Steven Allen > Recent Status Updates

After reading and being disappointed with Kay's Poor Man's War series I was leery of reading this series. On the recommendation of my friend Iori, I took a chance and decided to buy the first book of this series. Holding my nose closed, I started reading this book with a strong feeling that I would not like the story. First few pages really grab the read. One of the best story starts I'e read in a while.

I first read this series a long time ago in my youth. I never did read the whole series, so I am happy that in the digital age I am able to find all of the Sten books. For some reason I remember Sten being much more of an asshole than what I am discovering now. Perhaps I am too jaded and cynical now than I was in my youth.

A quick read, but does not get good until half way through the book when the action starts.

So as much as I enjoy reading mindless trash such as the Sten series, I've always disliked how our super-studly MC goes from one woman to another seemingly without care. Always smacked of a little misogyny for someone to treat women that way. Reminds me of the way James Bond treats women in the books, not the movies, which changed the Bond character quite a bit.

Ok, so I've gone from hating both MCs to somewhat liking them. The sex has been graphic and frequent, but rather vanilla - not what I expected from the cover blurb. I do like how the MCs relationship has gradually grown; going from fuck buddies to realizing that he loves her, although she is not ready to say she loves him. A romance where both characters are regular people no billionaires, rock stars, secret royalty

I doubt that a devout Muslim would swear anything to Allah. Always found that line in the book as something that someone of the Islamic faith would not do

Two egotistical assholes so focused on their careers, that they let some of the best opportunities of life pass them. So far I dislike both MCs and am not caring what happens to them.

Always wondered just how much Victoria felt for John Geary. The one thing that I complain the most about in Space Opera is the romance portions. All Space Opera has to have some element of romance, and thankfully the Lost Fleet books love affairs are simple enough and not too messy. Interesting that the culture is monogamous, when I would think the future wouldn't be. Author preference perhaps?

Thankfully my awesome local library has all of these books on Kindle to borrow, keeping me from buying them all in electronic format as I own the paperbacks. My friend Iori properly classified these books as cyberpunk rather than the SciFi urban fantasy genre.

First book in the second story arc featuring Black Jack Geary.

Reading MSE's books is like a marathon - constant action. Cipriano has a lot of space between action scenes.

Been a while since I read this series. I had several events out of order.

Barely into this book and already wondering how much developmental editing the author did. Knowing that you are coming out of hyperspace into battle, and the crew waits until back in normal space to charge particle cannons? WTF? Why did the crew not charge the particle cannons while in hyperspace?

Still wish the author could have included diagrams of the fleet maneuvers for better understanding how the fleets fought.

At this point in this book, I really question Rione's intentientions having a sexual relationship with Geary. Was Rione's move purely political, or part political and part personal?

Well at least the author might have listened to me a little bit and added grenades to the arsenal of the good guys.

As a freelance editor specialized in weapons and military matters, it is frustrating to discuss a weapons error made by the author in the first book only to have him consistently make the same weapons error in the second book. Writers don't have to take an editor's suggestions, but weapons errors are hard to get by even with suspension of reality and belief. Oh, well I tried.

This book is longer than the previous, which considering how long we waited for it kinda nice since we waited so long for this second book. Still wish I could have edited this book, and perhaps caught some more of the mistakes that I see in the text.

So this book has Sean and his Sean and his harem of beautiful women in Las Vegas, his werecheetah wife's home town. Same hijinks as the last books, but set in Vegas rather than Reno. Little boring and repetitive so far hopes it picks up in the second half of the book.

I have always wondered if Victoria Rione and her husband might make an appearance in another book in this series. Must be really something to find out you have been cuckolded by a 100-year old hero of your country, even if it was accidental. Victoria's husband was MIA for 10 years, and they just saw his name on a POW list.

Disappointed that this book is so short considering how long we waited for it.

I have always wondered if the Victoria Rione character might make an appearance in a later book.

Second time through this series. Reading it a little slower but it has been just a little over two years since I read this series.

Ok so now in the story arc we are at the crisis point. Be interesting to see what the resolution act is going to pan out.

This is one of the shortest Jack Black Geary novels. I am at the point where I wonder why in a war lasting nearly 100 years, the two sides have not exchanged prisoner information. Now I know the Syndics are a bunch of ass hats and want to keep prisoner information from the Alliance reducing morale, but still I think there should have been some way to know who was actually dead and who was not.