’m really looking forward to the next book allready.
Thanks a lot for the clarification, I really appreciate your taking the time to address my question.
I enjoyed the last two books I read. I thought the romantic cop out at the end of valiant could have gone better. I also agree the situation with Rione could have been handled better. It would have created more tension if Captain Geary and Rione were together when or if they happen on her husband because then she would really be torn. The romance with bJack was predictable. Overall I thought the books were great some of the best military sci-fi I have read. I am planning on going back and reading the first two books but I am wondering when the next is coming out?
Also I think the story could be finished in two books but they may need to be a bit thicker.
any idea when books 5 and 6 are coming oit? thanks
The publisher tells me that book five (Relentless) will be brought out in May, 2009. I know that’s a while off, but the publisher sets the release dates so all I can do is urge them to keep the intervals between books short. I don’t have any projected date for book six (Victorious) yet, but based on past release intervals it will probably come out somewhere around nine months after Relentless. The publisher also still wants the books to be about 90,000 words each. I go over that a bit, but can’t exceed it too much or they’ll tell me to cut it. (By comparison, ten years ago the standard length for an SF novel was about 60,000 words, and before that 40,000. The universe is expanding and so are book lengths.)
The complaint about repeated information is valid, in a way. However it’s important to realize that not everyone read the books right after each other in quick succession. When there are six months between books, the repeated information is nice to have. There was a gap for me between books three and four, and I appreciated the recap.
John, It’s WAY too cool that you dropped by here to announce the date for your next book. I know (based on emails) that our readership loves the interaction you’re having with us all here. Thanks again!
I understand why the repetitive elements are included, and I’m appreciative that they are. It helps refresh my memory quickly. I never felt it bogged the storyline down at all.
I do love the way the story is progressing. I finally just finished the fourth installment, and am hooked more than ever.
Looking forward to the continuing exploits of Black Jack, and giving those sinister aliens what they deserve!
The naval situations confuse me. So much technology, and yet so much is manual. I mea, I understand the argument against AI in the Dauntless book… but, it still seems like the vessels are vastly over-crewed for combat.
All you would need are line officers and engineers on a ship, right?
The size of the crews reflect the needs for maintenance and repair, including rapid repair of battle damage. You’re right that if it was just a matter of operating the ships over a short period of time they could get by with much smaller crews. That’s true today. But it’s like the difference between an aircrew and a ship’s crew. An aircrew is much smaller, but is only responsible for flying the aircraft and overseeing the operation of its systems for a period meaured in hours at a single stretch. They don’t maintain the aircraft (something handled by a lot more people back at airfields and other support facilities), and if there’s damage in flight the aircraft either crashes or gets back to base to be repaired. A ship carries its maintenance capability with it (of necessity, since it operates far from base for long periods), and often has the chance to repair even serious combat damage while the engagement is still underway. All of the support needed by aircraft isn’t always obvious, but a good example of all this is the aircraft carrier. Each aircraft aboard is operated by one or two aviators, but keeping the aircraft operational requires all of the crew and support of the carrier itself. Every decade or so the US Navy tries to come up with reduced crew sizes on new ships, and each time the crew sizes end up being increased substantially, because even a couple of hundred crew members on a destroyer-sized ship can’t keep the automated equipment running and handle all of the more mundane maintenance. Of course, merchant cargo ships carry much smaller crews because they have a lot less equipment to worry about and don’t engage in combat (not more than once, anyway, and never by choice). But even a merchant ship carries a lot more crew members than a cargo aircraft.
I love this saga and I am looking forward for the next installement .
I’m excited too. I’ve already pre-ordered my copy at my local store. Not sure I can wait 2+ weeks. I just finished a book (Alas Babylon… awesome) and I’m not sure I want to start another before just in case I’m not done it.
Well I have book 5 in my hands. The local book store didn’t even get a chance to put it in the shelves before I bought both copies. One for me and one for @scarletjester.
Follow me on Twitter @ilovescifi to read my reaction as I go.
I bought it yesterday on ebay and I am waiting it to arrive in Sao Paulo – Brazil! – cant wait to put my eyes on it!!!
********* MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOOK 5 *********
I read the book this weekend. It seemed a bit rushed. The story overall was good, but clarity on the rione-desjani conflict was not there. I half expected rione’s husband to be in that camp but instead they found his friend. The final battle was not as good as the previous ones. the author did a good job with the subplots though. Really the other two books aren’t necessary. the fleet isn’t lost anymore. It was too bad about cresida too. Battling the aliens or going back to the syndic homeworld doesn’t seem overly necessary although they could find his nephew and her husband and discover the cause of the war. What does everyone else think?
