Exocrisis Blue - Neo-Ace - Chapter 1 Draft Preview

This brief preview from the beginning of Exocrisis Blue - Neo-Ace introduces one of the key characters, mecha pilot cadet Mayumi Shimizu. I'm still aiming to complete Neo-Ace in the first half of 2013, so stay tuned for more.  Previous installments in Exocrisis Blue are HARM, followed by Raid on Kahamba (these are available on Amazon via this link).

Neo-Ace Scene 01 - Tokyo - Draft Preview
Shadows faded into twilight darkness.  It was the beginning of night in Tokyo.  The brilliant lights of the city and its famous holographic billboards and video displays repelled the darkness. Moving parades of giant fantastical beasts, anime heroes battling villains, and flashy advertisements were  suspended over the streets around its busy train stations and popular locations like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ginza.  Sounds of music and catchy advertising jingles filled the air with a cacophony of sound.  Up close, augmented reality glasses and mini holo-projectors could show specific ads to people who had enabled their personal location identifiers.

Overlooking the vibrant city was the recently constructed Tokyo World Tree that also had the nickname of Yggdrasil.  Yggdrasil was the tree that reached into the heavens and deep into the earth from Norse mythology.  It embodied the hopes of Tokyoites for the rebirth of their city onto the world scene after the destruction wrought by the Alien War and the subsequent Kanto earthquake that had capped it off.   World Tree was about half of the height of Mount Fuji, the tallest point in Japan.  At a height of 1600 metres it was built to be bigger and taller than any free standing tower built by man, including the previous record holder, the Tokyo Skytree.  Only the advanced materials technology developed during the Alien War allowed it to exist and withstand both massive earthquakes or typhoons.  It was so tall that it received both an earlier sunrise before the rest of the city and a delayed sunset at the top.  The only structures taller than it were the orbital elevators that reached into orbit from the mountains of Peru,  Mount Ararat in Turkey, and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

An external elevator car rapidly rose out of the tower’s massive base footings and began ascending to the observation decks that were just below the canopy that crowned the tower.  The elevator was a silvery speck that on the brightly lit surface of the tower whose built-in lighting subtly shifted in color over time.   Twelve main struts fanning out in all directions comprised the main canopy structure at the top.  Each strut in turn had extendable micro-struts which would become the branches and leaves of the great World Tree.  In the day, it was a glittering silver and gold canopy.  At night, the built-in holo-projectors  turned the canopy into a brilliant lightshow that had played animations for everyone to see. 

Mayumi Shimizu and Hiro, her godfather, rode the glass walled elevator up with two dozen other excited people.  The passengers were a diverse lot that ranged from grandmothers in kimonos, families with children, dating couples to obvious tourists from other countries.  The World Tree had just been open for a year and a half, but it still drew large crowds of every day.  Ceiling mounted displays on the inner walls of the elevator showed their rising position and facts about the tower as they climbed.  Mayumi ignored the displays and had her face pressed against the glass to get the most of the breathtaking view while the less bold were well back from the glass.  She could almost imagine she was flying in the dimly lit elevator.   Next to her, Hiro just observed her happiness and was content with that fact as he contemplated the view himself.  Most of the landscape below had lights in it except where there were parks, but he knew that some of the dark patches were still rubble that had not been cleared.  Tokyo had been rebuilt again, for the third time in 200 years, but it would still be a few years before it was fully redeveloped. 

The elevator eventually arrived at the first observation deck.  A number of the passengers disembarked, a few new ones boarded, and the elevator did a brief rise to the second observation deck.  All of the passengers excitedly walked off onto a wide gallery that circled the tower.  The gallery was fully enclosed with large floor to ceiling windows that offered spectacular panoramic views of the city.   At this altitude a full enclosure was necessary to protect people from the weather as the  winds could be high, the temperature was cooler, and you could even be in the weather as you were in or above the rainclouds.

Tokyo at night from the Skytree.   Flickr / edocko777

“We are not due for our dinner reservations until 7:30.” Hiro spoke out.  “We have about 25 minutes to enjoy the sights.   I believe the holographic representation of the old skyline is about to light up in 10 minutes.  I have never been up here myself so I would like to see it.”  He then worked his jaw to pop his ears due to the lower air pressure at their height.

