In the Stormy Red Sky

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 show 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. show less

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....

In this book, Daniel and Adele find themselves on an unusual mission even for their checkered history. A senator who'd failed in her bid for the Speaker of Cinnabar's senate has been appointed as an ambassador to a client state of Cinnabar who's main sport seemed to be imprisoning Cinnabar citizens and seeing how far he could push them.

When he tries his usual tactics on Daniel and his crew, he finds that he may have bitten off more than he can handle. Along the way, he finds out that the Alliance is building a major base that threatens major Cinnabar trade routes and only Daniel, his loyal crew and a battalion of crack ground troops are all that stand against a base that could destroy fleets, never mind the cruiser and troop transporter show more that are all that Daniel has available to him. show less

RCN(7), Lt Leary, Mundy, Cinnabar

This and the preceding volume, When the Tide Rises, are probably the best of the series apart from With the Lightnings, which introduces the main characters and the situation.

The series as a whole is light sf, not to be taken seriously. Junior officer Daniel Leary and his somewhat older friend and colleague Adele Mundy routinely accomplish remarkable feats in their respective specialities; all the main characters are like exaggerated versions of real people. Leary’s crew is permanently full of team spirit (and alcoholic spirit, when available) and will do anything for him or Mundy.

It’s not great literature, but it’s a readable and lively military-adventure story, an agreeable way of passing the time if you like that kind of thing.