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Survival Wars #1
Crimson Tempest
Fifty-three years after it vanished, Earth's only Super-Devastator warship, the ESS Crimson sends out a distress signal... Humanity is fighting against an implacable foe. The Ghasts – a ruthless alien race - seem hell-bent on wiping out mankind. They have a vast warfleet and their technology is advancing at a terrible rate. Captain John Nathan Duggan and his crew are given a mission – find the missing ESS Crimson and bring it home. Little does Duggan realise, this is no ordinary mission. As he struggles against enemies both within and without, he desperately tries to unlock the mystery surrounding the Crimson’s disappearance and the unknown weapons it carries. He soon discovers the missing warship might be the only hope for salvation that mankind has left. When everything is veiled in secrecy nothing is easy, as Duggan is about to find out. Crimson Tempest is the first instalment in an epic sci-fi action-adventure series.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 18, 2017
About the author
Anthony James
218 books105 followersAnthony James spent his youth reading what might now be called classic sci-fi and fantasy books. These days, he spends time in his study with the door locked against rampant and ferocious toddlers, writing books of his own.
That's the third person stuff out of the way.
For anyone who's read any of my books, you'll know that I write action science fiction that pulls no punches and which doesn't cram the good stuff into the last couple of chapters. The action starts early and it doesn't let up. I also take care to mix in plenty of humanity. The characters I write are all distinctly believable, often facing uncaring enemies and overwhelming odds. When they win, it's because they did their best.
Go on. Punch an alien today. Better yet, check out my series of books, each one filled with action, technology, warfare, aliens and against-the-odds survival. Lots of kick-back-and-enjoy weekend or evening reading.
That's the third person stuff out of the way.
For anyone who's read any of my books, you'll know that I write action science fiction that pulls no punches and which doesn't cram the good stuff into the last couple of chapters. The action starts early and it doesn't let up. I also take care to mix in plenty of humanity. The characters I write are all distinctly believable, often facing uncaring enemies and overwhelming odds. When they win, it's because they did their best.
Go on. Punch an alien today. Better yet, check out my series of books, each one filled with action, technology, warfare, aliens and against-the-odds survival. Lots of kick-back-and-enjoy weekend or evening reading.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
October 17, 2017
Bland, Simplistic, Quick Reading Space Romp
“Crimson Tempest (Survival Wars Book 1),” is a mainly bland, simplistic space romp, that reads quickly. The overall story theme follows a well known SciFi formula: veteran captain, loyal crew, fight singlehandedly against an alien threat, and conspiracy behind the lines.
There has been a war going on for decades between humans and the “Ghast [sic].” Human government has been cyclic in its response-early on aggressive in response, lately not so much. A small vessel, crewed by four (4), including its veteran captain, and a small complement of infantry [sic], are tasked with searching for a fifty (50) year old missing ship, the “ESS Crimson,” which has suddenly sent a short, cryptic emergency message.
The author’s grasp of military concepts, tactics, and strategy is tenuous at best. Warships fight each other basically dependent on line of sight around planets, playing orbital hide and seek, trying to gain a shooting advantage solution. It is way too reminiscent of age of sail, wet navy tactics of maneuvers to obtain the weather gage. No thought of throwaway satellites or drones to give over the horizon capabilities. It’s amateurish, but inoffensive. The captain, unfairly tarnished and banished by a still serving fleet admiral, has an obvious chip on his shoulder, which he willingly exhibits. The potential of AI’s, hybrid human-alien tech, and potential new adversaries carry the story forward.
“Crimson Tempest,” isn’t very bad nor good. It’s very shallow, pedestrian and mediocre, the kind of book that fills a void when nothing else is available, and a reader needs to read.
The book is conditionally recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
“Crimson Tempest (Survival Wars Book 1),” is a mainly bland, simplistic space romp, that reads quickly. The overall story theme follows a well known SciFi formula: veteran captain, loyal crew, fight singlehandedly against an alien threat, and conspiracy behind the lines.
