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Kris Longknife #8
Redoubtable
Lieutenant Commander Kris Longknife has precise orders: seek out, engage, and destroy pirates, slavers, and drug lords operating beyond the rim of human space-without interfering in Peterwald family affairs. But when slavers kidnap a twelve-year-old girl, Kris's mission becomes personal. And if destroying the pirate compound flattens some Peterwald interests-well, to hell with politics.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 26, 2010
38 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
About the author
Mike Shepherd
89Ìýbooks566ÌýfollowersA pseudonym used by .
Mike was born in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Hospital -- and left that town at the age of three days for reasons he does not presently recall. But they had to draft him to get him back there. He missed very little of the rest of the country. Growing up Navy, he lived about everywhere you could park an aircraft carrier.
Mike was one of those college students who didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation. In 1968, his Uncle Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two days into boot camp, the Army was wondering if they might not have been a bit hasty. Mike ended the day in the Intensive Care Unit of the local Army hospital. Despite most of Mike’s personal war stories being limited to "How I flunked boot camp," he can still write a rollicking good military SF yarns.
Mike didn’t survive all that long as a cab driver (he got lost) or bartender (he made the drinks too strong) but he figured he could at least work for the Navy Department as a budget analyst. Until he spent the whole day trying to balance the barracks accounts for paint. Finally, about quitting time, a grinning senior analyst took him aside and let him in on the secret. They'd hidden the money for refitting a battleship in that little account. Slowly it dawned on Mike that there were a few things about the Navy that even a kid who grew up in it would never understand.
Over the next twenty years, Mike branched out into other genres, including instruction memos, policies, performance standards and even a few labor contracts. All of those, you may notice, lack a certain something. Dialogue ... those things in quotes. In `87, Mike’s big break came. He landed on a two year special project to build a digital map showing where the trees, rivers, roads, Spotted Owls and other critters were in western Oregon. The list went on and on with no end in sight and two years became ten.
Since there was no writing involved in his new day job, Mike had to do something to get the words out. He signed up for a writing class at Clark Community College and proudly turned in a story ... Star Wars shoots down the second coming of Christ.
Two years later, Analog bought "Summer Hopes, Winter Dreams" for the March, 1991 issue. Four years later he sold his first novel. In the ten years since then, Mike’s turned in twelve novels and is researching the next three.
Mike's love for Science Fiction started when he picked up "Rocket Ship Galileo" in the fifth grade, and then proceeded to read every book in the library with a rocket sticker on its spine.
Mike digs for his stories among people and change. Through his interest in history, he has traces the transformations that make us what we are today. Science launches us forward into an ever changing universe. Once upon a time, the only changes in peoples lives came with the turning of the seasons and the growing wrinkles on their brows. Today, science drives most of the changes in our daily lives. Still, we can't avoid the pressure of our own awakening hormones or hardening arteries. Mike is happiest when his stories are speeding across thin ice, balanced on the edge of two sharp blades, one anciently human, the other as new as tomorrow's research.
Trained in International Relations and history, salary administration and bargaining, theology and counseling, Mike is having a ball writing about Kris Longknife ... coming of age while the world her grand parents built threatens to crash down around her ears. These are books I think you’ll love ... and my granddaughter and grandsons too!
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife Ellen, his mother-in-law and any visiting grandkids. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grand-children for story ideas and upgrading his computer -- all are never ending.
Mike was born in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Hospital -- and left that town at the age of three days for reasons he does not presently recall. But they had to draft him to get him back there. He missed very little of the rest of the country. Growing up Navy, he lived about everywhere you could park an aircraft carrier.
Mike was one of those college students who didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation. In 1968, his Uncle Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two days into boot camp, the Army was wondering if they might not have been a bit hasty. Mike ended the day in the Intensive Care Unit of the local Army hospital. Despite most of Mike’s personal war stories being limited to "How I flunked boot camp," he can still write a rollicking good military SF yarns.
Mike didn’t survive all that long as a cab driver (he got lost) or bartender (he made the drinks too strong) but he figured he could at least work for the Navy Department as a budget analyst. Until he spent the whole day trying to balance the barracks accounts for paint. Finally, about quitting time, a grinning senior analyst took him aside and let him in on the secret. They'd hidden the money for refitting a battleship in that little account. Slowly it dawned on Mike that there were a few things about the Navy that even a kid who grew up in it would never understand.
