Flagship: A Captain's Crucible, Book 1

When reading Isaac Hooke's book Flagship the first time I thought it had a slow and somewhat tedious beginning but Berkot's narration when I listened to it solved that problem for me.. Having read the authors Atlas Series and his track record for solid military sci-fi action packed content, I have no doubts that this series will not disappoint.New characters, new ship, and a story line that mixes faster than light travel with slipstreams, travel gates and space battles with a threatening alien race make this book a winner. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see what Hooke has in store for us in his next book of the series.<br/>If you purchased the book without narration I would highly recommend you buy the narration and try it again. It made it so much better.

Isaac Hooke delivers yet another winner! Flagship is a first rate Military Space Opera, with something for everyone! Complex characters, all out action, intense space battles, politics, intrigue, technology, aliens, AI, romance, humor, all woven into a plot that will keep you turning pages until the very end!

Isaac knows how to develop and torture his characters, putting them through emotional and physical tribulation, both! There are also plenty of twists and surprises in this sci-fi action thriller,making for an exciting, well-paced ride! DO NOT pass this Military SF Thriller up!

No, but I am looking forward to more, and doing a comparison at a later date.

Absolutely! This book kept me on edge. I listened to it at home, on the way to work, at work, on the way home from work... Well, you get the idea!!! :)

<br/>Alright, Isaac! The pressure is on! I'm looking very forward to the next installment of Flagship!

So, my expectations for Issac Hookes sci-fi is pretty high. He did a great job with this one.<br/>Initially it took me a little time to get into the story, but once I developed a relationship with the characters, I was fully hooked. He also brings up elements from Atlas that keeps all the different stories in line and keeps the chronology of his different stories straight, something I really appreciate. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing how humanity handles this new threat and getting answers to some of the older enigmas from previous books.

I would because the readers voice adds something to the style in which the book is written and is also suited for sify

The space battles would be it for me. Very gripping!

I'm not sure exactly but I found his voice very suited to reading the genre

Good book, difficult to pick out one moment though unless its just the character Maxwell.

Very much enjoyed this book! It starts out slow(first 2 or so chapters) but once I got past those it really sped up. I used to read Star Wars books regularly and, while this was not Star Wars, I still found it very enjoyable! While I won't go into detail, the character I enjoyed the most was Maxwell(pay attention while reading and you'll understand).:) Well done with this work and should appeal to sci fi fans and possibly others as well.<br/><br/>(I almost never post plot points so as to avoid spoilers)

This was a good space battle book with a good premise, good characters, and lots of action.

The book begins with the main character, the Captain of a warship, investigating the disappearance of a research vessel attached to their task group of ships. When they find the ship adrift, their crew missing, and the ship database wiped, they quickly deduce that the ship was attacked and boarded. What's more, the records that still exist indicate that the research vessel's crew discovered the ruins of an artificial alien structure on the planet they were orbiting.

When an unknown but powerful alien vessel appears and attacks without provocation, little can be done to overcome their technological superiority and the captain flees to rejoin a fleet of nearby ships. Losing several vessels and sustaining heavy damage in the retreat, the captain is only able to destroy one vessel, and inflict minor damage to the alien ships that follow them.

The admiral of the fleet is convinced that the attackers are not alien, but advanced attackers from the other competing earth superpower. Not only does he underestimate the threat, but he plans to use a weapon of mass destruction against their earth rivals, possibly crippling humanity at the outset of what could become a war against an advanced alien race.

The captain and his crew must survive through space battles, internal fleet politics, and an incompetent and reckless fleet commander if they ever hope to beat back the alien fleet, rescue their kidnapped crew, and save humanity from a crippling blow from within.

Narration was good in this one as well. Perfect for the story.

I would definitely recommend this one for fans of space sci-fi.

I can listen to “Flagship” for hours and hours on end without getting bored. Couldn’t believe I found such an awesome Audible book!

** This review does not contain spoilers. **

I used to just listen to Audible while driving in the morning/evening, but with this I had no intention of waiting that long between listens of “Flagship”. This is an incredible value, and it’ll retain your attention like a fish locked in the jaws of a croc!

