Armageddon by Craig Alanson

Armageddon by Craig Alanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The eighth novel in the Expeditionary Force series exceeded my expectations to a level then even Skippy would have trouble calculating. Any long running series has to deal with the need to keep things interesting without falling foul of repeating plot points or making things too stupid to retain the narrative which captured the reader in the first place, Armageddon achieved this.
I will admit I was a little lost with all the talk about their previous mission (convinced myself I had skipped a novel) but once I had that figured out I fell right back into the swing of things with the merry band of pirates. I am not going to go into any plot points because well nothing I can say would be a surprise to a regular reader and if you are not yet been lured into the adventures of Joe and Skippy then by all means grab a copy of Columbus Day and welcome to the family.
So my review, this novel was exceptional in that it delivered everything you would want from this series but presented it with icing and a bow, maybe even balloons. That said the knife got twisted good a proper but again you can't realistically have this sort of long running tale without the fact that there are consequences to actions and even inactions.
There are not many novels that really make me want to keep reading be it late a night or during a break at work but every time I put the kindle down I was desperate to delve right back into the story. I'm not sure how the consequences of the events in this novel will pan out, maybe in a manner which reflects the changing status of the galaxy but I know I am going to enjoy it.
My hat is tipped to Craig for this well written and immensely enjoyable novel.

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Battleground by Joshua Dalzelle

Battleground by Joshua Dalzelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Humanity has survived yet another interstellar conflict but its greatest challenge is emerging as the Eastern Star Alliance having broken away from the rest of the human worlds sees an opportunity to claim resources thanks to their insignificant action and negligent losses during the last war. The Confederation sends out Admiral Jackson Wolfe along with a task force to "show the flag" as it were but they are unaware of the long planned objective of the ESA to use the defeat and capture of Wolfe to encourage the drive for an all out invasion on their part and provoke a rash reaction on the part of the Confederation. As the military of all sides play out a game that one half remains unaware it is rigged the spies and politicians play their own game but when the weapons are unleashed all bets are off and survival is as important as victory.
The first book of a new trilogy within the Black Fleet saga starts strong and takes us deep into the new interstellar dynamic which at this point is conflict within humanity. Yet we still see that as always events turn on the decisions and actions of individuals and the narrative continues to play that aspect strong. An enjoyable addition to the series and looking forward to the next novel.

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