What do you think?
Rate this book
Prince of Britannia Saga #1
The Prince Awakens
Hazard King had always wanted to be an Imperial Fleet officer, just like his father.
But he’s a Prince of the Realm, which make things a bit more… complicated. And when Hazard’s parents tell him that they don’t trust his older brother and want Hazard to be the Crown Prince—the heir to the throne—things go from bad to worse.
And just when they can’t get any worse, the Empress is attacked.
What is a simple fleet lieutenant supposed to do with his mother in a coma, a seemingly invincible enemy on the offensive, a darkness from the past stirring, and his paranoid older brother trying to assassinate him?
What Naval officers do best—improvise. And he’s going to need all his skills, as well as the help of a former spy, a handful of Marines, and a few close relatives, if he’s to defend the Empire against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
But he’s a Prince of the Realm, which make things a bit more… complicated. And when Hazard’s parents tell him that they don’t trust his older brother and want Hazard to be the Crown Prince—the heir to the throne—things go from bad to worse.
And just when they can’t get any worse, the Empress is attacked.
What is a simple fleet lieutenant supposed to do with his mother in a coma, a seemingly invincible enemy on the offensive, a darkness from the past stirring, and his paranoid older brother trying to assassinate him?
What Naval officers do best—improvise. And he’s going to need all his skills, as well as the help of a former spy, a handful of Marines, and a few close relatives, if he’s to defend the Empire against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 19, 2021
606 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
September 25, 2024
Okay... this will likely be another long one.
To start off, i want to say that i like this book, the story, and plan to continue the series.
Regardless of how much i like the book, there are a few glaring issues i feel either bring it down and/or need to be talked about.
***Spoilers for the entire book from here on***
As I've done in my last review and what i hope to do moving forward is including quotes/passages from the book to better portray my thoughts and points.
"-Hazard watched his display as the TF flashed past the lower corner of the Swarm fleet. He felt the Shinto shudder as energy beams struck their shields. The engagement lasted but a moment as the two forces passed each other. The young lieutenant noted this was a new tactic. Imperial ships always stayed in formation around the core fleet; they didn’t maneuver against the Swarm. Instead of letting the attack ships swarm them, the commodore was using movement and the barrages from the ships’ batteries to focus attacks on the Swarm while limiting the TF’s exposure to their return fire.-"
This passage is probably the most shocking and the most baffling revelation in the entire book. The war has been going on for something like 70 years, and the Navy is only now implementing movement into their combat strategies? This really pushes the bounds of believability and really makes all past and present fleet officers look absolutely incompetent.
"-As the enemy ships came within range, the rail guns again commenced their broadside barrage, raking the enemy. The Swarm ships could only fire forward,-"
This only reinforces the unbelievability of the previous excerpt. How, for 70 years, against ships that only have forward facing weapons has no one thought to...use their engines?
This isn't even the only example of how incompetent the entire high command seems to be. Only trying to improve weapons systems that they know work somewhat against the swarm instead of exploring additional avenues to see if new technology can be used to a better effect. Hell, they think Hazards' idea using railguns as what is essentially a ww2 flak cannon is revolutionary. High Command is incompetent. Sure, you can argue that this is addressed in the book when Hazard says the Empire has become stagnate in its way of thinking and doctrine, but you would be wrong. The Swarm poses an exotential threat to the empire. It is said multiple times in the book that the Empire has only managed a single draw over 70 years of fighting. Everything else has been a defeat. This is the exact kind of situation that promotes unrestricted scientific research. The Empire is so advanced that it has access to nanotech. The possibilities are quite literally endless in terms of potential weapons applications.
Having the MC being named Henry and his father -who is also a big part of this book- also named Henry was a mistake, in my opinion. yes the mc is mainly referred to as Hazard, but it comes up fairly often where both Henrys are in the same room at the same time so the author has to either remind us of this distinction, which he does, or rely on the reader to remember and properly identify which character is actually being addressed. This ends up with clunky instances like this:
"-“Hazard—” Edmund Randolph, grand admiral and Hazard’s great-uncle, referred to him as Hazard since both he and his father were in the room “—we need to organize and plan a raid on the so-called Marxist Embassy.-"
I get the train of thought that since this is a monarchy, it would be cool to have Henery X or Henry IV or whatever. But ease of understanding and pacing should always come before things like this that add nothing to the story and, based on the quote above, actively hampers it.
The next problem consists of the entirety of chapter 33. I really don't like this chapter. It introduces a completely new character 250 pages in, who is initially just a bookstore owner who is revealed to be an ex impsec assassin. the issue is that this all requires 4 pages of exposition to explain their bookstore profession and then their previous experience as an assassin. unless there are plans for this character to have an extended part in the plot of this book or series then it would have been better to just have impsec say something simple like "get me the raven" and have this whole character be faceless. The majority of the previous part of this paragraph was written before finishing the book. Upon completion, nothing was done with the character aside from their arrest after trying to assassinate Hazard, causing me to fully get bhind my idea that the character could have remained faceless and chapter 33 could have been axed entirely from the book.
Next we get to chapter 37, where the Director of Impsec is assassinated by her own men who have worked with her for over a decade because out of absolutely nowhere it is revealed that they actually work for the director of operations Xavier and he orders them to kill her. This happens for no other reason other than because the "plot" wants it to and is nothing more than a device used to elicit shock factor from the reader. In a twist that's been around since spies were invented, Xavier kills his own men to cover his tracks, disappears, and is not mentioned again in the book.
Next, towards the climactic end of a space battle, we get this excerpt:
"-Suddenly, the entire ship shook as it streaked away from the stricken cruiser. “Looks like the cruiser gave us a parting gift,” Commander Ramsey announced calmly. “Several pieces of debris struck aft near the drive units."-"
The fundamental problem here is that not once has range been discussed outside of "long range" or "short range" or "close range." Because the weapons being talked about in this series regularly have ranges between 100,000-1,000,000 kilometers or more in other IPs. And i know it's bad practice to compare two different IPs in this way. The point im trying to make is there is a "norm" and without the author telling us any different we have no choice but to come to our own conclusions and i applied this range band to the this universe. Causing a big shock when they mentioned being hit by debris when that would have been literally impossible. Details like this matter. This could have been completely avoided if the direction was instead that a missle partially got past their defenses or something like that. But i guess that's not really possible either since the author mentioned multiple times the technological superiority the empire had.
Normally, when i complain that a book feels rushed, it's due to misplaced priorities for the alotment of page time. This is a different beast altogether in this book. Let me list all the major events that happen in this book.
Introduction of all the major players and Main character, introduction of a love interest, MC and love interest confess their undying love for one another and plan to get married (we have only been shown maybe 2 or 3 instances of them interacting at this point), a coup, a counter coup, 2 assasination attempts on the MC, consolidation of political power by the MC. Investigations into the coup, the attack on the empress and the federation. The complete isolation of the federation by destroying their entire space based industry, reducing them to nothing more than a terrestrial civilization. A planet ending threat of biological and then nuclear annihilation. The recovery of the empress. The invention of a new type of medical nanite that can work inside stasis pods.
This is the entire plot of a trilogy sized series into a single 370-page book. Nothing is gone into detail, and everything is surface level. This book is the definition of "a mile wide and an inch deep"
BUT, this was Fred's first novel, and even with all of the grievances above, i still think it is decent and a somewhat promising first start.
To start off, i want to say that i like this book, the story, and plan to continue the series.
Regardless of how much i like the book, there are a few glaring issues i feel either bring it down and/or need to be talked about.
***Spoilers for the entire book from here on***
As I've done in my last review and what i hope to do moving forward is including quotes/passages from the book to better portray my thoughts and points.
"-Hazard watched his display as the TF flashed past the lower corner of the Swarm fleet. He felt the Shinto shudder as energy beams struck their shields. The engagement lasted but a moment as the two forces passed each other. The young lieutenant noted this was a new tactic. Imperial ships always stayed in formation around the core fleet; they didn’t maneuver against the Swarm. Instead of letting the attack ships swarm them, the commodore was using movement and the barrages from the ships’ batteries to focus attacks on the Swarm while limiting the TF’s exposure to their return fire.-"
This passage is probably the most shocking and the most baffling revelation in the entire book. The war has been going on for something like 70 years, and the Navy is only now implementing movement into their combat strategies? This really pushes the bounds of believability and really makes all past and present fleet officers look absolutely incompetent.
"-As the enemy ships came within range, the rail guns again commenced their broadside barrage, raking the enemy. The Swarm ships could only fire forward,-"
This only reinforces the unbelievability of the previous excerpt. How, for 70 years, against ships that only have forward facing weapons has no one thought to...use their engines?
