Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet

[Rodders]

I just bought and started The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier.

I wonder how i'll enjoy this? It looks as thought there's another series due for release called "The Lost Fleet: The Phoenix Stars" series.

 

[Vertigo]

I've too much on my TBR pile at the moment so I'll probably wait until there are several books out. Not sure how happy I am to hear of another follow on series already; sounds a bit like cashing in to me.

 

[Rodders]

I understand where you're coming from, but i did enjoy this series. I'll finish this one then probably leave it for a while before i decide to start reading any of the Phoenix Stars books.

 

[J-Sun]

As linked to on the Military SF thread, but also posted here because the last five paragraphs of the article specifically discuss The Lost Fleet, focusing on an important aspect of the series: The Political Battlefield of Military Science Fiction.

 

[Parson]

Interesting link J Sun.

 

[J-Sun]

Glad you found it worthwhile.

 

[Rodders]

OK, i just finished Beyond the Frontier which seems to have set us up for the Phoenix stars series that's due to follow. The trouble is that it seems to be exactly the same story as the previous series. Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed the novel and will be getting the next series, but i just don't know whay Campbell can do to make this one different.

 

[Vertigo]

My understanding is that Dreadnaught is the first book in the new series and the second book will be Invincible (he did tell me that the publishers insist on the naming!). That's certainly how FantasticFiction is listing them. I must say I'm going to be very disappointed if it just turns out to be much the same again but in alien territory.

 

[J-Sun]

Another writeup at Tor. Not sure if Ace and Tor are under the same umbrella or not, though the odds are good.

 

[Rodders]

WOW, it's been a while since i've thought about this series. After reading all the Lost Fleet books so far i'm quite looking forward to dipping my toe in that universe again. I am worried that it's just going to be more of the same so i'll be expecting Campbell to pull something out of the bag to keep my interest up.

 

[JagLover]

OK, i just finished Beyond the Frontier which seems to have set us up for the Phoenix stars series that's due to follow. The trouble is that it seems to be exactly the same story as the previous series. Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed the novel and will be getting the next series, but i just don't know whay Campbell can do to make this one different.

Well it is a little different as they are encountering alien races and (spoilers for beyond the frontier) the alliance leader's seem to be actively seeking to kill them off.

 

[BlueSoul]

I just got started on Dauntless and am up to page 52. It's pretty good so far.

 

[Parson]

I don't expect that you will find a let down either.

 

[Geddon's Wall]

Currently reading 'Relentless'(book5). So far, it hasn't let me down. One more to go and then a Re-read od "Stark's War"

 

[J-Sun]

Just finished the first in the second Lost Fleet series, The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Dreadnaught. Basically, if you disliked the first series or were burning out on it, you may well not care for this but, if you were wanting more, you should like it. I doubt it will really blow anyone away, though.

He couldn't just suddenly drop everything in the first series and make it completely new or it would be radically inconsistent and, if he'd just made it totally the same, there wouldn't be much point. I think he did a pretty good job of navigating those straits but he erred slightly on the "too similar" side and made a particular mistake (IMO - we'll see how it turns out) with one character I thought it was time to move on from. But the -- SPOILERS for the first series, only -- interactions with and speculations on the aliens bring a new angle and flavor to things and he adds some different aspects of politicking and fleet maintenance and so on.

I read the first series back-to-back (actually buying later volumes while I was reading earlier ones) and that was nice - this book takes a while to get going and then definitely doesn't come anywhere near to ending (even in a partial sense) and working as a standalone, so beware of that. Another year to wait for another extension of the middle and an indeterminate time to get to an actual end... assuming there's not another follow-on series. (I'll almost certainly bail then if I haven't already.) He did do a better job of handling the "repeat for likely mythical new readers what happened in our last episode" stuff, though. And only had Geary hear something it turned out he himself had said a single time. I think a big problem is that, due to the structure of the first set, we knew when we were and weren't making progress. It was a clear and simple mission objective: get the Fleet back home. In this one, it's much more open-ended and loses a lot of narrative thrust.

Also, beware of the US paperback on the "non-ending" score - I wanted to know how many chapters there were (14) so thumbed through backwards scanning for chapters so knew going in that the last dozen pages were taken from the first book (Tarnished Knight) in the new parallel series (The Lost Stars). Otherwise, I guarantee you I'd have turned page 353 expecting Chapter 15 and been disconcerted and mad. As is, I knew we were stopping, so was prepared for it.

Incidentally, that Lost Stars thing looks possibly more interesting than Beyond the Frontier.

Anyway - long story short - I liked it and can recommend it if others liked the first set and were wanting more but I can't say I love the new set yet.

Oh, and coincidentally - and fittingly (even his interviews come in sections ) - I came across Part I of an interview with Campbell/Hemry - dunno when Part II will show up.

 

[Rodders]

Does anyone know when the next book in the series is due to be released?

 

[J-Sun]

The next in the "Beyond the Frontier" series is supposed to be out now (or later this month, anyway). Lucky UKers get it in paperback, while it's in hardcover in the US and likely will hit paperback around May 2013. Next/first in the "The Lost Stars" series is "Coming October 2012 from Ace Books" but I don't know any more than that. Probably also hardcover in the US, but I don't know if that's also a UK release date of any kind.

(This thing of separate bindings and cover art and release dates and so on was kind of always stupid and is just getting stupider, especially when it's two divisions of the same company just increasing expense and confusion. In the case of the Campbell stuff being Ace and Titan, the last doesn't apply, but still...)

 

[Vertigo]

Interesting stuff J-Sun, I shall probably wait a while before diving into this series. I hate waiting for the next book. Silly really since I sometimes leave a bigger gap between books in a series than the writing gap. I think it's something to do with choice!

 

[J-Sun]

I came across Part I of an interview with Campbell/Hemry - dunno when Part II will show up.

Part II is up.

I particularly liked things like "saying 'they're evil' isn't really an answer" and getting his list of esteemed MilSF (and general SF) authors. I have to admit being surprised to learn he wrote fantasy - I've read some of his short SF, but it wasn't fantasy. I agree with him that readers are probably more catholic than publishers but I have to admit I don't have any interest in the particular fantasy he describes and would prefer more SF. But I'm particularly interested in The Lost Stars partly because it is a little different and I could stand some very different SF if that's what he wanted to do.

Interesting stuff J-Sun, I shall probably wait a while before diving into this series. I hate waiting for the next book. Silly really since I sometimes leave a bigger gap between books in a series than the writing gap. I think it's something to do with choice!

Yep, I know what you mean. Particularly with these, as both series are so serialized, it probably would be better to wait in ways. And, either way, the control/choice aspect is a good thing.

 

[Vertigo]

I have so many other books to read so it's not like I'm desperate or anything. Also I would guess I'm part way through seven or eight different series at the moment, and I tend to start telling myself I must finish one of the other series before I'm allowed to start a new one