Over the next twenty years, Mike branched out into other genres, including instruction memos, policies, performance standards and even a few labor contracts. All of those, you may notice, lack a certain something. Dialogue ... those things in quotes. In `87, Mike’s big break came. He landed on a two year special project to build a digital map showing where the trees, rivers, roads, Spotted Owls and other critters were in western Oregon. The list went on and on with no end in sight and two years became ten.
Since there was no writing involved in his new day job, Mike had to do something to get the words out. He signed up for a writing class at Clark Community College and proudly turned in a story ... Star Wars shoots down the second coming of Christ.
Two years later, Analog bought "Summer Hopes, Winter Dreams" for the March, 1991 issue. Four years later he sold his first novel. In the ten years since then, Mike’s turned in twelve novels and is researching the next three.
Mike's love for Science Fiction started when he picked up "Rocket Ship Galileo" in the fifth grade, and then proceeded to read every book in the library with a rocket sticker on its spine.
Mike digs for his stories among people and change. Through his interest in history, he has traces the transformations that make us what we are today. Science launches us forward into an ever changing universe. Once upon a time, the only changes in peoples lives came with the turning of the seasons and the growing wrinkles on their brows. Today, science drives most of the changes in our daily lives. Still, we can't avoid the pressure of our own awakening hormones or hardening arteries. Mike is happiest when his stories are speeding across thin ice, balanced on the edge of two sharp blades, one anciently human, the other as new as tomorrow's research.
Trained in International Relations and history, salary administration and bargaining, theology and counseling, Mike is having a ball writing about Kris Longknife ... coming of age while the world her grand parents built threatens to crash down around her ears. These are books I think you’ll love ... and my granddaughter and grandsons too!
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife Ellen, his mother-in-law and any visiting grandkids. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grand-children for story ideas and upgrading his computer -- all are never ending.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 18, 2016
Another on the low end of my four-star ratings, though perhaps unfairly. The plot is good and the pacing excellent (with a single overarching through line, though it has three theaters of action). The battles are satisfying and all that stuff.
My discontent is with the (lack of) character development. And by that, I mean the big fat nothing developing on the relationship front. I'm not completely sold on Jack and Kris. I'd like it to happen and would love to see them move forward as a couple, but I could see them pulling the platonic thing, too. But it's way past time for that to develop one direction or the other. They're aware enough of each other that it's starting to get awkward that they aren't moving at all. I particularly hated the bits from Jack's PoV in this one with him checking out some hot young thing in his near orbit. Yeah, she's pretty and he's a guy and he didn't do anything beyond very mild mental appreciation. But that really just served to highlight how out of place it was as the only relationshipy thing in the book.
Come to think of it, I rather liked all the rest of the character developments in the book. Vicky continues to be fun and I really do hope she returns. I like her dynamic with the various big names and I like her being able to bounce off Kris in ways that provides learning experiences for both. I also like how it manages to humanize the Greenfeld forces so as to preclude easy judgements and facile "they're the enemy of everything good" habits.
I even "liked" developments with Cara in this one. She was bound to get into trouble eventually with her casual disregard for others she has been developing. I liked that the trouble she found was way, way bigger than expected and that she was provided such an excellent opportunity to see the reality of her universe. And yeah, she'll carry scars, but I have every confidence she's in a place where they can become the accepted scars of lessons learned well.
So yeah, a good story and probably should be on the higher end of my four stars. And would be if it weren't for my deeply ingrained romanticism...
My discontent is with the (lack of) character development. And by that, I mean the big fat nothing developing on the relationship front. I'm not completely sold on Jack and Kris. I'd like it to happen and would love to see them move forward as a couple, but I could see them pulling the platonic thing, too. But it's way past time for that to develop one direction or the other. They're aware enough of each other that it's starting to get awkward that they aren't moving at all. I particularly hated the bits from Jack's PoV in this one with him checking out some hot young thing in his near orbit. Yeah, she's pretty and he's a guy and he didn't do anything beyond very mild mental appreciation. But that really just served to highlight how out of place it was as the only relationshipy thing in the book.