Less Spoilers, but some….
I finished book 5 last night, and while I disagree with Kurt@32 on some points I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Things I liked compared to the previous 4. The repetition was kept way down this time, and also done much more elegantly than previously. I can still imagine this book being picked up FIRST and having it be a fun read without having read the rest.
Also, I loved where it ended. There is no NEED for book 6, but at the same time there could easily be more than one more book if the publishers wanted to do that now.
Fleet logistics were played up as I expected, some aspects of the previous books’ subplots ended and no new major ones started. Maneuvering descriptions were cut WAY down which was refreshing.
Overall, probably the best written book of the series from a technical standpoint, but still not the most fun one.
Definitely not a let down and very successful for a “second to last” book, which I imagine is a very hard one to write.
I’m eager to continue on this journey with Mr. Campbell as soon as the next book it’s ready (even if it’s not published hint hint :).
Until then, back to by post-apocalypse binge.
I bought the 5th book the day after release and finished it by the next evening. Well-written, good plot development (and some good resolutions to some of the sub-plots) and a really good set-up to the next and (sob) final book.
I thought the the author did an excellent job of handling the “repetition aspect” of writing a book late in its series. I’ve read other authors who just had to repeat things from earlier books to the point of absolute frustration, but Mr. Campbell’s heard the comments and adapted quite well. I thought he moved the plot along and hinted at prior plots and issues more than pushed them into the reader’s face as some do.
I just finished the fifth book. I have really enjoyed the series and not looking forward to the wait for book six. Geary’s humanity and committment to honor is what I find so appealing. He is not perfect, but manages to do an excellent job. I find him a character that a leader can emulate. His self view is based on how he perceives his actions through the lens of honor. It is a concept we could use today. Thanks for the story.
I have just finished book 5, and cannot wait for book 6!
Yes, the Lost Fleet is found, but there are too many interesting story threads that demand further exploration … and I think that each one in itself deserves one book to do them proper justice … and the Alien / Human conflict may require more, once the true nature of the aliens come to light … John, I hope you do not become bored with this universe that you have created, because I think your audience is growing in numbers, and our appetite for your story telling in this universe grows as well ! Keep them coming for a long time to come!
Thank you for your stories!
The story can be considered finished but the author has created a universe now.
As a result he can extend the story indefinitely if he chooses to. There is an unresolved subplot regarding Captain Geary and the Alliance government. There is also the issue I mentioned before regarding the Syndics and the cause of the war.
There is also the unresolved cause of the war and missing characters that can be finished up in another book or two.
If the writer can keep the story interesting and engaging he can extend the series for several more books to lead back to he Syndic homeworld, or even to the space of the unknown aliens. It would be more expedient to the overall story if they could use the hypernet though.
They have hinted at Rione’s background but it would be very interesting to see how she would react to being reunited with her husband.
I will read on if the author decides to continue the adventures of Captain Geary.
Loved the 5 books so far (i read all 5 in the last 2 weeks). I had been looking for a military Si Fi that focused on fleet combat (having gotten introduced to fleet combat in Saga of Seven Suns). Unfortunately prior to this series nothing really worked for me (Dahdak trilogy by David Webber was too simplistic morally & Saga of Seven suns had too much detail of non essential stuff).
Glad to see that bk6 will come out in 9 months as oppose to 1 year i had assumed. Thanks to the author for a fantastic book series. May be we will see another series with a fresh cast set in this universe (perhaps set in a crumbling syndic empire post the events of this series? :) )
Also any suggestions on other space fleet combat focused SiFi books?
I hope the book 6 can be release earlier! The book 5 is excellet!
I finished it yesterday and started wondering how the next episode in this saga will be.
The repettions were handled much more gracefully and smooth this time.
The characters evolved in a realistic way, showing their fears and flaws.
I just wondered that the books created a pattern of jump in , fight , jump out, and it would be boring to have more of it, but as the fleet has hipernet keys, we probably will not have more of this.
The series is a must-read SCI-FI. I hope we could have it in comics or even a pc strategy games.
Really enjoyed the first four books. I would like more information about the ships and crews of the Gearyverse ships. Anyone worked up a chart of the following:
Length
Width
General shape ( not the typical cigar)
Tonnage (displacement)
Number of crew
Maximum acceleration
Weapons load
I have enjoyed the first 5 books in the lost fleet series and I await the sixth book with a very hungry mind.
