Books - The Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell (aka John G Hemry)

There's a line in this book, "ignorance makes being sure easy"...I'd say that's an appropriate line for this novel. So, two stars. I suppose you're asking what's the worst thing about this book? The fact I bought it instead of getting a library copy.John G. Hemry (writing as Jack Campbell) wrote the Lost Fleet series. That is an excellent science fiction/space opera series. I give it high marks and my highest recommendation. It's why I felt "secure" in buying this novel. This is Hemry's first novel.It shows.The best word I can come up with here is "sad". On the other end of that scale is ludicrous. There is virtually no action in the first half of this book and what I'd call questionable action in the second half. Though we come to a sort of apparent (view spoiler)[ almost last stand set up it still concentrates on esoteric parts of the story. (hide spoiler)]

New York Times bestselling author Jack Cambell's space saga hits lightspeed with an action-packed story of interstellar war.Admiral John "Black Jack" Geary earned his rank after being revived from cryogenic sleep to lead the Alliance to victory against the Syndicate Worlds. But his superiors question his loyalty to the regime. Now in command of the First Fleet, Geary is tasked with exploring the frontier beyond Syndic space, a mission he fears deliberately puts the fleet--and himself--in harm's way.An encounter with the alien Enigmas confirms Gear'y fears. Attacked without warning, he orders the fleet to jump star systems--only to enter the crosshairs of another hostile alien armada. Ignoring all of the First Fleet's attempts to communicate peaceful intentions, this system's species send their ships into battle on suicde runs, while guarding the exiting jump point with a fortress of incalculable power.Now, with a faction of his officers determined to eliminate this new threat despite the cost, Geary must figure out how to breech the enemy's defenses so the fleet can reach the jump point without massive casualties--and knowing that the Enigmas are most likely waiting on the other side...

This book picks up pretty much shortly after "Stark's War" (book 1 in the trilogy) leaves off. Sgt Stark, the commander of the mutinous army, now faces the kettle of fish he's opened after his take-over of the Army unit guarding the Moon colony (as a recap, in book 1, a fresh division of troops, unused to the lunar environment, were sent charging headlong into the teeth of enemy defenses, as the plan wasn't to overpower the enemy, but to over-awe them into submission; didn't work too well, and most of the division was slaughtered; Stark, a member of the veteran lunar division instructed to watch and not partake, was sick was watching his fellow soldiers get killed and not reinforced or relieved, led an indirect insurrection by going out and rescuing what survivors there were, then arresting all the [stupid (and not so stupid)] officers, and was ultimately voted as Commander of the Army guarding the US Lunar Colony). This kettle of fish entails not only dealing with the brass, politicos, and corporate leaders of Earth, but also how to work with the Colony's civilian population. Stark's only desire, and it is echoed by many of the troops, is that they only want to do "the right thing" but have been denied by Those Higher Up (i.e., the officers, and their masters). They still believe in the Constitution, still consider themselves honorable American soldiers, but everyone back Home (Earth) who has any power is doing their level best to convince everyone that they are just a mob with no control. Meanwhile, there is friction between the civilian population of the Colony and the military forces as neither side has any real understanding of how the other works/thinks/acts short of preconceived and incorrect notions. Stark's job, smooth that out, and convince the leaders on Earth they are legit. It doesn't happen overnight. Doesn't happen by the end of the book (though he makes long headway with the Colony's civilians, especially after a sneak attack by professional foreign power soldiers are hired by the US Govt to take Stark out but instead who are beaten - however, not before they kill a civilian who was getting into a relationship with one of Stark's former squad members). There's plenty of action and activity in this book, it was difficult to put down. The story basically opens with an all-out attack on the Colony's defenses by foreign powers, and Stark trying to rally soldiers who were fleeing in the face of overwhelming odds. He finally manages to hold the line by personally going out there and grabbing individual soldiers, building up a defensive wall and pincer maneuver that crunches the enemy's advance, forcing them to flee back to their own defenses. As a side note, for those who read The Lost Fleet series, I had suspicions during the first book that the background set up (corporations had taken over most of Earth's nations, only the US still retained it's government, but it was controlled heavily by other corporations) was what might lead to the Alliance/Syndic background portrayed in The Lost Fleet. In this sequel there is more evidence that this is the case, as several names pop up verrrry briefly during the early fighting in the book: Geary, Demetrios, and Falco, all military personnel. Makes you go "Hmmmm..."

