Review – Dauntless- 8/10
December 27, 2008
Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, Book 1)
by Jack Campbell
In the future man has not only ventured out into space but has started colonizing it. Also during this time, as is the case here on Earth, man has separated into enemies in space where one group controls one region of space, and the other group controls another region. These groups are known as the Alliance Worlds and the Syndicate Worlds.
Sort of like WWI, an ambush causes a war to brake out between these two groups, and due to sheer size of the colonizations that have occurred, spread out over many planetary systems it is almost impossible for a short end to the war.
Enter our hero Jack Geary, who is a commander of an escort ship for The Alliance during the initial battles, sacrifices himself so that almost everyone else in his escort can escape. It is thought he is dead anyway, until a hundred years later he is found in a drifting escape pod in cold sleep.
When he is brought back to life he has is shocked to find out he has become a legend of the likes of George Washington and is known as “Black Jack Geary”. The soldiers, a renegade attack force of several space ships deep in enemy territory who found him, are looking to him to take their rag tag group out of perilous situation before they are all slaughtered. John Geary is suddenly made commander of the entire fleet.
Some in the group resent the fact that Geary is in charge because his seniority even though he has been asleep though most of it. Also some don’t trust his legendary tactics even though a lot of it is not true.
This provides an interesting backdrop as this character tries to save the fleet while trying to catch up on what has happened and earn the trust and respect of all of those around him.
All in all a good story.