I discovered the series at my local Chapters 3 months ago and fell in love. The storyline and descriptive work are of the highest quality.
In reference to the title “The Lost Fleet” someone pointed out that the fleet is no longer lost. I was thinking that since others would be joining the fleet, they may refer to the survivors as members of “the lost fleet”. Another possibility is that if Mr. Campbell intends on continuing the universe beyond the current story the name could be added in as an overall title. The book series “The legend of Drrizt” started with “The Crystal Shard” and the overall title was add in later. This would allow a separation from Geary and in some ways the fleet. This in no way means he can be killed off at any time in battle or other wise.
Keep the good work coming. I hope the series continues beyond the currently 6 planed books.
I have just the Lost Fleet two weeks ago and cannot wait until book 6. I retired this month after 30 years of service in the USMC and I have read a lot of SCI-FI while deployed over the years. This series is one I could not put down. I have served as a Sergeant Major for several Commanding Officers in my day, and I believe Jack Campbell has got right when it comes to the different type of personalities that make up the world of C.O.’s . This book is the perfect mix of personal and professional.
Ran across the series while looking for new Science Fiction to read. I was completely blown away by it. I started out with book three. Read it and then realized that there were two others before it. Got them as quickly as I could read all three in sequence. Found out there was a fourth out there somewhere, got it read all four in sequnce. Waited patiently for number 5 again read all in sequence and I can see that after book 6 that the possibilty for a completely new series is heading our way. Its obvious to me after book 5 that an altercation of some sort with the Aliens is desperately needed and can’t be sealt with with just one final book. Does anyone whose read book 5 agree. :-) p.s. I was a Corpsman stationed with the Marines most of my career and believe Mr. Campbell has portrayed Navy/Marine Corps life excellently. Well done Mr. Campbell, lol
Mr. Campbell. Hi, me again. Since posting my last comment I’ve reread your series two times and have two bones to pick with you about Navy/Marine Corps life. As a former Corpsman I must say that percentage wise Hospital Corpsman have won more Medal Of Honors than any some branches of service, percentage wise. We’re not a fighting force perse but we do fight and we do take our jobs seriously meaning we’ve laid down our lives protecting Marines and Sailors since 1776. Next time you’re in the Naval Hospital please take a closer look around at the pictures displayed upon the walls of all our heroes, thank you. Now point two. In one passage you refer to us as Medics. Medics are Army and no self-respecting Corpsman would tolerate ever(EVER) being called a medic. p.s. I love your books so keep up the good work, lol. Elvis P.
Elvius (and everyone else): For the record this site is in no way affiliated with Mr Campbell. He graced us here with his presence after I emailed him about my reviews. He’s been back a few times but is under no obligation to return again. If you want to email comments directly to him please do so through his site.
That said, we love this thread of conversation and if Mr. Campbell (Mr. Hemry) decides he’d like to continue interacting with you all here then we’re more than thrilled about that. :)
Cam
How good were those books? (I have all 5 to date). I have re-read each at least 5 times….that’s how good they are.
Suggestion: what I would not give for a computer CAD-type program (even if wire-frame only), that we could input the described fleet manuvers in and watch it unfold. The mind’s eye is all well and good, but this would be awesome!
Thanks for a great series!
Elvis, you’re quite right about Corpsmen. Remarkable individuals who have demonstrated amazing bravery as well as day to day dedication. I was a department head for our Corpsmen on the USS Spruance, which was the easiest part of my job since they knew their jobs so well. (It also required me to assist in the destruction of the “medicinal alcohol” on the ship when the Navy got rid of that, which involved me and the Chief Corpsman standing on the fantail, twisting the tops one by one off of three hundred minature brandies and emptying them into the water while much of the crew looked on with tragic expressions.) I decided to use the term Medic for the fleet medical personal as a way of showing some changes since the present day (assuming medical corps become unified). But their work ethics and courage are still those of Corpsmen.
John
Thanks again for the comments. I can’t offer a computer program to display the battles (working them out in my head can produce some serious headaches) but I am happy to be able to tell you that I’ve reached agreement with the publisher for two new series. One series will be a follow-on to the Lost Fleet, following Geary in the wake of book six (Victorious), and the other series will be set on a Syndicate Worlds planet as the leaders there cope with events
in the wake of Victorious.
So there’s going to be more.