There has been a war going on for decades between humans and the “Ghast [sic].” Human government has been cyclic in its response-early on aggressive in response, lately not so much. A small vessel, crewed by four (4), including its veteran captain, and a small complement of infantry [sic], are tasked with searching for a fifty (50) year old missing ship, the “ESS Crimson,” which has suddenly sent a short, cryptic emergency message.
The author’s grasp of military concepts, tactics, and strategy is tenuous at best. Warships fight each other basically dependent on line of sight around planets, playing orbital hide and seek, trying to gain a shooting advantage solution. It is way too reminiscent of age of sail, wet navy tactics of maneuvers to obtain the weather gage. No thought of throwaway satellites or drones to give over the horizon capabilities. It’s amateurish, but inoffensive. The captain, unfairly tarnished and banished by a still serving fleet admiral, has an obvious chip on his shoulder, which he willingly exhibits. The potential of AI’s, hybrid human-alien tech, and potential new adversaries carry the story forward.
“Crimson Tempest,” isn’t very bad nor good. It’s very shallow, pedestrian and mediocre, the kind of book that fills a void when nothing else is available, and a reader needs to read.
The book is conditionally recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
March 13, 2020
Meat Head #3121
DNF @ 30%
If you've read my other reviews you'd notice that something I always look for in my main characters is agency, and to a lesser degree competence (especially if its related to their status/role). What I mean by the latter is that if I am reading a novel about a knight or a captain of a fleet, they should not fail at things their peers would be able to do. Double so if it's done simply for the sake of drama.
"Captain" Duggan is no captain at all, he is a glorified meat-head. There are many reasons for this, but the primary one is that the dialogue he is relegated to. And I mean relegated. You see the author, in his attempt to steer clear of information dumping, steered the novel straight through Duggan's characterisation. Duggan is made to spew information to the readers that he simply wouldn't vocalise, either because he already knew it or it would be in his best interest to keep silent about.
Let me demonstrate:
"Where is that ship?!" Duggan exclaimed.
"It hasn't risen past the impenetrable gas layer." The navigator replied.
Duggan knew that already but he couldn't help but seethe in anger whilst he waited.
"What about that technology they used on us?" Duggan asked.
"I don't know sir, it's not in our databases," another technician answered.
Duggan knew that as well, but wanted a second opinion.
It's not that bad, but it may as well have been since it eroded my suspension of disbelief in his character. Now couple that with the fact that the rest of the novel will simply be Duggan responding to events thrust into his lap and I couldn't continue reading. If you want to know a very similar book which I loved, look no further than Dauntless by Jack Campbell. Now that novel knows how to portray a captain of a vessel.
DNF @ 30%
If you've read my other reviews you'd notice that something I always look for in my main characters is agency, and to a lesser degree competence (especially if its related to their status/role). What I mean by the latter is that if I am reading a novel about a knight or a captain of a fleet, they should not fail at things their peers would be able to do. Double so if it's done simply for the sake of drama.
"Captain" Duggan is no captain at all, he is a glorified meat-head. There are many reasons for this, but the primary one is that the dialogue he is relegated to. And I mean relegated. You see the author, in his attempt to steer clear of information dumping, steered the novel straight through Duggan's characterisation. Duggan is made to spew information to the readers that he simply wouldn't vocalise, either because he already knew it or it would be in his best interest to keep silent about.
Let me demonstrate:
"Where is that ship?!" Duggan exclaimed.
"It hasn't risen past the impenetrable gas layer." The navigator replied.
Duggan knew that already but he couldn't help but seethe in anger whilst he waited.
"What about that technology they used on us?" Duggan asked.
"I don't know sir, it's not in our databases," another technician answered.
Duggan knew that as well, but wanted a second opinion.
