Rating: 5 out of 5
The latest book in the Lost Fleet built on the theme of the aliens, a welcome change from the Syndicate and other prior topics. I found this refreshing compared to the rest of the series and I think the author managed to do some nice things by moving the focus heavily into diplomacy. Of course, in a standard move the ending leaves everything open and the reader waiting for the next book (will there be an next book?).
Geary’s infallibility is an aspect of the character that normally becomes annoying, and it must be said that as a person he would be more believable if he did something wrong, sometimes. In this book, the changes circumstances make it even more surprising—and this shouldn’t be a spoiler to anyone reading this series—that once again it is the Admiral who pulls off the greatest feats possible. Sure, he spends some time to figure out what needs to be done, but inevitably something strikes him on the right path.
Given the large cast of characters, it would have been good to feature at least one great idea being fully formulated by someone else. Alas, it was not to be! Yet, in some ways it felt like Geary’s introspection was a touch deeper here and the philosophising that he, Charban, Senn, and Cresida involved themselves in was rather interesting. This made this book much more appealing than it would otherwise have been.
I enjoyed this, and I wish there were more of them—especially now we know how to approach the aliens.
