The Lost Stars: Imperfect Sword

Jack's series "The Lost stars" is a masterful collection of technology, gigantic battles, heroic people, and very human people. His writing has a great balance of action, description, and conversation. What a saga this has been! I started with #1, and here we are on #11! I could not stop, nor will you.

If you love hard sci-fi, you will love this series. But start from #1. The limitations of space travel he puts into the stories are much more believable than some out there...

Another exciting installment in the story of former CEOs Iceni and Drakin as they struggle to keep the Midway Star System free of Syndicate control. This time you get an epic space battle and furious ground action as Midway forces help out a neighboring star system trying to shake off the Syndicate. Thanks John, the story just keeps getting better!

Another fine book from Jack Campbell. I have enjoyed both series, The Lost Stars is the follow up and is equally good. It is compelling reading from the first few pages, and as usual with his books I could not put the book down once I started reading. The two main characters are great in their roles as president and general and I hope to see many more books in this series.

A welcome addition to the Midway saga as Iceni and Drakon work to overcome their pasts and work together to create an enduring alliance. Lots of intrigue, battle action, and character ticks to keep the reader engaged.

Black Jack's universe expands further and deeper in this Midway roller coaster.....left a few unanswered questions but feels like setting the stage for something massive between the ex-sydic, alliance and enigma. Cant want for the next in (forward or backward)

This latest installment in the Syndic & Alliance universe is every thing you expect from Jack Campbell. I actually like the "Lost Stars" more than the "Lost Fleet" series. It's a great read. Enjoy it.

Iceni and Drakon face new challenges when the syndic flotilla returns under the command of a snake officer. Bluffs and counterbluffs, politics and the strange character of Colonel Morgan are more fully explored in this sequel. Along with both a domestic and foreign crisis occurring simultaneously. Unfortunately not much development occurs throughout the book and everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow except for the dialogue in the last chapter that browbeats us with the cliffhangers that are supposed to keep us waiting around for a year or two to get the next book.

Personal Notes:
A decent continuation of the series, I won't go into much in the way of plot. I do not think this is worth waiting a year for at the glacial pace the series seems to be proceeding at. At the pace of one or two planets a book it will take a hundred years for this independent system to be sizeable. This book also spends more time in several different peoples perspectives, but i feel has a good bit of filler just to hash out the length of the story. I feel slightly let down at the progress of the novel. At the end, Midway feels a little bit more democratic, Iceni and Drakon feel a little bit closer, but the hard evidence of changes are just not present. If I was paying 2.99 and only waiting a few months for the next one I would feel like I got good value, but being $10.99 and having to wait a full year? I think I will just go read some of the freelance authors on the store who put out a decent book every month or two.

Imperfect Sword (2014) is the third SF novel in the The Lost Stars subseries in the Lost Fleet sequence, following Perilous Shield. The initial volume in this sequence is Tarnished Knight.

In the previous volume, the enigmas had a fleet within the Midway system. The Midway mobile forces had a flotilla near the planet and a couple of heavy cruisers guarding the dockyard. They also had a partially completed battleship within the space dock. The Syndics also had a larger flotilla near the hypernet gate.

Iceni and Drakon were monitoring the situation from the control room on the planet. The enigma fleet moved a half lighthour from the Pele jump point and then stopped. Drakon wonders if they were waiting for something or somebody.

Then battlecruisers, light cruisers and destroyers came out of the Pele gate. Geary was back, but many of his ships were missing. The formation immediately moved toward the enigma fleet. A little later, six small strange ships come out of the jump point and maneuvered around the enigmas toward the planet.

Then the rest of Geary's fleet appeared, including a very large ship being towed by four battleships. The enigmas rushed these ships, but the battleships blow away the center of their formations. The remaining enigma ships launched kinetic rounds toward the planet and the dockyard.

In this novel, Gwen Iceni is the President of the Midway system. She was greatly impressed by Admiral Geary and has tried to break away from the Syndic Worlds. She controls the mobile forces -- Naval warships -- within the Midway system.

Artur Drakon is the leader of all ground forces within the Midway system. He is cooperating with Iceni in her bid for independence.

Togo is a special assistant to Icini. He has been tasked with discovering the source of the propaganda being used against Icini and Drakon.

Asima Marphissa is the Kommodor of the Midway flotilla. She has been promoted over many loyalist officers when Midway declared its independence.

Diaz is a Kaptain in the Midway Navy. He is the flag captain for Marphissa.

Bran Malin is a Colonel in the Midway ground forces. He is an advisor to Drakon. He and Morgan are rivals.

Roh Morgan is a Colonel in the Midway ground forces. She is an advisor to Drakon. She has a history with the snakes and the enigmas.

Donal Hideki Rogero is a Colonel in the Midway ground forces. He was Bradamont's lover long ago.

Conner Gaienne is a Colonel in the Midway ground forces. He lost his wife Lara and now spends his time drinking and gambling. Yet he is an exemplary combat leader.

Jack Geary is an Alliance Admiral. He has promised Iceni that he will assist in her efforts to achieve independence for the Midway system.

Honore Bradamont was the captain of the battlecruiser Dragon. Now she is the liaison between Geary and Icini.

Jason Boyens is a Syndicate CEO. He has already betrayed the new government once.