It's not that bad, but it may as well have been since it eroded my suspension of disbelief in his character. Now couple that with the fact that the rest of the novel will simply be Duggan responding to events thrust into his lap and I couldn't continue reading. If you want to know a very similar book which I loved, look no further than Dauntless by Jack Campbell. Now that novel knows how to portray a captain of a vessel.
September 12, 2018
Not a bad SciFi story that was easy to read, although there wasn’t much character development and the battles were quite simple with very basic tactics. Also during the fights there are a few inconsistencies in the descriptions of distances, timings and weapon capabilities. Quite a lot of these fights also seem to end with a ‘Last minute/second’ escape.
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars, the story was interesting enough to make me want to read the next book, so I rounded this up to 3 stars.
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars, the story was interesting enough to make me want to read the next book, so I rounded this up to 3 stars.
September 23, 2021
Crimson Tempest isn't especially deep or complex, and it's a bit predictable, but it's a fun sci-fi romp.
Plenty of space battles (more bang than science) and some banter made it a quick and entertaining read that I breezed through. I liked the characters, even though they were a bit stereotypical.
All in all I was well entertained.
Plenty of space battles (more bang than science) and some banter made it a quick and entertaining read that I breezed through. I liked the characters, even though they were a bit stereotypical.
All in all I was well entertained.
June 8, 2020
Välskrivet, trovärdigt & floskelfritt. Så ska en intressant sci-fiserie påbörjas.
November 25, 2019
Not bad but some work needs dooing
Had a few spots I had trouble with. The inside layout of the ships was'nt that believable. Neither the ratio of crew to soldiers. Also going from army soldier to command of a ship. But the action was good and the flow was good.
Had a few spots I had trouble with. The inside layout of the ships was'nt that believable. Neither the ratio of crew to soldiers. Also going from army soldier to command of a ship. But the action was good and the flow was good.
May 23, 2021
Crimson Tempest followed Captain John Nathan Duggan and his crew as they search for a missing fifty-year old ship, the Crimson Tempest. When I started the novel I tried to stem my disbelief about the missing ship. Everything about it just felt off, why would the military not care about a ship that was missing. Wouldn’t every available ship be necessary for the war effort? This was later explained which I found plausible, an interesting mystery/conspiracy but nothing unique and groundbreaking.
The characters were bad, none of them felt realistic and endearing. Captain Duggan felt like a stereotypically stupid and incompetent military commander. He had only a basic rudimentary knowledge of spaceships and space battles. Even though he had answers he asked his crew anyways as he didn’t like the results. I hated this, just because you keep asking the same question doesn’t mean you are going to get different results. The SC’s were so forgettable that a month after reading the novel I forget who they were.
The vengeful politicians who were out to get the MC for some past misdeed would have been interesting if it hasn’t been overdone already. I can understand politicians and the military clashing but this novel took it to a stupid level.
There was tons of action but none of the battles felt suspenseful. For battles in the future the tactics felt very archaic. Why are battles based on line of sight instead of sensors? Although I found it amusing to read two spaceships chase each other around the planet it didn’t feel futuristic.
Overall this was an okay sci-fi novel. plan to read the next novel as I already own it but not sure after that.
The characters were bad, none of them felt realistic and endearing. Captain Duggan felt like a stereotypically stupid and incompetent military commander. He had only a basic rudimentary knowledge of spaceships and space battles. Even though he had answers he asked his crew anyways as he didn’t like the results. I hated this, just because you keep asking the same question doesn’t mean you are going to get different results. The SC’s were so forgettable that a month after reading the novel I forget who they were.
The vengeful politicians who were out to get the MC for some past misdeed would have been interesting if it hasn’t been overdone already. I can understand politicians and the military clashing but this novel took it to a stupid level.
There was tons of action but none of the battles felt suspenseful. For battles in the future the tactics felt very archaic. Why are battles based on line of sight instead of sensors? Although I found it amusing to read two spaceships chase each other around the planet it didn’t feel futuristic.
Overall this was an okay sci-fi novel. plan to read the next novel as I already own it but not sure after that.
