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Dauntless (Lost Fleet, Book 1) Paperback – January 1, 2011

by Jack Campbell (Author)

6,021 ratings

Book 1 of 6: The Lost Fleet

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The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John "Black Jack" Geary - a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find himself heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0857681303
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Titan (January 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780857681300
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0857681300
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 0.67 x 7.95 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #479,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,729 in Science Fiction Adventures

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6,021 ratings

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Jack Campbell

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"Jack Campbell" is the pseudonym for John G. Hemry, a retired Naval officer (and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis). As Jack Campbell, he writes The Lost Fleet series of military science fiction novels, as well as the Beyond the Frontier continuation of The Lost Fleet, and The Lost Stars series (a spin-off of The Lost Fleet). He has also written the Stark's War series and the Sinclair/"JAG in space" series, and has written many shorter stories featuring space opera, fantasy, time travel, and alternate history. Many of these stories can be found in the three Jack Campbell ebook anthologies. He lives with his wife (the Indomitable S) and three children (two of whom are autistic) in Maryland.

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Customers find this science fiction book engaging and well-written, with a compelling storyline that includes interesting subplots and believable battle sequences. The characters are well-developed, and the pacing is fast with non-stop action throughout. Customers appreciate the space battles, with one review highlighting the realistic physics-based combat, and they value the leadership themes, with one noting the detailed exploration of fleet command. Customers consider it a good start to the series.

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Readability Storyline Enjoyment Character development Space battles Pacing Series start Leadership

321 customers mention "Readability"283 positive38 negative

Customers find the book well written and thoroughly enjoyable, with one customer noting that the battles are particularly worth reading.

"...Read and enjoy! -Arthur W. Jordin" Read more

"...Overall: A great read. If the premise sounds interesting pick it up and give it a try." Read more

"...can certainly be read as a stand-alone adventure, but each successive book follows naturally and forms a gripping story arc, where the characters..." Read more

"...If good writing matters to you (such writing is undoubtedly part of the appeal of the Patrick O'Brien novels), then you might be inclined to dock..." Read more

228 customers mention "Storyline"189 positive39 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, praising its compelling narrative with interesting battle sequences and engaging subplots that keep readers interested.

"...The current series may be the best yet. So why did the author use a pseudonym?..." Read more

"...The Good: The concept for the story was great in that it places this great hero of the past amidst the leaders of today and each is forced to..." Read more

"...adventure, but each successive book follows naturally and forms a gripping story arc, where the characters take on lives that matter and their..." Read more

"...What I liked: I liked the action and the battles, of which there's plenty, and I liked most of the hard science...." Read more

144 customers mention "Enjoyment"136 positive8 negative

Customers find the book engaging and exciting from beginning to end, making it a fulfilling read for fans of military science fiction.

"...and over the course of Geary’s adventures, Campbell creates a compelling universe and inimitable characters...." Read more

"...Like I said, the books are enjoyable, if not, I wouldn’t read all 10 in 1 month...." Read more

"...Interesting concept though a bit of a stretch to think the Admiral would put his fleet into the hands of said "hero" from 100 year ago...." Read more

"...I am not a person who enjoys flying, and this book was a perfect distraction...." Read more

129 customers mention "Character development"96 positive33 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one customer noting that the Fleet Commander is thoroughly human and another mentioning that the military aspects don't overshadow the character development.

"...is the central and main character of the book and overall the character is well drawn. The Bad: For me nothing...." Read more

"...naturally and forms a gripping story arc, where the characters take on lives that matter and their dreams and goals are utterly believable...." Read more

"...Again, all these are good challenges and to Geary and adds an interesting character, but all the oppositions are pretty much the same archetype of..." Read more

"...Not bad writing, not great either. All of the characters are thin...." Read more

84 customers mention "Space battles"84 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the space battles in the book, praising their realism and tactical detail, with one review specifically highlighting the physics-based combat and another noting the focus on three-dimensional warfare.