“You like history too much, ojisan!” Mayumi called back.  She was very fond of her godfather and called him ojisan, for uncle, a term of endearment that she used from before the death of her parents.  Running to the huge windows she looked out over the city again.  “The city lights are beautiful, it is like a sea of lights in all directions.  Look you can even see the grounds of the Imperial Palace there.  The entire castle is all lit up!” 

Mayumi lived with her aunt’s family, who was her mother’s sister, but had always felt a little like an outsider.  For twelve years they had taken care of her since the death of her parents in a terrible car accident, but they cared for their own three children more than her.  It wasn’t like they didn’t love her or neglected her, but she felt they just didn’t have enough love to spread around to the extra child they had never expected.   On the other hand, Hiro, had always managed to pop in every month to visit her  despite his busy schedule.  He was a senior sales executive who traveled the globe for Galáxia Japão Pharmaceuticals (GJP),  a large Brazillian and Japanese company that kept him on the move.  She had known him since she was three and he had played an even more important role in her life after the deaths of her parents.  However, she never called him ojisan when her actual aunt and uncle were around as it would have caused problems.

Mayumi returned back to Hiro when she realized that he had not come up to the window and was just staring out.  She stood against him and gently held onto his arm.  Mayumi was not tall and she easily put her head onto his chest for comfort.  Hiro was about 5' 10" and her head only came up to his shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Hiro murmured out.  "I'm ruining the day for you.  This was supposed to be your happy, belated birthday from me."

Mayumi snapped her head up.  "That's ridiculous.  You just being here makes me happy!  You came back early from Rio just for me."

Hiro smiled.  "I just have many things on my mind.  I cannot believe you have turned fifteen and have turned into a beautiful young woman.  It seems like yesterday that were still piggybacking on my shoulders at the zoo."

"That was a long time ago, ojisan."

"I know, but humour an old man and his memories.  I am very proud about how you turned out.  You would have made your mother and father very proud too."

"You are going to make me sad if you keep this up."

"I know.  I know, but bear with me just a little longer, then we will talk about happy things.  I just want to talk about your future."

Mayumi gave the slighted of frowns then nodded in agreement. 

"You have done well in school and scored at the top for the national mecha synchronization tests.  That is a remarkable achievement that gives you automatic entry into the Japanese Defence Forces Mecha Academy.  I'm glad you chose to attend the CAJUN Neo-Ace Academy instead when they offered you a spot.  But... I was a little surprised as it is a big move for you."

"I surprised myself, ojisan." Mayumi replied.  "I wasn't sure at first, but then I talked about it with my friends and they thought it could be a big opportunity.  How many chances like this does a person get in their life?  It would be a grand adventure." 


"You have become strong," Hiro spoke affirmatively.  "I would have told you to go too."  He then paused for a moment.  "Your adopted parents were very concerned about you moving to Canada on your own, but I convinced them that it would be fine, as it was very prestigious.  After all, you would be going to school and training with the best student pilots from Japan, Canada, and Pacifica.  The Union would not want their best to come to harm."

"I knew I could count on you, ojisan."  Mayumi had guessed her uncle had something to do with the sudden change of mind from her uncle and aunt. "They really respect you, and I'm glad you changed their minds." Mayumi was positively radiant with the news of her uncle's support.  "You have always been the best for me!"

Hiro looked her in the eyes.  “It was not easy, “ he added in a serious tone.  “Your aunt was really worried about you.  Remember when you use to have the terrible dreams about the world ending.  I know you think they don’t love you as much as their own children, but I remember how desperate they were when their own doctors could not help you.  Their doctors said it was just the trauma from the loss of your parents.  I finally put them in contact with the right specialist who helped the dreams stop.  I hope you appreciate them.  I know I do.”

Mayumi’s exuberance calmed down.  “I know, ojisan.  I’m going to miss my family here, my friends, and Japan.  This is going to be serious training as I will be a soldier.”

