The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
pjonsson's review against another edition
4.0
In all this was a good ending to the Black Fleet Trilogy although I would have liked it to be a happier one. The book continues the story of Captain Wolfe and his friends and, as is probably not too surprising, it works itself towards the grand finale tying the various threads together. As with the previous books in the series it provides for some quite decent, actually some very good, fleet action and generally good overall adventure.
Again Captain Wolfe has to fight a bit of an uphill battle against the politicians which are as useless and destructive as always and again he manages to circumvent said nincompoops attempts to sabotage things. Having said that, the politicians in question is kept on a somewhat short leash in this instalment. At least until the end.
The Captainâs friends are back of course and they are as likable as in the previous instalment. I still do really like the Pike character and the interactions between him and Captain Wolfe. That is not to say that the rest of the characters are any less likable. Even the previously not so likable Admiral became somewhat likable in this instalment. Emphasis on somewhat though.
There are a few twists in the plot. Again some more surprising than others although I have to say that none of them where really very unpredictable.I did like the interaction between the Phage âovermindâ and Captain Wolfe and the final end game. The revelation of the involment of the Vruahns in the events from the start was a good plot element but not too surprising though.
My (only) real gripe with this book was the ending. The treatment of the person that, in reality, saved the human race from extinction was plain and simple deplorable. I know, I know I am a sucker for good ending so this is really a subjective opinion but to me it took away a bit of my enjoyment of this book.
Apart from that this was a really good book and a good ending of the trilogy.
Again Captain Wolfe has to fight a bit of an uphill battle against the politicians which are as useless and destructive as always and again he manages to circumvent said nincompoops attempts to sabotage things. Having said that, the politicians in question is kept on a somewhat short leash in this instalment. At least until the end.
The Captainâs friends are back of course and they are as likable as in the previous instalment. I still do really like the Pike character and the interactions between him and Captain Wolfe. That is not to say that the rest of the characters are any less likable. Even the previously not so likable Admiral became somewhat likable in this instalment. Emphasis on somewhat though.
There are a few twists in the plot. Again some more surprising than others although I have to say that none of them where really very unpredictable.I did like the interaction between the Phage âovermindâ and Captain Wolfe and the final end game. The revelation of the involment of the Vruahns in the events from the start was a good plot element but not too surprising though.
My (only) real gripe with this book was the ending. The treatment of the person that, in reality, saved the human race from extinction was plain and simple deplorable. I know, I know I am a sucker for good ending so this is really a subjective opinion but to me it took away a bit of my enjoyment of this book.
Apart from that this was a really good book and a good ending of the trilogy.
righteousridel's review against another edition
2.0
The Search for Plot
If Joshua Dalzelle were to remove all the things I liked about the Black Fleet series, and magnify the parts I felt were mediocre or downright terrible, we would get Counterstrike. The Terran Confederacy, its politics, games of brinksmanship, and status quo-changing events were some of the best parts of this series. Spaceship combat and tactics were enjoyable and bloody. Both of these things are in short supply, and instead we're treated to overly aggressive pacing, recycled tropes and paper-thin caricatures.
I had previously praised the author for the effort spent in building up the Terran Confederacy. The events of Call to Arms foreshadowed major political and military consequences, but none of it is relevant in this novel. Instead, we focus on the main characters as they run away from existing complexities in order to find the plot. I'm not being facetious: there are three threads that require us to search the vastness of space.
Given the author's frantic pace of writing, there is little page count in the book left for anything more than the search for plot. Nearly all characters get downgraded in screentime: Singh, Wright, and even Pike. The new ally has a narrative POV but is on-screen so rarely that you'll be forgiven if you don't remember his first name, much less form any emotional attachment. And given the lack of page count, the recycled tropes are obvious and executed poorly.
If you disliked the politics of the previous books, and preferred the parts of Warship where spaceships were off on solo missions and shooting things, you may come away entertained. Honestly, the saving grace of this novel is that it's a quick, easy read. It's over so quickly that you may not even realize you're suffering.
Not recommended, with reservations.
I think where I went wrong was not recognizing that the author wanted to tell an entirely different type of story in each novel. The first was a classic Age of Sail novel, replacing the larger French vessel with the Phage Super Alpha. The second was a civil war. The third was exploration and aliens.
The issue is that I liked the worldbuilding and the Terran Confederacy, and so the ugly machinations of the civil war demanded more. Off-hand, the author ignored the President, the Ark, and two breakaway Enclaves. The political element (and declaration of martial law!) was handled entirely behind the scenes by Markham, who was then reduced to being the angry police chief to Wolfe's rules-breaking detective. Everything I felt was praiseworthy about this series was ignored.
