The Lost Fleet: Victorious (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
This is the final book of the “Lost Fleet” series featuring Captain “Black Jack” Geary, and as such, it has a lot of wrapping up to do. The Lost Fleet has finally made it home, Captain Geary has left a trail of destroyed and/or embarrassed Syndicate war ships in his wake, and it is time to see what is next. Geary has built such a fine reputation over the course of bringing the Lost Fleet home and has built so much power that he could, if he so chooses, take over and become the political leader of the entire Alliance. But of course that is the furthest thing from what our humble hero wants. Seeking merely to be allowed to continue to serve in whatever capacity is desired, he is convinced to take the rank of Admiral of the Fleet (only temporarily if he can have his way), take the battle to the enemy Syndicate worlds, and obtain a lasting peace. And, oh by the way, find a way to deal with those pesky aliens we keep hearing about and prevent them from annihilating us all.That’s a tall order to fit into one last book but Jack Campbell manages to pull it off. This novel contains much of the same sort of plot devices as the previous novels of the series: marvelous space battles (very few authors seem to get this right), political machinations, and Geary’s ever-present personal relationship struggles.I’ve really enjoyed reading these books, mostly because they are just so much fun. However, I do grow tired of how Geary is the perfect military officer. He always (always!) makes the right decision, bringing his ships out of impossible circumstances, out-thinking the enemy at every turn, saving as many lives as possible, and yet remaining as humble and as honorable as it is possible to be. His on-going and developing feelings for the Captain of his flagship is never allowed to proceed because of the dishonor that fraternization would bring to both parties. It’s as frustrating for us readers as it is for them.Despite there being so much to accomplish in this one book, it doesn’t feel rushed at all. The ending is very satisfying and leads into a whole new series, “The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier” which carries on the story line. I will seek that out at the appropriate time but for now I am content to leave these characters where they stand. Went in with the knowledge that there was sequel series following on from this entry but as a conclusion this was still very satisfying. The previous entry served as a climax to the main plot of the series as a whole but this volume ties up the plot threads that left open. The ending as it is builds really well on the groundwork the series has created as it progressed. Its strong in it's own rights & I enjoyed the series as a whole. Will definitely check out the follow up, which from what's left unanswered here sounds potentially intriguing.
What do You think about The Lost Fleet: Victorious (2010)?
Final book of the series and new surprises for us. John Geary is promoted to Fleet Admiral and sent back to to deal with the Sindic government and to end the war. After arriving at their homeworld the fleet is ambushed a second time by the Sindics when the Sindic leadership threatens to blow the hipernet gate destroying the fleet and all the planets in the star system, so that they would maintain control of the Sindic star systems. I guess we just got back to the beginning with some added surprises to keep the story interesting.
—harsukh
Victorious is #6 in the Lost Fleet Series. Per Wikipedia, "Victorious is the sixth and final volume in Hemry's The Lost Fleet series, though not the last book featuring Captain John "Black Jack" Geary. They've made it back to Alliance space. Yippee! Sorry if that's a spoiler. Geary, with the blessing of the Alliance Senate is back off to finish the Syndic War with new new refitted fleet. More books to follow. I'm hooked.
—nick
