Leviathan is the latest novel by Jack Campbell in his popular Lost Fleet setting, with this one being the fifth novel in the Beyond The Frontier series. Focusing once again on the exploits of Admiral John ‘Black Jack’ Geary, his flagship, Dauntless, and its captain (and Geary’s wife) Tanya Desjani, plus the ships and captains of all the Alliance First Fleet, it’s easy to say one thing: if you’ve not read the previous Beyond The Frontier novels, this really isn’t the place to jump in. If, like me, you’ve been keeping up with Campbell’s output, then what you’ll find in Leviathan is an interesting novel, one that returns the quality of the series to expectations, and one that resolves the much of what Steadfast, the previous novel, spent time in setting up.
After the attack on the Alliance First Fleet by the dark ships at the end of Steadfast, and the revelation that they are actually AI controlled ships using Geary’s own tactics against him, the fleet is following them in the hopes of stopping another attack. While only a couple of hours behind the dark ships, they have no idea how or what will happen when they arrive at Varandal, and the automatic updates that all Alliance systems receive effectively make the ships invisible to sensors, rendering any defences useless. It is these updates that Geary must address in order to make those in Varandal see the reality of the situation, but this is only the first step along the way to eliminate the threat of these AI controlled warships. And the question of whose side the government is on continues to play a large role in events…
To start with I’ll say this: if you enjoyed the previous Lost Fleet books, then you’re very likely to enjoy Leviathan, especially as it’s a superior novel to Steadfast. With that out of the way you may ask what exactly Leviathan has to offer? Well, it takes much of what has already been laid down in the previous Beyond The Frontier novels and finally gives some resolution to many aspects. We discover the true details behind the dark ships, and the way the Alliance government has been playing a very long and dangerous game. Truths that were previously only rumours come to the fore, much to the shock and dismay of many captains in the First Fleet. Suffice to say that Leviathan feels like a complete novel – it tackles the issues without pomp and circumstance.
Saying that, however, the central theme to Leviathan is the AI dark ships and how exactly to stop them from continuing to attack Alliance ships and star systems. It quickly becomes clear that they have slipped their programming and are going beyond the intentions of those that oversaw the construction. We also see just how rigid their programming can be in battle situations, but they can adapt given new, refined information. How Geary, Desjani, and the fleet deal with this new threat is interesting, and is a breath of fresh air to the reader getting tired of the same battles, novel after novel.
Campbell doesn’t do anything ground-breaking here, but he does continue to show his knack for telling a good and engrossing story. The characters we’ve come to know and love – and sometimes hate – are all present and accounted for, and each continue to provide their vital additions to the story. Geary and Desjani’s relationship is, perhaps, one that continues without much development. Yes, they’re married, but as two military officers in the same chain of command they can’t do anything but act professionally. Personally, I’d really like to see their relationship developed, though how Campbell could get away with that as events currently stand is a question only he can answer. Campbell also shows once again that he isn’t afraid to kill off characters that have been central to the story, and he does this in situations that feel natural in a war setting, and it brings a certain realism to the story.
We also get to see more of the Dancer aliens in Leviathan, and it leads to a big step forward in communications between them and humanity. It’s interesting to finally hear more in-depth knowledge from them, and to see just how far behind humanity is in their understanding of interstellar travel. It’s nice to see an alien species being developed like this, and I hope that this isn’t the last we’ll see of them.
Leviathan reads like a novel tying up loose ends, and upon its conclusion I could easily see this being the last Beyond The Frontier novel. To be honest, I’m not sure if this is the case, or if there are plans for any further novels in this series. There are definitely some aspects raised throughout the series that I feel need further exploration, and there is plenty still to see and do in this setting, so all may not be over. Regardless, Leviathan is a hugely entertaining novel, one worthy of the series, and a damned good read.
Publisher: http://titanbooks.com/
Author: http://www.jack-campbell.com/
May 2015, 400 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9781781164686
Review copy received from the publisher
© 2015 Mark Chitty
