Review: Impressive.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2010
Captain Ryann Germayne, son of the legendary Jaxon "Hot Shot" Germayne, has been living up to his late father's reputation. He is the best pilot the Galaxy of Free Systems "GFS" has. His equally talented first mate gunner, Joslyne, happens to also be his wife. They feel secure in the knowledge that should the end come during battle, they would perish together.Some believe that the GFS has grown too large, too bureaucratic for the regular person across the galaxy. This small group of rebels is slowly, but steadily, growing in numbers. Brit Hyram, the overall head of the Rebellion, is the public face of the secessionist movement. Though idealistic, neither he, nor any other within the Rebellion, has any real understanding of military tactics. The simulators used to train new recruits are woefully outdated. Therefore, the GFS pilots have little trouble winning the skirmishes on land or in space. But then the Rebellion suddenly has a blast cannon on their side.President Greensteen and Admiral Zephyr send Ryann to lead a strike team on a ground assault to destroy the cannon. Ryann has extra orders to secretly assassinate a certain individual while there. Having to kill someone face-to-face and in cold blood does not sit well with Ryann. So when he is later asked to assassinate another, Ryann and Joslyne defect.The Rebel Secessionist Movement is thrilled to have the best GFS pilot and gunner team join their cause. The new duo will have to earn the trust of Hyram and the other leaders, but they are put to work immediately. Joslyne's expertise is used to update simulators for target practice and the like. Ryann begins teaching military maneuvers to the pilots and updating the equipment on all the ships.Joslyne still has doubts about what they are doing. As Ryann rises in rank and power at lightning speed, he begins to change. Even personally executing former friends and comrades no longer seems to bother Ryann. Joslyne soon wonders to what lengths her husband would go, how low he would sink, and how cold blooded he would become for his new beliefs. And can she continue to stand beside the man he is morphing into?**** FOUR STARS! A terrific science fiction tale that begins in the fighter cockpit and later takes on the flavor of high military leadership with some power hungry sycophants. My only real problem with this story is that there are a few strategy plans that are repeated too often. If I, as the reader, hear the plan when it is made, then there is no reason for me to hear it explained one or two more times as other characters are educated about it. Simply knowing the plan is told to the other character(s) is fine. But having to hear it retold within a few pages or chapter becomes boring and annoying. However, this problem only seems to happen for the first one-third (1/3) of the book.All-in-all, I am very impressed with the creative imagination of John Fitch, V. Though not as focused on in-depth military strategy details (such as with David Weber and Dan Abner novels), this author shows a keenness in understanding how power can corrupt even the best of people. It also makes one wonder just how far some would go to fulfill their sense of duty. Highly recommended! ****Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.