With the Lightnings
£2.12
Book 1 in the Lt. Leary Saga - I really enjoy this series with its black humour. The way the characters are described and act is rather different from most Sci-Fi space opera, full of faults and character deficiences.Lt. Leary is a skilled tactician and very able on a ship but needs hidden assistance off it. With his freind Adele Mundy who is generally clumsy but able to break into any information system and a deadly shot as well(Actually a superspy) they deal with unwinnable situations.This is a sci-fi version of Patrick O Brians sailing ship sagas. Indeed the spaceships even sail through space with masts and sails to shift them through other universes.Great fun.
The best work David Drake has done alone, so far - David Drake wrote a novel with Janet Morris, Arc Riders, which is one of the finest novels about time travel in Science Fiction. He has always written good stories with good technology, but I have found it hard to identify with his main characters. And though not in the same league as S.M. Stirling, I have found his graphic descriptions of mayhem unsettling. This novel is as enjoyable as a David Weber novel, with leading characters you can identify with and like. It is not really a future war novel, more of an adventure novel with war in it. Starliner and The Forlorn Hope were good novels in this genre, but this is the best work David Drake has done alone, so far. It would make an excellent beginning for a series.
A good, fun and quick read. - This was an excellent read. Fun, engaging and a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. The only criticism one might have is that the book would make a good start for further character and plot development with a trilogy or a series.
Excellent, even though it s been done before - If you enjoy space opera, this book is for you. Drake writes about a group of sailors (and one civilian) trapped on a planet which changes sides in an ongoing interstellar war. They change from welcome guests, to being hunted by their former hosts. If you are a David Drake fan, you will recognize this as being very similar to the situation in THE FORLORN HOPE--And you will be right. But this is not merely a rehashing of the same theme--The story is different, and very enjoyable and moving. To survive, the protagonists have to learn to depend on each other. I felt THE FORLORN HOPE was a better book, but this book is still excellent.
Drake s best to date! - This is, in my opinion, Drake s best to date. I even likedit better than Forlorn Hope - which was my previous favorite. I d give it a ten on a scale of one to ten. I think most of you who like Drake will love this one. For those of you who aren t fans of Drake, I will say that this novel doesn t have the dark emotional overlay that some of his works have, in particular many of the Hammer s Slammers series. It is a rousing adventure with well drawn and likeable characacters.The main characters are a naval lieutenant and an unusual librarian. One of my favorite quotes:{Lamsoe is a Navy rating that has just been assigned to a mission with our librarian}Lamsoe murmured, Proud to be chosen, Mistress. There s always something happening where you are.It s an occupational hazard for librarians, Adele said.I m just hoping this will become a series!