Come to think of it, I rather liked all the rest of the character developments in the book. Vicky continues to be fun and I really do hope she returns. I like her dynamic with the various big names and I like her being able to bounce off Kris in ways that provides learning experiences for both. I also like how it manages to humanize the Greenfeld forces so as to preclude easy judgements and facile "they're the enemy of everything good" habits.
I even "liked" developments with Cara in this one. She was bound to get into trouble eventually with her casual disregard for others she has been developing. I liked that the trouble she found was way, way bigger than expected and that she was provided such an excellent opportunity to see the reality of her universe. And yeah, she'll carry scars, but I have every confidence she's in a place where they can become the accepted scars of lessons learned well.
So yeah, a good story and probably should be on the higher end of my four stars. And would be if it weren't for my deeply ingrained romanticism...
August 5, 2022
With this 8th book, we conclude the second arc (dealing with the new jump points/pirates). Kris is still healing from the bomb attack that nearly killed her last book and has adopted a much more mature mien as a result. She's a lot more serious and contemplative, giving us some good character development.
Story: Kris ends up in the outskirts of Peterwald territory and finds herself in the middle of a bad situation. A colony is overtaxed with refugees fleeing a nearby and important Peterwald world where corruption has got out of hand. It's a delicate situation for Kris: she doesn't dare overstep her bounds but she also can't look away from the atrocities being committed on two worlds: a vicious warlord on one and a callous political leader on the other.
So far, Kris has had to deal with being a green navy recruit with the Longknife legacy/drama and until now, being a captain exploring new areas and rooting out pirates and warlords. With the arrival of the iteechee, her universe just got a lot bigger and she now has a reason to really hold those fuzzy jumpoints close.
There is a lot of action on two worlds and as usual, Kris has to problem solve her way out of it. More and more, she is delegating to subordinates or splitting them up to attact different points of the problem. More and more, we are seeing Vicky Peterwald in the picture.
There is some character development -Jack really figuring out his feelings for the princess, Vicky growing as she orbits Kris, Abbie's maternal instinct's kicking in over Cara, Penny moving on, and Kris sobering to the reality that she has been very foolish in the past and likely won't get away with that in the future. Her injuries in her leg affect/carry on in this novel.
Note: I listened to the audio version and the narrator (who is there for the entire series) does an excellent job as usual. The audio was a bit off in this one, however, and she sounded like she was in a wind tunnel. It is quite distracting in the beginning.
Story: Kris ends up in the outskirts of Peterwald territory and finds herself in the middle of a bad situation. A colony is overtaxed with refugees fleeing a nearby and important Peterwald world where corruption has got out of hand. It's a delicate situation for Kris: she doesn't dare overstep her bounds but she also can't look away from the atrocities being committed on two worlds: a vicious warlord on one and a callous political leader on the other.
So far, Kris has had to deal with being a green navy recruit with the Longknife legacy/drama and until now, being a captain exploring new areas and rooting out pirates and warlords. With the arrival of the iteechee, her universe just got a lot bigger and she now has a reason to really hold those fuzzy jumpoints close.
There is a lot of action on two worlds and as usual, Kris has to problem solve her way out of it. More and more, she is delegating to subordinates or splitting them up to attact different points of the problem. More and more, we are seeing Vicky Peterwald in the picture.
There is some character development -Jack really figuring out his feelings for the princess, Vicky growing as she orbits Kris, Abbie's maternal instinct's kicking in over Cara, Penny moving on, and Kris sobering to the reality that she has been very foolish in the past and likely won't get away with that in the future. Her injuries in her leg affect/carry on in this novel.
Note: I listened to the audio version and the narrator (who is there for the entire series) does an excellent job as usual. The audio was a bit off in this one, however, and she sounded like she was in a wind tunnel. It is quite distracting in the beginning.
March 12, 2015
This is book eight in the Longknife series. Kris was promoted to Lieutenant Commander at the end of the last book and sent back to the Rim to patrol for pirates and watch the Greenfeld (Peterwald) territory. Kris is still healing from the wounds she received in the last book and Nelly is enjoying her new babies. Kris is disappointed because she wanted to go hunting for what is happening to the lost ships in book 7. She is now in command of a small fleet of pirate hunters.
