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Fearless (The Lost Fleet #2)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 4,681 ratings · 187 reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
A centuries-old interstellar conflict. Millions dead. Entire star systems obliterated. A tough-as-nails leader trying to lead a lost fleet back home from deep in enemy territory. Military science fiction fans who are searching for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred, deep-space military-powered adventure should check out the Lost Fleet saga by Jack C...more

ebook, 304 pages

Published January 30th 2007 by Penguin Group (USA)

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Aug 17, 2012 Benjamin Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, science-fiction

The second book in "The Lost Fleet" series picks up just after the first, Dauntless and this time Captain John "Black Jack" Geary must deal with a new set of difficulties as he tries to navigate the dangerous enemy Syndic space in an effort to finally make it home to Alliance space.

This series really reminds me of the newer BattleStar Galactica TV series: a fleet trying to get back home; space battles, a Captain that must deal with factions among his own commanders as well as a high-ranking fem...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Melissa Proffitt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, military-fiction, science-fiction, space-travel, science

The second book in the Lost Fleet series lives up to the promise of the first: plenty of space battles, plenty of internal politics, plenty of creative strategy. With series like this I tend to forget what happened in which book, and I don't consider this a problem because in my mind this is actually one giant book, sort of like the Lord of the Rings. It does make it difficult to review sometimes. In this case, though, the story is all-too-easy to remember: the fleet liberates a POW camp whose p...more

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Aug 14, 2011 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fearless is a good continuation from Dauntless , however I feel that it lacks that same edge, and as a result I would be leaning more towards a 3.5 than a four. That is not to say though that it is a bad book. It is actually a great read, that fully entertained me but I just felt that it didn't have the same quality as its predecessor.

The plot line was definitely as interesting as Dauntless , with Geary now coming to terms with his position and power within the fleet and then having it un...more Fearless is a good continuation from Dauntless , however I feel that it lacks that same edge, and as a result I would be leaning more towards a 3.5 than a four. That is not to say though that it is a bad book. It is actually a great read, that fully entertained me but I just felt that it didn't have the same quality as its predecessor.

The plot line was definitely as interesting as Dauntless , with Geary now coming to terms with his position and power within the fleet and then having it undermined by the arrival of Falco. This seemed to promise a lot and to begin with lived up to said promise, however after the 'betrayal' it seemed to go into the background, and when Flaco returned and was removed from the picture I feel that Campbell let a great antagonist go.

The plot also continued to be great in terms of the way home for the Lost Fleet , with the attack on Sancere being greatly written and the event not seeming false or coerced but real and pragmatical. It also gave Campbell a chance to dispel the almost... 'superior' vibe that Geary was generating, when he showed that the actions of the Captains such as Tulev, Casieda and Desanji were starting to match his. Removing a sense that he was far more tactically intelligent than them, and they were just dim-witted pawns he used; now they are fully fledged, capable captains of independent intelligence.

Campbell also continued to develop the presence of another life-form civilisation/entities on the far border of Sindicate space which promises much more for the future books, and went a long way to explaining the causes and events that started the War. With the explanation of the Hyper-net's 'other purpose' he also showed the threat that faces all of mankind, as well as investigating the depths to which the human race 'could' sink to destroy it's enemy should the knowledge become common place.

These plot lines were then well presented through the continuing great, solid writing that tells the tale and with well-developed, individual characters that seemed to bring to life the world that Campbell was creating. Overall, this book presented a great story in an easy to read format that thoroughly entertained me.

However, there were problems. Generally, there was just a vibe I got that it wasn't as 'special' as the first book. Then the occasional first person dialogue in the middle of the text threw me every now and again. And I just feel that the events in Sancere could have been more simply explained - I struggled in some paragraphs because I found it hard to work out what was happening exactly.

Overall though, this is a great book that any military sci-fi, or even Space-Opera fan could easily enjoy. Obviously, you should start with Dauntless , but if this is any indication then the series will continue to impress again and again and promises a great saga.

Have fun reading.(less)

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May 07, 2011 Patrick Gibson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

It has the continuing initial situation of a legendary hero seeming to come back from the dead (or rather life-suspension for a century in a damaged escape pod), just as the Alliance Fleet has been lured into enemy territory and a trap that wipes out the commanding officers, leaving Captain "Black Jack" Geary in command.

