Perilous Shield

The Lost Stars, Book 2

By: Jack Campbell

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 13 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

A thrilling spin-off from Jack Campbell’s The Lost Fleet series, The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight delivered "excellent tales of space battles and struggles against tyrants and aliens". Now the New York Times best-selling author returns with the next chapter in the overthrow of the Syndicate Worlds’ oppression….

Following a successful coup, the leaders of the rebel Midway Star System struggle to forge a government free enough to please its citizens yet strong enough to secure power. But in a world where former rulers have become new foes, an alien threat to humanity may turn old adversaries into uncertain allies.

General Artur Drakon knows three words describe someone who confides in a Syndicate CEO: Stupid. Betrayed. Dead. Despite his misgivings, he partnered with another former CEO to overthrow Syndic forces. Now, with an enigma fleet menacing their hard-earned independence, he can ill afford to trust her - or lose her support.

President Gwen Iceni believes Midway is humanity’s defense against the enigmas. Syndicate training taught her self-preservation in a crisis, yet she’s determined to fight for the star system’s fate…even if it means joining forces with Drakon - and an officer of the hated Alliance.

Their plan places the Midway flotilla at great risk in hopes of greater reward: recruiting the personnel necessary to man warships against the enigmas. But before facing the alien advance, Drakon and Iceni must survive hidden dangers closer to home: all-too-human threats that could jeopardize Midway’s freedom…and their own lives.

©2013 John G. Hemry (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Not disappointed

Would you consider the audio edition of Perilous Shield: The Lost Stars, Book 2 to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version.

What other book might you compare Perilous Shield: The Lost Stars, Book 2 to and why?

Kept me hooked on the story from book one.

Which scene was your favorite?

Enjoyed them all

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Great story

The story continues in ernest.

Things begin to pick up in this and the story becomes its own. It's exciting to see a more down to earth story. It delves into individual characters and their motivation. I definitely recommend a read, especially if you enjoyed the Lost fleet series. The narrator continues to do an excellent job.

Weird pronunciations abound

The story remains on par with the caliber of the rest of the installments in the Lost Fleet Universe, and is fantastic, however Mark Vietor's pronunciation decisions are a bit strange. I was able to overlook Gwen Iceni becoming Gwen eye-SEEN-eye with some work, but Victoria Rione becoming Victoria Rion-EE is just strange and to my view, nonsensical.

Great until the last 1 hour

Any additional comments?

I started listening to this book literally within a minute of having finished Tarnished Knight, and the transition is not smooth. After having the last book end on a certain note, with a certain situation and a certain conversation taking place, this book begins as if that didn't just happen, as if that conversation never took place and none of the important things were ever said, which felt rather weird. If I had known I would have given myself time to forget the last conversation of Tarnished Knight before stating this book.

But nevermind that, it's a good, interesting book. It even made me laugh out loud once. I listened to all of it in a day and a half.


One serious complaint though. There is a twist at the end of this book. A twist that belongs in a soap opera, not *space* opera. It is the very nature of a soap opera that most of the drama in it is due to for example unanswered feelings/inconvenient romance/unfaithfulness/unwanted pregnancy/children outside of wedlock/bla bla bla bla, and that is NOT what I want to read.

Consequently I absolutely hated the way this book ended. It was further more unnecessary because there were numerous other things that could have served as quite effective cliff-hangers, things that have nothing to do with who slept with whom and why; things that instead deal with what the book was actually about - like fleets, and shipyards, and getting trained personel, and dealing with traitors, and maturing as a leader, and and and - all of this is awesome and is what I bought the book for. So I am very surprised that the author decided to finish with ...this. If this is indicative of things to come, I will not be buying the next book. Damn it, I was enjoying the story thoroughly before that last unfortunate hour. But if there was ever a sudden twist in a story designed to ensure I won't be sticking around for the conclusion, this was it. It was just that stupid.

This one is a real zinger!