Kris arrives to help Kaskatos, a planet suffering from a famine but before she can help the inhabitants she must deal with renegade soldiers stealing what little food there is on the planet. To add further problems for Kris the planet is technically in Greenfeld territory and outside Kris’s jurisdiction. Now she must carry on political negotiation with the Peterwald, on top of helping the planet dealing with pirates and so on. There is less interaction between crew members in this story and more about the Kris and the Peterwald family. Kris and Vicky continue to work on a friendly relationship. Abby’s niece Kara is kidnapped Kris and Vicky join forces to search and rescue Kara.
As with the prior books in the series this book has lots of action, suspense and witty dialogue. The pace is very fast and Shepherd is good with the battle scenes. Kris has my favorite character in the book her personal computer “Nelly� and now the addition of “Nelly’s babies.� The personal computers are designed by Nelly for Kris’s key crewmen. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Dina Pearlman continues her excellent narration of the series.
Kris arrives to help Kaskatos, a planet suffering from a famine but before she can help the inhabitants she must deal with renegade soldiers stealing what little food there is on the planet. To add further problems for Kris the planet is technically in Greenfeld territory and outside Kris’s jurisdiction. Now she must carry on political negotiation with the Peterwald, on top of helping the planet dealing with pirates and so on. There is less interaction between crew members in this story and more about the Kris and the Peterwald family. Kris and Vicky continue to work on a friendly relationship. Abby’s niece Kara is kidnapped Kris and Vicky join forces to search and rescue Kara.
As with the prior books in the series this book has lots of action, suspense and witty dialogue. The pace is very fast and Shepherd is good with the battle scenes. Kris has my favorite character in the book her personal computer “Nelly� and now the addition of “Nelly’s babies.� The personal computers are designed by Nelly for Kris’s key crewmen. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Dina Pearlman continues her excellent narration of the series.
January 19, 2012
Man, I keep reading these books, and being frustrated by the copy editing. (Just because the word is spelled correctly and has similar letters doesn't make it the right word, argh.) But I continue to buy these books - yes, I own the whole run - because there is a Pretty Good Book aching to get out of all of these books. (If only someone could put in *question marks*. Or to remind the author that Kris is still injured after the first 50 pages.)
The story arc with the teenager is not nearly as annoying as last time. I *did* have trouble keeping everyone's computer's names straight - there's a lot of characters, with the doubling.
But some things moved forward (although some didn't). Minor plot annoyances, but nothing too drastic happened. Although if Jack marries someone outside the core group, I am pretty sure I *will* quit the series, gods. But...as yet I guess I'm still reading them.
The story arc with the teenager is not nearly as annoying as last time. I *did* have trouble keeping everyone's computer's names straight - there's a lot of characters, with the doubling.
But some things moved forward (although some didn't). Minor plot annoyances, but nothing too drastic happened. Although if Jack marries someone outside the core group, I am pretty sure I *will* quit the series, gods. But...as yet I guess I'm still reading them.
September 20, 2016
Well, I swore after the last one that I was giving up on the series. But I do believe I am addicted. This one wasn't so much a DNF as a totally skimmed to catch the plot points and to see what's happening with the characters.
I did get frustrated though--and this is a problem with a long running series where you only get one episode a year--I have forgotten a lot of what happened in earlier books. For the most part that's okay, but I am fairly certain that Kris was more grown-up several books ago that she appeared to be in this one.
Oh well--this mission was rather a bit of fluff--let's hope the next one has more meat.
I did get frustrated though--and this is a problem with a long running series where you only get one episode a year--I have forgotten a lot of what happened in earlier books. For the most part that's okay, but I am fairly certain that Kris was more grown-up several books ago that she appeared to be in this one.
Oh well--this mission was rather a bit of fluff--let's hope the next one has more meat.
January 14, 2014
This is more of a coherent novel than the past several entries. Shepherd does indulge in mixing ground tactics, melodrama and ship action. For most of the novel, Kris is acting more as a commanding officer than as a supernumerary Marine officer. This is an improvement. The villains are still more cartoons than characters - pirate behaviors mostly don't make sense. Hopefully, the series will continue to move towards exploration.
February 24, 2023
3.5 stars.
Feb 2023 - re-listened.
__________
April 2021
Another good instalment to the series and the first open alliance between Kris and the Greenfeld heiress Vicky. It's good to get more insight into the other half of humanity and how it began. I'm looking forward to learning who is behind the superior tech that's even beating Nellie's skills.
