In the Stormy Red Sky (2009)

From the first time we met Lt. Leary, I knew that this was a series that had great potential and would be a good read. It has become a much better series then David Weber's indestructible hero series about Honor Harrington. A series that is repetitive. All about meetings, and little about action.

Here we have a fleet battle that is several chapters long and a plot that really does work. Somethings where we get lost while reading the book is the various names of the ships in the fleet, and a little chart showing us who is who, would have been helpful.

Also a star chart of where these two empires are in relation to each other would be nice after so many books. But this does not stop the story from being a great read. Each book adds more character development and we see the growth of not only our two main characters, but also the subsidiary characters as well.

Our middies are growing up to be competent lieutenants and soon probably lt. commanders. That Drake uses historical situations from our past to create the line of plot for his stories means that we can believe what will happen. It did happen. Now it happens in space.

It works and this is a series that will be reread again for the nuance that Drake is weaving into it. However, one caveat. Leary is becoming more successful then Nelson. Soon it will be hard to believe that there are any Alliance ships to be enemies for him to fight against. ( )

RCN(7), Lt Leary, Mundy, Cinnabar

Another good entry in this long-running series. Daniel Leary has just been promoted to captain, the youngest in the RCN. In command of a larger ship, on a shake-down cruise, he is escorting a Senator-turned-Ambassador on a visit to an uncertain ally. But the enemy fleet is on the move.... ( )