Vanguard

Ark Royal, Book 7

By: Christopher G. Nuttall

Narrated by: Ralph Lister

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

Great story, repetitive execution

I've loved this series from the start and most of the authors work. My only complaint is with the repetitive references used throughout each chapter. Literally every moment of inner dialogue from the main characters is peppered with call backs to what. "the bean counters" would think or whether an action would end a career. these elements are great when used peppered in sparsely but they're grossly overused through the book. A minor complaint against what is an outstanding book and series. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sci-fi war fantasy.

The start of a new story arc

Each trilogy within the larger Ark Royal series centers around a single ship and an associated alien contact story line. The initial trilogy featured an outdated carrier class ship, Ark Royal, and first contact with the race that became known as the tadpoles, which led to an interstellar war. The second trilogy featured a heavy cruiser class ship, Warspite, and first contact with the planet Vesy that contained a reptilian race not as technologically advanced as humanity. The Warspite trilogy had us fighting amongst ourselves and it just wasn't as good as the original. This third series features the first ship from a new class of battleship, Vanguard, and another story of interstellar war that hopes to recapture the glory of the initial series. Does it work?

Well it is too early to tell after just the first book, but the start is certainly a step up from the second series. Vanguard is a ship that is designed take a beating, which puts it at the front of the action in every space battle so that helps to keep things moving along. That's good because I don't yet know how I feel about the 2 main new characters who offer you perspectives from both the top and the bottom of the hierarchy on Vanguard. The first is Susan Onarina, the new XO of Vanguard, who finds herself with additional responsibility because the eccentric captain of the ship isn't reliable in a fight. Unfortunately I found this situation to be rather contrived and I am not sure it made the story any better. The second new character is George (Georgina) Fitzwilliam, who is the niece of the First Space Lord, and also the newest midshipman on Vanguard. This makes her the lowest ranking officer on the ship and she quickly finds herself in hot water because the senior midshipman has it out for her due to her privileged family ties. I found her situation much more engaging than that of the XO and thus found myself caring more about her in return.

So this third trilogy is off to a better start than the second, so we shall see where it goes from here. Ralph Lister remains the narrator and his ability to do various UK accents continues to make him a good fit for the material. This is military sci-fi through and through so if you are new to the series then clearly start with Ark Royal, but if you have already read the Ark Royal series and enjoyed it then this book is also worth considering.

yes

Books. like words but also in an order I enjoy. Pretty mind pictures. Five Stars.

Skip it: Overwrought and repetitive

This audio book feels like another one rushed out of the gate by Audible before it was finalized or properly edited. The text itself repeats phrases and descriptions verbatim in several places, as if the author ran out of synonyms or ideas. And on occasion a completely wrong word appears, which might have passed a spell checker but is not contextually correct. Almost didn't listen past the first chapter; the performance was so overdone and billious it felt as if the narrator was performing for six-year-olds. But there's so much gratuitous sexual tittilation that clearly it's a story for adults. If you're following the series, you can skip this one and not miss much.

Good.... but.... ARGH!

Two things that are so annoying that on book 7 this author never caught on to, and has not resolved yet, just pisses me off.

First, the "After All" thing... i mean really?! EVERY DAMN SENTENCE ENDS WITH "AFTER ALL"!?!?! Is this a British thing? Because i'll tell ya right now, as an author and writer my self, i would NEVER let a work out for publication with an issue like that. Let alone 7 of them. Every time i listen to it now, i feel like i'm getting punched in the face with a wet noodle, it ruins the story for me.

Second. NO MILITARY INT HE WORLD would NOT provide a way for an XO to report their CO without repercussions on their record. This is seriously the dumbest plot point in this entire series, and i'm ready to scream! At the very least an informal meeting with an admiral that likes the XO, to explain her concerns would go completely off the record and the admiral could actually DO SOMETHING about the damn problem. No navy officer worth their salt would EVER let concerns for their own career put the people under their command in jeopardy. EVER. Because in any western style navy that very issue would get them dishonorably discharged.

Maybe this is a problem in the Royal Navy today. I don't know, but i heavily doubt it. In the US, an XO reliving a captain who is having a panic attack in the middle of combat would be hailed a hero. Both by the captain, and the admiralty.

Other then these two MAJOR PROBLEM points with me, i actually enjoy this book... i just hope i can finish it... after all... GOD DAM that hurts to even write now.

Series keeps getting better

The series keeps getting better. This book was better than the colonial war series, and promises great things for the rest of the trilogy.

Done it again !

Yet again, another great book in the Ark Royal series.
Already downloaded the next book.

Christopher. Please write quicker !

such a good series

nuttal does it again expanding the ark royal universe and story with all new characters. if you're a fan of the series, this will not disappoint.

A great addition to the series

This was a great addition to the series. It takes the story in a whole new direction with new aliens to fight.

great book 😀 👍

a very good book 😀 the book series is great Love the story I highly recommend listening to this book and the series 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

this time it's not the humans fault.

another great story from a great author with some nice and interesting characters. I look forward to the next book to see what happens next.

great

cant help but get lost in them. a really good listen! makes you look forward to the rest.

Brilliant!!! best of the entire series so far

best work so far by the Nuttall and the performer,for the Ark Royal series.

couldn't stop listening!!!!

A great military sci-fi novel

This is right out of the top drawer. I listened to it avidly and wanted more when it was done. Brit sci-fi fans will absolutely love this.

Not quite as Expected

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I Liked the Story, but there were times when there was a jump in the story leaving you wondering if a chapter had been left out, a chunk of download missing. It gave me the impression that this had been hurried. Was this worth the purchase, I think only if there will be a followup Book 8 in this series.

The Great Series continues

Really enjoy this series of book since the beginning with Ask Royal. Vanguard Book continues this great form with the Royal Navy in space. It is very refreshing from the staple of American super hero movies going on now. Though I don't see any of these books being changed to movie format which is both good and bad. Can't wait til book 2.

great listen

great listen really enjoyed it, and all the characters. can't wait for next book to come out