Kris Longknife: Daring (edition 2011)

Lord knows that I am addicted to this series as well as the Honor Harrington Series. This series is better written than the Honor Harrington series. The whole series is losly based on the Patrick O'Brian series with Jack Aubrey. Good mind candy ( )

Lieutenant Commander Kris Longknife leads a fleet toward a region of space where ships have mysteriously vanished. Her worst fears come true when they discover an apparently invincible enemy. However, this enemy has yet to encounter a Longknife. Kris challenges the planet killers and snatches a couple of their people to take home: babies, left adrift when their parents died in battle. Instead of the bug-eyed monsters she’d expected, this race looks human. Who are they and why won’t they respond to any attempts at communication? Losing most of her ships in battle, Kris barely escapes. Yet will her grandfather, the king, welcome her news? The last thing he wants to do is spread panic and raise taxes to bolster his Navy. Yet Kris knows what’s coming, and it’s not a secret that will be suppressed for long.

This is another fast-paced installment in the Kris Longknife series. I’m pleased to see feelings develop between Kris and Jack. No one lives in a vacuum, even on a spaceship, and relationships are part of life. It makes her more realistic to show that she has heart. ( )

Daring felt like the book in the series that represented a change. I have read and enjoyed all the books in the Kris Longknife series. Some of the books held my attention more than others. The last book before Daring was less successful for me. I actually like the Cara subplot more than some other reviewers in that past book. Many other reviewers noted the different feel of Daring. I don't know exactly why it felt different. Daring is my favorite in the series at this time. It had the elements I enjoy, space battles, human and family conflicts and intercultural/interspecies interactions. The relationship between humanity and Iteeche seems to be changing. The relationship between Wardhaven and Greenfeld seems to be improving. The new species of AI computers around Kris are playing more important roles in the story. There are a lot of storylines that interested me. I am disappointed by the new Big alien menace, but it is not easy to write a “good” Big alien menace. I can hardly wait to see where these stories go next. That makes this a good book and good series by my measures. (Also posted in GoodReads) ( )

Eighth in the series and not running out of steam yet. Kris Longknife convinces the government to send her on a reconnaisance mission, looking for whatever has been eating Iteechee ships. She also gets some unexpected--and heavily armed--company. Predictably, they run into trouble.

If you hate long, open-ended series, don't read this one. Otherwise, begin at the beginning. ( )