This isn't even the only example of how incompetent the entire high command seems to be. Only trying to improve weapons systems that they know work somewhat against the swarm instead of exploring additional avenues to see if new technology can be used to a better effect. Hell, they think Hazards' idea using railguns as what is essentially a ww2 flak cannon is revolutionary. High Command is incompetent. Sure, you can argue that this is addressed in the book when Hazard says the Empire has become stagnate in its way of thinking and doctrine, but you would be wrong. The Swarm poses an exotential threat to the empire. It is said multiple times in the book that the Empire has only managed a single draw over 70 years of fighting. Everything else has been a defeat. This is the exact kind of situation that promotes unrestricted scientific research. The Empire is so advanced that it has access to nanotech. The possibilities are quite literally endless in terms of potential weapons applications.
Having the MC being named Henry and his father -who is also a big part of this book- also named Henry was a mistake, in my opinion. yes the mc is mainly referred to as Hazard, but it comes up fairly often where both Henrys are in the same room at the same time so the author has to either remind us of this distinction, which he does, or rely on the reader to remember and properly identify which character is actually being addressed. This ends up with clunky instances like this:
"-“Hazard—” Edmund Randolph, grand admiral and Hazard’s great-uncle, referred to him as Hazard since both he and his father were in the room “—we need to organize and plan a raid on the so-called Marxist Embassy.-"
I get the train of thought that since this is a monarchy, it would be cool to have Henery X or Henry IV or whatever. But ease of understanding and pacing should always come before things like this that add nothing to the story and, based on the quote above, actively hampers it.
The next problem consists of the entirety of chapter 33. I really don't like this chapter. It introduces a completely new character 250 pages in, who is initially just a bookstore owner who is revealed to be an ex impsec assassin. the issue is that this all requires 4 pages of exposition to explain their bookstore profession and then their previous experience as an assassin. unless there are plans for this character to have an extended part in the plot of this book or series then it would have been better to just have impsec say something simple like "get me the raven" and have this whole character be faceless. The majority of the previous part of this paragraph was written before finishing the book. Upon completion, nothing was done with the character aside from their arrest after trying to assassinate Hazard, causing me to fully get bhind my idea that the character could have remained faceless and chapter 33 could have been axed entirely from the book.
Next we get to chapter 37, where the Director of Impsec is assassinated by her own men who have worked with her for over a decade because out of absolutely nowhere it is revealed that they actually work for the director of operations Xavier and he orders them to kill her. This happens for no other reason other than because the "plot" wants it to and is nothing more than a device used to elicit shock factor from the reader. In a twist that's been around since spies were invented, Xavier kills his own men to cover his tracks, disappears, and is not mentioned again in the book.
Next, towards the climactic end of a space battle, we get this excerpt:
"-Suddenly, the entire ship shook as it streaked away from the stricken cruiser. “Looks like the cruiser gave us a parting gift,” Commander Ramsey announced calmly. “Several pieces of debris struck aft near the drive units."-"
The fundamental problem here is that not once has range been discussed outside of "long range" or "short range" or "close range." Because the weapons being talked about in this series regularly have ranges between 100,000-1,000,000 kilometers or more in other IPs. And i know it's bad practice to compare two different IPs in this way. The point im trying to make is there is a "norm" and without the author telling us any different we have no choice but to come to our own conclusions and i applied this range band to the this universe. Causing a big shock when they mentioned being hit by debris when that would have been literally impossible. Details like this matter. This could have been completely avoided if the direction was instead that a missle partially got past their defenses or something like that. But i guess that's not really possible either since the author mentioned multiple times the technological superiority the empire had.
Normally, when i complain that a book feels rushed, it's due to misplaced priorities for the alotment of page time. This is a different beast altogether in this book. Let me list all the major events that happen in this book.
Introduction of all the major players and Main character, introduction of a love interest, MC and love interest confess their undying love for one another and plan to get married (we have only been shown maybe 2 or 3 instances of them interacting at this point), a coup, a counter coup, 2 assasination attempts on the MC, consolidation of political power by the MC. Investigations into the coup, the attack on the empress and the federation. The complete isolation of the federation by destroying their entire space based industry, reducing them to nothing more than a terrestrial civilization. A planet ending threat of biological and then nuclear annihilation. The recovery of the empress. The invention of a new type of medical nanite that can work inside stasis pods.
This is the entire plot of a trilogy sized series into a single 370-page book. Nothing is gone into detail, and everything is surface level. This book is the definition of "a mile wide and an inch deep"
BUT, this was Fred's first novel, and even with all of the grievances above, i still think it is decent and a somewhat promising first start.
Read
September 24, 2025Rating: minus 5 on a scale of minus 5 to plus 5.
My previous reviews were hastily written notes to myself, as record of my journey through Amazon loans. A small number of the titles were indie gems, a small but larger number were serviceable and the largest percentage, easily 90%+ could only be described generously as not fit for purpose.
Before I begin, I must visit the YouTube. This was made possible by the channels Doctor Who/Be Kind -Jhonny Jadestar, NCMI, LuckyBlackCat, Abney Park, Red Glasgow, Psychobitches, Keffals, Big Train, Acollierastro, Mia Mulder, Lily Simpson, Aid Thompsin, Cindy's Villa, The Gaze, UATV English, Keith Edwards, Silicon Curtain, Perun, Amadeus -Paint it Black, Table Top CP, Dungeons and Fiscourse, Tin Soldier Wargaming, Peachy Tips, Model Minutes, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, Supertanskiii, Times Radio, The Military Show, Secular Talk, Lynn Saga, Brittany Page, Kings and Generals, The New Enlightenment, Chris Norlund, Times Radio, Mandy, Kyiv Independent, Terrible Writing Advice, Owen Jones, Real Time History, Crow Caller, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Sarah Millican, Mandy, A Day of Small Things, Bobbing Along, MoAn Inc, Your True Shelf, Reads with Rachel, Ben and Emily, Library of a Viking, Just A Confused Brit, Nicole Chilaka-Ukpo, Blooms & Greens by Chloe, Patrick(H)Willem, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Kozak Muzon, Parkrose Permaculture, The RItual Kitchen with Laura May, Gutsick Gibbon, SciFi Odyssey, Planarwalker, Ben G Thomas. Owen Jones, Abbie Emmons, Shannon Makes, OrangeRiver, History with Kayleigh, Sailing Melody, Verilybitchie, Mrs Betty Bowers, Jay Exci. Anka Daily News, KernowDamo, A Life of Lit, Up and Atom, BlondiHacks, Smack the Pony, Artur Rehi, Alex Fleev, Andrewism, Fit 2B Read, NFKRZ, Jake Broe, Wes O'Donnell, Battle Order, Princess Weekes, Movies in My Closet, Riverboat Jack, Reese Waters, ConeOfArc, AllShorts, Tank Encyclopedia, Planet Critical, Jess Owens.
I recently saw a member of the Village Idiot Movement who whilst insulting an essayist I mention, complain to her that I list other trans creators. The Snowflake (nasty US man-baby) can be depended upon to expose his fragility in service of self-importance.
A trigger warning then. The channels which I list are harmful to smug, arrogant ignorance. The channels include tall, bi, socialist, physicist, lesbian, Irish, married, primatologist, economist, trans, redhaired, anthropologist, Indian, chess player, queer, military historian, asexual, sewist, Australian, autist, WOC, intersex, marine biologist, communist, architect and other creators labelled Women by the less intellectually challenged.
Almost as threatening to the limited reference group are channels hosted by other BIPOC, anarchist, mathematician, Finnish, philosopher, boater, fashion historian, archaeologist, ginger, chemist, political commentator, Austrian, other neurodivergent, physicist, other LGBTQI+, lumber producer, zoologist, New Zealander, linguist, anthropologist, futurist and other creators known as Human Beings.
Should the voices be not stilled, develop a new hobby (perhaps reading), explore Orissa, and/or repeat several times daily "I will not be a bellend today".
My feelings towards these is simular to that of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake Island, when their surrender was demanded. Their response, "Russian warship, Go F@ck yourself." Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the Heroes. Crimea is Ukraine.
Once more unto the page, dear friends. The worldbuilding is more a game backdrop. The main character is a lowly lieutenant, whose father is a limp noodle. The other characters follow this teen who wields no high rank, command authority, political power or leadership experience. All other nobles are irresponsible mental deficients with no combat skill, leadership talent or other skill.
