Customer Review(s)
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Boring Triangle
Comment: I loved the first three books and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Unfortunately I thought it fell flat. The space battles seemed earily familiar...maybe too much like previous battles in books 1, 2, and 3?
But worse, in my opinion, is the divergence into the love triangle between Geary and the two female leads. Rione's character was always somewhat one-dimensional, and in this book she's just extra baggage. And the forbidden love between Desjani and Geary is nauseating. There is no surprise, no subtlety, and not even much in the way of actual romance in the way this story line unfolds. The reader sees it all coming and is powerless to divert it. Perhaps it is necessary to throw the "romance angle" so as to stretch it out to the originally planned five books, but I personally would vote to jettison the allegedly romantic bits out the nearest airlock and finish up the story. After all, the readers are science fiction fans and if we wanted romance we'd go order a Harlequin.
I loved the first books and am still going to read the last one but I am only giving this one three stars. If this had been the first of the series I would never have continued onto later installments but having read the first books I know what Campbell is capable of and I am hoping he will deliver in the final book.
Customer Rating: Summary: Jumping Back to Go Forward...
Comment: The Lost Fleet continues to be lost in alien space. Captain Jack Geary continues to fight for his fleet's survival, against elements in his own fleet, and to maintain a balance between the perception of him as a hero and himself as a human being with human failings.
If you enjoyed the first three books, then there should be no reason not to enjoy this one. Those who want the plot to proceed more quickly may be frustrated. The fleet has returned to Lakota, where they faced a punishing battle. This time, however, things have changed. Geary knows about the mysterious aliens who helped bring the enemy Syndic fleet against him and his people are now catching on to how the aliens are tracking them and also what may be their motives, at least in part. He also knows more about how the Syndics operate and can begin to exploit their weaknesses. He's also more able to make use of turning the hearts and minds of the civilians who are tired of war and not happy about how they are treated by those in power. So things are progressing, too slowly for some, perhaps, but I'm still willing to enjoy the ride and see where it goes.
Customer Rating: Summary: Miserly with plot points
Comment: This guy hoards plot points like he's gonna run out! What gives? Why the hesitation to dish out real character changes and real events? It makes the novel so monochromatic.
Waaaaaay too much repetition in this installment in what's overall a pretty good series. It just felt like the characters spent all their time in the same three rooms talking about the same three things. I don't need to read any more about the real Jack vs the mythic Jack-- unless there's something new to talk about. I don't need to read any more about the Madame President or whatever and her jealousy or non-jealousy or whatever. I just got old!
Why the reluctance to give more detail about the aliens? Why the reluctance to have more space battles? Why the reluctance to have more action take place on the ships or have them put into port somewhere so they can get off the ship and have Jack go meet some freakin' new people for once? It's a novel, you can do anything you want!
I'll still get the next novel in this series, but man I hope it's better than this one.
Customer Rating: Summary: Starting to Drag
Comment: I agree with everyone else who said this book was a step back from the previous three. The battles felt flat, I'm starting to get tired of the stock "isn't it funny how the Navy still does ____ but no one remembers why?" type scenes, and there was absolutely ZERO character or plot development in this chapter of the overall saga
Basically, other than having two people admit they're attracted to each other, nothing special happens for 300 pages.
Valiant felt, to me, like it was rushed out to satisfy a schedule. I had alot of trouble visualizing the things that the book was describing, a first in this series, and when I got to the end of the book I felt like I'd just read the first chapter of a story
Loved the first three, hope the next two are WAY better than this. If book 5 isn't a big step up I won't bother with book 6