“I’m glad you understand.  They have done a fine job of raising you.  And I think you will do just fine in Canada.  Your English is good and you will make new friends.”

She gave him a great big hug.  Hiro affectionately returned an equally big hug, but a part of his heart was heavy with doubt.  Only his real love for Mayumi showed on the surface though.  He had watched over the child for a long time and hoped he was doing the right thing.  The academy would be good for her talents, but it would put her on a path to danger.

Both of them enjoyed the long hug before Hiro finally spoke out.  "Let's get a good view for the illuminations.  It will probably be very crowded.  Remember, I still have a birthday present for you too! I think you will really like it!"

Mayumi was just all smiles.  It was something that Hiro wanted to remember forever.

*****

As usual, all of this work is copyrighted, all rights reserved.

The Combat Mechas of HARM

HARM is short for Humanoid Assault and Reconnaissance Machine

These are giant bipedal robots that vaguely resemble a medieval knight with its thick torso, massive joints, blocky armour plates, and a squat helmet with a horizontal slit on top.  HARM units have been developed in a range of sizes for different purposes and range from 3 to 15 metres in height.  The main combat HARM units are on the large end of the scale since they need to carry a chemical fusion plant to generate the massive amounts of power for required for their coilgun primary armament and to energize their molecular armour plating.

HARM units are far more nimble than their appearance would dictate as they are powered by synthetic muscles that generate massive amounts of physical force with an almost instantaneous response.  However, effective use of this agility and strength derived from the advanced cybernetic control and full motion capture interfaces for the human pilot of the robot.  These systems are composed of a cybernetic 3D display helmet and the motion capture suit worn by the pilot.  The tight-fitting suit is plugged into a skeletal support frame that provides both physical support for the human operator and force-feedback to show how the machine is responding to commands.  The cybernetic interfaces read the pilot’s mind to enhance the motion capture control of the robot to a new level.

The cockpits for the machines are typically 8 to 10 metres off the ground, but human control is enabled via VR and augmented reality displays shown from the perspective of the robot’s head. When you first pilot a HARM you have to adjust to the disorienting size perspective and the actual capabilities and limitations of the machine. Pilots have indicated they felt like they were wearing the giant machines in a manner similar to how battlesuit infantry felt when they were wearing their powered exoskeletons.

Manual backups to operate the machine also exist but these could just make it walk and work its arms in the simplest manner.  Every HARM unit has an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to act as a co-pilot, weapons and engineering officer.  A pilot could actually verbally command an AI to move a HARM unit, however, safety mechanisms have been built into HARM units to prevent the AI from operating on its own without human supervision.

General Automata Corporation Developed HARM Units

GAC is the world leader in military HARM development and commercial construction mechas. Under the leadership of Dr. Janet Chan it continues to excel in R & D.

X Series Experimental HARM Unit

The first operational HARM unit that entered combat was the X-14 numbered version of the X series.  This series of HARM units was not intended for production use as it was intended to be a functional prototyping only.

•                    Date of Introduction Into Service: 2050

•                    Height: 13 metres

•                    Weight: 30 metric tons

•                    Max Running Speed: 70 kph loaded, 80 kph unloaded.

•                    Rocket Jump: 20 metres up.

•                    Armament:

o   50 mm coilgun integrated into the right arm.  Cannon fires hypersonic, fin stabilized, depleted uranium penetrators. Single shot mode is the most powerful mode for the gun, but it takes 10 seconds before the capacitors can recharge for the next shot. A great deal of power is required for the superconducting magnetic coils to propel their projectiles at 3 km/second. Because of the power requirement only heavy tanks and HARM units are equipped with them.

o   30 mm automatic cannon integrated into left arm.

o   Unit can engaged in hand to hand combat by picking up objects or by punching.

•                    Defences: Active molecular armour plating, and duralloy composite plating.

•                    Electronics:

o   Full electronics suite including military comnet, EW, Radar, Infrared Vision, and advanced datalink.

o   Prototype Delphi series AI.

o   Reconnaissance drone

Mark I Series Avenger HARM Unit
First mass produced HARM unit that is still found in service in a few places on the globe.  The Mark I series was a universal frame that has been modified and extended by other nations since the design was shared so that every nation could construct HARM units to counter the Blue Newt invasion.  Performance characteristics and armament are similar to the X Series.  These units are no longer in service with Canada, Pacifica, and Japan.