The revelations on Mars -- a half-million year-old legacy of the vanished star-traveling Builders -- have fed the flames of catastrophic war. A beleaguered United States and its Russian and Japanese allies struggle to hold their own against the indomitable forces of the enemy United Nations. The bloody conflict that has swept over the home planet now rages across the blackness of space -- with the U.S. Marine Corps in the vanguard, leading the charge as always.But Mars is not the sole repository of alien wonders. The Earth's moon hides unsettling mysteries of its own-and dangerous secrets pointing toward an unstoppable threat advancing from somewhere beyond the solar system. And as scientists on both sides ract to utilize technology they have only barely begun to comprehend, the UN makes the opening move in a gambit that could end the hostilities quickly and decisively by bringing about the death of millions...without the aid of alien-inspired weaponry.A bad situation worsens by the nanosecond. And that means it's time to call in the Marines -- to make a life or death stand on the gray shores of Luna.

Of all the hosts of Eurotas the Troias were the most fell. For they were born of Winter.Between the Solar Array Pumped Laser and Troy, the two trillion ton nickel-iron battlestation created by eccentric billionaire Tyler Vernon, Earth has managed to recapture the Sol system from their Horvath conquerors and begin entering the galactic millieu.But when the Rangora Empire rapidly crushes humanity's only ally it becomes clear the war is just beginning. At the heart of nickel iron and starlight are the people, Marines, Navy and civilians, who make Troy a living, breathing, engine of war. Survivors of apocalypse, they know the cost of failure.If this Troy falls, no one will be left to write the epic.Citadel continues the saga begun in Live Free or Die, following the paths of several characters during the first years of The Spiral Arm Wars culminating in the First Battle of E Eridani.

NO ONE WANTED ANOTHER WAR Thomas Theisman didn't. After risking his life and a fresh round of civil war to overthrow the Committee of Public Safety's reign of terror and restore the Republic of Haven's ancient Constitution, an interstellar war was the last thing he wanted. Baron High Ridge didn't. The Prime Minister of Manticore was perfectly happy with the war he had. No one was shooting anyone else at the moment, and as long as he could spin out negotiations on the formal treaty of peace, his government could continue to milk all those "hostilities only" tax measures for their own partisan projects. His Imperial Majesty Gustav didn't. Now that the fighting between the Star Kingdom and the Havenites had ended, the Andermani Emperor had his own plans for Silesia, and he was confident he could achieve them without a war of his own. Protector Benjamin didn't. His people had made too deep a commitment to the Manticoran Alliance, in blood as well as treasure, for him to want to risk seeing it all thrown away. And Honor Harrington certainly didn't. The "Salamander" had seen the inside of too many furnaces already, knew too much about how much war cost. Unfortunately, what they wanted didn't matter....

A young fleet officer and a Marine stand together to defend their colony in the continuation of the powerful and action-packed Genesis Fleet saga from New York Times bestselling author Jack Campbell.In the three years since former fleet officer Rob Geary and former Marine Mele Darcy led improvised forces to repel attacks on the world of Glenlyon, Old Earth and the Old Colonies have continued to shrink their military forces.But open warfare erupts once again when Glenlyon tries to force open a trade route. Isolated and alone, Glenlyon places its hope in informal agreements with other worlds also facing attack. But fiercely independent worlds settled by people who wanted to escape higher authority don’t easily agree to such commitments. While politicians try to bring some kind of formal alliance into being, Geary and Darcy once again find themselves fighting desperately to defend their world, hoping they can hold out until help arrives.If it comes at all.