Haris has declared himself the Supreme CEO in the Ulindi system. He has already attacked Midway once.

In this story, the Midway ships are patrolling the system. All of them know that the Syndicate ships will be back, but none know when. Diaz makes Marphissa nervous with his repeated comments.

A courier comes in through the hypergate. It is carrying Boyens. He claims to be on their side now.

Boyens is thoroughly interrogated, but not tortured. Icini is certain that he knows more about the syndicate moves. Boyens warns her of a flotilla being sent to Midway.

Then the Syndicate flotilla comes out of the hypergate. They are closely matched with the Midway fleet, except they have a fully functional battleship. Midway's battleship is still in the spacedock.

Meanwhile, Drakon is worried about the threat of Haris. Other threats are appearing in systems around Midway, but only Haris has attacked Midway. Drakon wants to tackle Ulindi as soon as possible.

Drakon has Morgan in house arrest. However, she is the best operative he has. So he has a talk with her and then sends her to Ulindi.

Morgan finds the Ulindi system is agitated over the large number of arrests. The people are on the brink of violent mobs. All the comms are out without any announcements by the government.

Morgan takes out the trigger on the nukes under the capital, but she wants to check out something else before disarming the nukes under the alternate command center. She infiltrates the nearby training center and finds more she expected.

Morgan tries to finds a transmitter powerful enough to reach the invasion fleet, but can't locate one that is not being rigorously guarded. Drakon and his troops invade the planet without any further word from Morgan. She decides to take out Haris.

Drakon's troops land in the streets and take the buildings just outside the local base. They clear out the enemy troops in the building buildings on both sides. Drakon notices that the enemy has more troops than expected.

This tale leaves Icini and Drakon uncertain about Syndicate further moves. They are trying to establish diplomatic relations with other nearby systems. And the enigmas are scouting the Midway system.

Togo disappears from his normal haunts. The next installment in this sequence has not yet been announced on the store.

Highly recommended for Campbell fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of naval combat, military combat, and political intrigue. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

#3 in this exciting SF series. I just discovered Jack Campbell (pseudonym of John G. Hemry) a short time ago and I’m already hooked. Campbell has taken on a writing challenge that I don’t recall ever seeing before. After writing a successful series about a dynamic strategist who wins a space war (between two human civilization) that has gone on for more than 100 years (“The Lost Fleet” series), he turns around and begins writing a series from the point of view of one group of the losers of that war. The Syndicate was a group of star systems held together in brutal fashion, somewhat analogous to the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany. As it becomes apparent that the Alliance space fleet will win the war, some of the Syndicate planets revolt, trying to create an independent status. On the planet Midway, two former Syndicate military leaders have formed an uneasy partnership, as they began to figure out how to survive and govern a culture that has no practice in trusting or governing. It’s a terrific set-up for new characters, culture building, plotting, and space action. Campbell really delivers in all areas.

As this book opens, the leaders, Gwen Iceni and Artur Drakon, have managed to fight off Syndicate attempts to reconquer Midway, plus an attempted invasion by the mysterious non-human beings known to humans as “the enigma.” They have also tried to help a couple of other nearby star systems with their own independence movements, while trying to find ways to keep Midway’s own people safe and engaged in the rebuilding of a government. Now, as a defensive move, they decide to make a rapid invasion run of another star system, which is directly connected to Midway by a stellar gateway and whose Syndicate leaders have already tried to invade Midway twice. But there is a spy in the Midway leadership and the troops are heading into a trap.

Really interesting characters and the camaraderie of soldiers hold this book together; but the details of war, government, and space travel make it believable. Campbell understands how to explain 3-dimensional space battles, fought at speeds up to .1 of the speed of light so we can see the battles. He knows strategy in land invasions and the job of espionage. And he knows the pain of lost friends.

You don’t have to go back and read the Lost Fleet series to appreciate this one. Campbell is also expert at finding interesting ways to provide the background necessary so you can start with the first book in this series: *The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight*. That’s where I started. I don’t know how long this series will go; but book four is scheduled for publication in May, 2016. If you like SF with adventure and fascinating characters, this is a great series.

Even though the original series this spins off from was 5/5 fantastic, I was incredulous about starting this one. It is the despised enemy, afterall! However, I'm so glad I did. Being a number of books into the series now, the character growth and plot development is so deep and well thought out, the series is just as enjoyable as the original.
Great intrigue, some more grit and darker issues than the original series allowed, deeply relatable characters whom you become attached to, plot twists everywhere, keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesn't disappoint with any of its big reveals. Great series, read the whole thing. The. Whole. Thing.

Jack Campbell continues to spin the best Military Science Fiction there is. Ian Douglas is great as well

In this episode we find a trap being set for General Drakan in the Ulindi system. A hidden fleet and over 100,000 hidden ground forces are just waiting for Drakan to show. How did they know he was coming ? Who is the mole inside the Midway system feeding the Syndicate key information ?

Fantastic space and ground battles.

Engaging characters and a heart pounding story arc that just grabs you and won't let go.

A highly recommended author and series

High level spin-off of the Black Jack Geary space epic. Action packed with more chaos than coherence. Two ominous major characters are missing and the General has an infant daughter to find. Lots of hooks for the next installment.