The Lost Fleet

At the beginning of the summer a friend of mine recommended that I read the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. He claimed it was like “Buck Rogers meets Battlestar Galactica, minus the campy soundtrack.” Being a mild fan of both the original and the more recent incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, I decided to give it a shot.


I just finished reading The Lost Fleet: Victorious, the sixth and latest installment in the series. The previous five novels begin with the Alliance fleet’s defeat at the hands of their enemies, the Syndicate Worlds. They tell the story of the legendary Captain Black Jack Geary, recently awoken from a 100 year cryogenic sleep, who is reluctantly thrust into command of the disorganized and demoralized survivors, trapped behind enemy lines. Captain Geary leads the fleet through five novels worth of close calls, tough sacrifices, and treachery on the journey home, back to Alliance Space.

Along the way Geary and his advisors discover the existence of a non-human race known as the Enigma race. The intentions and capabilities of the Enigma race remain unknown; however, Geary and his advisors postulate that the century long war between the Alliance and the Syndicate may have been started by the Enigma race. As the novels progress it becomes clear that the war between the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds is a distraction designed to prevent humanity from defending themselves from or threatening the Enigma race.

The plot of Victorious revolves around Captain Geary leading the Alliance fleet back to the Syndicate home world in order to force an end to the war. As if dealing with the Syndics wasn’t enough, Geary must also contend with mysterious Enigma race who appear to possess a much higher level of technology than the Alliance. Geary and his trusted advisors are put to the test once more as they confront the Syndicate’s last stand and the Enigma race’s overwhelming numbers.

Readers of the previous novels will recognize some familiar elements that appear throughout the series including tension between military leaders and politicians, Geary’s personal struggles regarding his crew’s deification of him, and Geary’s relationships with his advisors. If you like military science fiction, the Lost Fleet series won’t let you down.

If you've read any of the Lost Fleet series, what did you think of it? If you haven't, what have you read recently?


Links to the Lost Fleet books in our catalogue:

Dauntless
Fearless
Courageous
Valiant
Relentless
Victorious