Through Struggle, The Stars is Lumpkin’s first novel, and wow is it good. His next book, The Desert of Stars, is due out early this year, and I’m putting it on my “to buy” list. I purchased Through Struggle based on a series of reviews by other writers. As a reader of military SF, and as somebody currently working on a space opera set on another star system, it’s right up my alley.

The novel is set in the year 2139, and stars Neil Mercer and Rand Castillo, two very junior American officers on the More...

I was pleasantly surprised by John J. Lumpkin's first novel, Through Struggle, The Stars. I'm normally wary of the sub-genre of military science fiction . Many of the more recent titles that I've seen appear on bookshelves aren't very good books at all, titles written by their generally right-wing American authors who were much less interested in the art of writing than they were in creating crude nationalist propaganda. The need for a jihad against Muslims, the amusing fatal decadence inherent More...

Not a perfect novel, but a very good novel. Throw David Weber and Tom Clancy into the blender, add some moral ambiguity, and then turn it on. What comes out might look a little like this novel. There are several really good space battles, heightened by the fact that the space drives have much lower accelerations than we are use to seeing in military science fiction (cruising speed is generally about 1/10 G or less, though I think a lot of the war ships can hit 1 G for short spurts). Rather than More...

Well written military science fiction. Some of the moral dilemmas presented distinguish this book from most military science fiction. Has well worked-out settings, and interesting technical detail -- not overdone, but nicely integrated into the action.

Some of the characters seem a slightly flat (except for at least one of the villains, who tends to be something of a caricature). Perhaps further character development may come in future books (apparently this is intended as the first in a series). More...

The detail of the world he created simultaneously blew me away, and drew me in. It's a bit like taking the engineering pr0n of "The Hunt for Red October", getting it drunk with Firefly and the latest Battlestar Galactica, and recording all the best bits at the end of the night.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can't wait to see the movie. (Hell, I'd love to write it!)

The characters were a little flat, and the main antagonist was not believable to me, but a lot of good action, pacing, plotting, and scientific accuracy. If you like sci-fi with a harder leaning, it's worth a read.

Don't be put off by the fact that this is self published. It's as error-free as it is brilliantly conceived. Excellent worldbuilding combined with a gripping plot of intrigue and moral ambiguity make this a must for fans of Jack Campbell (John G. Hemry), Weber and Ian Douglas (William H. Keith).

I'm very much looking forward to buying the next in the series.

Great book. Can't wait for the sequel.