This second installment continues the story. It, like the first book, ends in a good place. Yes, they are NOT home yet... they are still the Lost Fleet of the title, but the sto...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't expect a lot out of military space fiction. Stock characters well rendered, a couple of bad military jokes, a good fight scene, a clever tactical response to a situation, maybe even a little rumination on the nature of war.

This book lacked any of those redeeming qualities. In fact, unless you like meticulously described space naval battles, rendered in military command speak, this book lacked pretty much any redeeming qualities. (To be fair, the battles seem very precise and I'm sure are...more I don't expect a lot out of military space fiction. Stock characters well rendered, a couple of bad military jokes, a good fight scene, a clever tactical response to a situation, maybe even a little rumination on the nature of war.

This book lacked any of those redeeming qualities. In fact, unless you like meticulously described space naval battles, rendered in military command speak, this book lacked pretty much any redeeming qualities. (To be fair, the battles seem very precise and I'm sure are really cool to folks who like that sort of thing. I just couldn't care enough to expend the mental energy on following the tediously dictated battles.)

The dialog consisted of dull polemics, awkward and repetitive "emotional" exchanges, and female characters saying out loud and affirming what Black Jack just thought. In fact, the phrase, "as if [she/he/they] had read his mind" should be banned from this man's word processor.

The polemics seem to be about the fact that tactics are better than bull rushing into battle, discipline is better than mob rule, and experience is better than stupid ignorance. Golly gee willikers, I never would have guessed those things if I hadn't read two whole books about it!

The worst, though, is the characters. In military fiction, sci-fi or other another genre, you expect your stock characters. Two dimensional, yes, but rendered with humor and a few distinguishing characteristics. Here's the fiery redhead with a temper problem, here's the idealistic Paladin type looking for a father figure, here's the big brute with an unexpected soft side, here's the religious guy who is suffering a crisis of faith. If it's a good writer, maybe your fiery redhead with a temper problem also has an interesting hobby or verbal quirk. And at the very least, your mechanic should wear his hat turned to the side and chew on a cigar.

However, even such two-dimensional characters seem beyond Mr. Campbell's ability and instead we get characters distinguished only by their names and, if we're luck, one word. The villains are all, without exception, evil or stupid or both. We get told that Falco is charming, but never see him be charming. We know that Desjani is calm because it's the only adjective -- besides "admiring" -- that ever gets ascribed to her. Duellos is loyal, the Furious's captain is feisty..... we don't even get physical descriptions or get a distinguishing world/city/ethnicity. The "romantic" character of Rion get TWO adjective -- she's skeptical and inscrutable.

I won't even go into the generic blandness of the world he's created -- Alliance vs. Syndic, hell lances, and "by the ancestors." He couldn't even be bothered to come up with interesting names for the entirely cliche and dull aspects of his universe, but, like a five year old, decided to name his dog "Mr. Dog" and his cat, "Mrs. Cat."

I read this book and the previous one on the recommendation of a dear friend who really enjoyed it. And I loved the premise -- Black Jack, hero of the Alliance, back from the dead to lead a lost fleet in a hopeless war. The alien provocateurs were a nice touch. I wanted to like this series. But the complete failure of any basic writing acumen has made it too painful to read any further.

If you want really GOOD military sci fi, I suggest you try the Torin Kerr series by Tanya Huff.

(less)

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Jun 05, 2010 Sandy Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-romance, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 13, 2009 Erik Hansen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was really hesitant to pick this book up. The first one was like reading a Clancy novel in space. (Ok, I only read one Clancy novel because he bombarded me with so much minute detail that was vaguely related to the plot until I forgot what the plot was in the first place). In this novel the storytelling of the action sequences was a thousand times better (yes a hyperbole, but just barely). The mysterious questions about the origins of the war are still shrouded in...uh... mystery, but interest...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military-sci-fi

Also a great book: I couldn't stop reading. Almost as good as #1. I say almost because he got halfway through and then succumbed to the siren call that hardly any scifi writers seem to be able to resist: for some bizarre reason they always have to have a sexual relationship complicating things. The book was much better before he and his lover started getting involved and jealous and catty and all the lameness that goes along with that. At least the sex scenes aren't graphic, so that made it bear...more

