Dauntless (#1)
Captain John “Black Jack” Geary’s legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild. Revered for his heroic “last stand” in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance Fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndic.
Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance’s one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic “Black Jack” legend…
Reviews
“This engaging and interesting first book will, one hopes, be part of a long-lasting series.”RT Book Reviews
“If there’s ever a space war, the Lost Fleet series could well be the military’s manual. Author Jack Campbell, a former Navy officer, infuses the first book, DAUNTLESS, with the kind of details that make 'Black Jack' Geary’s futuristic exploits seem as if they’re ripped from today’s headlines. Narrator Christian Rummel gives this blood-and-guts adventure just the hard edge it needs.”Audible
“If you’re a fan of character, action, and conflict in a military SF setting, you would probably be more than pleased by Campbell’s offering.”
“A good, solid military space action/adventure novel.”Kliatt
“Fascinating stuff […] this is military SF where the military and SF parts are both done right.”SFX Magazine
“Rousing military-SF action… it should please many fans of old-fashioned hard SF. And it may be a good starting point for media SF fans looking to expand their SF reading beyond tie-in novels.”SciFi.com
“A good book overall and a very promising series to come.”SF Reviews
“This first hand military knowledge is what gives DAUNTLESS its spit-shine of pure quality […] This is a stunning work. I cannot believe that it has taken eight years for me to read it. With a detailed story about interstellar conflict, this book could have been written with me personally in mind. I am happily reaching for the next book in the series, ‘Dreadnaught’, as we speak. If they awarded medals for writing fantastic SF, this book’s jacket would jangle.”SFcrowsnest
“Well-written with a hero who’s all too human and battle weary. There’s much here that will remind readers of Battlestar Galactica, which is not a bad thing. The battles are well-done, but it’s the characters who drive the story.”FreshFiction.com
“An entertaining sci-fi yarn with a good central character.”Fantasy Book Review
“Fast action […] solid military sf in the mold of David Weber’s Honor series […] the energy of the narrative and the broad sweep of the battles keep the reader engaged.”SFFWorld
“Every thing that I love about space opera and far-future science fiction, Jack Campbell provides aplenty in this novel […] DAUNTLESS is definitely a novel that you should read, and I will definitely be continuing on with the series.”Shadowhawk’s Shade
“Quintessential military science fiction that extrapolates naval combat into the vacuum of space with a real knack for storytelling.”Staffer’s Book Review
”I found DAUNTLESS to be an excellent blend of real science and space action. I enjoyed myself thoroughly from first to last page.”Brandon Sanderson, The New York Times bestselling author of The Stormlight Archive
“Jack Campbell’s dazzling new series is military science fiction at its best. Not only does he tell a yarn of great adventure and action, but he also develops the characters with satisfying depth. I thoroughly enjoyed this rip-roaring read, and I can hardly wait for the next book.”Catherine Asaro, Nebula Award-winning author of Alpha
“A slam-bang good read, and yes, it kept me up at night […] Solid, thoughtful, but also exciting.”Elizabeth Moon, Nebula Award-winning author
“Black Jack Geary is very real, very human, and so compeling he’ll leave you wanting more. Jack Campbell knows fleet actions and it shows. DAUNTLESS is the best novel of its type that I’ve read.”David Sherman, author of the Demontech series
“A rousing adventure.”William C. Dietz, national bestselling author of REDZONE
“DAUNTLESS is the best space navy book that I've ever read.”Michael Mammay, author of PLANETSIDE
Awards & Accolades
#6 Locus Bestseller
Bookscan: SF Top 10 for four weeks