Hi!
(Spoilers for The Black Fleet Trilogy below for some context)
I'm currently reading Counterstrike by Joshua Dalzelle and I'm… Just not feeling it – on one hand I love the bridge military command stuff with XOs, Tactical officers and Ops etc. On the other hand some of the characters feel really flat and inconsistent. For example Lt. Davis has a crush on the Captain, fine as long as it's well done I don't mind – but the writer just did nothing with it and it looks kinda childish how it comes across on the pages. So in essence, I want a book(s) like The Black Fleet Trilogy, but with better characters and potentially plot (the alien ex machina feels very forced)
So what am I actually looking for?
– Sci-fi Military, preferably on a ship's bridge with delegation of command with XO, Ops tactical officers etc. (Though not 100% necessary – I absolutely love the Frontlines series for example, which doesn't have much of that) With it being just one ship or multiple, doesn't really matter – the important part is the delegation and different officers on deck
– Characters with actual chemistry, depth and growth (if applicable), not necessarily romance, but with something happening.
– Subpoint to the above: not everyone in high command / government should be incompetent and/or corrupt – though having that can certainly add something when used correctly.
– Preferably a longer series.
What I've found so far, but are on the fence about, for one reason or another.
– The Obsidian Sector
– Command Decision
– First Command
– Iron Fleet
by Enlicx
2 Comments
h{{On Basilisk Station by Weber}}.
The whole Honorverse is based in space navy.
The Expanse kinda(?) fits this bill. It’s a smaller ship (captain, XO, pilot, tactical), but there’s a lot of ship based stuff in there. Characters have chemistry and depth. It’s a longer series. Hits a lot of the boxes above, but more of a lone ship perspective rather than a military command one.