January 9, 2020
I picked this book up just cause the synopsis looked good. I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. It starts out without giving us much information about the time period, or really much about the world at all. We get enough quick enough that we can piece the information together though. As we get more information the plot starts to pick up and there are more threads added that make this a really good read.
My biggest issue with most science fiction is the technology, and how that technology can become repetitive after too much of a series. This book pretty much smashes that by the end, and we are left asking more. With the story of the ship it also allows for much more to expand and develop with the technology so I'm heading into this series with optimism.
We don't get a lot about the characters, they aren't deep, but we also don't get too much. They are interesting and unique enough that I want to know more about them, and what they are going to do after how the first book ended. A lot of authors try and offset science fiction with weak characters and nothing ruins a good book quicker.
I have lots of questions about what is to come in this series, but these are all good questions that make me want to read the rest of the series which I'm now going to do.
There isn't anything wrong with this book for me, and it is a solid 4 out of 5. I think after I get more attached to the individual characters, if the story keeps my interest the rest of the series will be 5 out of 5 for sure.
My biggest issue with most science fiction is the technology, and how that technology can become repetitive after too much of a series. This book pretty much smashes that by the end, and we are left asking more. With the story of the ship it also allows for much more to expand and develop with the technology so I'm heading into this series with optimism.
We don't get a lot about the characters, they aren't deep, but we also don't get too much. They are interesting and unique enough that I want to know more about them, and what they are going to do after how the first book ended. A lot of authors try and offset science fiction with weak characters and nothing ruins a good book quicker.
I have lots of questions about what is to come in this series, but these are all good questions that make me want to read the rest of the series which I'm now going to do.
There isn't anything wrong with this book for me, and it is a solid 4 out of 5. I think after I get more attached to the individual characters, if the story keeps my interest the rest of the series will be 5 out of 5 for sure.
April 13, 2021
First, to be fair, this book is more like 4 1/2 stars, only I refused to round up to the fifth star because it's the first of a seven-book series and I'm not sure I'd ever read it again. Even so, it's very, very good.
The plot is pretty much as summarized, humanity is in a war that they are losing and Captain Duggan, a captain who ran afoul of top brass, is tasked with bringing back a top-secret ship that disappeared over 50 years ago. The stage is thus set for introducing our captain, humanity's plight, and a dual cast of adversaries for human existence. And while this is not an uncommon plot, Anthony James handles it very well, creating distinct and warm characters that you want to see succeed.
I did have a couple problems with this book. First, while the interplay between Duggan and his crew is believable, the conversations between Duggan and his superiors are way out of line for military. It makes for "good TV" but as someone who grew up in a military household, it doesn't happen. My second gripe (also minor) is with the emotional balance of some characters. Some come across as flat while others are going from grumbling to yee-hah in the space of two sentences. Outside of that, this is a good book with surface sci-fi that speeds along nicely. Basically a well told action-adventure story that just happens to take place in space. I really liked it, but just won't commit to a 7-book series to get to the end.
The plot is pretty much as summarized, humanity is in a war that they are losing and Captain Duggan, a captain who ran afoul of top brass, is tasked with bringing back a top-secret ship that disappeared over 50 years ago. The stage is thus set for introducing our captain, humanity's plight, and a dual cast of adversaries for human existence. And while this is not an uncommon plot, Anthony James handles it very well, creating distinct and warm characters that you want to see succeed.
I did have a couple problems with this book. First, while the interplay between Duggan and his crew is believable, the conversations between Duggan and his superiors are way out of line for military. It makes for "good TV" but as someone who grew up in a military household, it doesn't happen. My second gripe (also minor) is with the emotional balance of some characters. Some come across as flat while others are going from grumbling to yee-hah in the space of two sentences. Outside of that, this is a good book with surface sci-fi that speeds along nicely. Basically a well told action-adventure story that just happens to take place in space. I really liked it, but just won't commit to a 7-book series to get to the end.