The various relationships add such value to the story, and perfectly complement the action packed scenes throughout. It’s such a fragile balance, and Isaac Hooke walks the precarious tightrope perfectly, dipping into more action here, then more character development there. Indeed, the character’s behaviour during the action scenes serves to further develop them (this is no surprise given the title of the novel: “Flagship (A Captain’s Crucible Book 1)”).

The narrator, Peter Berkrot does a bang up job of acting the myriad characters. It’s just uncanny how he can voice a macho fighter pilot one second, then switch to a swooning, soft, subtle female the next. Or, the transition from the cold, calculating voice of a virtually emotionless character, to a passionate, heated protagonist voice. I don’t know how he does that, as there is such a striking difference between all the voices; it really adds to the character development.

The overarching story is pretty magnificent, I have to say. No worrying about the story moving on, here: you’ll be swept away by it, rather than having to trudge through a quagmire. There’s no stopping once you start, and the various cliffhangers will leave you wanting for more and more. In fact, once it’s over, you’ll be sad!

But just pick up the next book: “Test of Mettle (A Captain’s Crucible Book 2)” by Isaac Hooke!

A sequel of sorts to his popular Atlas books, this book takes place 70 years or so after the events in Atlas 3. While the story does include a much older Rade Galaal, and even his daughter with Shaw Chopra, now a starship captain herself, this is really more like Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet in tone, dealing with a starship captain and his actions against an alien menace. There is some well plotted space combat, some powerful, mysterious aliens, and some swashbuckling seat of the pants heroics from various characters. There is also some realistic fleet politics, and a backstory for the Captain that makes him a very sympathetic character. Well paced, well written, and with good continuity to the previous books, I cant recommend this highly enough. Peter Berkrot returns to narrate this one like he did the Atlas books, and does a decent job bringing the characters to life. Any fan of Jack Campbell or H. Paul Honsinger should enjoy this book.

Great job of reading this book. Really nice being able sit back and listen to the story. Lots of action with excellent character development.

This is by far Isaac Hooke's best novel. It was refreshing to read a story that both intrigued and entertained me. I have had my issues in the past with some of his characters being a bit two dimensional and maybe just a tad whiney, but this story changes that. These characters are fleshed out with intriguing backstories and little ticks to make them very relatable. The first few chapters are slow to build, but then the story moves with a comfortable fluidity, holding your attention with the right mix of action and planning for more action. The narrator does a wonderful job of reading the story and making the characters come alive. I enjoyed this audio book immensely and cannot wait for the next chapter of the series.

Captain Jonathan Dallas is a complicated fellow. He lives with the nagging guilt that he could have saved a dying mountain climber and holds a simmering hatred for his admiral who wouldn’t help. Now he must face the moral dilemma of following orders to destroy an entire star system and its billions of human inhabitants or face down his past demons and do what he knows is right.

An unknown force has attacked the armada. They could be their human enemies, but more likely an alien force never encountered before. If alien, humanity will need everyone united to stand up to even have a fighting chance.

The action is nearly continuous throughout the novel as star-ships collide. It is a military Sci Fi novel after all and fans shouldn’t be disappointed. Set several years after the Atlas series, an older, wiser and bitter Rade Gallal makes a cameo appearance. Captain Dallas and his first officer are clearly the main characters though, and their friendship is the sub-plot that gives the story a human element.

The novel is performed by Peter Berkrot, who does an excellent job. Like all great narrators, he adds his interpretation to the drama. You will either love his performance or find it intrusive, but that’s why you listen to audiobooks and not computer generated readings. In this listener’s opinion, he added greatly to the story once you get used to his style.

You may enjoy listening to the Atlas series as a prequel to Flagship, but it is by no means necessary to its enjoyment. This is a new series and stands on its own. If you enjoy space battles with a little human drama thrown in for effect, you should put this one on your short list. It is a good listen with plenty of action. You’ll be looking forward to book two when available.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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