Feb 2023 - re-listened.
__________
April 2021
Another good instalment to the series and the first open alliance between Kris and the Greenfeld heiress Vicky. It's good to get more insight into the other half of humanity and how it began. I'm looking forward to learning who is behind the superior tech that's even beating Nellie's skills.
April 12, 2012
Popcorn!
Nutritionally worthless, mostly air, ... but irresistibly tasty!
Every time I finish a "Longknife", I swear I won't waste my time on another. I say the same thing after every bag of popcorn.
Nutritionally worthless, mostly air, ... but irresistibly tasty!
Every time I finish a "Longknife", I swear I won't waste my time on another. I say the same thing after every bag of popcorn.
July 21, 2014
Quite good, the whole series is truly enjoyable.
September 19, 2017
This was another excellent book in the Kris Longknife space opera series. We see Kris learn some hard facts about the sacrifice of command, and living with the consequences of choices while in command. This book also features more about Cara and her Aunt Abby (Kris's "maid".) Action is spread throughout this book, although there are some slow spots where things get a bit tedious with political wrangling.
January 13, 2019
‪Recent Reads: Kris Longknife Redoutable. Eight volumes into Mike Shepherd's milSF series, and our eponymous heroine is hunting pirates and picking up the pieces of a fallen interstellar state. Politics is in the way, again, and an old rivalry has become a possible friendship. �
July 7, 2020
Better than the last one, except the aliens. I don’t like two things: that fact that she always announce herself and the 180 on Vicky, the same thing happened with her brother. I liked the tone and the “family� around her, not the real one.
October 21, 2017
Another high action novel with some nervous-making spots. He really kept me tense and slightly grossed out in a spot or two (I hate slavers too). Yet another must-read.
April 9, 2019
Loved the great battles, and, getting to know more about the enemy.
November 9, 2019
Great fun as always!
July 22, 2023
Chasing pirates again, but this time next to Peterwald Space.
August 19, 2024
To much contrived stupid nonsense of all sorts. It starts nearly from the beginning and keeps on going down Fool's Road for most of the story and at times just exceeds the absurd.
March 14, 2017
Frenemies working on solutions
Great read while combining the to family navy and marine compliments in settlement of pirates. Well enjoyable and onward to the next one.
Great read while combining the to family navy and marine compliments in settlement of pirates. Well enjoyable and onward to the next one.
July 27, 2019
I'm glad to see that his story writing has gotten stronger and more consistent.
May 7, 2011
Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series was one of the first SF series I read and liked. I fell in love with the main character, unsurprisingly named Kris Longknife and her merry band of... what shall we call them, compatriots? Soldiers? Employees? Let's go with friends, because the main supporting cast are Kris' friends, sometimes despite their own best judgement. The books are filled with fun characters whose snark and humour tickle my funny bone and I really love the dialogues and interactions in the Longknife books. Every book is its own separate adventure, while at the same time advancing the over-arching story. Books can be read as a standalone but you lose out on some of the in-jokes. Redoubtable, the latest instalment of the series, is no exception to the rule and didn't disappoint.
As in previous books the reader literally gets dropped into the action. If there is one thing Shepherd writes well it's action scenes. The book gets going and just keeps rolling at breakneck speed. Shepherd doesn't shy away from showing the atrocities of war and the bad guys in the first act of the book are pretty horrible. But the gore and horror only truly come out in the second part of the book, when Kris takes out the second pirate base. The famine, treatment of the slaves and the callous disregard for live is chilling. Shepherd might write military SF, but at no point and in no way does he glorify war. He does celebrate the camaraderie, loyalty and bravery of Kris' troops, who consist of both Navy and Marine personnel.
In between the big action-filled confrontations, we do get to breathe during several more political sequences where Kris has to deal with the consequences of her military actions. While good and bad are clearly delineated in almost black and white, there are also some grey areas and characters that are explored and in this book we get a further look at the Greenfeld area of space and at Lieutenant Victoria Smythe-Peterwald in particular. I like how she and Kris more or less bond of being scions of ruling houses and the drawbacks to growing up as such. We see both young ladies growing up, Vicky being tutored by Admiral Krätz and Kris through being through out to swim on her own by her Grampa Ray, though she's helped by her friends. I like how Kris is taking responsibility for the people around her, even going so far as thinking of ways to convince them to stay behind, so they'll be safe.