The poor Royal teen must struggle against the meritocratic bias of the Royal Navy? His angst completes personality and worldbuilding. It is a child's space fantasy, poorly thought out and lacking any plausibility, marketed to adult males.
Game developers with very few exceptions demonstrate no knowledge of economics, history, political structures, governmental structures, foreign policy, social dynamics or domestic policy in their chosen genre. Their settings are flat backdrops creating the illusion of purpose for the player. The games may serve to entertain but as models for books not so much.
His descriptions of combat are video game versions of war. The spacey-space boom-boom book hero can only be the psychopathic hero with an overly large gun. In these books, there are no specialty, function, organisational need or other consideration which plague surface fleets.
The hero is incredibly competent in all areas, has superior skills applicable to every situation. Were He a She, there are YouTubers, Incels and commenters, who would gleefully label Her a Mary Sue. Lack of self-awareness benefits no one.
Britannia sails the dark is worth reading, this book is not.
I am needing another YouTube break. This next was made possible by a buttered croissant, hot chocolate and the channels Doctor Who/Cruel or Cowardly - StoryScape Studios, Anark, Kris Atomic, Jack Edwards, With Cindy, TVP News, Kazachka, Nomadic Introvert, May, Oceanliner Designs, Ministry of Miniatures, 7th Sons, Discourse Minis, We Wargame, Rogue Hobbies, Nerdy Kathi, Roisin's Reading, Vanwives, Squire, Scale Art Lab, Jen the Librarian, Ember Green, ThePrimeChronus, Emperor Tiger Star, Lore Reloaded, Ship Happens, Ben and Emily, History of Everything, The Octopus Lady, Ava's Reads, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Physics Girl, Tibees, Arvin Ash, Haropones, For the Love of Story, Viva La Dirt League, Military History Visualised, Jabzy, Stefan Milo, Belle of the Ranch, Living Anachronism, Gemma Dyer, Bernadette Banner, Snappy Dragon, Mark R Largent, Supernatural4ever, JuLingo, Paint and Glue, Nicole Chilaka-Ukpo, Belinda Carr, Sound of Music Flashmob, Vlad Vexler, AuroraTrek, Britta Bohler, Lena Down Under, Cruising Alba, Red Dawn, Cruising Crafts, Tank Museum, Winging it on a Budget, Oceanliner Designs, Whitenoiz CA, Cambrian Chronicles, BaldBookGeek, Supertanskiii.
We all subconsciously absorb the bizarre narrative as not a perfect but at least a reasonable approximation of the real. That tendency can have serious consequences if
elements and themes of limited futures and ugly presents are accepted as the real.
When processed through an adult filter, they may be entertaining but become boring quickly. The romantasy and romance titles are producing the same effect. Instead of audience rejection, members attack others dissatisfied with this state of affairs.
I began watching rather than reading fiction for the first time. I used YouTube for TV and film recommendations, which was successful. From curiosity I scanned the rest of the site to discover the science educators, hobbyists, lifestyle and finally my first literary critic. Lindsay Ellis 😍 was my introduction to the world of structured analysis.
My exposure to her led me finally to the BookTube. 😍 They are host to thoughtful, varied communities and friendly readers enamoured of all things bookish. They are far different to whatever Goodreads are. The educational video sites are also worth a look, Nebula being my favourite.
Consider treating Goodreads as potentially hostile. 🤔
Goodreads do not encourage discourse. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a very poorly written, juvenile salute to what are now called sociopathic January 6, 2021 heroes.
The book was originally blurbed as being similar to a Heinlein novel, which is now changed. It is actually a sad imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" set on the Moon. There are a stunning number of like books in the Unlimited library. The best of these are lifeless exposition documenting the rise of working class hero to status of sociopathic oligarch.
Powers follows the heroic struggle of a rich twat, enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that he not pay inheritance tax. If you have seen video of MAGA or Republican Party rallies, the theme should sound familiar in 2025 USA.
The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without portfolio) and advocate for the return of chattel slavery (popular stance in the US with legislative initiatives and federal/state policies underway), veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency and supporter of Putin (another popular position with the MAGA and the White House).
My communist perspective found the book to be dangerous and unhealthy. The Corcoran and six fellow patriots were outraged. The merry band spent nearly a year demanding my response to seriously deranged comments. They included my being a narcissist for failure to engage, my suspect intelligence, inability to appreciate brilliant writing, certain very National Socialist rants and so on.
I had hoped they would eventually volunteer answers to questions concerning "The Great Unconformity" but that was not to be. More disappointing was the realisation that they would never appreciate the layers of irony in their reaction. Heavy sigh.
The last comment was delivered by Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr. After referencing the contents of my last message to a friend, he grandly declared that They had "won" (?).
I found that They and recruits had launched a flood of vile sexual, racist and other comments against apparently every channel I mentioned (it occurs still). The artist, midteen boater and her mother, astrophysicist, architect and other female creators declined their advances.
Despite that failure, the world's supply of unpleasantness was certainly increased and They did deliver to a multinational audience an accurate self-portrait of the Snowflake (damaged, vicious, poorly socialised US man-child). Quite the Victory, really.
Goodreads discourse is a treat.
Have earned another YouTube break. This section was made possible by - NCMI, Mia Mulder, KernowDamo, Cambrian Chronicles, Lily Simpson, The British Museum, Postmodern Jukebox, SK Media, Kirkpattiecake, Part Time Hobbit, Julie Nolke, SG 24, Polyushka Polye, Knowing Better, Silicon Curtain, Paola Hermosin, More Perfect Union, Hej Sokoly, Atun Shei Films, The HatHistorian, Miniminuteman, Science Insanity, Amie's Literary Empire, Kik1006 -Sariel, Amanda the Jedi, Serenity Sue, Bookpilled, Dungeons and Discourse, Venom Geek Media, Lilly's Life, Anna from Ukraine, ATP Geopolitics, Aditu Laudis, Owen Jones, The Confused Adipose, Foster on the Spectrum, Strange Aeons, Munecat, Hoots, Megaprojects, Tallgirl6234, JimmyTheGiant, I Am Mindblind, RuthSpeer, Book Chats with Shelley, Steve Shives, Professor Tim Wilson, Econ Lessons, Verilybitchie, Words Unravelled, Tristan and the Classics, Tabernis, James Tullos, Claire Fenby-Warren, kgb detected, HBomberGuy, The Closet Historian, Cruising the Cut, Deer Stalker Pictures, DUST, Brittany Page, Omeleto, Book Furnace, Welcome to Ukraine, Peter Stefanovic, Sailing Melody, Unlearning Economics, Jesse Dollemore, Ben and Emily, Up and Atom, Gilbert Collins, Tale Foundry, Political X, No Justice, The Juice Media, The Thought Spot, The Mindful Narrowboat, Fall of Civilisations, Sort of Interesting, Belle of the Ranch.
Ominous music begins. 🤗 Were my experiences on the site an abnormality, it would be troubling. I was shocked to see on BookTube, that They are active across romance not just speculative fiction. The BIPOC one star reviewer seem especially targeted, as well as any critics of racist, ableist, sexist or other problematic elements in books read.
I found that Their activity include doxxing, stalking, threats and in the present US may soon involve the Swatting. The lack of reaction from US readers to these incidents is normalisation and acceptance of these behaviours.
The ultimate expression of reader disapproval of my reviews, involved site employees giving over my very limited message history to these mental members after my Powers review. Pine Gap Centre requested that Australian Intelligence interrogate the one friend whom I messaged occasionally. The attempt at my history failed, though I did suffer a hacking attempt (though I am not certain that Amazon was involved) and two outraged customers were created.
Only when we shared that bizarre event did Amazon act. There was no apology or other but Amazon did respond. Visible signs of harassment were removed. My pages and options were returned to normal, all comments were masked, Kindle interruptions seem to have magically ended, all Lurkers whom I had not been Permitted to remove were disappeared and the rest. My thought is that their customer service protocols might need overhaul.
Recently a seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions and the ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such. With the ascension of submissive legislators and the destruction of the US government, I suspect that the US data billionaires will behave more badly. Things worth considering.
Several precautions to make your exposure to Goodreads less perilous. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid messaging. Remove the lurker, the friends who never post. They are monitors for gangs or employee dummies created to hide questionable interest in customer pages. not admirers. Given the Amazon penchant for customer page Alterations and data abuse, the screenshot of the odd, ugly and threatening are invaluable. For Goodreads, the above should suffice.
Kindle are a more serious exposure. Do Not use Kindle Files, Contacts, Calendar and Email. Besides the above, I confirmed that Amazon employees read customer email without permission or notice. I leave it to you to imagine potential consequences.