John
Thanks again for stopping By John. Now I’m excited about at least 3 more books instead of just one :)
Cam
WOW!, lol a writer who writes back. I’m blown away Cdr. Thanks for the response and I look forward with bated breath for both new series after the lost fleet is done. Any possibilities for these coming to the big screen sometime in the near future? Elvis
YES!!! More books!!!
I hope they arrive soon!
and after that a comic book or maybe a computer strategy game….
[quote]the other series will be set on a Syndicate Worlds planet as the leaders there cope with events in the wake of Victorious [/quote]
w00t!! should have wished for a million dollars or something :p. But looks like i will get exactly what i wished for in my earlier post. Thanks
PS. IMHO there are going to be 2 series of books in addition to book 6 not just 3 more books.
A prequel book, maybe as a stand alone explaining why the hypernet technology was dispersed and exploring the culture of the aliens on the other side of syndic space, that is if these issues are not resolved in Victorious. When is that coming out again?
Hopefully, we are not only going to follow up on Black Jack and the Syndicate…I’m dying to know why the ‘alien’ race felt the need to risk all by allowing the humans to have Hyper-net technology in the first place. Please tell me there is more to those tantalizing hints throughout the first five books!!!
Glad to hear more adventures with our favorite captian will be coming in the book store soon!
The naval battles are based off of world war 2 and 19th century naval techniques I beleive. I had to look up what they used back then to get a better grasp of what Campbell is explaining.
Very good read and would make a great show on “Sci fi”. Hey if they can remake “Battlestar Galatica” then they sure as heck can make a “Lost Fleet” series.
Cheers.
*SMALL SPOILER*
I randomly picked up the first book several weeks ago and have just finished the 5th book now… I’ve really enjoyed the ride so far and am excited to hear there will be more! The only sad note being the wait… I need a time machine. ;-)
If Mr Hemry drops by here again, the question I would like to ask is did you have the romantic arc/s mapped out before-hand, or did they evolve organically. Though initially in the first book I felt there was a slight cheesy element to the romance and it jarred, as the story progressed I have been very impressed with some of the subtlety and nuance of the interplay between the main characters and how it has led the story. Underplayed nicely, but also underpinning the human need for intimacy and comfort (emotional or otherwise).
I admit I also glaze over a little during the battle scenes, but the attention to detail and obvious passion the author has for them adds to the authenticity of the story. I guess the only criticism would be that often although they feel tense, I never really feel much danger that one of the main characters might be lost in battle. (This is certainly not unique to this series, as many a storm-trooper will attest). I guess the most recent battle with Cresida contradicts that somewhat though!
Another question to the Author would be have you seen the recent “Battlestar Galactica” series and what are your thoughts on how the tone of your story and that series compare? It was interesting to me as a fan of BSG (well, series 1-3 anyway ;-) ) to note the danger of battle/jump repetition fatigue for the audience. In BSG I felt it really weighed it down and the series began to feel leaden towards the end, whereas with The Lost Fleet it still remained fairly fresh even though there was still a strong sense of repetition. Maybe it is the authors attention to detail in regards to the dynamic of the battle scenes that helps this?
To finish, I have to say I’ve really enjoyed the series and I’ll certainly be at the front of the queue to purchase the next installment, I’m looking forward to the revelation regarding the aliens and how that plays out. Based on the authors ability to weave the threads of the story so far, I doubt I’ll be disappointed.
Thank you Mr Hemry for the hours of reading pleasure you have given me and keep up the great work.
AK
Thanks everyone for the comments. I have the contract for the new series set on the Syndic world (it’s tentatively entitled The Phoenix Stars series), and should soon see the contract for the continuation of Black Jack’s story. The publisher really wanted to stick with The Lost Fleet as a series title, even though the fleet isn’t lost anymore, so we compromised and the continuation series will be entitled The Lost Fleet – Beyond the Frontier. There will be some interleaving between the two series.
AK, I didn’t plan out the romantic arc. I put the characters into place and waited to see what happened. As they got to know one another and went through their shared experiences, things evolved (like real life). I think it’s important to let characters find their way in things like that, because it makes them real.