I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of the Iteeche, the alien race humans fought decades ago in a crippling war, as I really wanted to know what was going on there! I found the Iteeche story arc in the previous book, Undaunted, so cool and I had expected to get back to that instead of having a sort of in-between adventure. I can understand that it would be necessary to cement alliances within the Greenfeld territories, but hopefully the next book will go back to advancing the Iteeche story arc. And I hope we'll see more of Nelly and her kids. I LOVE Kris' AI computer and the way that she is slowly developing her own character and becoming a true separate entity.
Despite my disappointment at the lack of Iteeche action, I did love the book! If you are looking for an entertaining read you can't go far wrong with a Kris Longknife book and Redoubtable is a great addition to the Longknife universe. I can't wait for the next instalment, Daring, in November!
As in previous books the reader literally gets dropped into the action. If there is one thing Shepherd writes well it's action scenes. The book gets going and just keeps rolling at breakneck speed. Shepherd doesn't shy away from showing the atrocities of war and the bad guys in the first act of the book are pretty horrible. But the gore and horror only truly come out in the second part of the book, when Kris takes out the second pirate base. The famine, treatment of the slaves and the callous disregard for live is chilling. Shepherd might write military SF, but at no point and in no way does he glorify war. He does celebrate the camaraderie, loyalty and bravery of Kris' troops, who consist of both Navy and Marine personnel.
In between the big action-filled confrontations, we do get to breathe during several more political sequences where Kris has to deal with the consequences of her military actions. While good and bad are clearly delineated in almost black and white, there are also some grey areas and characters that are explored and in this book we get a further look at the Greenfeld area of space and at Lieutenant Victoria Smythe-Peterwald in particular. I like how she and Kris more or less bond of being scions of ruling houses and the drawbacks to growing up as such. We see both young ladies growing up, Vicky being tutored by Admiral Krätz and Kris through being through out to swim on her own by her Grampa Ray, though she's helped by her friends. I like how Kris is taking responsibility for the people around her, even going so far as thinking of ways to convince them to stay behind, so they'll be safe.
I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of the Iteeche, the alien race humans fought decades ago in a crippling war, as I really wanted to know what was going on there! I found the Iteeche story arc in the previous book, Undaunted, so cool and I had expected to get back to that instead of having a sort of in-between adventure. I can understand that it would be necessary to cement alliances within the Greenfeld territories, but hopefully the next book will go back to advancing the Iteeche story arc. And I hope we'll see more of Nelly and her kids. I LOVE Kris' AI computer and the way that she is slowly developing her own character and becoming a true separate entity.
Despite my disappointment at the lack of Iteeche action, I did love the book! If you are looking for an entertaining read you can't go far wrong with a Kris Longknife book and Redoubtable is a great addition to the Longknife universe. I can't wait for the next instalment, Daring, in November!
November 3, 2010
Another fine entry into the Kris Longknife series. This book sees Kris out in the rim of space, still recovering from landing on a mine (surprisingly not meant for her) and in much more fragile health than any other book. Denied the, reasonable she thought, request to go find out what lurks out beyond the rim of space with her new friend the Itchee Ron, she is instead tasked with something much more thankless - to head out to "Sooner" space and try to find out and stop the pirates that are preying on the "sooners" or refuges that have inhabited the marginal worlds on the rim of the known space. Oh, and Grampa, or rather King, Ray would appreciate if she wouldn't start an interstellar war with the Greenfield alliance world run by the Peterwalds, the age old enemies of her family and their alliance of planets - the United Sentients. The book opens with newly minted Lieutenant Commander Kris's ship The Wasp (newly outfitted and beefed up with more Boffins, Marines and Navy personal, arms and armour thanks to Grandpa Ray and Admiral Crossfield) and the rest of her squadron (a bit of a side note here - in a nod to the "Lost Fleet" series the other ships in her PacRon 10 squadron are named after the major ships in that series and the Captain of the "Dauntless" is named Jack Campbell after the author himself. That series is a great read as well) acting as pirate bait between bringing famine relief to the Sooner worlds. The Wasp is entering orbit above a Sooner world called Kaskatos when a pirate obliges and tries to board her, the action is pretty fast and furious but the pirates are the least of Kris's problems, what she finds down on the surface of the world below turns the stomach of some of the hardened marines in her command. But Kris has to walk the fine line between saving the people of this world and worry that by "liberating" the people of Kaskatos she is not giving offense to the Peterwalds and the Greenfield alliance to which the world belongs. The book just picks up from there with Kris meeting up again with her old nemesis Vicky Peterwald, much more mature and savvy and if you thought that Kris alone could get into trouble, just imagine what she could do when working with Vicky. But we see Kris growing up as she begins to make decisions more appropriate a commander than a junior officer. From the opening fight to the search for Abby's niece to the final confrontation the book rocks along with Jack trying to prevent Kris from doing any further damage to herself and the rest of her crew working to keep up or stay one step ahead of Kris. I just wish there was more development of the supporting characters in the book they are beginning to feel very one dimensional to me.