Do Not "purchase" Amazon e-books, as you own only your device, not downloads. Those may be altered or deleted at whim. There are BookTubers to guide you to alternative device and ebook vendors, as well as paper purchase alternatives.
Amazon Silk searches should be innocuous and non-critical. A throwaway email dedicated to Amazon sites is hardly overkill.
I recommend a visit to FAFO channels. 75%+ of white male and 52%+ of white female voters chose to end already poor Healthcare, benefits for underemployed, disabled and children, worker, women's and other rights. The unspoken premise was that these would only be directed at non-whites and the LGBTQI+.
These are your Goodreads fellows and US patriots. Ominous music ends. 🤗
Be safe and may we all enjoy Good Reading. 😊
Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
NCMI, Chris and Shell, Bobbing Along, Mrs Betty Bowers, TVP News, Yoyomi, Some More News, Kaz Rowe, The Red Viburnam Song, Emma Thorne, Philosophy Tube, France 24, Alizee, Times Radio, Alice Cappelle, The Great War, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Amie's Literary Empire, Irish Medieval History, Loregeist, Ruby Granger, AllShorts, Jessica Gagnon, Tulia, Zoe Baker, Karolina Zebrowska, Bernadette Banner, Abby Cox, Sabine Hossenfelder, Clockwork Reader, MWG Studios, Quinn's Ideas, The Welsh Viking, The Lady of the Library, DW News, GhostTime History, The Great War, The Shades of Orange, Tibees, 2 Cellos, Austin McConnell, Lumber Capital Log Yard, Euronews, Told in Stone, The Paranormal Scholar, Katie Colson, Eleanor Morton, Hello Future Me, Travelling K, Between the Lines, Just in Time Worldbuilding, Katie Montgomerie, TIKHistory, Perun, DW News, Merphy Napier, A Cup of Nicole, Joe Scott, Zoe Bee, Natasha's Adventures, Boat Time, Media Death Cult, FAFO, Lady knight the Brave, Cruising the Cut, The Narrowboat Pirate, Northern Narrowboaters, Chris Animations, We're in Hell, Kelly loves Physics and History, Anton Petrov, Patrick is a Navajo, Three Arrows, Renegade Cut, Books with Chloe, Jack in the Books, France 24, Bookslike Whoa, Alexa Donne, Max Joseph, Certifiably Ingame, What About It, Nerd of the Rings, The Sweet Spot, Serena Skybourne, Rebecca Watson, Terra Mater, Delamer, Tom Nicholas, Abbie Emmons, The Amber Ruffin Show, NanyaCim, A Life of Lit, Tribus Montibus Oceanography, Violet Orlandi, The Radical Reviewer, IzzzYzzz, Jessie Gender, Alt Shift X, Adult Wednesday Addams -2 seasons, Jen the Librarian, Omeleto, Gingers are Black, History of Everything, Caelan Conrad.
I wish you a glorious morning, a gorgeous afternoon, a wonderful evening, a splendid night and may we all continue learning.
Hope sustains, Will leads.
Meditations, Thirteenth Route Trade Fleet
My previous reviews were hastily written notes to myself, as record of my journey through Amazon loans. A small number of the titles were indie gems, a small but larger number were serviceable and the largest percentage, easily 90%+ could only be described generously as not fit for purpose.
Before I begin, I must visit the YouTube. This was made possible by the channels Doctor Who/Be Kind -Jhonny Jadestar, NCMI, LuckyBlackCat, Abney Park, Red Glasgow, Psychobitches, Keffals, Big Train, Acollierastro, Mia Mulder, Lily Simpson, Aid Thompsin, Cindy's Villa, The Gaze, UATV English, Keith Edwards, Silicon Curtain, Perun, Amadeus -Paint it Black, Table Top CP, Dungeons and Fiscourse, Tin Soldier Wargaming, Peachy Tips, Model Minutes, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, Supertanskiii, Times Radio, The Military Show, Secular Talk, Lynn Saga, Brittany Page, Kings and Generals, The New Enlightenment, Chris Norlund, Times Radio, Mandy, Kyiv Independent, Terrible Writing Advice, Owen Jones, Real Time History, Crow Caller, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Sarah Millican, Mandy, A Day of Small Things, Bobbing Along, MoAn Inc, Your True Shelf, Reads with Rachel, Ben and Emily, Library of a Viking, Just A Confused Brit, Nicole Chilaka-Ukpo, Blooms & Greens by Chloe, Patrick(H)Willem, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Kozak Muzon, Parkrose Permaculture, The RItual Kitchen with Laura May, Gutsick Gibbon, SciFi Odyssey, Planarwalker, Ben G Thomas. Owen Jones, Abbie Emmons, Shannon Makes, OrangeRiver, History with Kayleigh, Sailing Melody, Verilybitchie, Mrs Betty Bowers, Jay Exci. Anka Daily News, KernowDamo, A Life of Lit, Up and Atom, BlondiHacks, Smack the Pony, Artur Rehi, Alex Fleev, Andrewism, Fit 2B Read, NFKRZ, Jake Broe, Wes O'Donnell, Battle Order, Princess Weekes, Movies in My Closet, Riverboat Jack, Reese Waters, ConeOfArc, AllShorts, Tank Encyclopedia, Planet Critical, Jess Owens.
I recently saw a member of the Village Idiot Movement who whilst insulting an essayist I mention, complain to her that I list other trans creators. The Snowflake (nasty US man-baby) can be depended upon to expose his fragility in service of self-importance.
A trigger warning then. The channels which I list are harmful to smug, arrogant ignorance. The channels include tall, bi, socialist, physicist, lesbian, Irish, married, primatologist, economist, trans, redhaired, anthropologist, Indian, chess player, queer, military historian, asexual, sewist, Australian, autist, WOC, intersex, marine biologist, communist, architect and other creators labelled Women by the less intellectually challenged.
Almost as threatening to the limited reference group are channels hosted by other BIPOC, anarchist, mathematician, Finnish, philosopher, boater, fashion historian, archaeologist, ginger, chemist, political commentator, Austrian, other neurodivergent, physicist, other LGBTQI+, lumber producer, zoologist, New Zealander, linguist, anthropologist, futurist and other creators known as Human Beings.
Should the voices be not stilled, develop a new hobby (perhaps reading), explore Orissa, and/or repeat several times daily "I will not be a bellend today".
My feelings towards these is simular to that of the 13 Ukrainian marines defending Snake Island, when their surrender was demanded. Their response, "Russian warship, Go F@ck yourself." Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the Heroes. Crimea is Ukraine.
Once more unto the page, dear friends. The worldbuilding is more a game backdrop. The main character is a lowly lieutenant, whose father is a limp noodle. The other characters follow this teen who wields no high rank, command authority, political power or leadership experience. All other nobles are irresponsible mental deficients with no combat skill, leadership talent or other skill.
The poor Royal teen must struggle against the meritocratic bias of the Royal Navy? His angst completes personality and worldbuilding. It is a child's space fantasy, poorly thought out and lacking any plausibility, marketed to adult males.
Game developers with very few exceptions demonstrate no knowledge of economics, history, political structures, governmental structures, foreign policy, social dynamics or domestic policy in their chosen genre. Their settings are flat backdrops creating the illusion of purpose for the player. The games may serve to entertain but as models for books not so much.
His descriptions of combat are video game versions of war. The spacey-space boom-boom book hero can only be the psychopathic hero with an overly large gun. In these books, there are no specialty, function, organisational need or other consideration which plague surface fleets.
The hero is incredibly competent in all areas, has superior skills applicable to every situation. Were He a She, there are YouTubers, Incels and commenters, who would gleefully label Her a Mary Sue. Lack of self-awareness benefits no one.
Britannia sails the dark is worth reading, this book is not.
I am needing another YouTube break. This next was made possible by a buttered croissant, hot chocolate and the channels Doctor Who/Cruel or Cowardly - StoryScape Studios, Anark, Kris Atomic, Jack Edwards, With Cindy, TVP News, Kazachka, Nomadic Introvert, May, Oceanliner Designs, Ministry of Miniatures, 7th Sons, Discourse Minis, We Wargame, Rogue Hobbies, Nerdy Kathi, Roisin's Reading, Vanwives, Squire, Scale Art Lab, Jen the Librarian, Ember Green, ThePrimeChronus, Emperor Tiger Star, Lore Reloaded, Ship Happens, Ben and Emily, History of Everything, The Octopus Lady, Ava's Reads, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Physics Girl, Tibees, Arvin Ash, Haropones, For the Love of Story, Viva La Dirt League, Military History Visualised, Jabzy, Stefan Milo, Belle of the Ranch, Living Anachronism, Gemma Dyer, Bernadette Banner, Snappy Dragon, Mark R Largent, Supernatural4ever, JuLingo, Paint and Glue, Nicole Chilaka-Ukpo, Belinda Carr, Sound of Music Flashmob, Vlad Vexler, AuroraTrek, Britta Bohler, Lena Down Under, Cruising Alba, Red Dawn, Cruising Crafts, Tank Museum, Winging it on a Budget, Oceanliner Designs, Whitenoiz CA, Cambrian Chronicles, BaldBookGeek, Supertanskiii.
