Vanguard

Ark Royal, Book 7

By: Christopher G. Nuttall

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

The third trilogy in the hit Ark Royal series begins now!

HMS Vanguard is the most powerful battleship ever to be commissioned by the Royal Navy, but she is not a happy ship. Her commanding officer is eccentric, rarely seen on the bridge; her former XO has deserted his post; and her first middy is resentful because he hasn't been promoted as he deserves....

But when a first contact mission goes badly wrong, HMS Vanguard and her crew are plunged into an interstellar war against a new and deadly alien threat. And if they don't make it back to friendly space in time, they will merely be the first to die in a new interstellar war.

©2016 Christopher G. Nuttall (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Action packed story

This is book seven in the Ark Royal Series. HMS Vanguard is the most powerful battleship build by the Royal Navy. Each of the books in this series features a ship starting with the old obsolete ship HMS Arch Royal. The last book featured HMS Warspite; the Navy has taken lessons learned and built the mighty HMS Vanguard. As in the other books there is a problem with the commanding officer and an unhappy crew. The Captain has mental problems, the XO went AWOL and our hero, Susan, is the newly assigned XO. As Susan is trying to figure out what is wrong with the ship and what to do, a new alien species is discovered and Vanguard is sent as part of the fleet to attempt to meet the aliens. Vanguard suddenly finds herself at war with the new alien species; thankfully the Tadpoles are allies in this war.

Nuttall usually has some interesting characters in his books and this story is no exception. The author has managed to keep information about the new aliens limited and that helps build more suspense. This is the first book in this series to feature a black woman in the leading role. Nuttall has always featured strong, competent women in his books. I cannot wait for the next book in the series. Ralph Lister does an adequate job narrating the story.

Could be a great story!

Would you listen to Vanguard again? Why?

It's difficult enough to listen the first time. I like the Ark Royal series, and Chris Nuttall can come up with good stories, but his "personal narration" style is so annoying. To hear everything first stated and then repeated in the person's own words gets immensely tiring.

Love this series!

Loved everything about this book. Something different at the end than in previous books, I didn't like not finding out what happens to the main heroine.

Earth lives in dangerous neighborhood

Vanguard, Book 7 in the Ark Royal universe by Christopher G. Nuttall is the name of a new spaceship and the 1st installment of the next anticipated trilogy. Vanguard represents the next evolution of the ever increasing size and complexity of space faring, but battle competent vessels. With an eccentric captain who can't give an order, a new XO rapidly put in place after the last one went AWOL, and a novice middie who just happens to be the niece of an Admiral, the crew quickly shifts from battle games to battle ready as a new alien race is encountered in the most inconvenient manner.

The sci-fi elements are in line with the overall Ark Royal universe, while the new alien race remains largely unseen. The main focus of the tale surrounds two female crew members. The new XO, must deal with a wholly unfamiliar ship as well as a captain who appears to have lost his nerve, while midshipman Fitzwilliam endures hazing and hatred from a crewman who resent her lineage. Both women display exemplary grace under fire in the classic British tradition. The tale ends with the XO ready to face the music for her actions and Earth being force to deal with a new alien menace and questions about their alien tadpole allies.

The narration is superb as usual with excellent character discrimination, gender distinction, and a smooth British accent that doesn't overpower. Pacing is matched to the ebb and flow of the action.

Chris Nuttall hits another home run

I haven't listened to the entire series but this was as good as Ark Royal. His books work as series or stand alone. Started on Empire Marines series now. Going to listen in order.