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May 30, 2012 Hunter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-lost-fleet

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A very interesting and thoroughly engaging book.
I really love the fact that Campbell has Geary keep struggling with his own self. Whether it be the new addition of Fight Falco and his mutinous intentions, the pressure of a possible non human intelligence influencing the war, or his new relationship with Madam Co President Geary is faced with challenge after challenge to both his morals, intellect and ethics. You feel like you are standing there with him as he makes these incredibly hard decisio...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Fearless picks up more or less exactly where Dauntless left off. Geary is still struggling with the presence of his legendary alter ego “Black Jack” trying to reconcile who he is now not only with who he used be but with who and what others expect him to be. Geary’s age and “man out of time” status is again at the forefront here though spun slightly different than in Dauntless. In the first novel Geary was focused mostly on coming to grips with what the Alliance fleet had become and how fleet tr...more Fearless picks up more or less exactly where Dauntless left off. Geary is still struggling with the presence of his legendary alter ego “Black Jack” trying to reconcile who he is now not only with who he used be but with who and what others expect him to be. Geary’s age and “man out of time” status is again at the forefront here though spun slightly different than in Dauntless. In the first novel Geary was focused mostly on coming to grips with what the Alliance fleet had become and how fleet traditions had deviated so far from what he knew in the past. Fearless however takes things in a more a personal direction. It doesn’t abandon Geary’s attempts to return the Alliance fleet to the traditions he remembers but a large portion of Fearless tackles Geary’s sense of isolation and, appropriately, fear.

Some spoilers ahead!

Oddly enough it isn’t the fear of the failure that speaks loudly in Fearless. Rather it is the fear of a man who lost everything to live and love again. Well, not so much as love as attempt to form some sort of connection to the people around him. Part of the problem for Geary throughout the novel is the fact that while he does have peers, of a sort, amongst the fleet everyone is essentially his subordinate. Naturally then it wasn’t too much of a surprise that the tension between Vice President Rione and Geary manifests itself as something a bit different here. I admit the pairing of Geary and the Vice President wasn’t wholly unexpected. Geary, through his internal monologue, hammers home time and again how she is the only person he can really confide in and talk to and quite frankly is the only possible romantic interest he can have given his sense of honor and duty. I give Campbell credit for making their relationship an interesting one. The icy facade of Rione doesn’t melt away in the arms of her new lover and their relationship is curiously absent of traditional romantic notions. It is a pairing based on mutual respect, comfort (both emotional and physical), and physical attraction. That isn’t to say there isn’t room for more romantic notions there but even though they are lovers there is still a curious dance between the two characters, and several emotional and mental walls, that makes the whole thing engaging.

Fearless continues to pit Geary against the members of his fleet who question his every move. It compounds that element with the recovery of Alliance prisoners of war including an influential Alliance Captain, Falco, long thought dead. I was less pleased with this aspect of the novel. Falco comes off as far more comical and over-the-top than the tone of the Lost Fleet series really warrants. While we are constantly told how compelling and charismatic Falco is, it isn’t something that I really felt. To be fair part of this is bombastic and grating voice that narrator Christian Rummel uses to portray Falco but, at the same time, there is just something generally off putting about his character. Particularly later in the novel when Falco later suborns some of Geary’s chief opponents I found his influence difficult to believe.

Fearless maintains Campbell’s top-notch ability to describing fleet combat. It’s a skill that rivals David Weber’s. Where as Weber’s skill is likely born of his extensive knowledge of military history, Campbell’s (John Hemry) is born of military service. Both deal with the relativistic issues of space combat in a fascinating an engaging way. The type of fleet warfare seen in Fearless takes places over hours rather than minutes and, if truth be told, would not necessarily ever look all that exciting on screen. Fearless adds further complications to fleet combat with the hypernet gates, the presence of which actually turns outs to be a much bigger deal than initially believed.