We all subconsciously absorb the bizarre narrative as not a perfect but at least a reasonable approximation of the real. That tendency can have serious consequences if
elements and themes of limited futures and ugly presents are accepted as the real.
When processed through an adult filter, they may be entertaining but become boring quickly. The romantasy and romance titles are producing the same effect. Instead of audience rejection, members attack others dissatisfied with this state of affairs.
I began watching rather than reading fiction for the first time. I used YouTube for TV and film recommendations, which was successful. From curiosity I scanned the rest of the site to discover the science educators, hobbyists, lifestyle and finally my first literary critic. Lindsay Ellis 😍 was my introduction to the world of structured analysis.
My exposure to her led me finally to the BookTube. 😍 They are host to thoughtful, varied communities and friendly readers enamoured of all things bookish. They are far different to whatever Goodreads are. The educational video sites are also worth a look, Nebula being my favourite.
Consider treating Goodreads as potentially hostile. 🤔
Goodreads do not encourage discourse. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a very poorly written, juvenile salute to what are now called sociopathic January 6, 2021 heroes.
The book was originally blurbed as being similar to a Heinlein novel, which is now changed. It is actually a sad imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" set on the Moon. There are a stunning number of like books in the Unlimited library. The best of these are lifeless exposition documenting the rise of working class hero to status of sociopathic oligarch.
Powers follows the heroic struggle of a rich twat, enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that he not pay inheritance tax. If you have seen video of MAGA or Republican Party rallies, the theme should sound familiar in 2025 USA.
The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without portfolio) and advocate for the return of chattel slavery (popular stance in the US with legislative initiatives and federal/state policies underway), veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency and supporter of Putin (another popular position with the MAGA and the White House).
My communist perspective found the book to be dangerous and unhealthy. The Corcoran and six fellow patriots were outraged. The merry band spent nearly a year demanding my response to seriously deranged comments. They included my being a narcissist for failure to engage, my suspect intelligence, inability to appreciate brilliant writing, certain very National Socialist rants and so on.
I had hoped they would eventually volunteer answers to questions concerning "The Great Unconformity" but that was not to be. More disappointing was the realisation that they would never appreciate the layers of irony in their reaction. Heavy sigh.
The last comment was delivered by Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr. After referencing the contents of my last message to a friend, he grandly declared that They had "won" (?).
I found that They and recruits had launched a flood of vile sexual, racist and other comments against apparently every channel I mentioned (it occurs still). The artist, midteen boater and her mother, astrophysicist, architect and other female creators declined their advances.
Despite that failure, the world's supply of unpleasantness was certainly increased and They did deliver to a multinational audience an accurate self-portrait of the Snowflake (damaged, vicious, poorly socialised US man-child). Quite the Victory, really.
Goodreads discourse is a treat.
Have earned another YouTube break. This section was made possible by - NCMI, Mia Mulder, KernowDamo, Cambrian Chronicles, Lily Simpson, The British Museum, Postmodern Jukebox, SK Media, Kirkpattiecake, Part Time Hobbit, Julie Nolke, SG 24, Polyushka Polye, Knowing Better, Silicon Curtain, Paola Hermosin, More Perfect Union, Hej Sokoly, Atun Shei Films, The HatHistorian, Miniminuteman, Science Insanity, Amie's Literary Empire, Kik1006 -Sariel, Amanda the Jedi, Serenity Sue, Bookpilled, Dungeons and Discourse, Venom Geek Media, Lilly's Life, Anna from Ukraine, ATP Geopolitics, Aditu Laudis, Owen Jones, The Confused Adipose, Foster on the Spectrum, Strange Aeons, Munecat, Hoots, Megaprojects, Tallgirl6234, JimmyTheGiant, I Am Mindblind, RuthSpeer, Book Chats with Shelley, Steve Shives, Professor Tim Wilson, Econ Lessons, Verilybitchie, Words Unravelled, Tristan and the Classics, Tabernis, James Tullos, Claire Fenby-Warren, kgb detected, HBomberGuy, The Closet Historian, Cruising the Cut, Deer Stalker Pictures, DUST, Brittany Page, Omeleto, Book Furnace, Welcome to Ukraine, Peter Stefanovic, Sailing Melody, Unlearning Economics, Jesse Dollemore, Ben and Emily, Up and Atom, Gilbert Collins, Tale Foundry, Political X, No Justice, The Juice Media, The Thought Spot, The Mindful Narrowboat, Fall of Civilisations, Sort of Interesting, Belle of the Ranch.
Ominous music begins. 🤗 Were my experiences on the site an abnormality, it would be troubling. I was shocked to see on BookTube, that They are active across romance not just speculative fiction. The BIPOC one star reviewer seem especially targeted, as well as any critics of racist, ableist, sexist or other problematic elements in books read.
I found that Their activity include doxxing, stalking, threats and in the present US may soon involve the Swatting. The lack of reaction from US readers to these incidents is normalisation and acceptance of these behaviours.
The ultimate expression of reader disapproval of my reviews, involved site employees giving over my very limited message history to these mental members after my Powers review. Pine Gap Centre requested that Australian Intelligence interrogate the one friend whom I messaged occasionally. The attempt at my history failed, though I did suffer a hacking attempt (though I am not certain that Amazon was involved) and two outraged customers were created.
Only when we shared that bizarre event did Amazon act. There was no apology or other but Amazon did respond. Visible signs of harassment were removed. My pages and options were returned to normal, all comments were masked, Kindle interruptions seem to have magically ended, all Lurkers whom I had not been Permitted to remove were disappeared and the rest. My thought is that their customer service protocols might need overhaul.
Recently a seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions and the ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such. With the ascension of submissive legislators and the destruction of the US government, I suspect that the US data billionaires will behave more badly. Things worth considering.
Several precautions to make your exposure to Goodreads less perilous. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid messaging. Remove the lurker, the friends who never post. They are monitors for gangs or employee dummies created to hide questionable interest in customer pages. not admirers. Given the Amazon penchant for customer page Alterations and data abuse, the screenshot of the odd, ugly and threatening are invaluable. For Goodreads, the above should suffice.
Kindle are a more serious exposure. Do Not use Kindle Files, Contacts, Calendar and Email. Besides the above, I confirmed that Amazon employees read customer email without permission or notice. I leave it to you to imagine potential consequences.
Do Not "purchase" Amazon e-books, as you own only your device, not downloads. Those may be altered or deleted at whim. There are BookTubers to guide you to alternative device and ebook vendors, as well as paper purchase alternatives.
Amazon Silk searches should be innocuous and non-critical. A throwaway email dedicated to Amazon sites is hardly overkill.
I recommend a visit to FAFO channels. 75%+ of white male and 52%+ of white female voters chose to end already poor Healthcare, benefits for underemployed, disabled and children, worker, women's and other rights. The unspoken premise was that these would only be directed at non-whites and the LGBTQI+.
These are your Goodreads fellows and US patriots. Ominous music ends. 🤗
Be safe and may we all enjoy Good Reading. 😊
Some of my favourite YouTube channels.