April 21, 2016
This is the 8th book in the Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd. Kris Longknife has been sent on a mission by her Grandpa, King Ray. Unfortunately it's not the mission she wants to be on. What she would like to do is to accompany Ron, a 4 legged, 4 armed and 4 eyed Iteeche, to investigate a mysterious star system which his people's scout vessels have attempted to visit several times only to disappear without a clue. Because the Iteeche are traditional enemies of humanity dating back some 80 years King Ray is hesitant to help them out. So he sends Kris and her crew on a very different mission. Kris is sent to rein in a bunch of pirates, slavers and other vagabonds who are preying on a swarm of refugees out beyond the Rim. It's a delicate situation. Wardhaven is part of a stellar confederation called the United Sentients. However, a lot of these Rim planets are likely to be claimed by the Greenfeld Empire. The empire's rulers, the Peterwald family, are old enemies of the Longknifes, so they aren't likely to take kindly to Wardhaven ships poking around on their borders. Kris Longknife's mission is to wipe out the riffraff and feed the starving without starting a costly interstellar war. As usual Kris manages to accomplish her mission but things never go as she has planned. Her maid Abby's sorta adopted daughter, Cara, is kidnapped by slavers and the mission turns into a rescue mission and Kris and her crew end up freeing a planet of slaves while rescuing Cara. This book is a great read with some really intense scenes. I recommend it to all fans of Military Science Fiction/Space Opera and fans of Mike Shepherd/Mike Moscoe.
October 14, 2022
In this episode, newly promoted to Lieutenant Commander Kris Longknife has been assigned to the Rim very near the Greenfeld planets to track down pirates, slavers and drug lords.
After tracking down some pirates over Kaskatos, Kris learns that the planet has taken in so many refugees from Greenfeld's New St. Peterburg that everyone on the planet is starving. Kris's mission to hunt pirates has now turned into a humanitarian mission to transport food and other necessities to Kaskatos. And she has to do it in such a way that it doesn't appear to Greenfeld that Wardhaven is making a grab for more territory.
When she goes to New St. Petersburg, she meets old enemies who just might be allies in this case in the persons of Admiral Kratz and Vicky Peterwald. She learns that a lot of the Greenfeld association is in turmoil. Since Vicky's father had most of his secret service killed, it has become an open field for anyone looking for power.
As they team up to hunt for the pirate's base, Abby's niece Cara is kidnapped by slavers and taken to the planet they have been looking for. Now, Kris and her crew have even more incentive to find that and rescue Cara.
This was another great spacer opera episode in Kris Longknife's career.
After tracking down some pirates over Kaskatos, Kris learns that the planet has taken in so many refugees from Greenfeld's New St. Peterburg that everyone on the planet is starving. Kris's mission to hunt pirates has now turned into a humanitarian mission to transport food and other necessities to Kaskatos. And she has to do it in such a way that it doesn't appear to Greenfeld that Wardhaven is making a grab for more territory.
When she goes to New St. Petersburg, she meets old enemies who just might be allies in this case in the persons of Admiral Kratz and Vicky Peterwald. She learns that a lot of the Greenfeld association is in turmoil. Since Vicky's father had most of his secret service killed, it has become an open field for anyone looking for power.
As they team up to hunt for the pirate's base, Abby's niece Cara is kidnapped by slavers and taken to the planet they have been looking for. Now, Kris and her crew have even more incentive to find that and rescue Cara.