Fearless‘ biggest problem is its length. So far the Lost Fleet series feels like it could have been a smaller number of larger volumes. There are some repetitive aspects in Fearless that could have likely been removed had they been written and published as one volume. Truth be told that really is a minor complaint and by and large Fearless is top-notch military science fiction novel. I’m desperate to see where this series goes; desperate enough by Fearless‘ end that I immediately grabbed the audio version of Courageous (book 3). I’m having a great time with series and it’s been a while since any audiobook has made be wish there was traffic. Great stuff and I look forward to barreling my way through the rest of this series.(less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Kristin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

We have here, ladies, gents and aliens, a classic space opera, now complete with a romance. Personally, I do not care for romance in my sci-fi, but that’s my quirk. Still, I thought Campbell handled it well, and particularly enjoyed when Capt Geary reflects that it was easier to figure out how to engage the Syndic’s than it was to navigate the mind field know as ‘woman’.

I couldn’t say exactly why I enjoyed this book. Perhaps it was because of the fairly well constructed space battle scenes. Per...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Stephanie Griffin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

FEARLESS, the second book in the LOST FLEET military sci-fi series, continues with Captain “Black Jack” Geary leading his Alliance fleet through enemy Syndicate star systems, on their way back to Alliance territory. This series is written by Jack Campbell, a retired Naval officer.
Geary is a very fleshed-out character. He has battles in his own mind over the rightness of actions, conflicts over letting himself become close to anyone after being in a space pod for over 100 years, and trying to dea...more

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May 15, 2012 Nicolas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: rayon-fantasy-et-sf, rayon-emprunt, space-opera, guerre, voyage, mort

Dans ce second tome, on retrouve John Geary et sa flotte de combat, toujours perdu dans les systèmes de la puissance adverse, toujours en train de chercher un chemin de retour ne les mettant pas directement face à des flottes plus "combatives" (ou surtout mieux organisées) que la sienne. En chemin ils rencontrent des prisonniers de guerre qu'ils libèrent, des planètes qu'ils pillent, et des vaisseaux adversaires qu'il détruisent salement (mais dans l'espace, personne ne voit les tâches de sang)....more Dans ce second tome, on retrouve John Geary et sa flotte de combat, toujours perdu dans les systèmes de la puissance adverse, toujours en train de chercher un chemin de retour ne les mettant pas directement face à des flottes plus "combatives" (ou surtout mieux organisées) que la sienne. En chemin ils rencontrent des prisonniers de guerre qu'ils libèrent, des planètes qu'ils pillent, et des vaisseaux adversaires qu'il détruisent salement (mais dans l'espace, personne ne voit les tâches de sang).
Ce second tome est plutôt intéressant : le héros s'apitoye de moins en moins sur son sort, les autres officiers semblent un peu moins intéressés par les bains de sang stupides (sauf certains, qui tourneront évidement mal), et leur errance à travers les planètes des syndics prend un tour intéressant, surtout lorsque Geary détaille des plans relativistes (c'est-à-dire tenant compte d'importants délais de transmission) lui permettant de prendre l'assaut de tout le système en une passe, grâce à des dizaines d'ordres distincts. Et ça, franchement, ça ne me donne qu'une seule envie, encore plus d'ailleurs que dans les aventures d'Honor Harrington où les combats me semblent nettement moins impactés par la théorie de la relativité, ça ne me donne qu'envie de faire des parties d'un quelconque simulateur de stratégie spatiale pour mettre la pâtée aux gusses d'en face comme Geary le fait si bien. Dans ce sens là, ces romans sont une réussite manifeste.
Malheureusement, je sais qu'il s'agit d'un créneau littéraire assez étroit, surtout quand l'art littéraire de l'auteur se révèle aussi faible. Parce que bon, faut pas se leurrer. Si les personnages sont sympathiques, si les scènes d'action sont raisonnablement dynamiques, les phrases sont d'une platitude déprimante.
Du coup, forcément, n'allez pas le lire si vous ne maîtrisez pas les combats en 3D dans l'espace infini. Sinon, ça va un peu vous gonfler. Et la glorification du militaire ne va pas non plus vous aider. Enfin, le militaire, Geary ne l'est pas "trop" : il veut juste rentrer chez lui, et préfère éviter les combats qui ne servent pas son objectif.
Donc voilà, c'est pas mal, mais pas révolutionnaire non plus.(less)

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May 18, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, space-opera, military-science-fiction

This is a very good book... It holds up well. If you've seen my review of the first volume you know I like it also. This one "held the line" though there was a while when I thought I might end up dropping the rating on this one to 3 stars. It was in danger of becoming a sort of "one trick pony".

Without spoilers I'll simply say that a key plot device has been the problems Captain Geary has with ship commanders who aren't sanguine with his command. The problem is that while it does add realism to...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Joseph rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Lost Fleet, Fearless

Jack Campbell

Science fiction/Military fiction

Deep in Syndicate space the Alliance Fleet under the command of the legendary Captain John (Black Jack) Geary liberated a Syndic prison. Among the prisoners was one of the Alliances lost war heroes Captain Francesco (Fighting) Falco, whose charisma far exceeds Geary’s. Will their difference in opinion tear the fleet apart?
One of the themes is aggression vs. tactics for example: “I’ve seen the records of that battle,” Falco not...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Bryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics, sci-fi, scifi-military, leadership, history-military

Book two in the series brings its own new concepts and ideas into the fray. For those who didn't read my last review, I will spend a majority of my comments on the leadership style of the book's protagonist, Capt. John "Black Jack" Geary. This book spends a lot of the leadership issues surrounding what happens in the case of a mutiny on the part of seasoned leaders, the urges to micromanage, and gross negligence. As a whole the book stands up well next to the previous one. Again, it captures the...more Book two in the series brings its own new concepts and ideas into the fray. For those who didn't read my last review, I will spend a majority of my comments on the leadership style of the book's protagonist, Capt. John "Black Jack" Geary. This book spends a lot of the leadership issues surrounding what happens in the case of a mutiny on the part of seasoned leaders, the urges to micromanage, and gross negligence. As a whole the book stands up well next to the previous one. Again, it captures the ideas of hurry up and wait and the need for prolonged gaming of scenarios between engagements. Those who are looking for battle after battle should not read this series. We see Geary, along with so many leaders, struggle with not wanting to wasting time, but also ferreting away the opportunities of rest because of guilt. We also get a few scenes of the process of genuine praise and the process of rewarding a leader with new titles and responsibilities. This one is a solid four out of five and the major battle scenes are well written but seem to be missing some details at times. I'm beginning to see how some would see this as more military than sci-fi. Its missing a lot of the heavy handed science in the explanations of new and invented tech. I'm looking forward to the next one. Spoilers explain some of the key actions during the mutiny and battle engagements. (view spoiler)[

Following the mutiny lead by Capts. Falco, Numos, and Farera, Geary struggles to understand the motivation of those who are willing to seek defeat in the prescience of a notable better option. Makign a run for the Alliance border is a suicide mission. Howeer before they make the jump Geary yells out Ilion. He may have been mad as a hell that they left the fleet but if they survived he would be willing to met back-up later on. That is true leadership in the face of decent.
Mutiny and decent can be driven by a lot of factors, in this case with three characters we see three options. Capt. Falco, sees himself as the salvation of the greater cause even though his training and experiences would suggest otherwise. When forced to follow a perceived subordinate he chooses mutiny. We find out later that Falco is mentally unstable but this is always possible in the moment and heat of battle. The commanding office of troops at San Juan Hill in Cuba, 1898 was overwhelmed by a bought of malaria and dysentery that left him hallucinating for two days before dying.
Falco uses his celebrity to enlist the help of two other major leaders of the fleet in Capts. Numos and Farera. These two choose mutiny and the certainty of death because of jealousy. Their growing hatred for Capt. Geary and his notable successes begin to rub them the wrong way. Additionally their coaxing of other ships into an ill-fated pursuit showed they're selfish need for glory over the well-being of the fleet and its crews. The final choice is made by the captain of the battleship Warrior. He simply chooses apathy and fear over logic. When Falco seeks out a ship this man relinquishes command and hides until they are rescued in the Ilion system.
Additionally in this one, Com. Cerelias really shines as a subbordinate. She volunteers to generate a program that can control the collapse of a hypernet gate and develops and commands major elements of the Sancere System Battle. When Geary awards her for valor and promotes her with a field command, it is not done lightly. It is nice to see the two types of characters juxtapose in one novel Duellos and Cerelias both command with honor and service to the greater good; whereas, Numos and Farera do so out out ill-gotten gain and selfish pride. (hide spoiler)](less)

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Apr 22, 2011 Sharon Essex rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Jack Campbell offers readers two great reasons to love this book: unique space combat and an interesting hero.