I did see a lot of the new BSG episodes. They did some good things in that series, but my impression was that they lost control of the plot after a while. Where was everything leading and why? Why were certain characters acting in certain ways? I saw an interview in which the actress playing Starbuck said that at one point she threw down a script and yelled “I hate this character! I have no idea why she’s doing anything that she’s doing!” Which sort of summed up BSG for me, too many things as the series progressed that left me saying “huh?” I don’t think you need to have every single detail of a story spelled out when you start it, but I do believe you need to know where the story arc is going so that events along the way contribute meaningfully to a satisfying outcome for the reader/viewer. (A satisfying outcome isn’t always a happy outcome, but I think it helps.) So what and where were the battles and jumps leading to? If that’s unclear, the meaning of them is also unclear. IMO. Ironically, despite being a whole let better than the original BSG, I think the new BSG ended up with the same problem as the old one – the writers really didn’t know what the characters and story would do when they got to where they were going.
Ok I know this is gonna sound a little random (Got an email from the website that said y’all responded hehehe) But I really think that Geary should take Desjani out on a date. Sure he’s been in hibernation for a hundred years but he has something that is very special with Desjani. Rhoine in my opinion is, well she’s like that girl in class who everyone wants to have but she only commits with guys who have the looks, money etc.
Desjani is similar to the girl in class who you don’t really recognize at first but then love every bit of her. Yeah high school brings back the good old memories of ex girlfriends.
Ok enough about my social life.
But in all honesty, Geary should ask Desjani out on a date, she likes him, he likes her. What’s he got to loose?
Sean, hi. The reason he can’t ask her out and she can’t except is because he is her commanding officer. It’s against the rules. It’s called fraternization and they both could be court martialled for it if found out which is the whole reason behind the innuendo and promises for when neither of them are still on active duty. This is purely an officer thingy because as a former enlisted I will say we went at it like rabbits with each other, lol. Elvis
Aw man. Darn it I really wanted to see Jack’s moves on her lol. Or maybe just a cup of coffee would do it for me. Dang they can’t go out because of the rules? That’s wrong.
Sean, I’m not saying that two officers of equal or similar ranks can’t date, fall in love and eventually marry. I’m just saying that those two can’t because he’s her superior and just like in the work place he can exhort undue pressures upon her which would eventually create a hostile workplace. So basically yea, they can’t date, lol. Elvis
I never post anything on these boards – I guess I’m a just a lurker at heart! Knowing the writer will actually see this comment moved my hand however.
I read the first book – and immediately ordered the remaining 4 on Amazon. I could tell halfway through that first book, that I would not have to force my myself through the rest of them just to say I read the whole series, as I have so many others. In fact, I read the entire series in 2 and a half sittings each book. It was almost painful to put each one down without reaching the last page.
I am lost waiting for book 6 and the rest!
Thank you for your brilliance and passion in creating this sequence!
While I like the series I’ve always found them to be a bit too “movie of the week”. It seems to lack too many details both technical and in character development.
Maybe its because I’ve read too many David Weber novels but first off, I don’t think there are enough details about the fleet or the technology of the missiles, energy weapons etc and too much willing belief that a society dependant on naval battles would allow its navy to descend into the organizational chaos described in the first four Lost Fleet novels I’ve read.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve enjoyed reading them and I will likely re-read them before I get the fifth novel but honestly I was hoping to get a class breakdown of the ships in the Lost Fleet, know exactly how many there were, find out what their capabilities were etc and instead I was pounded with the idea again and again that brave / dashing captains ended up in cruisers and cautious / plodding captains ended up in the capital ships.
Another thing which I think seperates the Hugo award nominees from the fun miltary space thrillers – this character though enjoyable is ultimately unbelievable. Black Jack is painted in underwhelming tones throughout the novels and his personal thoughts seem to match with mine most of the time i.e., “not qualified to lead a fleet”.
And yet whenever battles are underway he’s a supergenius who makes many more right choices than wrong. He does have his downtimes but give me a break. He was a lieutenant on a single ship and now he wins time after time when in command of a fleet of hundreds of ships? Subjectively its been mere weeks since he was in sole command of just one ship with a bit of experience watching competent captains manuver fleets and now he manuvers hundreds across star systems and through the network of jump points? Come on, not very believable.
At least with other heroes like Weber’s Honor Harrignton we know she’s amazing because of the backstory Weber includes. We also know she’s had a lot of time to mature in the Manticore Navy from ensign to Captain and that she’s the product of a superior genetic line so her triumphs are more believable.
In the Lost Fleet we are asked to believe that Black Jack went from zero to hero without any stops in between and that he’s always been a more or less ordinary officer, no better or worse than most from his time period, who somehow manages extraordinary feats. I’m hoping in later books we can see some additional backstory that explains why this unlikely hero is actually so amazing.