Mark II Series Thor HARM Unit
This is the first General Automata Corporation specific HARM unit.  These Mark II series HARM units are a reengineered design that extends the Mark I series.  Mark II HARM units are only found in service with reserve units for Canada, Pacifica, and Japan now.  Other nations have HARM units similar in capability to the Thor series units.

Mark III Series Fenrir HARM Unit
The first completely reengineered HARM unit from the ground up.  The design from GAC was far superior to all other HARM designs that it seemed to leap a generation ahead of all other nations.  The units first entered service with CAJUN rapid deployment forces, then with the armed forces of  Canada, Pacifica, and Japan.

•                    Date of Introduction Into Service: 2060

•                    Height: 12 metres

•                    Weight: 30 metric tons, 34 metric tons with full combat load.

•                    Max Running Speed: 70 kph loaded, 80 kph unloaded.

•                    Rocket Jump: 20 metres up.

•                    Armament:

·                     The primary armament is now interchangeable.  The unit can carry either a 50 mm coilgun for anti-armour use or a 160 mm assault cannon that can fire a variety of rounds.  The coilgun can be clipped onto the HARM’s back if missile pods are not mounted.  The coilgun has been improved for both rate of fire (one full power shot every 4 seconds) and to fire projectiles at a maximum of 3.5 km/s or mach 10+.

·                     Typhoon missile pods.  Two disposable missile pods can be mounted per HARM, with 16 heavy missiles per pod.

·                     Mono-steel molecular combat knife in a mounted in a horizontal sheath at the base of the HARM units back.

·                     30 mm chain gun integrated into left arm with a switchable mix of 200 rounds of HE and 200 rounds of AP.

·                     20 Helldart anti-armour missiles in a shoulder-mounted vertical launch system.

•                    Defences: Active molecular armour plating and improved duralloy composite plating, active camouflage system, smoke canisters, and Hedgehog point defence system.

•                    Electronics:

·                     Full electronics suite including military comnet, EW, Radar, Infrared Vision, enhanced optics, and advanced datalink.

·                     Oracle series AI that is three times more capable than the old Delphi series.

·                     Reconnaissance drone

Mark IV Series Odin HARM Unit.
Classified and currently under development at the GAC development and test facility in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  According to GlobalMechWatchers.org there are rumours of a flight mode and advanced beam weaponry being developed.

Date Under Development: 2067

Read about the HARM units in action in the ebooks HARM, and Raid on Kahamba available at Amazon in most regions. Coming in 2013 is the main story arc for Exocrisis Blue that integrates HARM units into a story of mecha academy recruits and veteran pilots in a backdrop of global intrigue and war.

Mecha Action Excerpt From HARM (Military SF)

Check out my publication page if you like this excerpt from HARM.
http://peterlok.blogspot.ca/p/my-publications.html

...

His mecha crouched behind the weathered and rust streaked wall of a raw materials silo. From his concealed location, he launched a small drone or RPV to hover within a grove of trees in the area to monitor the approach of the of the two spider-mechs. The spider machines were huge with flattened and segmented bodies that were twelve metres long. They stood nine metres high on six legs, three per side, a few short for an arachnid, but the name had stuck anyhow. They scuttled up to 70 kph, and could jump over low obstacles. They were almost black in color with dots of red light covering their armoured shells. A vertically elongated, weapons blister on their back contained their primary beam weapon. This particular spider type had been code-named Black Widow as they were a very lethal, heavy combat mech.

This was the second time Joshua had seen one up close, even if it was through his RPV's sensors. The first time had been as a close air support pilot who had run out of missiles. He had pulled a crazy, aerial maneuver to close in and kill an alien mech with a long, sustained burst of tank-killing cannon rounds, but had been shot down in the process. While recovering in the hospital, Dr. Chan had dragooned him into the HARM program as extra medical tests indicated he had a high synchronization rate with the experimental mental cybernetics she was developing. He had resisted at first, as he was a pilot, not some robot jockey, but potential of the HARM series mechas grew on him over time.