NCMI, Chris and Shell, Bobbing Along, Mrs Betty Bowers, TVP News, Yoyomi, Some More News, Kaz Rowe, The Red Viburnam Song, Emma Thorne, Philosophy Tube, France 24, Alizee, Times Radio, Alice Cappelle, The Great War, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Amie's Literary Empire, Irish Medieval History, Loregeist, Ruby Granger, AllShorts, Jessica Gagnon, Tulia, Zoe Baker, Karolina Zebrowska, Bernadette Banner, Abby Cox, Sabine Hossenfelder, Clockwork Reader, MWG Studios, Quinn's Ideas, The Welsh Viking, The Lady of the Library, DW News, GhostTime History, The Great War, The Shades of Orange, Tibees, 2 Cellos, Austin McConnell, Lumber Capital Log Yard, Euronews, Told in Stone, The Paranormal Scholar, Katie Colson, Eleanor Morton, Hello Future Me, Travelling K, Between the Lines, Just in Time Worldbuilding, Katie Montgomerie, TIKHistory, Perun, DW News, Merphy Napier, A Cup of Nicole, Joe Scott, Zoe Bee, Natasha's Adventures, Boat Time, Media Death Cult, FAFO, Lady knight the Brave, Cruising the Cut, The Narrowboat Pirate, Northern Narrowboaters, Chris Animations, We're in Hell, Kelly loves Physics and History, Anton Petrov, Patrick is a Navajo, Three Arrows, Renegade Cut, Books with Chloe, Jack in the Books, France 24, Bookslike Whoa, Alexa Donne, Max Joseph, Certifiably Ingame, What About It, Nerd of the Rings, The Sweet Spot, Serena Skybourne, Rebecca Watson, Terra Mater, Delamer, Tom Nicholas, Abbie Emmons, The Amber Ruffin Show, NanyaCim, A Life of Lit, Tribus Montibus Oceanography, Violet Orlandi, The Radical Reviewer, IzzzYzzz, Jessie Gender, Alt Shift X, Adult Wednesday Addams -2 seasons, Jen the Librarian, Omeleto, Gingers are Black, History of Everything, Caelan Conrad.
I wish you a glorious morning, a gorgeous afternoon, a wonderful evening, a splendid night and may we all continue learning.
Hope sustains, Will leads.
Meditations, Thirteenth Route Trade Fleet
July 5, 2022
Emerging Pro Author... Nonsense
Nonsense you say, how can you say that and award 5 star's
Quite simple I say, if this is a first time amateur author I'm a ferrets nephew.
This is a gobsmackenly good read ....
If I was to find fault with anything it would singularly be in putting a tad more character into the eventual villains of the story.
Just my opinion I might add, otherwise simply brilliant.
Nonsense you say, how can you say that and award 5 star's
Quite simple I say, if this is a first time amateur author I'm a ferrets nephew.
This is a gobsmackenly good read ....
If I was to find fault with anything it would singularly be in putting a tad more character into the eventual villains of the story.
Just my opinion I might add, otherwise simply brilliant.
April 25, 2021
Well done!
Story started out slow but then they all do. Once things started to move I found it hard to put the book down. Great characters. Good solid science and great tactics. Can’t wait for the sequel! Ooorah!!
Story started out slow but then they all do. Once things started to move I found it hard to put the book down. Great characters. Good solid science and great tactics. Can’t wait for the sequel! Ooorah!!
January 12, 2024
It's not worth the time. Even when free.
Never judge a book by it's cover. Just cause the cover looks epic doesn't make it so. I have read 1000+ books, lots of sci-fi. I don't write reviews, who has the time? This book is so bad it made me write a review.
This book has so much wrong with it. There is never a climax or high point really. It's one poorly fleshed out 'climax' to the next. I lost count of how many 'universe ending events' our protagonist survived without breaking a sweat. A coup...usually a 'big deal', often with a book all it's own' gets taken care of in....three(?) chapters with no real danger or intrigue. The main character is somehow smarter then anyone else he meets and he must exhale charisma when he breaths because everyone he meets loves him and adores him the second they are in his presence.
The dialogue is robotic. It never feels natural. However, even worse is the internal dialogue! Its so bad you want them to start talking out loud to just get them to stop their internal monologue!
I started the second book hoping that perhaps the quality improved as the author honed his craft and got more reps under his belt (I mean a dull ax can't get much duller right?). Nope. It's just as bad.
I have read over a 1000 books in my life. Usually one every couple days. This goes down as a top 10 worst.
Never judge a book by it's cover. Just cause the cover looks epic doesn't make it so. I have read 1000+ books, lots of sci-fi. I don't write reviews, who has the time? This book is so bad it made me write a review.
This book has so much wrong with it. There is never a climax or high point really. It's one poorly fleshed out 'climax' to the next. I lost count of how many 'universe ending events' our protagonist survived without breaking a sweat. A coup...usually a 'big deal', often with a book all it's own' gets taken care of in....three(?) chapters with no real danger or intrigue. The main character is somehow smarter then anyone else he meets and he must exhale charisma when he breaths because everyone he meets loves him and adores him the second they are in his presence.
The dialogue is robotic. It never feels natural. However, even worse is the internal dialogue! Its so bad you want them to start talking out loud to just get them to stop their internal monologue!
I started the second book hoping that perhaps the quality improved as the author honed his craft and got more reps under his belt (I mean a dull ax can't get much duller right?). Nope. It's just as bad.
I have read over a 1000 books in my life. Usually one every couple days. This goes down as a top 10 worst.
July 15, 2022
The series is filled with misspellings and grammatical errors and punctuation issues, though if you can ignore those, it's a decent yarn. He's trying to emulate David Weber and John Ringo, but he needs some serious remedial English education. I'm surprised his grammar-checker didn't catch more of his mistakes, and some of his spelling errors are obviously the result of speech-to-text software. He uses the word conscious when he means conscience, for example. It's a common mispronunciation these days. It's still a decent story, but errors abound. Every page, there's some strange construction to figure the meaning of. Some of this could be solved by re-arranging his sentences, but some of it requires better vocabulary. 3 out of 5 stars. The story would have to be way better than it is to get past the 2-star penalty for all the mistakes.
July 26, 2021
Very Very Good
First time I have read a book by Fred Hughes. It is well written with lots of action and suspense.
First time I have read a book by Fred Hughes. It is well written with lots of action and suspense.
February 19, 2022
This is a book that I kind of just stumbled on. I do not really remember where it turned up but it must have been somewhere in my various recommendations that I get from Kindle, Goodreads or somewhere.
The main reason I decided to have a go at it was because I really like these type of stories with star kingdoms or empires where the concept of Kings, Emperors, Dukes etc. exists in a modern society. The fact that it is about a “coming of age” story of a Prince in the ranks of the empire’s Navy and a ongoing war with the prospect of some nice ship battles of course just added to my interest.
This book is more or less the debutante work of a new author and I must say that it is a very very good start. Some reviewers have compared this book with the works of David Weber and John Ringo (I can mention a few more in this genre like Terry Mixon and Doug Dandridge). Well, this author is not really at that level…yet. But if this is truly his first work I would be surprised if he doesn’t get there.
As the book blurb says, this book is about a young prince who doesn’t want to just wander around enjoying his heritage but make a career in the navy defending the empire. This is in the middle of a war against a somewhat mysterious alien foe as well so everything is set for some adventure and action.
I really like the Prince. He is generally likable and definitely competent. A bit like a male version of Honor Harrington.
The book starts of with the Prince seeing his first action in the war with this alien foe and with some nice fleet action. A very good start as far as I am concerned. During this rather short first part the Prince even manages to meet the girl of his dreams which, quite frankly, happened a wee bit fast to be really realistic but at least they seem to be a good match.
However, then the book switches direction which, at the time, I was not too happy about but it turned out to be quite good anyway.
I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprise about the switch but in walks his sniveling shit of a brother who unfortunately is the next in line for the throne and utterly unsuitable to rule over anything. Add to the mix the Marxist Federation vying for admission into the Empire (which the Empress vetoed luckily) and the fact that the brother has the moral compass of way too many politicians nowadays and we soon have ourselves a palace coup in the making.
From here on the rest of the book is more about resolving that particular crisis and the Prince’s ascension, not as a naval officer, but as a Prince in the Empire. I wasn’t to happy with the dipshit brother’s despicable machinations and some bits there in the beginning of that arc I even felt was a bit boring but once things started to pick up pace and the Prince started to sort things out it became a quite good read.
I do like that the book actually follows through and picks up all the pieces instead of just ousting that dipshit brother and leave the commies to continue their machinations. The Prince and his followers actually goes after the Marxist Federation which, of course, was the instigator of this entire mess. After all the previously mentioned dipshit brother had the brain capacity of one of the also previously mentioned politicians so a devising complex plot was quite out of his area of competence.
I quite like the choice of foe here. It points to a real threat that one can relate to in today’s world as well and I guess it saved the author from upsetting the woke mob by not mentioning an existing nation by name. But then (most) people know which is the major Marxist dictatorship around today anyway. Hint, the bad guy is not Russia like certain administrations like to use to deflect from their own numerous and gargantuan screw ups.
Overall I really liked this book. It is a decent sized book as well at around 450 pages. It is close but not quite at a five out of five rating and I will most certainly read the next one in the series.
The main reason I decided to have a go at it was because I really like these type of stories with star kingdoms or empires where the concept of Kings, Emperors, Dukes etc. exists in a modern society. The fact that it is about a “coming of age” story of a Prince in the ranks of the empire’s Navy and a ongoing war with the prospect of some nice ship battles of course just added to my interest.
