Skyler Ramirez

I was expecting a book and got a novella ... and barely one at that. This reads like the first couple of introductory chapters in a book, the ones where you start to meet the characters. There's no real story in this first volume of the series—just one brief military encounter that is solved instantly (in terms of number of pages) and then a bunch of teasers for what might be stories down the road. It ends on a collection of semi-cliffhangers. There are a rather large number of complete improbabilities, ranging from things military to characters acting with little/no apparent motivation for doing what they do.

On the plus side, there's an enjoyably snarky sense of humor, and having a protagonist who is a drunkard Navy captain is certainly a twist from the usual.

However, given how few pages were given to what could have been an interesting set of events, I'm wondering if this series will have any meat. It might just be a series of low-effort novella-adjacent pieces.

I don't see continuing with this series.… (mer)

Brad married an admiral’s daughter. The breakup of the marriage was not good for his military career. Nor was his role in the disaster that killed hundreds of noncombatants. He is now commanded by a woman he should outrank, inappropriately attracted to his young executive officer, and assigned to the worst ship in the fleet where his reputation has preceded him. There are bad guys acting badly and working hard to make Brad their fall guy. No wonder he drinks to excess.
This old-school space opera moves along briskly, and I do not mind a protagonist who engages in some unappreciated ogling.… (mer)