The Star Kingdom has a new generation of officers! And this elite group hand-picked and trained by Honor Harrington herself is going to be needed immediately, as their first assignment turns out to be more dangerous than anyone expected. What was supposed to be a quiet outpost, far from the blazing conflict between the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the People's Republic of Haven has actually been targeted by an unholy alliance between the slaveholders of Manpower, the rival star kingdoms of Mesa and Monica, and the bureaucrats of the Solarian League. The alliance stands to benefit if the Havenites defeat Manticore, and are preparing for a surprise attack from the rear to divide Manticore's forces, which are already strained nearly to their limits. With their captain, the young Manticoran officers will risk their careers, if not their lives, on an unauthorized mission to expose and counter the threat to their Star Kingdom. Follow their journey as they show what they're made of as New York Times best-selling author David Weber begins a new series that will be a must for the hundreds of thousands of Honor Harrington fans.

The stellar spin-off to the New York Times bestselling The Lost Fleet series continues as the Syndicate’s civil war threatens to spread even farther into the final frontier…President Gwen Iceni and General Artur Drakon have successfully liberated the Midway Star System—but the dictatorial former rulers of the Syndicate Worlds won’t surrender the region without a fight.Outnumbered and led by junior officers hastily promoted in the wake of the uprising, Midway’s warships are no match for the fleet massing and preparing to strike. But the Syndicate isn’t the only threat facing Iceni and Drakon. Another former CEO has taken control of the Ulindi Star System, the first calculated move toward establishing his own little empire.With Drakon’s ground forces dispatched to Ulindi, Midway erupts in violence as Syndicate agents and other, unknown enemies stoke a renewed revolt against Iceni’s power—leaving both her and Drakon vulnerable to trusted officers just waiting for an opportune moment to betray them…

The Year is 2040.The Marines have landed on Mars to guard the unearthed secrets of an ancient and dangerous alien race: Ourselves.Scientists have discovered something astonishing in the subterranean ruins of a sprawling Martian city: startling evidence of an alternative history that threatens to split humanity into opposing factions and plunge the Earth into chaos and war. The USMC -- a branch of a military considered, until just recently, to be obsolete -- has dispatched the Marine Mars Expeditionary Force, a thirty-man weapons platoon, to the Red Planet to protect American civilians and interest with lethal force if necessary.Because great powers are willing to devastate a world in order to keep an ancient secret buried. Because something that was hidden in the Martian dust for half a million years has just been unearthed . . . something that calls into question every belief that forms the delicate foundation of civilization . . .Something inexplicably human.

KNOW THY ENEMYFor Captain Honor Harrington, it's sometimes hard to know who the enemy really is. Despite political foes, professional jealousies, and the scandal which drove her into exile, she's been offered a chance to reclaim her career as an officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy. But there's a catch. She must assume command of a ''squadron'' of jury-rigged armed merchantmen with crew drawn from the dregs of her service and somehow stop the pirates who have taken advantage of the Havenite War to plunder the Star Kingdom's commerce.That would be hard enough, but some of the ''pirates'' aren't exactly what they seem . . . and neither are some of her ''friends,'' For Honor has been carefully chosen for her mission—by two implacable and powerful enemies.The way they see it, either she stops the raiders or the raiders kill her . . . and either way, they win.

Admiral Geary’s First Fleet of the Alliance has survived the journey deep into unexplored interstellar space, a voyage that led to the discovery of new alien species, including a new enemy and a possible ally. Now Geary’s mission is to ensure the safety of the Midway Star System, which has revolted against the Syndicate Worlds empire—an empire that is on the brink of collapse. To complicate matters further, Geary also needs to return safely to Alliance space not only with representatives of the Dancers, an alien species, but also withInvincible, a captured warship that could possibly be the most valuable object in human history. Despite the peace treaty that Geary must adhere to at all costs, the Syndicate Worlds regime threatens to make the fleet’s journey back grueling and perilous. And even if Geary escorts Invincible and the Dancers’ representatives safely unharmed, the Syndics’ attempts to spread dissent and political unrest may have already sown the seeds of the Alliance’s destruction...

Hounded into retirement and disgrace by political enemies, cut to the heart by the murder of the man she loved, and bereft of confidence in herself and her abilities, Captain Honor Harrington has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds.But the People's Republic of Haven is rising from defeat to threaten Grayson anew, and the newborn Grayson Navy needs her experience desperately. It's a call Honor cannot refuse, yet even as she once more accepts the duty whose challenges she fears she can no longer meet, powerful men who hate and fear the changes she's brought to their world are determined to reverse them. They have a plan ... and for it to succeed Honor Harrington must die. Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them, and only one woman uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder-stands between her adopted planet and its devastation.