This book is more or less the debutante work of a new author and I must say that it is a very very good start. Some reviewers have compared this book with the works of David Weber and John Ringo (I can mention a few more in this genre like Terry Mixon and Doug Dandridge). Well, this author is not really at that level…yet. But if this is truly his first work I would be surprised if he doesn’t get there.
As the book blurb says, this book is about a young prince who doesn’t want to just wander around enjoying his heritage but make a career in the navy defending the empire. This is in the middle of a war against a somewhat mysterious alien foe as well so everything is set for some adventure and action.
I really like the Prince. He is generally likable and definitely competent. A bit like a male version of Honor Harrington.
The book starts of with the Prince seeing his first action in the war with this alien foe and with some nice fleet action. A very good start as far as I am concerned. During this rather short first part the Prince even manages to meet the girl of his dreams which, quite frankly, happened a wee bit fast to be really realistic but at least they seem to be a good match.
However, then the book switches direction which, at the time, I was not too happy about but it turned out to be quite good anyway.
I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprise about the switch but in walks his sniveling shit of a brother who unfortunately is the next in line for the throne and utterly unsuitable to rule over anything. Add to the mix the Marxist Federation vying for admission into the Empire (which the Empress vetoed luckily) and the fact that the brother has the moral compass of way too many politicians nowadays and we soon have ourselves a palace coup in the making.
From here on the rest of the book is more about resolving that particular crisis and the Prince’s ascension, not as a naval officer, but as a Prince in the Empire. I wasn’t to happy with the dipshit brother’s despicable machinations and some bits there in the beginning of that arc I even felt was a bit boring but once things started to pick up pace and the Prince started to sort things out it became a quite good read.
I do like that the book actually follows through and picks up all the pieces instead of just ousting that dipshit brother and leave the commies to continue their machinations. The Prince and his followers actually goes after the Marxist Federation which, of course, was the instigator of this entire mess. After all the previously mentioned dipshit brother had the brain capacity of one of the also previously mentioned politicians so a devising complex plot was quite out of his area of competence.
I quite like the choice of foe here. It points to a real threat that one can relate to in today’s world as well and I guess it saved the author from upsetting the woke mob by not mentioning an existing nation by name. But then (most) people know which is the major Marxist dictatorship around today anyway. Hint, the bad guy is not Russia like certain administrations like to use to deflect from their own numerous and gargantuan screw ups.
Overall I really liked this book. It is a decent sized book as well at around 450 pages. It is close but not quite at a five out of five rating and I will most certainly read the next one in the series.
June 1, 2023
There is just nothing good to say about this book. I struggled for a while but I couldn't make myself finish it. Its supposed to be a paint-by-numbers military sci-fi power fantasy about how awesome the main character is but it consistently fails to deliver. Its hard to say whether the world or the characters are more paper thin and uninspired, the dialogues are painfully stilted, the characters' actions constantly contradict their words.
Its not even bad in an interesting way, its just a rehash of David Weber's Honor Harrington except without the talent to make the objectivist fantasy feel engrossing and inspiring. The good guy military from thousands of years in the future is a carbon copy of the stereotype of late 20th century US navy and marines, the bad guys are space communists whose society has zero to do with historical socialist or communist ideology, the good guys are a hereditary absolutist monarchy that's inexplicably also a democracy but one where only the white, sorry I mean right people get power. The technology and military strategy shows a total lack of understanding of science or interest in science fiction. If there was any one aspect of it that was fun or interesting to read, I would have at least finished it but there wasn't.
Its not even bad in an interesting way, its just a rehash of David Weber's Honor Harrington except without the talent to make the objectivist fantasy feel engrossing and inspiring. The good guy military from thousands of years in the future is a carbon copy of the stereotype of late 20th century US navy and marines, the bad guys are space communists whose society has zero to do with historical socialist or communist ideology, the good guys are a hereditary absolutist monarchy that's inexplicably also a democracy but one where only the white, sorry I mean right people get power. The technology and military strategy shows a total lack of understanding of science or interest in science fiction. If there was any one aspect of it that was fun or interesting to read, I would have at least finished it but there wasn't.
August 11, 2024
Needs professional publisher and editor
This is a fun story, but the characters are all - at best - two dimensional and cardboard cutouts of real people.
The plot is interesting, but the characters are impossible to believe in. A Prince who falls in cheesy love with a woman in a short time with nothing really to base it on. It is as if the author has no idea what relationships are, but I think it is actually that the author just doesn’t have any idea how to write them.
If your moths were “poisoned” and in a coma, would you treat it casually and just waltz around as if it were certain she would be ok? I wouldn’t.
The characters are wooden and another place the author needs guidance from a professional editor and publisher is story telling.
There is a strong tendency to build up to a climax in the story, then casually skip past the action and tell us what happened afterwards. Rather than telling the story as it happens.
This is hugely anti-climactic.
It is a nice story and if you don’t need your stories polished or you don’t need your characters to be realistic, then this may be a fun story for you. It wasn’t polished enough for me.
This is a fun story, but the characters are all - at best - two dimensional and cardboard cutouts of real people.
The plot is interesting, but the characters are impossible to believe in. A Prince who falls in cheesy love with a woman in a short time with nothing really to base it on. It is as if the author has no idea what relationships are, but I think it is actually that the author just doesn’t have any idea how to write them.
If your moths were “poisoned” and in a coma, would you treat it casually and just waltz around as if it were certain she would be ok? I wouldn’t.
The characters are wooden and another place the author needs guidance from a professional editor and publisher is story telling.
There is a strong tendency to build up to a climax in the story, then casually skip past the action and tell us what happened afterwards. Rather than telling the story as it happens.
This is hugely anti-climactic.
It is a nice story and if you don’t need your stories polished or you don’t need your characters to be realistic, then this may be a fun story for you. It wasn’t polished enough for me.
November 7, 2023
A fairly good and enjoyable listen/read for the genre and type of story.
Now I say only fairly, for I found the outline of the internal Imperial strife and political shenanigans somewhat silly, along with clichéd. I do not know how many stories of this sort exist with just about the same daft setup, but I think I've read fully or partially at least a good handful.
Its only really passable since most of it happened offscreen so to say. So the author can just handwave and say so and so happened and give short shrift to how said unbelievable situation actually came about.
Honestly I'd rate it a 3/5 if I wasn't accounting for the Audiobook version, the narration of which I found top notch!
Now I say only fairly, for I found the outline of the internal Imperial strife and political shenanigans somewhat silly, along with clichéd. I do not know how many stories of this sort exist with just about the same daft setup, but I think I've read fully or partially at least a good handful.
Its only really passable since most of it happened offscreen so to say. So the author can just handwave and say so and so happened and give short shrift to how said unbelievable situation actually came about.
Honestly I'd rate it a 3/5 if I wasn't accounting for the Audiobook version, the narration of which I found top notch!
August 17, 2023
Wow. This was a really good start to this series. Just finished reading this.
It reminds me a LOT of the "Empire of Man series" by David Weber and John Ringo. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Especially the last book in that series "We few".
My only gripe about the book is it is really fast paced, It lacks the deep (indepthness <
Still....... I give this 4 stars. Would have been 5 if not for the pacing that makes me think the author was worried about loosing peoples attention.
March 31, 2024
Great military Sci-fi
I'll admit, I was a little skeptical when I read people praising Hughes's writing as a new David Weber. This isn't Honor Harrington or other stuff like that. David Weber does David Weber fine. Hughes does great on his own. This was a captivating read. Yes, parts of it reminded me of some of Weber's stuff, but only in the general sense of military-focused sci-fi.
This was a great story told very efficiently and effectively. I love having an MC who is not questionable in his/her morals (which is another thing I loved about David Weber), and Hughes utilizes one extremely well.
I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next!
I'll admit, I was a little skeptical when I read people praising Hughes's writing as a new David Weber. This isn't Honor Harrington or other stuff like that. David Weber does David Weber fine. Hughes does great on his own. This was a captivating read. Yes, parts of it reminded me of some of Weber's stuff, but only in the general sense of military-focused sci-fi.
This was a great story told very efficiently and effectively. I love having an MC who is not questionable in his/her morals (which is another thing I loved about David Weber), and Hughes utilizes one extremely well.
I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next!