The plot thickens considerably in this one with one really large OMG moment. Lots of good space conflict.

Drakon sure has his hands full!

Where does The Lost Stars: Perilous Shield rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Perilous Shield ranks at least 9.3 out of 10 among the audiobooks stacked on my groaning virtual bookshelf.

What did you like best about this story?

The best thing about this book and the Lost Stars series so far is discovering how utterly depraved, ruthless and backstabbing the smarmy, nasal voiced Syndic leadership is as seen through the eye's of Midway Star System's dynamic duo: Iceni and Drakon plus their respective minions, scions, syncophants and suck ups. The way I see it, even Syndic newborns better crawl to a back corner of their crib pronto and start erecting their fluffy CEO dolls into a makeshift barrier against all suspicious subjects - and don't discount mommy be she biological or, ahem, surrogate.

Also, I now know whom to never, ever have in the back seat sitting behind me in any vehicle anywhere - Morgan.

What about Marc Vietor’s performance did you like?

Marc Vietor is a narrator of the first water. He injects the right amount of menace, if that is the word I want, into the story. Vietor's narration style complimented the spoken text to make this audiobook a solid listen. I particularly like his sultry, Southern-drawl voiced Morgan. This f......ed n the head rocket is a stone cold give you a soft, warm sensuous kiss then empty a clip of 9mm hollow-tip poisoned slugs in the back of your head kind of gal. Whenever she enters a scene someone is going to die, be left crumpled in an expanding pool of their own blood, or stage a hasty retreat hampered by a pronounced limp.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Will Iceni and Drakon finally get some peace and quiet to realize that what is most important is to jump each other's bones?

Any additional comments?

A guaranteed cert listen. Black Jack Geary and all of his superhuman, golden touch baggage is now starting to mess with the minds of the Midway Star System's mucky mucks. I bet they start to get pissed at this added psychic burden in the next installment with hilarious results.

Christian Rummell was a much better reader

If you could sum up Perilous Shield: The Lost Stars, Book 2 in three words, what would they be?

Kept be going

Did Marc Vietor do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

No

Any additional comments?

Christian Rummell would have been a much better narrator to finish out this series. Mr. Vietor has a nice listening voice but his ability to separate the characters was poor. Everyone sounded the same except for the one character with the English or was it Scottish accent - again hard to tell, perhaps it was Russian. LOL

Better than the first in the series!

I liked this book better than the first in this series. There was an excellent plot twist and by the end General Dragon is in a tough spot even as he and President Iceni grow closer and learn to trust one another. I can't wait to start the next in the series!

The saga continues and the pace never lets up

This book carries on from the first book of this series and overlaps Guardian in the "Lost Fleet: Beyond The Frontier" series.

I highly recommend listening to the first two "Beyond the Frontier" books, then the first "Lost Stars" book, then Guardian, then this one. (And before them listen to the "Lost Fleet" Series. - all excellent books.)

What I really like about the "Lost Stars" series is the change of style from the "Lost Fleet" series. Here we have multiple viewpoints rather than just one and we are not confined to a ship but have things happening on planets, in space, on orbital facilities - all over the place. I especially like the multiple viewpoints and having multiple main characters.

The series is the story of basically good people who have been brought up in a tradition of totalitarian government and trained in how to carry out ruthless repression, trying to not only break away from the central government but also from their fixed ideas, their past training, and their past sins.

The book starts with some overlap of events in the Guardian book, yet Campbell somehow keeps you on the edge of your seat. The overlap is seen from other viewpoints and the dangers to the main characters are different from Guardian and never boring.

The narration is excellent. He never misses a beat and maintains a consistent rhythm and a pace so that when the book ends, you are just dying for the next one.

A great book. I can't wait for the next in the series.

The syndicate leaders.... oh my!

Just when you think you have a handle on what is going on.... you don't. No one understands Geary. Not the alliance... not the syndicate.