April 10, 2018
This premise of the book has been done many times. Missing ship with experimental tech, politicians ignoring military preparedness, looming alien threat, however they all have been done much better. I enjoyed listening to this story but I was left wanting more.
The ship is a black box that the crew finds, jumps into and flies off. I wanted them to explore the ship more and discover its secrets. The tech is very glossed over and at times it almost seems like a video game - damage from particle beams lowering the efficiency of the engine - auto repair raising the efficiency. When they return from the mission the space station is attacked within an hour of arrival. This would have been tolerable if this had not already happened once before and the constant action we just came from. The author has got that accelerator mashed to the floor and he is not letting up!
Of course we have an admiral who hates our hero because his son died in an accident on the hero's ship. This ire has caused our extremely competent protagonist to be unfairly assigned to ships and missions well beneath his abilities.
The book is fast paced to say the least. The interludes between crisis are very short, so I never got bored. I will probably listen to all the books in the series. I think this is the authors first book so I am hoping he will grow into his craft.
The ship is a black box that the crew finds, jumps into and flies off. I wanted them to explore the ship more and discover its secrets. The tech is very glossed over and at times it almost seems like a video game - damage from particle beams lowering the efficiency of the engine - auto repair raising the efficiency. When they return from the mission the space station is attacked within an hour of arrival. This would have been tolerable if this had not already happened once before and the constant action we just came from. The author has got that accelerator mashed to the floor and he is not letting up!
Of course we have an admiral who hates our hero because his son died in an accident on the hero's ship. This ire has caused our extremely competent protagonist to be unfairly assigned to ships and missions well beneath his abilities.
The book is fast paced to say the least. The interludes between crisis are very short, so I never got bored. I will probably listen to all the books in the series. I think this is the authors first book so I am hoping he will grow into his craft.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2017
The 🐁Mouse Versus The Cat 🐱
ARC received for an honest review.
I really liked this sci-fi adventure! It's interesting and futuristic, but not too technical and geeky. It's the story of human struggle against 👽alien superiority!
Captain John Duggan of the ES Detriment, is in a bind. The alien Ghast ship, Kraven class , has superior technology, and has blacked out the Detriment with some kind of electro magnetic pulse. They're dead in space for over a minute, blind. The Detriment has launched chaff and warheads at the Ghast ship, but Capt Duggan doesn't know if his warheads hit the other ship. Suddenly they get power back and locate debris, but the Detriment has sustained damage from a mine that kills three of the soldiers stationed on board.
Reaching light speed, they make tracks for the Orbital, Juniper, for repairs.
No sooner do they arrive when new orders are given. The Detriment is to go into the outer reaches of space to find the last known position of the ESS Crimson, a technologicly superior ship missing since her maiden voyage, almost 40 years ago!
This book ends in a cliffhanger!
ARC received for an honest review.
I really liked this sci-fi adventure! It's interesting and futuristic, but not too technical and geeky. It's the story of human struggle against 👽alien superiority!
Captain John Duggan of the ES Detriment, is in a bind. The alien Ghast ship, Kraven class , has superior technology, and has blacked out the Detriment with some kind of electro magnetic pulse. They're dead in space for over a minute, blind. The Detriment has launched chaff and warheads at the Ghast ship, but Capt Duggan doesn't know if his warheads hit the other ship. Suddenly they get power back and locate debris, but the Detriment has sustained damage from a mine that kills three of the soldiers stationed on board.
Reaching light speed, they make tracks for the Orbital, Juniper, for repairs.
No sooner do they arrive when new orders are given. The Detriment is to go into the outer reaches of space to find the last known position of the ESS Crimson, a technologicly superior ship missing since her maiden voyage, almost 40 years ago!
This book ends in a cliffhanger!
February 15, 2020
Author Anthony James pulled off a neat trick with Crimson Tempest. It is a military science fiction novel, using the war with the murderous Ghast people as background while telling a story about people. The aliens-are-coming-to-kill-us theme is a wonderful backdrop for stories but all too often authors focus on all the hows and whys of the fighting and not on the people.