September 4, 2024
I was doubtful I’ll be honest
I thought this book was promising, I seriously had some doubts when the storyline switched into the eldest brother’s obvious to me paranoia. The book ended up being OK. I have reservations as to the actions of some of the characters and they are very, very obvious short falls. Our main character Hazard King is often at times too brilliant. The book has a satisfying conclusion. I’m on the fence as if I will continue the series, if I do, I review book 2
I thought this book was promising, I seriously had some doubts when the storyline switched into the eldest brother’s obvious to me paranoia. The book ended up being OK. I have reservations as to the actions of some of the characters and they are very, very obvious short falls. Our main character Hazard King is often at times too brilliant. The book has a satisfying conclusion. I’m on the fence as if I will continue the series, if I do, I review book 2
September 12, 2025
This bears a lot of resemblance in storyline and storytelling to Stewart's "Hand of Mars" or Weber's "On Basilisk Station". I can see Hazard King, Damien Montgomery and Honor Harrington creating an Over-Achievers Anonymous group, although I doubt they would actually learn how to wind down. With the way that Hazard King has started, I need to see if he will accomplish as much as Damien Montgomery or Honor Harrington. It appears inevitable that he is certainly going to try to change the universe!
April 28, 2022
This was a really nice book. Good plot, good story ... Big downside : lot of grammar errors, spelling errors, and sentence structure issues. The author really needs to get a team to go through the book and correct these things. I would be happily reading along and bam .... something in the paragraph didn't make sense. I had to go back and re-read the paragraph to get back on track. Very distracting. Not sure i will continue with the next book in the series.
September 22, 2023
Not David Webber, but what is?
This is the most David Webber like book I have read since Webber abandoned the Honor Harrington series. Webber fans have to take what we can get, but this Author seems to have the right stuff.
The book was a little unpolished but that will come in time. I am highly pleased with this book and look forward to many more.
I can not recommend this book highly enough! It has everything I want in a space opera even if Webber didn't write it.
This is the most David Webber like book I have read since Webber abandoned the Honor Harrington series. Webber fans have to take what we can get, but this Author seems to have the right stuff.
The book was a little unpolished but that will come in time. I am highly pleased with this book and look forward to many more.
I can not recommend this book highly enough! It has everything I want in a space opera even if Webber didn't write it.
February 18, 2024
Very engaging characters
Very enjoyable read however I found some of the science errors distracting. Things like accelerating to 450Gs that is a measure of acceleration. Saying that a ships systems can shield for 200gs then saying they could use drugs to survive 400Gs. Admittedly these are nits but they pulled me out of the story. I enjoyed the book and will be continuing the series.
Very enjoyable read however I found some of the science errors distracting. Things like accelerating to 450Gs that is a measure of acceleration. Saying that a ships systems can shield for 200gs then saying they could use drugs to survive 400Gs. Admittedly these are nits but they pulled me out of the story. I enjoyed the book and will be continuing the series.
February 21, 2024
Excellent first book!
I can't prove it yet but I expect the next to be even better.
Excellent world building. Excellent copy editing.
While background is important spending that much writing in large blocks to layout background is not the way many other writers have done it. They drop a piece here and there instead.
I see why the comparisons were made to some of my favorite MilSF authors. And I agree.
Enjoy.
I can't prove it yet but I expect the next to be even better.
Excellent world building. Excellent copy editing.
While background is important spending that much writing in large blocks to layout background is not the way many other writers have done it. They drop a piece here and there instead.
I see why the comparisons were made to some of my favorite MilSF authors. And I agree.
Enjoy.
June 1, 2024
Classic Space Opera
Hazard always wanted to be a Imperial navy officer, unfortunately he is also the younger son of the Empress, Political intrigue ,family rivalry and an assassination attempt conspire to make him regent. A really entertaining, well written story that draws on elements of some of the best in the field. Excellent. John Pirhalla does a great job with the narration. I really look forward to listening to more of these.
Hazard always wanted to be a Imperial navy officer, unfortunately he is also the younger son of the Empress, Political intrigue ,family rivalry and an assassination attempt conspire to make him regent. A really entertaining, well written story that draws on elements of some of the best in the field. Excellent. John Pirhalla does a great job with the narration. I really look forward to listening to more of these.
February 2, 2025
Captivating Sci-Fi
I enjoyed the military and political aspects of the story as it progressed to encompass space battles, military squad activity, spy craft and assassins. The story was well written and enjoyable to read. Personally I think I would have preferred to not have the introduction chapter which indicates he survived the story covered in the book and is back in the military, which allows for some assumptions to be made before the breadth of the story unfolds.
I enjoyed the military and political aspects of the story as it progressed to encompass space battles, military squad activity, spy craft and assassins. The story was well written and enjoyable to read. Personally I think I would have preferred to not have the introduction chapter which indicates he survived the story covered in the book and is back in the military, which allows for some assumptions to be made before the breadth of the story unfolds.
April 6, 2025
More anachronistic and rushed than tariffs. We have a love interest that goes from first encounter to comatose fiancé in minutes and a protagonist that jumps from boot lieutenant to Admiral in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile politics and actions are straight from the 1950s demonstrating zero progress in millennia.
It really creeks at the seems of credulity and is frankly uneducated. For example a system of Marxists with a capital called Putin?
It really creeks at the seems of credulity and is frankly uneducated. For example a system of Marxists with a capital called Putin?
May 23, 2021
Fast paced and overall well done. How fast? Like two+ volumes of David Weber in one. Room for more volumes to deal with the long term issue of the 'swarm'. Also room for side plots. Cliffhanger what immediate roll will our protagonist choose to play in the short term? So bring on more.
December 19, 2021
Great 1st book of an expected series
The "Prince Awakens" is a great 1st book of an expected series. This book is about a Prince who only wanted a fleet career but family situation and duty to the Empire forces the Prince to take the unwanted path. Fortunately, he is also putting together a strong support team to help him succeed and drive the series further. Good job!
The "Prince Awakens" is a great 1st book of an expected series. This book is about a Prince who only wanted a fleet career but family situation and duty to the Empire forces the Prince to take the unwanted path. Fortunately, he is also putting together a strong support team to help him succeed and drive the series further. Good job!
March 11, 2022
I quite enjoyed this book. The plot is compelling and evenly paced. I really liked Hazard and his companions. In particular, I enjoy a protagonist who is genuinely honorable and not full of angst. He makes decisions that he believes are right and then goes on with the plot. I'm definitely looking forward to reading future books!
May 22, 2022
first book 👍
Well not what I expected. Enough of everything. Star ships, battles, court intrigue, betrayal, and a hero. The one thing that was interesting to me was humans never change, ever Kant they are on. Some of this could have been pulled from our current day headlines. It is a yes to the second book. Good solid characters. Story flows well. 👍
Well not what I expected. Enough of everything. Star ships, battles, court intrigue, betrayal, and a hero. The one thing that was interesting to me was humans never change, ever Kant they are on. Some of this could have been pulled from our current day headlines. It is a yes to the second book. Good solid characters. Story flows well. 👍
September 13, 2022
This is a mature author's first book. It is well done. The characters are adults, the plot is solid, the descriptions are clear.
The story speeds up as things move along. The polish one would expect from an experienced author isn't there, but the story is good.
Worth a read from a new author.
The story speeds up as things move along. The polish one would expect from an experienced author isn't there, but the story is good.
Worth a read from a new author.
October 2, 2023
Awesome
WOW just WOW, what a great story and great read. The Prince or Hazard in a very well written main character, a prince who doesn’t want to rule just wants to serve an officer in the fleet. Great supporting cast of characters with a great storyline of political intrigue,and close calls and awesome military battles. Highly recommended and now on to book #2.
WOW just WOW, what a great story and great read. The Prince or Hazard in a very well written main character, a prince who doesn’t want to rule just wants to serve an officer in the fleet. Great supporting cast of characters with a great storyline of political intrigue,and close calls and awesome military battles. Highly recommended and now on to book #2.
February 15, 2024
Enjoyable read
I don't like to compare authors so let's just say Mr. Hughes does a good job of creating a new world to explore with enough "science" details for clarification while not detracting from the story. It will be interesting to see how characters besides the main develop.
I don't like to compare authors so let's just say Mr. Hughes does a good job of creating a new world to explore with enough "science" details for clarification while not detracting from the story. It will be interesting to see how characters besides the main develop.
February 22, 2025
Excellent beginning
I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this new series. The characters are well constructed and make sense. The battle scenes are tight and not so over described that the reader runs screaming into the darkness of space. I look forward to more fully exploring this series and watching Hazard grow.
I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this new series. The characters are well constructed and make sense. The battle scenes are tight and not so over described that the reader runs screaming into the darkness of space. I look forward to more fully exploring this series and watching Hazard grow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews