Dauntless (Blood on the Stars Book 6)

Back again with Commodore Tyler Barron and the Confederation. They are now and have been in a long, drawn-out war with the Union. But, now it appears the tide may be changing and the Union could break the stalemate with an ancient weapon. This weapon can destroy most any Confed starship with one shot. And now, plans are in the works by the Union to make the one and only weapon of this kind, mobile. If they can manage to somehow bring this weapon forward, they could clear out all Confed assets all the way to the Confed capital. So, Fleet Admiral Striker knows that the only way to prevent that from happening is to attack. Somehow they must destroy that weapon without destroying the entire Confederation fleet. He, himself, doesn’t have a plan, but Commodore Barron comes up with one that is about as insane as they come.

Through Captain Andi Lafarge’s efforts and her ship, Pegasus, the Confederation has an ancient weapon of their own. Only it’s not an offensive weapon and they don’t exactly know how it works. But, it’s believed to be a cloaking device. Once turned on and operating, the ship that it’s in pretty much disappears from all sensors know to man. This ancient weapon will play a significant role in Commodore Barron’s plan. He also wants to carry out this mission using the Dauntless, his old ship. Things have changed since the last book and now Captain Atara Travis in now in command of the Dauntless, with just about everyone from the old crew under Tyler Barron promoted and transferred to other assignments. Still, Commodore Barron wants to command this mission from the Dauntless using his old crew. Doing something like that is highly unlikely especially during a war. But, since this is science fiction, anything can happen and does.

So, with the entire crew back aboard the Dauntless and with Tyler Barron again the Captain, the happy little battleship is ready to go back to the fight! Only this appears to be a suicide mission, for the entire crew and the ship! Captain Barron intents to sneak his ship into the “Bottleneck” where the Union weapon is located and destroy it. He’ll be facing just about every starship the Union has and his ship won’t be able to fire while cloaked, if the cloak device actually works like it’s supposed to.

So, the mission is set. Commander Fritz, his former Chief Engineer promoted to Captain is now back aboard and in charge of the ancient cloaking device. She’s got it working for now, but she doesn’t know why or how it’s working, just that it is, for now. That’s a pretty bad plan to have to rely on a piece of equipment that might or might work when you need it most. And, it does fail!

The Union is not in very good condition. The war is costing them terribly. The Union has not ever been a place for happy people and they have had to suffer even more shortages and harder working conditions since the war started. They really don’t have much choice in the matter until they start revolting. Several Union planets are doing just that and Sector Nine is called in to quell the rebels. But, these people are tired of being treated like slaves by their own government. One of the story lines in this book covers the conditions in the Union and we learn that the Union my fall from within at any time.

Then there’s the Alliance, now an Ally of the Confederation. They have sent ships and crews to fight with the Confederation against the Union, but they may have sent too many and now face a challenge by one of their supposedly weak neighbors. Help won’t be coming back from the fight with the Union so Imperator Vennius has to rally all those left behind to put up a defense to stop this invasion and save his empire. It won’t be easy and will be very costly.

As I mentioned, there are several story lines in this book. A lot of personal interaction is also going on with people reacting to their feelings while still trying to stay professional and get the job done. Andi Lafarage is still in the picture even though Tyler Barron tries to send her off to safety. She also has a loyal crew that won’t take no for an answer which is a good thing because they wind up saving Tyler Barron’s life.

While this book has a significant ending, there could still be more stories to come. I think I’ll enjoy reading those since most, but not all, of the original characters will be in these books also.

With the Union and Sector Nine controlling the Pulsar, an ancient technology that is so powerful that Confederation ships can't get close enough to damage the huge weapon. Admiral Tyler Barren commands the Dauntless again for a last hope mission to circumvent the Pulsar's defenses. The fate of the Confederation depends on it.

Jay Allen continues the exploits of Barren and his crew, the best in the Confederation fleet flying the legendary Dauntless on it's final mission. You don't want to miss this fantastic military sci-fi novel.

The war between the Union and Confederacy comes to head as all sides commit everything in a desperate battle for survival. Packed with action from start to finish Dauntless delivers a fitting conclusion to the Blood on the Stars series that does not disappoint.

Bravo Mr. Allan, bravo!

Jay Allan is a terrific writer and storyteller. This book like all his works I have read demonstrate excellent character development and story continuity. There are always issues discussed common to our everyday lives such as political corruption and the powers that be that are true and amusing. The Sci-fi is great and the stories are real page turners. The end of this series definitely opens the door to another great series. Bring it on!

I love the action of this series. The action scenes are exciting and very easy to visualize while reading. I get a little upset when the scene jumps from an action scene to another location abruptly. It makes the story a little disjointed, but I have gotten use to it after 5 books in the series. Keep up the good work!

Possibly the best of a solid series.....but the melodrama undermines everything. Other reviewers have noted the repetitious use of certain phrases and while that is better in this book, they still exist and their inclusion in previous books results in losing the desired tension. The Law of Diminishing Returns ran out about half-way through Book 5 making desired moments of high tension....laughable b-roll.

Having said all of that, still a good book in a very solid series and well above average for an Unlimited offering.

The Union has found old tech. The Confederation has found old tech. Each may allow them the advantage to finally win the war that continues between them. The Alliance, weakened by civil war, is vulnerable to attack by her neighbors. And Tyler Barron and the crew of the Dauntless are again key players in the outcome of the final battle. Many heroes emerge. The battle plans will survive only until first contact. The result hangs in the balance.

Defiance of a fleet with a super-weapon seems hopeless until old comrades and new allies band together. Lots of space battles, evil spies, corrupt dictators, and dramatic personal interactions. Satisfying interim conclusion. But it seems highly likely that the series will continue.

Outstanding finale that successfully segways into a new, promised series. The main character encounters one setback after another and half the fun is in seeing how he gets out of it once again. Credit is to be given to other character's heroics saving the day.

I liked the intensity of the combat, and the differing perspectives of all the players, protagonist and antagonist alike. The complexity of the bad guys is nice: they are not one-dimensional thugs, although they have thuggery enough.

Easy read, and I look forward to the next iteration of Dauntless: The White Fleet!

Jay Allan has written a great adventure with lots of military action with this book. His characters are like real people and the actions they perform are extraordinary. Well done Jay. Can’t wait for the next book.

Fantastic series. You will become part of the crew of Dauntless. Emotional roller coaster.
Your feelings will be tied to the character or characters you identify with.
One of the most compelling stories I've read

Good read. Some series just drag on without keeping your interest. Not this one. The characters continue to develop until it's like they've become friends. And of course he leaves the door open for future tales. I look forward to reading those future tales, and hope they're as well written as this one.

The old Union is designed after the original French wealthy government. Ours still sounds like the one we have today!!
Cannot wait to read the next one!
Thankyou for bringing Stiker back. Love all the characters.
Brenda

The old Union is designed after the original French wealthy government. Ours still sounds like the one we have today!!
Cannot wait to read the next one!
Thankyou for bringing Stiker back. Love all the characters.
Brenda

The Union has found old tech. The Confederation has found old tech. Each may allow them the advantage to finally win the war that continues between them. The Alliance, weakened by civil war, is vulnerable to attack by her neighbors. And Tyler Barron and the crew of the Dauntless are again key players in the outcome of the final battle. Many heroes emerge. The battle plans will survive only until first contact. The result hangs in the balance.

Fantastic series. You will become part of the crew of Dauntless. Emotional roller coaster.
Your feelings will be tied to the character or characters you identify with.
One of the most compelling stories I've read