Courageous [With Headphones] (Lost Fleet (Playaway)) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Jack Campbell (Author, Narrator), Christian Rummel (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2009 | Series: Lost Fleet (Playaway)

The Alliance has been fighting a losing battle against the Syndicate Worlds for over a century. Now, Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, who returned to the fleet after a hundred-year suspended animation, must keep the Alliance one step ahead of its merciless foe… After a series of deadly engagements, the Alliance fleet is severely damaged and its arsenal is running low. Forced to halt in the Baldur Star System to raid the Syndic mines for raw materials, Geary is anxious to get moving again. But what should the fleet’s next move be? The Syndics are starting to catch on to Geary’s tactics, and as the Alliance ships jump from system to system, it’s getting harder to keep one step ahead. What’s more, Geary has started to piece fragments of intelligence together into a highly disturbing picture: The Syndics have been keeping the existence of another potential player in the war a secret — and this unknown power may have the means to annihilate the human race… “Jack Campbell has written the most believable space battles I‘ve ever seen anywhere.” - David Sherman, coauthor of the Starfist series

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The kind of hero Hornblower fans will love!" -WILLIAM C. DIETZ Praise for The Lost Fleet series: "The most believable space battles I''ve ever seen anywhere." -DAVID SHERMAN "Good fun." -DON D''AMMASSA "Thoughtful and exciting...loaded with edge-of-your-seat combat." -ELIZABETH MOON

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

"Jack Campbell" is the pseudonym for John G. Hemry, a retired Naval officer (and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis). As Jack Campbell, he writes The Lost Fleet series of military science fiction novels. He lives with his family in Maryland. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (July 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608479676
• ISBN-13: 978-1608479672
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)

More About the Author

"Jack Campbell" is the pseudonym for John G. Hemry, a retired Naval officer (and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis). As Jack Campbell, he writes The Lost Fleet series of military science fiction novels. He lives with his family in Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Book 3 and 4 should've been book 3, January 30, 2008

By 

Brian Long "Brian" (Ogden, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Courageous (The Lost Fleet, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

The first and second installments of this plot line were incredible, but the latest chapter in the Lost Fleet series seemed to drag along like a dying bovine. Captain Geary is still submerged in the political warfare and logistical nightmare of being stranded behind enemy lines. And to make matters worse, the Syndicate, enemies of Black Jack Geary's Alliance, has wizened from the rag-tag group he initially encountered, and are quickly relearning the lessons of wars past.

The possibility of a third party operating behind the scenes was what had me eager for this volume, but that is addressed in only the most passing sense. The plot is essentially a rehash of the first volume, and has many if not nearly all the elements from both volume 1 and 2. While certain new threads are introduced, this entry did little more than move pieces around a board, rather than have any actual play.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive. And redundant. And it repeats itself, also., January 16, 2008

By 

DarkSock (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Courageous (The Lost Fleet, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed the first two books; they were enjoyable space operas with well-designed space battles that combined real-world physics with engagingly written strategy. Unfortunately this third installment shows a pattern of formula that is becoming increasingly predictable.

The only two fleet clashes have the 2-dimensional Syndics being routed yet again; what little tension there is centers around dwindling resources. And enough with Rione, who went from an interesting character to a bi-polar shrew in one book flat; enough with "Ooooh, you're becoming The Great Black Jack Geary" nagging already. The hint of the triangle between Geary, Rione and Desjani has also fizzled into a gossip-fest; is this a war fleet or a junior high school?

The writing has also suffered; the dialogue between Rione and Geary was so mechanical I had to speed-read through it just to stay awake. And the revalation of Desjani wanting to be a book publisher and the slam on literary agents was a nerdy and downright embarrassing "inside joke" that detracted badly from the story.

Even the cover art went down a notch; did the artist even look at the previous covers? Geary went from looking like Lou Diamond Phillips to a crudely drawn Captain Reynolds from Firefly; what's up with that? (We all know Black Jack Geary looks like Hugh Jackman anyway. Or is it just me?).

The first two books are good enough to entice me into giving Book 4 a chance, and the "cliffhanger" ending of Book 3 gives some promise of this series getting back into gear, but one more "filler" book like #3 and I'm done.

Get it in gear, Black Jack Campbell! You owe me $5.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Space Opera At Its Best!!, December 30, 2007

By 

A. Stagg (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Courageous (The Lost Fleet, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Courageous is another enjoyable addition to Jack Campbell's Space Opera series and you won't be disappointed. Jack Campbell's (John Hemry) writing style improves and solidifies with each book and his storytelling remains consistently strong. As far as the technical knowledge and military expertise wrapped into his novels, Campbell/Hemry is one of the best!

I continue to enjoy the way he mixes his expertise in military tactics with the problems and challenges of military leadership. He obviously draws from his own past experiences in the military, but adroitly adapts these "lessons-learned" to the unique universe he has created with the war between the Syndics and the Alliance.

The aspect of this current installment that has improved the most (in my opinion) is the way Campbell discusses the personal lives and relationships of his Officers. The writing style dealing with personal issues in this current novel is much more fluid and woven more tightly into the overall novel.

As always, I now look forward to the NEXT installment! Get busy and publish the next one Jack!!