You can read Crimson Tempest as a standalone novel because it has a beginning, middle and end. Several of the books in the 7-novel series are not stand alones and if you start reading I can almost guarantee you'll want to finish. I did. I plowed through the 7 novels between Sunday afternoon and Thursday, about 22 hours altogether - the books are too short.
This is a lot of fun and I highly recommend if you enjoy good science fiction. You can read a longer review here on my blog: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/cri...
You can read Crimson Tempest as a standalone novel because it has a beginning, middle and end. Several of the books in the 7-novel series are not stand alones and if you start reading I can almost guarantee you'll want to finish. I did. I plowed through the 7 novels between Sunday afternoon and Thursday, about 22 hours altogether - the books are too short.
This is a lot of fun and I highly recommend if you enjoy good science fiction. You can read a longer review here on my blog: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/cri...
October 10, 2017
I enjoyed this one, the technology wasn’t too far-fetched believable and the writing style made the characters engaging, but the story ends on a complete cliffhanger right in the middle of a scene – if you want to reach any sort of conclusion, you need to go purchase the next book in the series: unfortunately, as I type this review there is not a next book in the series written yet. Very frustrating, yet typical of a lot of science fiction authors these days as it is typically done to compel you to make another purchase but strange as there is not a sequel ready right now. With the volume of books I read, I doubt I will remember to look for it.
Based on the cliffhanger, I wouldn’t recommend this one until a sequel or two has been published. Luckily, I picked this up with my Kindle Unlimited subscription vs. the $2.99 normal price.
Based on the cliffhanger, I wouldn’t recommend this one until a sequel or two has been published. Luckily, I picked this up with my Kindle Unlimited subscription vs. the $2.99 normal price.
March 14, 2020
What price can one out on peace?
This book is excellent, it gives the best of everything. Sci-Fi, bad guys and underdogs who come to the rescue.
It begins with dash disgraced captain and his crew sent to retrieve a shop that none of them know exists. When they arrive it is obvious that they have not been told the truth about this ship, it has alien technology that far surpasses their own and they lose their own ship and have to hope this old ship can get them home. They need to learn how the shop works quickly and when they get back to Their own territory they find that the enemy has also followed them and they need to help rescue their own people.
A must read for all readers of Sci-Fi and military genres.
This book is excellent, it gives the best of everything. Sci-Fi, bad guys and underdogs who come to the rescue.
It begins with dash disgraced captain and his crew sent to retrieve a shop that none of them know exists. When they arrive it is obvious that they have not been told the truth about this ship, it has alien technology that far surpasses their own and they lose their own ship and have to hope this old ship can get them home. They need to learn how the shop works quickly and when they get back to Their own territory they find that the enemy has also followed them and they need to help rescue their own people.
A must read for all readers of Sci-Fi and military genres.
February 16, 2020
9/10: Fantastic, left me wanting more.
Some men feared the infinity of the universe, but not Duggan.
Oooh, a military sci-fi I can really get behind. This one ticked all the right boxes.
It's been hard to find an MSF that made me turn the pages without blinking, but this one hit the right spot. I took the day off, immersed myself in good dialogue and in an even better story, and am now 100% invested in this world.
If the rest of the books in the series keep this up, I'll be set for the rest of the week with awesome reading. And won't get a lick of work done!
Thank you!
Some men feared the infinity of the universe, but not Duggan.
Oooh, a military sci-fi I can really get behind. This one ticked all the right boxes.
It's been hard to find an MSF that made me turn the pages without blinking, but this one hit the right spot. I took the day off, immersed myself in good dialogue and in an even better story, and am now 100% invested in this world.
If the rest of the books in the series keep this up, I'll be set for the rest of the week with awesome reading. And won't get a lick of work done!
Thank you!
