Lt. Leary, Commanding (2000)

Decent action and pace, but lacks originality.: This story is the second in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy series. It takes place in the far-future, where mankind has spread through much of the galaxy, but has split into a number of warring factions.

LT LEARY COMMANDING(2000) basically picks up where the 1st book WITH THE LIGHTNINGS(1998) leaves off... the main characters Leary (Lt. in the RCN), and Mundy (ex-Librarian, turned Signals Officer) return to Cinnabar aboard the PRINCESS CECILE, after capturing that ship in battle and using it to almost single-handedly defeat a planetary counter-coup backed by the "evil" Alliance of Free Stars... in fairly short order, they are sent out on a mission to a remote system of stars that is under loose Cinnabar influence, and which the Alliance is rumoured to be threatening to destabilize.

The book is fast-paced and contains lots of action - but we have seen these shoot-em-up sequences before, and they lack originality. The best part of the book comes when Leary and a small expedition team gets marooned on a desolate part of a lightly populated planet, and encounters creatures that have evolved from humans - but, very little time is spent on this interesting turn of events.

A couple of notes about the cover of LT LEARY COMMANDING; 1) Mundy and Leary appear as statuesque blondes, where they were better-depicted brunettes on the first cover. 2) The "R" in RCN has a little "crown" on it, as if to denote that it is the "Royal Cinnabar Navy"... however, it is the "Republic of Cinnabar Navy" - there should be no crown.

Read Online: http://webscriptions.net/10.1125/Baen/0671578758/0671578758.htm

The heroes of With the Lightenings (s have a spaceship to cart them about on their adventures this time. It to is not as good as the first. ( )

Based on the Odessy, apparently. ( )