Reviews for Relentless (Lost Fleet Series #5)

The average rating for Relentless (Lost Fleet Series #5) based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-12-02 00:00:00 William C Higgins Boy, I love this series. I don't know if everyone can enjoy the things that I do, but I'm sure that I'm not the only retired "old salt" out there. As an Operations Specialist Chief, retired, there is so much of this that reminds me of my time in the United States Navy, standing watch in the Combat Information Center on long watches. I remember formation steaming and, training Junior Officer after Junior Officer how to work a maneuvering solution on a "Mo-Board" to get us on station and keep us on station. I remember "calls for fire" from marines on the beach in Kuwait, or on the gunnery range off of Vieques Island in the Caribbean. And now, in this one, when Dauntless "looses the load" (sudden loss of power) and they break out sound powered phones! Oh, the Nostalgia! Oh, the Memories... they work anywhere. I kept waiting for Desjani (yes, I'm warm for her form) to order the DCO to rig a "salt and pepper line between Damage Control Central (DCC) and Repair Five! (Yes, Sound Powered phones have been with us since long before the Second World War. It's a metal plate with a magnet wrapped in copper wire. The plate vibrates as you speak and transmits a charge down the line to a plate on the other end that vibrates your words to whoever is listening. And yes, I bet in space they'd still be perfect damage control gear if all else fails). The story is the continuation of a wonderful daring attempt to get a fleet of Alliance Warships through the gauntlet of Syndic space and home. Captain Black Jack Geary has brought new life to the old religion that calls upon each individual to live their lives in a way that honors their ancestors. Though not as strong as in the first book, Campbell is still teaching us, moment by moment, what being a noble warrior with a moral compass and the courage to stay the course is all about. It's a good story getting better! All violence is in the contest of Naval Warfare and manageable by young adult to old bastard (me). I finally realized that I have read a book recently that told of a Black Jack Geary like character. Only this was a "non-Fiction" book. It was Thode's telling of the histories around Hannibal of Carthage. Amazing parallels. It's just good fun, Space Opera/Military Sci-fi Read. Of course there is one thing.... you'd think Geary, who commands fleets that make the galaxy tremble as they pass would have figured out how to manage the ladies who have taken a liking to him... (sigh)... I guess Pobody's Nerfect.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-08-26 00:00:00 Carol Gillespie Another fun volume in the Lost Fleet story. Geary and the Fleet are drawing near to the frontier. They are almost back to Alliance space after wreaking havoc with the Syndicate navy. Victory is at hand! But of course there are complications... The Fleet is running low on just about everything. There aren't enough fuel cells. Their munitions are nearly exhausted. The Syndicate reserve fleet is massing to trap them. The unseen, mysterious and nefarious aliens are maneuvering against them. And, to add to their troubles, the traitors within the fleet move to rid themselves of Geary once and for all. Geary, of course, resolves all of these threats (or at least the immediate ones) in his usual fashion: he out-thinks and out-bluffs his enemies. I admit it. I like these books. They are fun, quick reads, but they are not without their faults. First, everything comes a little too easy for Geary. Curve ball after curve ball is tossed at him, but he comes through with flying colors. The author does write in a bit of an internal struggle, but due to the cardboard nature of the characters it just doesn't quite feel right to me. I want him to sweat it more. Related, the characters generally feel stiff and formulaic to me. Especially the Space Opera elements. Despite it's faults, I recommend the series to fans of military fiction, and big, smashing star ship battles. The battles at relativistic speeds are phenomenal. And, despite me knowing he's going to win, I'm generally on the edge of my seat during the combat. Layer on top of this the uncertainty and mystery around the aliens and you've got a winner. If the author could fix the other flaws, we'd have a solid five star set of books here. Four broadsides out of five.