December 12, 2019
The Crimson Tempest and the following Books are good entertainment. The style is easy to read and descriptive. The one major beef I have is the use of distance and sizes seem inconsistent and likely wrong. It is as if there was an error in converting imperial measures to metric. Some descriptions of distances in battles are inconsistent and sizes of ships totally outlandish (8,000 cubic kilometer battleship) . Having said that, I am now in book five of the series so I am obviously enjoying the stories.
April 30, 2020
Book 1 Crimson
Book 1 was a fun read and had errors throughout. The characters and plot are well done and developed. I like the plot and is somewhat different than normal space operas. The characters are well developed and even though there is not a lot of background on each person, it has depth and insight on each in small parts. There are some parts that jump feim moment to moment quickly and can be hard to follow, but it doesn't lst long. The overall is interesting and i look forward to book 2.
Book 1 was a fun read and had errors throughout. The characters and plot are well done and developed. I like the plot and is somewhat different than normal space operas. The characters are well developed and even though there is not a lot of background on each person, it has depth and insight on each in small parts. There are some parts that jump feim moment to moment quickly and can be hard to follow, but it doesn't lst long. The overall is interesting and i look forward to book 2.
May 14, 2020
Predictable story yet good enough if only... But the characters, oh boy... the characters are basically non- existent. Zero traits, personalities, backgrounds, emotions, hopes,fears... there is nothing, absolutely nothing about any of them. They just fill the ships role. It is worse than in some pc games. Without making me love and care for the people in the story you can't expect me to love a book and want to read more. It can have the best action etc but without someone to follow,care and root for it is meaningless
I won't be reading any further.
I won't be reading any further.
May 1, 2021
While sci-fi spaces operas are not normally my genre, I took a chance on this first in a series, because I felt the synopsis sounded interesting. Character development was a bit weak in this book, however, the reader is able to fill in some of the holes with the progression of the story. The plot was pretty straightforward; humanity's last hope attached to a veteran captain that has been unfairly ostracized and is dealing with the consequences of a traitor on the human (underdog) side. I only gave 3 stars because like other reviewers I believe the story was interesting enough to make me want to give the 2nd book in the series a try. I can only hope the character development will achieve more depth and perhaps the plot will improve.
November 25, 2017
Excellent Military Space Opera
A former hero-captain hated by half the brass, a ship that is outgunned fifty to one, a war being quickly lost by incompetence, a small ship delegated to patrol away from the war...could they accomplish anything? Suddenly, the captain gets orders to search for a ship lost for fifty years...and, they find it.
Lots of neat, original tech ideas are included by James, as humanity faces genocidal alien killers.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
A former hero-captain hated by half the brass, a ship that is outgunned fifty to one, a war being quickly lost by incompetence, a small ship delegated to patrol away from the war...could they accomplish anything? Suddenly, the captain gets orders to search for a ship lost for fifty years...and, they find it.
Lots of neat, original tech ideas are included by James, as humanity faces genocidal alien killers.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
March 16, 2018
Nothing new sub par
I hate to give a bad review but this book deserves it. A weak plot that has been endlessly rehashed and to make matters worse the writing is poor. Thin players with poor dialogue cant rescue this book. I think there is a Bot out there churning out this rubbish. If I was 12 years old it might have entertained . Serious sci fi heads should look elsewhere for a decent read.
I hate to give a bad review but this book deserves it. A weak plot that has been endlessly rehashed and to make matters worse the writing is poor. Thin players with poor dialogue cant rescue this book. I think there is a Bot out there churning out this rubbish. If I was 12 years old it might have entertained . Serious sci fi heads should look elsewhere for a decent read.
March 16, 2020
A good space opera
Crimson tempest is a solid read. Plenty of action with a bit of mystery and peril. The story maintains a good pace. It has engaging characters which I look forward to seeing develop more as the story unfolds in subsequent books. Although the book is the first act in a series, the story is a good read on its own. I found it hard to put down until I got through the whole thing.