What replaced it were Star Trek-style alien plots, where Wolfe met two new species and had "talks". Is this interesting? Yes, maybe, if it wasn't occuring during a civil war and alien invasion. Certainly it was worth exploring Blake and the Vruahn. Was it interesting enough to seperate Wolfe from human society three times? First he leaves (the abruptly ended Earth politics) to go solo and negotiate with the Vruahn, whereby he fights the Phage with their fancy technology. Then he goes off nearly solo (with Ninth Squadron) to find the Super Alpha. Then he goes off solo (with his ship) to kill the hive mind.
Seriously?
Oh and of course the Vruahn made the Phage. Insert eye-roll. And of course the Phage Hive Mind wants to speak with Wolfe for inexplicable reasons, while also never explaining what the 'test' was from the previous novel. And of course killing the Hive Mind instantly shuts down all Phage everywhere. These tropes are so boring that you really, really need to execute perfectly. Instead we rush through all of this in about 50 pages.
Pike, this time, was a transparent plot device. Wolfe returns to being an alcoholic as an introductory paragraph and this is never addressed again. Wright killed hundreds of Phage in a way that was neither satisfying nor important. We get no battles between the massive human fleet and the Phage. Blake dies for reasons. Singh dies for reasons. There's an abortive romance subplot that went nowhere and resulted in no character development. For a book whose summary was an offensive against the Phage where most will not survive, it's amazing how little is about an offensive, and how many do survive.
This novel could have been great -- we could have sent Wright and Pike to find the Hive Mind (thus reviving the tension between them). Markham and Wolfe could have managed the fleet, losing vast portions of it to defend humanity while shipping an offensive element, all the while dealing with political fallout and the morally questionable declaration of Martial Law. Wolfe could have even done his insubordination thing, stealing a few vessels in the midst of combat and flying to kill the Hive Mind off in the middle of nowhere, all the while Markham angrily swears.
But... we got nothing. We didn't even get fleet combat. What a shame.
Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts
â â â â â Warship (Black Fleet Trilogy, #1)
â â â ââ Call to Arms (Black Fleet Trilogy, #2)
â â âââ Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, #3)
Never a groundbreaking story, the Black Fleet Trilogy leans heavily on existing tropes and extremely fast-paced storytelling. This ends up being a double-edged sword, as the author races towards a conclusion that is neither surprising nor satisifying. If you're looking for a safe, easy read, this is for you.
â â âââ - Not recommended with reservations.
If Joshua Dalzelle were to remove all the things I liked about the Black Fleet series, and magnify the parts I felt were mediocre or downright terrible, we would get Counterstrike. The Terran Confederacy, its politics, games of brinksmanship, and status quo-changing events were some of the best parts of this series. Spaceship combat and tactics were enjoyable and bloody. Both of these things are in short supply, and instead we're treated to overly aggressive pacing, recycled tropes and paper-thin caricatures.
I had previously praised the author for the effort spent in building up the Terran Confederacy. The events of Call to Arms foreshadowed major political and military consequences, but none of it is relevant in this novel. Instead, we focus on the main characters as they run away from existing complexities in order to find the plot. I'm not being facetious: there are three threads that require us to search the vastness of space.
Given the author's frantic pace of writing, there is little page count in the book left for anything more than the search for plot. Nearly all characters get downgraded in screentime: Singh, Wright, and even Pike. The new ally has a narrative POV but is on-screen so rarely that you'll be forgiven if you don't remember his first name, much less form any emotional attachment. And given the lack of page count, the recycled tropes are obvious and executed poorly.
If you disliked the politics of the previous books, and preferred the parts of Warship where spaceships were off on solo missions and shooting things, you may come away entertained. Honestly, the saving grace of this novel is that it's a quick, easy read. It's over so quickly that you may not even realize you're suffering.
Not recommended, with reservations.
Spoiler
The following is in spoiler tags, and I say so since some Goodreads clients may not respect it. You've been warned:I think where I went wrong was not recognizing that the author wanted to tell an entirely different type of story in each novel. The first was a classic Age of Sail novel, replacing the larger French vessel with the Phage Super Alpha. The second was a civil war. The third was exploration and aliens.
The issue is that I liked the worldbuilding and the Terran Confederacy, and so the ugly machinations of the civil war demanded more. Off-hand, the author ignored the President, the Ark, and two breakaway Enclaves. The political element (and declaration of martial law!) was handled entirely behind the scenes by Markham, who was then reduced to being the angry police chief to Wolfe's rules-breaking detective. Everything I felt was praiseworthy about this series was ignored.
