Dauntless

Dauntless (The Lost Fleet #1) (The Geary Verse #1)

Hands down, this is an amazing start to a military, science-fiction series that is also a personal favorite of mine. I have reread this book for the sixth time now. It has amazing re-read quality. The plot is very intriguing, with the action being pretty good and uniquely described. What makes this story so great though are the characters. The main focus is on an old military commander who is recovered from a century old survival pod. While he has been asleep, a hundred year was has ensued and the militaries of the two factions have become untrained and undisciplined mobs. When he finds himself in command of a stranded battle fleet, he has to navigate the intricacies of getting the fleet home and making it an effective fighting force once again. This is also accompanied well by how the author makes the journey of escaping enemy territory much more detailed than a simple A to B to C affair.

It is also worth noting that many military leaders during leadership training should read this novel. Having gone through such training, I can see how many of the values and insights in this book would be invaluable for the modern young Officer or NCO.

I'd recommend reading this story for anyone who likes space operas, military thrillers, and science fiction.

Rating:
Story: 5 Stars
Characters: 5 Stars
Settings: 4 Stars
Literary Quality: 4 Stars
Overall Quality: 5 Salmon

Nerdy Details:
Author: Jack Campbell
Publisher: Ace Books
Published: 27 June 2006
Page Length: 293
Genre: Science Fiction
Sub-Genre: Space Opera, Military Fiction
Awards and Nominations:  None

Extinction Evolution

Extinction Evolution (The Extinction Cycle #4) (Extinction Cycle Universe #4)

By now anyone could guess that I'm a fan of this series. No one reads the fourth book of a series they feel meh about. What I like in particular about this entry is a few things. First, it makes the Variants seem more threatening. This is due to the number of characters that they manage to kill, but also because of the imposing Variant leaders that are introduced. The White King and especially the Bone Collector are very chilling. Second, this story makes the Variants seem not so bad in comparison to the next stage of their evolution, the Juveniles. I won't get into why these Juveniles are so scary, but much of the story is focused around the characters scrambling to find a way to stop not only the Variants, but these new forms as well. I have to say that not only was the action throughout this story very engaging and realistic feeling, but the plot was great as well. The action and the plot felt like they were in perfect sync with each other, supporting and feeding each other in a perfect harmony and dance. This story also doesn't hesitate from making so series altering changes and events. Plum Island will never be the same again and the cliffhanger in this story is huge. The author has already made humanity seems precariously perched on the edge of extinction before and then amazingly goes even further, making the peril feel real and pressing. Another great entry in the series and one that outdoes it's immediate predecessor, which was already very entertaining.

I'd recommend reading this story both for any apocalypse nut and for anyone who likes zombies and monsters in general. Fans of military action and contagion thrillers should also enjoy this.

Rating:
Story: 4 Stars
Characters: 4 Stars
Settings: 4 Stars
Literary Quality: 4 Stars
Overall Quality: 4 Salmon

Nerdy Details:
Author: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 19 Oct 2015
Page Length: 414
Genre: Post-Apocalypse, Horror
Sub-Genre: Monsters
Awards and Nominations:  None