And please stop suggesting that low-level AI systems are able to replace most of an Admiral’s staff. I am not a naval officer but I do work in a large organization and I can guarantee that the top decision-makers can’t do their job without people working with them who can support them in their roles and be the human interface on the day to day decisions while they work out the strategies and intervene in selective tactical situations. The novels suggest that Black Jack would like a staff but he still manages to do quite fine without them. Again not very believable.
Maybe there’s a lack of in-depth details and character building because these are such small books and Jack Campbell would include more if the publishers would allow him to up the word count. Well Mr. Campbell, you’ve had my attention and my pocketbook since the first novel and I would buy a bigger book and pay more if the novel had more details and stronger characterization. I look forward to seeing what you produce next. Thank you.
David, did you read the books or just skim them. I have read them 4 to 5 times each and I have a bone to pick with your comment. First he was a commander and in command of his own ship not a lieutenant. Secondly he was a zero. He was nothing special in his own time, but then he did this one thing that got blown out of proportion and he woke up to being this god like hero. Thirdly, tactics wise he is a supergenius compared to the tactics currently employed. He was trained to command a fleet.
I do have to agree with you as I to would like some technical info on the ships and weapons. I would not want that info at the cost of the detailing of the battles or the conspiracy in the fleet. I know his book can only be so long, so I have accepted that I won’t get any of that info in his current series, but I also hope for a manual or something like that later.
I have read the Honer Harrington series and I enjoyed it very much. It had a lot of tech info and a great back story to it. The only way you should compare the two series is how much enjoyment you get out of each. For me I get far more enjoyment out of the Lost Fleet series.
The books are good. The audio version of the books are incredible.
Okay, so I’m not a book critic. But I love the series and will now fork over the price for anything by Jack Campbell, and set aside the requisite 15 hours. It is a good series. He is a good story teller.
^ (agreed i love the audio version too )
Book 6 please come out soon…. i need to find out what happens now that hes back in Alliance Space!!! :’(
Sorry I’ve been absent for a while but there’s been some personal things to deal with on this end. Thanks for the additional comments. I’ve just finished going over the page proofs for book six (Victorious) so that’s all on track for its release at the end of April. I’m sure it won’t surprise anyone to hear that the cover doesn’t actually show a scene from the book, but there is an ice planet in one star system.
It doesn’t look like I’ve mentioned this here, so I’ll add that the publisher has asked me to continue the story. The part of the story that began in Dauntless will be completed with Victorious (no endless series for those who want some issues resolved), but that will leave plenty of problems for Geary to deal with, so there will be a follow-on series called The Lost Fleet – Beyond the Frontier. In addition, the publisher has signed me for a second series called The Phoenix Stars, which is set in a Syndic star system as the people there deal with the situation following Victorious.
And for those who like shorter stories, my novella Swords and Saddles is in the latest issue of Analog magazine (April 2010). I’d noticed that there’s a lack of science fiction stories featuring the US Cavalry (mounted) and a lack of science fictions stories set in Kansas, so I wrote a story to deal with both of those.
Go John!
We are eager for more books!
This is a reply to a comment from Damon posted in October of 2009:
Damon – you said you have a “bone to pick with me” but I don’t understand what parts of my critique you disagree with beyond your first point which was a clarification of Black Jack’s rank. Mea culpa, I haven’t read the books 4-5 times apiece so I slipped on that one.
Your other two points seem to be a rousing restatement of what I had already said in my critique so again I don’t understand where we disagree. I know that Black Jack went from zero to hero and has some training in fleet maneuvers which has led to his initial success. That’s why I mentioned it. I just think its not very believable that he can continue to maintain that level of success without further training, a support staff or some sort of further explanation / back-story that shows us why he can do what he is doing.
I know there are a number of books left for me to read so maybe I’ll see those types of details then. I look forward to finding out.
Stay tuned. I’m working with Mr. Hemry to try to get a signed ARC of Victorious as a contest for you all in the very near future. Subscribe to this thread (or this blog) to be notified if/when I get the details.
SUPER GREAT!
For those of you not subscribed via RSS to this blog in general, here are the contest details.
http://www.wereadscifi.com/win-a-signed-arc-of-lost-fleet-book-6/
You have 10 days to enter.
Good luck.
Just finished the 5 book series (in 2 weeks!) . Thank you for a nice read. Loved the space battles and intricacies involved with them. Character development was also amazing. I can see the issues surrounding repetition, but I suspect most people didn’t read the series this rapidly, so I was more then willing to forgive this.
I look forward to the 6th book!