I don't know what exactly it is about this series, but when I start one of these I just can't put it down. Logistics! Battleship maneuvers! Political shenanigans, treachery, aliens! What's not to like? ( )

It would be pretty difficult to get into this series without having read the Lost Fleet series first. (This review is for the whole series, rather than just the one book, because again, like the Lost Fleet series, it's one long story with more or less arbitrary divisions into books.)

I found this less compelling than the Lost Fleet series, but still pretty good. Even though it is quite long, I did not feel like it dragged. However, now that I've finished it, I'm less inclined to reread it (I have reread The Lost Fleet several times).

The portrayal of the aliens is interesting and maybe realistic (as far as we can judge such a thing without ever having encountered an alien), and forms the bulk of this book. However, in general I have a hard time with sci-fi about aliens, so that was less interesting for me; others may like it.

The adventures with aliens are framed by a rather interesting conflict within Geary's own country. Why are the politicians so anxious to get rid of him? Is his own nation going to fall apart, like the Syndicate systems that he just defeated in the Lost Fleet series? Or is their political system strong enough to hold together?

I'm pretty sure that when he began this series, Campbell had in mind the role of the United States, here played by the "Alliance", after the breakup of the USSR (played by the "Syndicate", which is in itself an interesting role reversal--communism symbolized by a system based on corporate dominance). Many of the political issues seem to draw from that recent part of our history, and its aftermath.

Anyway, the political issues of Geary's own nation are in the background for most of the series, but come to the fore towards the end, when something goes very wrong and Geary has to fight to save the values his nation was founded on (as well as resolve another issue that is currently quite a hot discussion on the internet today).

The conclusion (in Leviathan) seemed like a fitting ending to the whole story. All throughout both the Lost Fleet and this series, the heroes have been military. But what a nation needs in a time of peace is not military heroes, but political heroes--heroes who will inspire the next generation to fight for what is right through the political process, without killing people. And I think he succeeds at providing one. This last book is particularly apt for what seems to be happening in the United States right now in 2016, where distrust of politics is so high that people are saying, "Just let it all burn."

Minor criticism of the story: like a lot of books, sometimes it seems like the people in the story are just too good at what they do. How come the same person always seems to come up with the right answer, across five different fields where they have no expertise, when the experts can't? I guess you can't introduce too many characters, but still, it feels wrong. ( )

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76 points, 4 stars
Warning: Cliffhanger (Status: I really, really hope that isn't going to be how the entire series is modeled.)

Captain John "Black Jack" Geary is back, and now he is returned to his admiral status. The Alliance fears him and his potential to stage a coup and have the people follow him. So they have a job for him: take the fleet, and learn more about the mysterious aliens known as the Enigmas. That'll keep him busy and far, far away from Alliance space.

I took my time to get to this sequel series to the Lost Fleet. There are multiple reasons, including that I had only planned on reading the original series before taking a break. The truth is, I couldn't have read this so soon after the original series in the first place. I just wasn't ready. However, Dreadnaught was as good as the best book in the original series, with the potential for so much more. I enjoyed this, and I'm really looking forward to where this might be going.

Yet, the break wasn't smart, either. I probably should have gotten back to this a while ago. I only remember three people from this entire series, right now. The beginning of the book opens up almost directly after the events in the original series, and we're in the middle of a big meeting with a bunch of politicians. And I don't remember any of them. That is a more of a fact that Campbell doesn't really make any of them stick out very well. And then immediately after this meeting, pretty much all of them go back to being completely irrelevant. Again. Just like everyone else.

The politicians and military have decided, though. Geary is to go out and take most of the fleet and figure out what he can find out about the mysterious Enigma race. And don't come back until he has something. The implication is clear: go away, we don't want you here, you're too much of a threat to us, and we don't expect you to come back anyway. So it is once again Geary vs. his entire government once again. Even though he says he would never take them over. At least this time he has the backing of all those under him. Even if that scares him.

However, Dauntless is also boring in some ways. Nothing really new happens across it. The interesting thing is the implications for what is to come. Geary has to try and outmaneuver his own government, again. He has to pick up prisoners of war which include a lot of people who could (potentially) challenge his authority, again. He has to travel through Syndicate space which presents hazards for him, again. It isn't until fairly towards the end of the book that we even enter Enigma space.

Overall, I think I probably like this book more for the potential than the contents. But I was impressed that it was as good as it is. I enjoyed reading it, and am looking forward to the sequels to this. ( )

Military SciFi with a moral edge, interspersing carefully crafted, mind bending 3-D warfare with philosophical discourses on the nature of duty and leadership. More of the same plot lines and twists from The Lost FLeet Series....feels like a copy/paste. At times, Desjani-Geary show many of the relationship characteristics of a new marriage--well done author. Pieces of the enigma plot are rolled out slowly. The ending is just that--it ends--splat. that's the main reason for the low rating. Very dissatisfying. ( )

About a year after finishing the first Lost Fleet series, I picked this up, looking for a little light diversion from the stress and mental exhaustion of work and lo and behold, this was just the ticket. Just as entertaining as the previous series and just as addictive. Nothing too complicated or revolutionary here but the author manages to retain the sense of familiarity while giving just enough of a dash of novelty to make sure it doesn't become dull. Recommended for the naval-military sf readers out there (or players of the old strategy game Homeworld!) ( )