Review: A fantastic edition to Space Opera
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 2, 2012
Bravo Mr. Barrett,This is quite simply some of the best space opera that I have read in quite a while, and I thought I had read it all.  This is far superior to many other 5 star rated sci-fi ebooks that I have seen on Amazon.  The pace is not rushed, but it is intense.  Barrett has not forgotten that action without character development is just meaningless noise.  In just a few pages he invests you in a character before narrating the action from that characters perspective. The result is that the story is engaging and meaningful.  He also hasn't ignored the spirit of exploration and mystery which being on the frontiers of explored space should bring, a subplot that I really enjoyed and one I hope is returned to with a larger role later.  I rarely bother to review the many books that I read but this one has been a stand out surprise for me. This is a just a hair away from being as good as the best that David Weber or Jack Campbell have produced and certainly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath. This was in fact more interesting to me than the best selling Wool series by Hugh Howley and I was prepared to proclaim him the best new sci fi author around.Now for some minor points that have distracted me throughout the book. Yes, there are minor editing issues but in such a long book they are relatively few.  What has distracted me is the timeline, merely 50+ years from today. I find it hard to believe that date and have mentally adjusted it forward another half to full century.  Another factor is the small crew sizes relative to the actions mentioned on board (maintenance, damage control ect..)  Although this is less of a hangup than the date issues.Now, don't let any of that stop you from reading this. I polished off the first book in a day and was frustrated with myself for not pacing it out to last longer. A great book by a great new author.Excellent Work!