"...Hemry fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of naval strategy, space combat, and lonely commanders. Read and enjoy! -Arthur W. Jordin" Read more

"...that, upon his thawing out, he possesses strategic vision and tactical knowledge that makes him a genius compared to his fellow officers, requires a..." Read more

"...I also found the space battles nicely done — showing what might happen if two fleets clashed at a significant fraction of lightspeed...." Read more

"...In addition to the strong large scale military vibe, your going to get the flip side of any military coin - the personalities of those involved...." Read more

62 customers mention "Pacing"52 positive10 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing of the book, describing it as a fast page turner with non-stop action and well-paced sequences.

"...and warfare is made very believable due to realistic variables involving light speed travel time, interstellar communication speed, and fleet combat..." Read more

"...Lots of imaginative goodness in here, and considerable action. The story breaks well at the end of each volume, and picks up cleanly in the next...." Read more

"...The action starts almost immediately, and doesn't stop...." Read more

"...Great characters with humanizing flaws. Good action scenes, and an interesting political dynamic between the opposing factions...." Read more

43 customers mention "Series start"39 positive4 negative

Customers find this book to be a good start to the series, with one customer describing it as an enthralling introduction to a promising series.

"...of the next two or so years unfolds over the course of 11 books, one 4-book spinoff, at least two short stories and a potential comic book series,..." Read more

"...It's fun and all in the firsts 1, or 2, or 3 books of LF, but it should get out of this routine...." Read more

"This series started off reasonably well, but by book four it's become a repetitive slog, which isn't helped by the fact that the only enemies the..." Read more

"...books are exactly what they seem to be, and really, really good examples of the genre...." Read more

28 customers mention "Leadership"25 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the book's exploration of military leadership, with one customer noting the author's expertise in naval battle strategy, while another highlights the believable portrayal of personal conflicts.

"...He is now the most senior captain in the Alliance. Unfortunately, he is also trapped within his own legend...." Read more

"...The personal conflicts come across as believable and makes sense...." Read more

"...within the scope outlined by the author, the crucial nature of leadership in military effectiveness, and power of myth...." Read more

"...These are extraordinary challenges for an extraordinary leader...." Read more

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Arthur W Jordin
The Legendary Hero
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2011
Verified Purchase

Dauntless (2006) is the first naval SF novel in The Lost Fleet series. Sometime in the mid future, the Syndicate Worlds attacked the Alliance without warning. Their first attack was against an Alliance convoy in the Grendel system commanded by "Black Jack" Geary. The escorts delayed the attackers long enough for most of the convoy to escape.

Commander Geary stayed behind on his crippled ship while his crew fled in escape pods. He then scuttled the ship and ejected in a damaged escape pod, going into life suspension. A century later, his pod was found by an Alliance fleet moving through the system to attack the Syndic home world.

In this novel, Jack Geary is a captain by posthumous promotion. He is now the most senior captain in the Alliance. Unfortunately, he is also trapped within his own legend.

Tanya Desjani is an Alliance Captain, commanding the Dauntless. Her ship is Admiral Bloch's flagship. She is younger than Geary expects of a battle cruiser commander, but the attrition rate in the Alliance navy has resulted in young ship captains.

Numos is an Alliance Captain, commanding the battleship Orion. He is thoroughly indoctrinated with the current naval customs of courage and aggression.

Victoria Rione is the Co-president of the Callas Republic and a member of the Alliance Senate. She is the only civilian within the fleet.

In this story, Geary has been on the Dauntless for only a short time. Then the fleet encounters an ambush in the Syndic system and is quite soundly defeated. Admiral Bloch designates Geary as the acting fleet commander before leaving for the Syndic flagship to negotiate terms of surrender.

Later, the Alliance fleet receives a video showing Admiral Bloch and the other senior officers being executed. The Syndic CEO states that their surrender must be unconditional. Then he gives them an hour to signal their capitulation.

Geary calls a virtual captains conference to discuss the situation. First there is a spirited debate about his role in the fleet. After establishing his appointment as fleet commander, Geary tries to steer the discussion into ways of responding to the surrender demand.