This was a fast read for me. Overall, I would say I enjoyed it. The character development is interesting – I found myself liking Jason Wander even more in this book; I found myself disliking Howard Hibble even more in this novel. There are other characters that also are developed in conjunction with these two main characters from the first book. I thought it was an interesting move in the series (view spoiler)[to have the Earth (United States) pushing for ‘disarmament’ and reducing the military budget due to the “Slug War” being over when that is, in fact, far from the truth (hide spoiler)]

The Barnes & Noble ReviewStark's Crusade is the concluding volume of a popular military science fiction trilogy written by former U.S. Navy officer John G. Hemry. The first two books, Stark's War and Stark's Command, began chronicling the life of Sergeant Ethan Stark, a living military legend who is sent to the moon to take back control of what America believes is its property. (After the Cold War, America became the last superpower and dominated the world economically. Other nations, and corporations, were forced to begin colonies and manufacturing plants in space.) In the ensuing war, Stark realizes the war has nothing to do with peace or justice, but with greed and television ratings. Stark's Crusade ends this epic adventure. Stark, now the acting commander of the rebel American military forces on the moon, must deal with the United Nations declaring him an outlaw while also taking on the entire American military and his own mutinous forces. (Paul Goat Allen)

A young fleet officer and a Marine must stand together to defend their neighbors and their colony in this return to the powerful and action-packed Genesis Fleet saga from New York Times bestselling author Jack Campbell.The recently colonized world of Glenlyon has learned that they're stronger when they stand with other star systems than they are on their own. But after helping their neighbor Kosatka against an invasion, Glenlyon has become a target. The aggressive star systems plan to neutralize Glenlyon before striking again.An attack is launched against Glenlyon's orbital facility with forces too powerful for fleet officer Rob Geary to counter using their sole remaining destroyer, Saber. Mele Darcy's Marines must repel repeated assaults while their hacker tries to get into the enemy systems to give Saber a fighting chance.To survive, Glenlyon needs more firepower, and the only source for that is their neighbor Kosatka or other star systems that have so far remained neutral. But Kosatka is still battling the remnants of the invasion forces on its own world, and if it sends its only remaining warship to help will be left undefended against another invasion. While Carmen Ochoa fights for the freedom of Kosatka, Lochan Nakamura must survive assassins as he tries to convince other worlds to join a seemingly hopeless struggle.As star systems founded by people seeking freedom and autonomy, will Kosatka, Glenlyon and others be able to overcome deep suspicions of surrendering any authority to others? Will the free star systems stand together in a new Alliance, or fall alone?

Jack Campbell returns to the world of the New York Times bestselling Lost Fleet novels with a new action-packed military science fiction series that explores the founding of the Alliance . . . and the men and women who fought to create it.Earth is no longer the center of the universe.After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies. But the vast distances of space mean that the old order of protection and interstellar law offered by Earth has ceased to exist.When a nearby world attacks, the new colony of Glenlyon turns to Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted Marine. With nothing but improvised weapons and a few volunteers, Geary and Darcy must face down warships and armored soldiers--or die trying.As battles rage and pirates take an increasing toll throughout the colonies, the only hope for lasting peace lies with Carmen Ochoa, a "Red" from the anarchic world of Mars, and Lochan Nakamura, a failed politician. They have a plan: to lay the groundwork for mutual defense that could someday grow into an alliance. But if their efforts don't succeed, the growing power of aggressor worlds could turn regions of space founded on freedom into battlefields between the first interstellar empires...

New York Times Best-Selling Author.The Big Showdown with an Alien Empire, to Keep the Earth Free—and Maybe Free the Galaxy as Well. The fight to free the Earth from alien domination began in Live Free or Die, and continued in Citadel. Now Tyler Vernon, and his troops aboard the gigantic battle station Troy, face a desperate battle with the forces of galactic tyranny. And the very survival of the Earth and its people is not all that is at stake. The galaxy itself must choose to live free or die—and if the tyrants win this battle, darkness will fall across the galaxy for millennia to come.