"Drone has been detected, beginning evasive manoeuvres." After issuing the notice, the HARM's AI immediately began retreating and jinking the RPV. Laser flashes from the spider-mech's secondary lasers indicated multiple shots against the RPV. Several seconds later, the feed from the drone went dead. "Drone destroyed," reported the AI.

That blew it. The Newts knew someone was around and he was blind now. He extended a tiny camera on his mecha’s head above the silo to see again. He could see the spider-mechs were advancing more slowly and had their primary guns pointed in the direction of the factory, but the wrong part of the factory. Readying his coilgun he aimed past the silo to where the first spider-mech would appear. Safety off. Coilgun in single mode, he thought. “Safety off. Single mode, acknowledged,” replied the AI. Single shot mode was the most powerful mode for the gun, but it would take 10 seconds before the capacitors would recharge for the next shot.

He was nervous, his hands felt a little damp, but he remained steady. The front of the first mech appeared and he waited until a third of it entered his line of sight. He sighted on the center of mass in front and below it’s primary gun, the targeting programs automatically adjusting for range and other parameters. A squeeze of the virtual trigger in his right hand caused the coilgun to kick back. One hypersonic, depleted uranium penetrator fired out of the coilgun with a loud bang. A moment later, the slug hit with devastating power. The full power shot punched clean through the side of the spider-mech in a small explosion, with most of the kinetic energy from the projectile focused on a tiny surface of armour that was blasted apart. Inside the mech, the penetrator and spalled pieces of armour ricocheted through machinery, interior walls, bodies, and the main power plant. All the stored energy inside the power plant instantaneously burst out and the resulting explosion tore the mech in two.

“Target destroyed,” the AI called out.

The coilgun was highly effective – a vast reversal from the early encounters where 120 mm sabot rounds from the M3A1 battle tanks had proven less than effective against the alien’s molecular armour. Better weapons like the coilgun had been developed since, but they required a great deal of power for their superconducting magnetic coils to propel their projectiles at 3 km/second. Because of this only heavy tanks and the new HARMs were equipped with them.

The second spider-mech’s sensors had noted the source of the shot and targeted the old silos. The powerful beam weapon on the mech flashed and beams punched four holes clean through the steel silos. However, Joshua wasn’t there anymore. He had already rolled and was shifting to a new position.
 
 ...

END EXCERPT

Review of A Soldier's Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why)

Mini-review #6
This is the sixth of a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.
 
Is prophetic military SF a genre?   Jean Johnson has written a pretty good military SF novel in A Soldier's Duty.  I'm actually working my way through the sequel right now (and finding it a slower read at the beginning), but the first book was fairly gripping all the way through.  After reading it I actually wondered what else Jean has written.  When I went through her catalog afterwards I found she writes paranormal romances and such, but this particular work isn't a romance and I'm glad I didn't know that beforehand as it is a good military SF story!

Flickr / Defence Images

Hundreds of years in the future, mankind has spread out to the stars.  Our heroine, Ia, is from a heavy gravity world which gives her strength benefits, but she also has the gift of precognition and can see different future world lines.  Unfortunately she has foreseen a great disaster happening that cannot be stopped unless she manipulates events in a particular manner.  In fact most of the possible futures are bad.  Kind of like the Foundation foreseeing the collapse of the empire with psychohistory.  So Ia joins the marines and needs to gather allies and gain influence to alter things.

The first novel basically establishes her character and she uses her abilities to rise in the ranks and successfully complete missions with impossible odds.  Precognition definitely helps out here in combat.  How not to get shot!  You would think that battles would be anticlimactic because of her abilities, but they are still entertaining even though some of the tension is gone sometimes.  If you are looking for something entertaining with a different spin on things this book is worth a read.


Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Small unit operations, raids.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes.  Ia is pretty single-minded in her drive to save the galaxy.  Plenty of supporting characters and family members to boot.  You wonder who is going to live and become part of the cause.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes. There is enough hidden as to how Ia is going to succeed.  Obviously she can also fail, but can she pull off the rescue of the future?  I think it was written pretty good in this regard.  If people complain about predetermination, I'd disagree as most novels have heroes that succeed so that by itself is kind of like predetermination.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
Yes. No problems with the story.  This is a long novel in a good way.  As a writer I'm jealous, I'm more terse.  In terms of the battles scenes I would only have my standard complaint which is that the soldiers hundreds of years from now are equipped with weaponry that is roughly at our current technology level (I'd guess it would look antiquated in 20 years).  In fact, weaponry, technology, and tactics should be radically different that far in the future.  Book series like the Kris Longknife books by Mike Shephard also have this same problem, but I'm still reading that series too. Even with this complaint it is okay as I'm in it for the story first.

What cool bonus features are there?
Hey, Ia, is a precog who will gain additional abilities.  Interesting world building about the source of her powers (influenced by the paranormal romance angle? But I liked it.)

Review of Germline (The Subterrene War)

Mini-review #5
This is the fifth of a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.

 Germline is the first of three novels in the Subterrene War universe by T.C. McCarthy.  I have to say the writer managed to capture a very gritty picture about future combat both underground and above ground.  The below ground war scenes were quite interesting as there is some pretty advanced tunneling technology where trench warfare is taken under the earth.  In addition, I really like the way he incorporated clones or the genetics into the story.  

Flickr / dee_gee

Most of the story is centered around Oscar Wendall, a report who sees going to the front lines as his ticket to success.  Instead, he becomes involved in a brutal war that changes him when it goes on and on, an everlasting battle over rare resources buried underground in Kazakhstan.  The USA uses genetics, female super soldiers, to fight the Russians who throw men away by the thousands it seems.  Why female super soldiers? - That is well explained too!  The genetics are also powerful disposable tools and the war seems to be one of attrition.  The series is centered around Oscar's relationship with these genetic soldiers, their goals and religion, how they have been programmed, and I found that this is kept my attention all the way through. This book was well worth reading.

Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Small unit and battalion level operations.  There is a grand campaign but it is more back story.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes.  Oscar has an interesting journey of discovery and pulls out of the pits of despair.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes.  Combat, female super soldiers, drugs, and a war that doesn't end.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
The technology used includes electromagnetic assault rifles called Maxwells that fire thousands of rounds (where do I get one?), plasma cannon and artillery, supersonic drones, and it was nicely done.  Soldiers are suited up in battle armour but you half wonder why they wear it as it seems to not be resistant to most weapons. The world described is that of the battlefield and the writer does a good job of it.  Later on, the story expands out into the rest of the world and I don't think it works quite as well, but I'm reading the third novel now so it can't be that bad!

What cool bonus features are there? 
The genetics are cool and I found myself rooting for them.

Review of Standing Alone, a BattleTech Novel

Mini-review #4
This is the fourth of a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.

This is a novel by MJ Dougherty that appears to be influenced by the BattleTech / MechWarrior war games for mecha combat.  It is set in an alternate Earth of 2086 where nations and megacorporations battle it out to rule the planet.  I'm not a mech war gamer myself, but the novel is a pretty easy read as long as you know what a mech is.  I was looking for a medium length read with big robots that wasn't part of some massively large overarching story and this book delivered that experience.

Challenger Tank in Canada   Defence Images / Flickr

The hero, "Shotgun Mike," is a mercenary that has fallen on hard times after a mission in Southeast Asia went terribly wrong.  Back at home in the United Kingdom, he joints the Royalists who fight for British sovereignty after the country is invaded by the European Federation.  The Federation is basically run by big megacorporations and they've conquered half of Britain.

Only the Royal Navy keeps the northern part of Britain free from invasion, so a land war is being fought on a north south axis.  The Royalists are terribly outmatched by the invaders who have all the good mechs and resources.  However, they have put up a good fight with their few mechs, some factories to make more, and lots of volunteers (aka cannonfodder). 

There is plenty of mech vs. mech combat and guerrilla style combat against mechs which you can imagine really doesn't go too well for the guerrillas.  Big mechs with laser cannon, lots of rockets, and big guns duel in a big ballet of destruction.

Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Starts small with a mech duel and ends up with plenty of small engagements within a master storyline. The princess is a hands-on type of leader so you get to see the story get set up first hand.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes. The main character was okay, but I did like the princess who was leading the resistance.  There were engaging characters, but I found the more interesting ones tended to be the women pilots and bureaucrats.  Half of the male characters were villains or traitors and were not as interesting as they were just driven by greed or power.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes.The story stays centered on Mike and all of missions he goes on.  There are training missions, spy missions, defence missions, and let's hijack a mech for fun too!

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
Typical world building with different megacorporations running the show.  I'd have to say there was nothing too different, but the corporate culture thing doesn't particularly translate well to national government even for the bad guys.  The economics for this is not particularly good as these mechs are expensive and so is war, so what is the payoff from invasion for the shareholders?  Aren't corporations kind of risk adverse to this kind of thing?  Also, the hold the line scenario in Britain doesn't play too well with me as Saddam Hussein tried that in the Gulf War and he got majorly flanked by superior maneuver forces.  Mechs are a pretty superior maneuver force even on a narrow frontage like Britain.

What cool bonus features are there? 
There's mech factories, mechs of course, an aircraft carrier and a drunken princess.

The Lost Fleet (Beyond The Frontier) Invincible Review

Mini-review #3
This is the third of a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.

Wow, you can tell from the long title of the blog post that this is a long series of books by Jack Campell.  Invincible is the second book in the Beyond the Frontier story arc for this series and it continues to ratchet up the old suspense while providing the fleet level, spaceship engagements that the fans of this series love.  The Lost Fleet series was the primary story arc that played out in the first six books and I won't go into detail as I don't want to spoil it, but you have political intrigue, alien mysteries, a vast and powerful opposing force, and a very long running battle to return home.

In the original story arc, "Black Jack" Geary is revived from cryosleep to find a much changed world.  A century of warfare has passed since he was frozen.  There have been massive casualties in the long running war between the Alliance ("the good guys") and the corporate Syndics.   This has decimated the fleet officer corps and the fleets on both sides now operate with far simpler tactics.  Being a reluctant, legendary hero, with mastery of old school fleet tactics, he becomes the ranking fleet officer that leads the fleet back home in a long journey through enemy space.  Much like Xenophon and the March of the 10,000.  In the second story arc he has been sent out on a one way mission into alien space to find out more about the Enigmas.  Why?  I'll leave that up to you to find out as it is core to the second story arc.

This is a recommended read for folk who like military SF fleet actions. Nothing revolutionary here, but it is a well told story and an enjoyable read.  After 8 books I'm enjoying this series more than the Destroyermen series (review #1) as it doesn't shift multiple battlefronts and focuses on a single fleet.  I read this on a copy borrowed from the public library as the current ebook pricing scheme by the publishers is insane right now for a copy.  I will not pay more than the price of a paperback book for a work of ebook fiction - period.

Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  But it has a cast of ships/squadrons listing!  I found the number characters manageable, but lost track of the ships.

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
This series of books has a great deal of starship combat but on the fleet level.  Descriptions of combat are gritty with many explosions.  The sheer firepower involved in fleet actions means the battles are over relatively quickly, but there are several of them in each book.  

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes. Black Jack Geary, the fleet commander, develops mainly in the first few books, but he proves to have the mettle of legend.  The man fights his destiny to the end.  The romance angle doesn't really work for me, but it is a minor part of the story.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes. Many battles, searches for answers, scavenging for parts, supplies, and resources.  There are enough plot twists and surprises to keep it fresh.  In the current novel, Invincible, you meet aliens along with their tactics and ships.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
Good world building for an alternate future after a century of non-stop attritional warfare between two large human space factions.  One is a confederation while the other is a megacorporation.  Most of the story happens in the fleet but enough happens to give an idea of what the bigger picture is.

What cool bonus features are there? 
Superbattleships.  More aliens than you can shake a stick at.  Feels like it is setting up for a big political finale when the fleet reaches home.