Captain Numos asserts that the only choices are attack or submit. Geary points out that the system jump point is unguarded. The ship captains insist that the jump point is useless to them, but Geary issues orders to stall while the slower ships drift toward the jump point.

Geary asks Senator Rione to negotiate surrender terms. She manages to draw out the negotiations for an hour and Geary gains another half hour. Then the Syndic ships start moving toward the Alliance fleet.

The commander of the Repulse is a grandnephew of Geary. He has had his nose rubbed into the "Black Jack" Geary mythos and hates the legend. Yet he offers to delay the pursuit and falls behind the rest of the fleet.

The Repulse takes out the fastest pursuers before being destroyed. The remaining Alliance ships make it through the jump point without further losses. Once into jumpspace, the ships have some time for internal repairs, but intership communications are greatly limited.

After reaching the Corvus system, the Alliance fleet finds the system defenses have not been reinforced. Although bases and warships are located in the system, the jump point has not been mined. Geary leaves two battle cruiser squadrons at the jump point to guard against any pursuit.

This tales takes the Lost Fleet further into Syndic territory, trying to avoid obvious choke points. Geary relieves one captain for his reckless actions. Numos and his supporters argue against every move that Geary makes, but other captains are beginning to learn old tactics and skills that were forgotten during the past century.

Despite rumors initiated by Numos, the Lost Fleet begins to respect Geary. The next installment in this series is Fearless.

This series is written by John G. Hemry, who is better known for his Stark and JAG in Space books. The current series may be the best yet. So why did the author use a pseudonym?

Highly recommended for Hemry fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of naval strategy, space combat, and lonely commanders. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

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justjack
3 to 5 stars, depending on what you're looking for
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
My review refers to the overall series known as "The Lost Fleet." That's because it's really more of an 1,800 page book broken into six volumes, than it is six individual books. Indeed, in some cases the next book takes up the story less than a week after the events on the final pages of the previous book.

What I liked: I liked the action and the battles, of which there's plenty, and I liked most of the hard science. Campbell's solution to the basic sci-fi challenge of faster-than-light travel was reasonable and original.

What I didn't like: too much time is spent on the details of fleet deployment and in-battle tactics (fortunately, you can always skip those bits, and substitute in your mind scenes from Star Wars). I also was bored by the parts related to Captain Geary's tangled and hapless love life. Those parts seriously hurt the third and fourth books in the series. Lastly, the writing itself is merely okay. Word choices are occasionally odd, and sentence structure sometimes requires you to stop and reread a passage in order to understand what's going on.

Finally, a word about the main character, Black Jack Geary. Prior to his century-long hibernation, he was a reasonably competent mid-level officer, commanding a mid-level space cruiser in a peacetime space navy. To find that, upon his thawing out, he possesses strategic vision and tactical knowledge that makes him a genius compared to his fellow officers, requires a very serious suspension of disbelief. But it's core to the series, so what the heck, why not. I don't call this an actual detriment to the series, but it's worth noting and shining a light on it.

Overall, I liked the six books in the Lost Fleet series, and would personally give it 4 stars. If good writing matters to you (such writing is undoubtedly part of the appeal of the Patrick O'Brien novels), then you might be inclined to dock one star. On the other hand, if you're looking for pulpy space opera with plenty of pew-pew space battles, and you don't care a whit about writing style or cardboard characters (I swear I mean that in a non-sarcastic way!), then you'll probably find this a five-star experience.

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Dan Castiglione
Could not put it down.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2025
Verified Purchase
Darn good book, kept wanting to read the next chapter and the next to find out what happens. Highly Recommend!

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Schelli
Herz, was willst Du mehr
Reviewed in Germany on November 28, 2007
Verified Purchase

Als einfacher Geist, der sich den ganzen Tag in der Arbeit plagt, komme ich nach Hause und kann all meine Sorgen über Bord werfen.

Der Held John Geary mit seinen Schwächen uns Selbstzweifeln erhält das Kommando über die eigentlich schon besiegte Allliance Flotte. Er rettet die Flotte gegen jede Wahrscheinlichkeit und führt diese auf ihrem Weg nach Hause von Erfolg zu Erfolg.

