The Lost Fleet: Courageous

Jack Campbell has done it again in the third book of his Lost Fleet series. Imagine a future where humanity has spread throughout a large portion of the galaxy under the leadership of two powers. One is an alliance of planets that values democracy and individual achievement, while the other is a tightly controlled dictatorship called the Syndicate. The opening shots of the war were fired against a ship commanded by “Black Jack” Geary, who sacrificed his ship and his crew in order to buy the ships he was escorting time to flee. He entered an escape pod and drifted in a hibernation state for nearly a hundred years until he was picked up by chance by an Alliance fleet on an important mission deep within Syndic space.

While he was lost, all of the Alliance navy came to regard his desperate rear-guard action as mythically heroic. His name became synonymous with bravery to an embattled nation, with officers striving to live up to “Black Jack’s” legacy. Unable to make sense of his one hundred year absence, Geary watches helplessly as the senior leadership of the fleet is executed during a parley with Syndic forces. Being the most senior officer left alive, Geary reluctantly assumes command and orders the fleet into action as they begin a harrowing journey through enemy space in an effort to arrive home. Geary’s ship, the Dauntless, carries a key to the Syndic’s system-spanning hypernet, which allows instantaneous travel between the stars linked by it. The hypernet key is the lynchpin of a potential Alliance victory which must be brought back to Alliance space at all costs.

The military of a hundred years past is vastly different than the present. Subordinate officers feel free to squabble and scheme against their superiors, naval tactics have become unsophisticated and brutal as experienced officers are continually culled, and the chain of command degenerates into arguments over petty things. Geary has the ability to quash these minor rebellions with the force of his personality and by relying on the strength of his persona, but he chooses to continue to command by example and savvy political play.

The most interesting aspect of the entire series has been the character of “Black Jack” himself. In the beginning he was lost, unsure of his purpose in a future that had known war for so long that the conventions of civilized warfare have been lost in atrocity and reprisal. He continually battles not only with insubordinate officers but with himself. It would be easy for him to assume the mantle of his legend and rule absolutely. He could be the Julius Caesar of the Alliance if he manages to bring his embattled fleet home, and it is only his sense of honor and the esteem in which he holds his ancestors that keep him on his path.

Combat in this book takes a back seat to the political maneuvering of the fleet’s captains, but this doesn’t disappoint. Campbell presents a fantastic setting and writes his supporting cast of characters with depth and sensitivity. The combat which does occur is written with clever details that extrapolate what naval action at relativistic velocities would be like. The constant preparation, tension, and stress of a ship’s crew is treated with a nice, emotional edge, even though filtered by the viewpoint “Black Jack” himself. I like what Campbell says about duty, honor, and warfare. The code that Geary espouses, combined with the reverence of his ancestors, reminds me a little bit of Bushido. There are lessons here for our own conduct in modern warfare if you pay close enough attention.

If you are a fan of David Weber’s Honor Harrington, you will find yourself at home in this universe. I can offer no higher praise than to say that I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series.