Crimson tempest is a solid read. Plenty of action with a bit of mystery and peril. The story maintains a good pace. It has engaging characters which I look forward to seeing develop more as the story unfolds in subsequent books. Although the book is the first act in a series, the story is a good read on its own. I found it hard to put down until I got through the whole thing.
October 20, 2020
It's OK for pulp scfi. The admirals are idiots and weirdly give ships captains orders directly and only in person for no reason. The chain of command seems not to exist, duggan should be reporting to his CO but no a fleet admiral meets with a guy he doesn't like who is so far down the pecking order he flys an upgraded shuttle. I would not want to be in a fleet with any of thease idiots who have no sense of what's important. I would not trust them to sit the right way on a lavatory seat.
April 7, 2023
What would you do?
If you were told to go find an ancient spacecraft that disappeared 50 years ago, would you?
This is an awesome story about just that. Finding a ship that is light years better than what you're in. And slowly finding out how advanced it really was could possibly change the rules of battle. For better or worse? Who knows.
Want to read the second book for sure now.
If you were told to go find an ancient spacecraft that disappeared 50 years ago, would you?
This is an awesome story about just that. Finding a ship that is light years better than what you're in. And slowly finding out how advanced it really was could possibly change the rules of battle. For better or worse? Who knows.
Want to read the second book for sure now.
June 5, 2019
Boring and predictable
At first I was drawn in by the Ghastly/Human war. However it soon became apparent the author was doggedly following the same ol’. Same ol’ sci-fi Line.
Good for filling in time. Not so good on the brain cells that die quietly whilst reading this. Think I’ll give the rest of the series a miss.
At first I was drawn in by the Ghastly/Human war. However it soon became apparent the author was doggedly following the same ol’. Same ol’ sci-fi Line.
Good for filling in time. Not so good on the brain cells that die quietly whilst reading this. Think I’ll give the rest of the series a miss.
February 16, 2020
When I pick up free ebooks from BookBub they usually aren't very good. This was an exception.
You can read all the other reviews to get a summary so I won't bother repeating others.
I finished this book in a couple of days and immediately bought #2 in the series - what better review could there be?
You can read all the other reviews to get a summary so I won't bother repeating others.
I finished this book in a couple of days and immediately bought #2 in the series - what better review could there be?
March 16, 2020
Epic story!
Humanity is losing the war instigated by the Ghasts, an alien species determined to exterminate them. The battles are epic, breathtaking and painful. Billions of people are being extinguished. It’s up to Captain Duggan to equalise the odds. And oh boy is he up to the task! I had to get book two right away. It’s an addictive and exciting read!
Humanity is losing the war instigated by the Ghasts, an alien species determined to exterminate them. The battles are epic, breathtaking and painful. Billions of people are being extinguished. It’s up to Captain Duggan to equalise the odds. And oh boy is he up to the task! I had to get book two right away. It’s an addictive and exciting read!
April 12, 2020
Really good read
I was truly surprised by how well written and engrossing this book was. I didn't know what to expect but found myself pulled into the story right off the bat. The pacing, action, and universe Mr. James created is well worth your time. Looking forward to the next book.
I was truly surprised by how well written and engrossing this book was. I didn't know what to expect but found myself pulled into the story right off the bat. The pacing, action, and universe Mr. James created is well worth your time. Looking forward to the next book.
June 25, 2020
A good start to a series. The characters were well written but not very developed yet. There was a lot of action which really kept things moving along nicely. I will definitely read the next one and I’m hoping to learn a lot more about each of the main characters, the enemy species, the new ship....there’s a lot that will hopefully be fleshed out in subsequent books.
November 9, 2020
I downloaded this book for free (legally, via amazon), and it was exciting enough that I bought the 7-book series when I was about 80% done. I also loaded up and old space-based RTS on my PC. Fun book, I found myself making excuses to hop in bed (or stay in bed) and read. I think it took me about 1/5th my usual time to read this one.
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