Well, here’s the second book in this series and it just keeps getting better. I knew Jay Allan was a prolific writer and he’s proven that he’s without a doubt one of the best military science fiction writers I read. If you pickup one of his books, better be ready for a long journey. And, it it’s got a battle or war in it, be ready to be worn out! I am again, just worn out! This book goes from one battle to another with the Confederation Battleship, the Dauntless and it Captain, Captain Taylor Barron. We also get to meet a new battleship Captain, Sara Eaton of the Intrepid. Her battleship was with the Confederation main fleet when it met up with the Union Fleet in the Arcturon System.
Things did not go well for the Confederation fleet. While they were massed as were the Union fleet, the Union had some how managed to collect far more ships than Confederation intelligence has estimated. The Confederation was outnumbered roughly four to one in capital ships. It was going to be one heck of a battle. Admiral Winston was leading the Confederation and he was an old school Admiral who fought along side Admiral Rance Barron who is considered one of the greatest war heroes of the Confederation. Admiral Winston only hoped he was half as good as his mentor. This battle would tell and could mean the end to the Confederation if they lost.
Meanwhile, the Dauntless, has finally been repaired and re-outfitted and they have orders to rendezvous with the main fleet and support the coming battle. They don’t believe they can make it in time since they are so far back. Just coming from their own major battle, Captain Barron isn’t all that excited about getting into battle again, only because he deeply feels the loss of his former crewmen and women from the last battle. Still, orders are orders and he must comply with all haste.
How the Dauntless and the intrepid manage to get together is just a happen stance of a brutal war. But, they do get together and behind enemy lines. What they do there will go down in the annals of history of the Confederation and be read about for centuries to come. Yet, the Confederation must survive if there’s to be any history written. Right now, their chances of survival is not great. Something has got to change or this war will be lost pretty quickly.
I really like the battle scenes written by Mr. Allan. He can put a reader right in the Captain’s chair. That’s why I’m so worn out after reading his books. I do note that he gives a lot of credit to the battleships Engineers which is very appropriate. These men and women are far down in the ships belly making things work like they should. They live next to two atomic bombs all the time, yet it doesn’t seem to affect them except. When something goes wrong, they are the first to respond and fix it. Captain Barron’s Chief Engineer, Commander Fritz is a supreme engineer that knows her ship like no other. She can almost fix the impossible and time after time, keeps the Dauntless in the battle fighting back. Without this engineer and her magnificent team, the Dauntless would have been destroyed time and again. The Captain of the Dauntless and all of his crew owe their lives to the Engineers, but the Captain is probably the only one that really understands why. I don’t know how Commander Fritz is going to be rewarded, but she obviously should and will be promoted, but how do you do that knowing you might lose the most valuable weapon your battleship has?
Now, I have to wait for the next book. It says it’s coming in the Spring of 2017. So maybe my wait won’t be long.