Review: The Sheer fun and excitement of the Storyline covered the few mechanical/stylistic issues.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2012
I just finished reading both books in the series, "Admiral Who" and "Admirals Gambit", and I must say I can't wait for the next book in the series. I had a hard time putting either of these books down until I finished them both.I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I operate an online Peer-to-Peer critique group for Christian Speculative Fiction authors so mechanics and style is one of the things that I constantly see even when I'm reading for pleasure.This story has such a bang up plot line, full of nonstop action, and complex plot twists that I hardly noticed the few (IMHO)sub-optimal stylistic choices, grammatical issues and misspellings which were in the text. The mechanics didn't detract from the sheer fun of really getting into the story. Most chapters left me paging to the next somewhat impatiently to see what was going to happen next. My main disappointment is that the author doesn't have the third novel on sale yet.The Characters were very believable, I found the Main POVs inner doubts and feelings of inferiority easy to identify with and the determined character with which he overcame them to be a trait that I not only empathize with but aspire to personally. I found his "All in" berserk approach to combat and problem solving very engaging. Once again I strongly identified with this character. I feel that the author has portrayed "every man" confronted with and coping with the outrageous slings and arrows of fortune the way I hope that I have/will.Despite the fact that some of the characters were kind of stock Space Opera types I felt that the way the author treated them made them all very human and real to me. 64 years of life have taught me that the stock "types" are stock (ie. Universal) because that is how real people in the real world act and react. It's very pleasing to see such a person (the hero)actually winning his battles. The reality that each victory brings the next challenge is a truth of life that I've lived through so much that I feel it is an axiom of the human condition. Kudo's to the author for capturing the cycle so well.When I bought the first of these books I thought it was targeted at the YA audience based on the description in Amazon. IMHO our Youth should read novels like this, adults too. It is fun to read, teaches readers that whole hearted effort is the only way to achieve meaningful success and the fact that those who really achieve greatly are usually those who are in way over their head but keep plugging on.One theme that I particularly appreciated is the underlying universal truth that in this universe truth, order, harmony and right are only brought to pass by individuals who battle the malign chaos of existence, human corruption and the benighted Murphy with all their strength even thought they feel like they can't win.Bravo "Luke"Write on my brotherdave withePS. the hero's struggles to understand and get along with his wife remind me of another man that I know very well.