Stimmt, glatt zu lesen, keine komplexen Zusammenhänge, straight and simple. Und genau diese scheinbare Schwäche ist das Erfolgsrezept der Lost Fleet Serie. Der Held ist ein Mann, der letztlich alles richtig macht und dem wir vertrauen können. Opulente Spaceopera gemixt mit Heldenverehrung und einem Schuss Ironie. Zu einfach gestrickte Story? Kann schon sein. Darum möge diese Rezension jedem eine Warnung:

Unbeschwertes simples Lesevergnügen pur!

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M. J. Bourne
curiously riveting
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2009
Verified Purchase
This is a very odd book. It's not great literature. It's not a revolutionary leap forward in the genre of military Sci-Fi. There are no startling revelations. The plot is transparent. The space battles are repetitive. There are cloistered nuns who have a better grasp of tactics than the commanders of the opposing space fleets. The military situation is ludicrous - the Human race seems to have stopped inventing things for a century. You can pick hole after hole in the assumptions and the tech.

And yet, and yet, I found it impossible to put this book down - and for a long time I really didnt know why, beyond recognising that it's easy to read.

I think the real reason is the superb characterisation of the major characters, particularly Rione. The best battles in this are fought with words, not missiles, and in conference rooms, not deep space. You can spot what is going to happen 90% of the time, but actually reading it come to fruition is immensely satisfying.

The one unique aspect I really liked was the religious angle. Its just made clear how important it is (a form of ancestor worship in fact) to most of the characters, without swamping with pious mumblings.

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prplxd343
Great Story
Reviewed in Australia on August 20, 2020
Verified Purchase
I wasn't expecting much when I first started reading this book, just another run-of-the-mill space opera. Boy, was I wrong. It hooked me early and didn't let up. I started before breakfast, kept reading through breakfast, took a short break then read through lunch until I finished it around 4:30 pm. It's been many a long year since I've done that so, rather than discuss plot lines, writing style etc, I will simply say that this book is well-worth reading by anyone who is a fan of this genre. I just hope that the rest of this series can live up to the standard of this first book.

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Daniele
Space Opera Militare genuina e senza pretese
Reviewed in Italy on July 23, 2015
Verified Purchase
Il libro l'ho comprato perché precedentemente avevo acqistato la versione audiobook e mi piaceva l'idea di sentire e leggere in inglese nello stesso tempo. Lo sto ancora leggendo quindi è WIP
La storia molto semplice e lineare - due fazioni in lotta, una flotta inseguitrice e una in fuga, un comandante di altri tempi (in questo caso è proprio il caso di dirlo) - nemici interni ed esterni - ma è raccontata in maniera coinvolgente. I personaggi sono decentemente rappresentati (pur senza particolare analisi) ma la parte più interessante è senza dubbio quella militare. Le battaglie sono molto epiche e l'autore ha speso abbastanza per creare un universo fisico di regole e leggi realistiche per imbrigliare lo svolgimento (molto bella l'idea di dover a che fare con il ritardo delle comunicazioni nello spazio per il coordinamento delle varie navi).

Se vipiace il genere e sapete l'inglese lo consiglio molto

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Kindle Customer
Detail-Oriented Spaceship, command and crew, story!
Reviewed in Canada on January 15, 2025
Verified Purchase
I have always gravitated tword Jack Campbell's writing, clear, orderly, interesting and stories where my mind can enjoy the luxury of a solid tale.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Legendary Hero

4.0 out of 5 stars 3 to 5 stars, depending on what you're looking for

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5.0 out of 5 stars Herz, was willst Du mehr

5.0 out of 5 stars curiously riveting

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story

4.0 out of 5 stars Space Opera Militare genuina e senza pretese

5.0 out of 5 stars Detail-Oriented Spaceship, command and crew, story!

The Legendary Hero

3 to 5 stars, depending on what you're looking for

Could not put it down.

Herz, was willst Du mehr

curiously riveting

Great Story

Space Opera Militare genuina e senza pretese

Detail-Oriented Spaceship, command and crew, story!