Campbell's battles resemble ponderous navel engagements rather than high-flying dogfights. Governed by the laws of physics, the action is unlike anything I've seen or read before in the genre.

The protagonist, John "Black Jack" Geary is a man out of time, revived after 100 years in suspended animation. Now he must lead a fleet of ships trapped behind enemy lines and struggling to surviv...more

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May 14, 2013 Kat Hooper rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Fearless is the second book in Jack Campbell’s LOST FLEET series about Captain Jack Geary who has recovered from 100 years of cold sleep just in time to try to save the Alliance fleet from certain annihilation by the Syndics. As I explained in my review of the first LOST FLEET book, Dauntless, many soldiers in the Alliance fleet think Black Jack Geary is a hero returned from the dead to save their skins. To them, Geary can do no wrong, and they’re willing...more http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Fearless is the second book in Jack Campbell’s LOST FLEET series about Captain Jack Geary who has recovered from 100 years of cold sleep just in time to try to save the Alliance fleet from certain annihilation by the Syndics. As I explained in my review of the first LOST FLEET book, Dauntless, many soldiers in the Alliance fleet think Black Jack Geary is a hero returned from the dead to save their skins. To them, Geary can do no wrong, and they’re willing to follow him deeper into Syndic space as he tries to find an unguarded pathway home. Other officers, however, resent Geary’s attempt to instill order on a military that has become unprepared and undisciplined over many years of war. These aggressive glory-seekers are causing a lot of trouble and when they find someone to rally around, Captain Geary has a mutiny on his hands.

But that’s not all he’s dealing with. There’s an underlying problem that affects everything he’s trying to do — the soldiers of the Alliance used to fight with honor, but now they have become just as ignoble as the Syndics. They wipe out civilians and non-military targets, use terror tactics to dishearten their foes, and generally revel in the slaughter of their enemies. Geary realizes that with this sort of attitude, there will never be peace. At first his only like-minded ally is Senator Victoria Rione who is traveling with Geary and the crew of Dauntless. She’s a politician, so none of the military folks trust her, but she is a much-needed voice for restraint. That’s why Geary can trust her with his provocative suspicions that there may be outside forces malevolently influencing the Alliance-Syndicate war, and with his discovery about the powers that can be unleashed when a hypernet gate implodes.

Geary has some relationship issues as well. Since he’s been asleep for 100 years, he has lost everyone he ever loved. He’s depressed about this, though he doesn’t have much time to think about it. He worries about going “home” and wonders if he can find a way to fit into society other than just as a fleet commander. In this installment, Geary begins a romantic relationship that is only partly rewarding and may or may not be significant when he finally gets home.

Fearless is another entertaining installment in the LOST FLEET series. Some of Jack Campbell’s characters are a bit two-dimensional, and one of them (Captain Falco) is totally over-the-top, but Captain Geary is an admirable character who’s easy to root for. Some of Geary’s personnel problems — especially those involving the mutinous officers and his new lover — seem contrived to elevate emotions, but Geary’s plight is compelling enough to make me feel rather forgiving. Campbell’s space battles are awesome, which is surprising since there’s actually more waiting around and getting in position than actually shooting at things.

Christian Rummel does a great job with the narration of the audio version I’ve been listening to. I think he has a lot to do with how much I like Black Jack Geary. I’ve already downloaded the third LOST FLEET book, Courageous.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Tam B. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the next step in Captain Geary's plan to get the Fleet home. This one brings even more challenges as there are battles and the rescue of prisoners of war. One of the prisoners is Fighting Falco and extremely personable Captain with definite ideas on how things should be done that don't agree with Captain Geary's.

The book continues Captain Geary's struggle with command and the century later personalities of his fleet commanders. He has to deal with politics and rumours and sheer idio...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Kenneth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-2009-reading-list

More of the same, but in a good way. Captain "Black Jack" Geary is trying to get his fleet of Alliance ships -- currently trapped deep within enemy space -- back home. The book threatens to introduce another headstrong, obstinate opponent for Geary, which I'd feared would lead to another book-long attempt by Geary to justify himself. Fortunately, that opponent goes charging after windmills, and leaves Geary to get down to work.