What replaced it were Star Trek-style alien plots, where Wolfe met two new species and had "talks". Is this interesting? Yes, maybe, if it wasn't occuring during a civil war and alien invasion. Certainly it was worth exploring Blake and the Vruahn. Was it interesting enough to seperate Wolfe from human society three times? First he leaves (the abruptly ended Earth politics) to go solo and negotiate with the Vruahn, whereby he fights the Phage with their fancy technology. Then he goes off nearly solo (with Ninth Squadron) to find the Super Alpha. Then he goes off solo (with his ship) to kill the hive mind.
Seriously?
Oh and of course the Vruahn made the Phage. Insert eye-roll. And of course the Phage Hive Mind wants to speak with Wolfe for inexplicable reasons, while also never explaining what the 'test' was from the previous novel. And of course killing the Hive Mind instantly shuts down all Phage everywhere. These tropes are so boring that you really, really need to execute perfectly. Instead we rush through all of this in about 50 pages.
Pike, this time, was a transparent plot device. Wolfe returns to being an alcoholic as an introductory paragraph and this is never addressed again. Wright killed hundreds of Phage in a way that was neither satisfying nor important. We get no battles between the massive human fleet and the Phage. Blake dies for reasons. Singh dies for reasons. There's an abortive romance subplot that went nowhere and resulted in no character development. For a book whose summary was an offensive against the Phage where most will not survive, it's amazing how little is about an offensive, and how many do survive.
This novel could have been great -- we could have sent Wright and Pike to find the Hive Mind (thus reviving the tension between them). Markham and Wolfe could have managed the fleet, losing vast portions of it to defend humanity while shipping an offensive element, all the while dealing with political fallout and the morally questionable declaration of Martial Law. Wolfe could have even done his insubordination thing, stealing a few vessels in the midst of combat and flying to kill the Hive Mind off in the middle of nowhere, all the while Markham angrily swears.
But... we got nothing. We didn't even get fleet combat. What a shame.
Series Overall Spoiler-Free Thoughts
â â â â â Warship (Black Fleet Trilogy, #1)
â â â ââ Call to Arms (Black Fleet Trilogy, #2)
â â âââ Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, #3)
Never a groundbreaking story, the Black Fleet Trilogy leans heavily on existing tropes and extremely fast-paced storytelling. This ends up being a double-edged sword, as the author races towards a conclusion that is neither surprising nor satisifying. If you're looking for a safe, easy read, this is for you.
â â âââ - Not recommended with reservations.
adherrling's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A good conclusion to a strong series. Fun story in a hard sci-fi setting, and the first book also has gravity-assisted kinetic munitions, one of my favorite tropes in sci Fi
readerxxx's review against another edition
4.0
Skimmed a lot of this one but still a good book. Wish the author had spent more time on the action scenes and less on the build up.
redstickredsox's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of this book dragged on terribly. I got the sense that the author had written the final confrontation in his head but didn't know how to get all the characters to that point. The resolution, however, was interesting and satisfying, but I'm not sure I'm willing to read the first half again.
jengiambla's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
kniznypredator's review against another edition
3.0
KoneÄne viac deju, politiky a vysvetlenĂ. Aj keÄ stĂĄle veÄŸa textu zaberajĂș rozkazy a kompletne popisy, Äo sa ako krĂști a akou rĂœchlosĆ„ou, no toto bol podÄŸa mĆa najlepĆĄĂ diel. ZĂĄver bol tak trochu kliĆĄĂ©, ale inak fajn sci-fi. A sĂce si nepotrpĂm na romantiku, ale to, Äo tam autor rozohral bolo trochu sklamanĂm.
StĂĄle som musela myslieĆ„ na Expanse, ktorĂœ je oproti tomuto oveÄŸa viac 3D.
StĂĄle som musela myslieĆ„ na Expanse, ktorĂœ je oproti tomuto oveÄŸa viac 3D.
moore151's review against another edition
4.0
Solid ending to the trilogy. Like the first two books, this entry moved at a fast pace. The ending was solid, but I feel like it could have been better and it left me wanting a little more. I also wish there could have been more character development outside of the main character. Both Wright and Davis felt like they could have had more substantial roles. I will agree with other comments that the story also became somewhat repetitive. While there were certainly some twists and turns, they all seemed to fit into the same patterns of the first two books.
bottomgun's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent conclusion!
Interesting trilogy that is written in a manner of the great science fiction works of the fifties and sixties. A must read.
Interesting trilogy that is written in a manner of the great science fiction works of the fifties and sixties. A must read.