And it's good work -- we get another solar-system scale battle, compl...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

John Greary has a problem. That problem has a name, Black Jack Greary. The real problem is that people can't seem to tell the two apart, or refuse to acknowledge that one, is a fabrication.

At some point even I was getting caught up so much that I was loosing focus on who he is/was. Doesn't help the situation when the one person that should have some inkling to his person does a schizto snap and accuses him of being the other. It was a bit too out of left field to be believable. Which brings me b...more

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Mar 25, 2011 Andreas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Campbell is back with the second installment in the Lost Fleet series, in which “Black Jack” Geary continues to fight internal and external enemies to get the fleet home. Part of the fleet defects, leaving Geary with an even greater shortage of ships. But by the story expedient of being unpredictable, he continues to fight on. The internal struggle is interesting, as Geary realizes how powerful he can become politically if he brings the fleet home.

This was very much a middle book. No resolution....more

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May 04, 2013 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I also enjoyed book two. Jack Campbell did a much better job of developing the characters. He also thickened the plot with more danger. I would say that so far my big take on the book fearless is that the characters are a little week and the story focuses to much on the main character's issues with his alter ego Black Jack Geary and does not do enough of a good job defining relationships that he has with others. But the story is fun, and it offers people a chance for a good old fashion escape to...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Eric Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In lieu of writing an actual review for this book, I link you to My Review of Dauntless, the first book of The Lost Fleet. Why? Because my criticisms and praise for Fearless are basically identical to those I had for Dauntless. Any review I could write would pretty much just be copying what I've already said about the first book, so, meh, I'll take the lazy way out if you don't mind.

If you're looking for Science Fiction with incredibly realistic and well thought out space battles, but don't re...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed Fearless quite a bit, but I have the same complaint that I did about the first book. Not enough happens. I see the direction of this series and I fear that this tale could have been told just as effectively in a single book.

I fear that Campbell's characters are a little "wooden" and predictable. The description of the ship battles tend to sound very detailed, but usually reads a "blah blah blah" to me.

All that said, I still found the book engaging and worth reading (and it's a quick r...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of military sci-fi

Shelves: fiction, military, sci-fi, space

This was an excellent follow-up to Dauntless. It did what a sequel should: continued the overall story and kept characterizations steady from the first episode while introduces new characters and new complications (sometimes one and the same, but not necessarily). It opened up new and enticing possibilities for the upcoming books, but didn't overload it with "cliff-hangers".
All in all, very solid and doesn't disappoint. Some things predictable, but nothing outrageously out of pace with the rest...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Janine Southard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 13, 2012 Jrubino rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

[This review is for the first 3 books of the Lost Fleet series.]

“Dauntless” starts with a rush and then settles down into the nuts and bolts of large-scale naval … I mean … space warfare. At first, it seems interesting, though a bit shallow.

However, “Fearless” and “Courageous” add nothing to the first novel. It’s obviously a one-trick concept: formatted battles with confusing geometrical formations and victory against all odds. The same character emotions over and over. A beauty (or curse?) of e...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ótima sequência do livro Dauntless. A batalhas são ainda mais críveis, compreensíveis e criativas que no primeiro.
Enquanto o primeiro se focava em John Geary aqui vemos um aprofundamento maior dos personagens secundários.
Não espere um livro de ação desenfreada com um ritmo alucinante, esse não é estilo da série.
Vejo alguns aspectos que podem vir a se tornar problemáticos nos próximos livros.
O autor tende a repetir conceitos apresentados quase a exaustão e não explora muitas sub-tramas nem apres...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Steve Walker rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am loving this series. I haven't read too much military science fiction because they get bogged down in tactics and strategy. Campbell has well developed characters with distinct personality and relationships. He juggles multiple story lines and intertwines them seamlessly. He also tease the reader with little mysteries that are slowly revealed along the way. I can't wait to see what Captain Black Jack Geary has up his sleeve for the next installment.

From a business perspective this is an exce...more

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About Jack Campbell

Jack Campbell is a pseudonym for American science fiction author John G. Hemry

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

John G. Hemry is an American author of military science fiction novels. Drawing on his experience as a retired United States Navy officer, he has written the Stark's War and Paul Sinclair series....more

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Fearless (The Lost Fleet #2)

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