This was another great spacer opera episode in Kris Longknife's career.
July 30, 2011
I have enjoyed each of the Kris Longknife books. She is an intreging character faced with some tough moral an ethical societal issues. I like how she processes through them to try and find the right moral choice. As the series has grown the characters have grown as well which is pleasing.
I enjoy the contrasting worldviews between Peterwald and Longknife territories and the looks into socialism, totalitarianism and the contrast with a free market system. The pressing need for free market systems to work is moral character and without it socialism or higher control systems begin to look viable. But are they really?
I also enjoy the mixture of politics, military and public record are handled. Often times the military sees one thing and then it is officially handled and communicated totally differently with various politcal interest in mind. I look forward to the next book and the further maturation of the cast of characters.
I enjoy the contrasting worldviews between Peterwald and Longknife territories and the looks into socialism, totalitarianism and the contrast with a free market system. The pressing need for free market systems to work is moral character and without it socialism or higher control systems begin to look viable. But are they really?
I also enjoy the mixture of politics, military and public record are handled. Often times the military sees one thing and then it is officially handled and communicated totally differently with various politcal interest in mind. I look forward to the next book and the further maturation of the cast of characters.
July 28, 2013
it took me a while to get into this book but by the end of Redoubtable I have to say I was rather enjoying it. I only had a few issue's with this book, the biggest is prob that I was CONSTANTLY told had bad ass Kris was, which got annoying real quick, the second thing was how often they called her princess, I got it no need to say it a thousand times.
so overall a pretty good book, being that this is apparently book 8 in the series I'll go hunt down the first book and enjoy in the adventure from the start.
the multiple POV was pretty entertaining as well, got to see a bit more of the world through other peoples 'view'
oh also a heads up to anyone planning on reading this the details can be pretty graphic, which I loved but some people may find .... ahhh upsetting to their stomachs. lol.
so overall a pretty good book, being that this is apparently book 8 in the series I'll go hunt down the first book and enjoy in the adventure from the start.
the multiple POV was pretty entertaining as well, got to see a bit more of the world through other peoples 'view'
oh also a heads up to anyone planning on reading this the details can be pretty graphic, which I loved but some people may find .... ahhh upsetting to their stomachs. lol.
November 16, 2010
At first I didn't know what "Redoubtable" meant - so after looking it up in the dictionary I decided that the title was exactly right. It mean a formidable opponent. And Kris Longknife certainly lives up to that name. This book had tons of action, lots more than the last in the series. Some of it was a little gory though, but in worlds without laws and morals... you get the picture. This series is still going strong, but I can't help but be disappointed that there is absolutely NO romance involved. I know Kris cares for Jack and he for her - but it is absolutely going nowhere. Maybe in the next book...
December 4, 2020
Not yet ready to tackle the daunting mystery from the last book the King sends our heroine out to chase pirates out on the border between her nation and the hostile Greenfield nation. We bump into Vicky, the daughter and heir to the Greenfield dynasty, in the coarse of stamping out pirates. The pirate situation has arisen due to the actions taken by Vicky and her father to stamp out the police state in her nation. Nothing quite went as expected and now everyone has to deal with the fall out. This changing of a hated enemy to frenemy feels surprisingly natural. And the consequences of this book will also reverberate through the series even spawning a spin off series of its own.
August 9, 2018
I’ve lowered my rating during the re-read of this and two prior books. I am getting bogged down with all the inane and sometimes childish conversations with “in-head� computers. Kris’s daydreams about a possible “relationship� with a four-eyed, beak-faced, four-armed, double-jointed-legged alien (UGH) are just too much. Another thought, considering the advanced civilizations � why is there no quick-heal, limb/organ regeneration, or auto docs? It’s like medical science is left in the wake of advances in space travel and the settlement of far off planets. Or maybe I should have left well enough alone and read something new and more exciting?
November 30, 2011
In a spirited and fun science fiction romp, Mike Shepherd takes us along with Princess Kris Longknife and her troop of marines in a hunt for space pirates. Don't worry - despite the noble title, Kris is no coddled damsel. Recently promoted to Lieutenant Commander, she is there to get a job done - one that usually involves explosives, bullets, subterfuge, and political wrangling.
See the rest of my review at:
See the rest of my review at:
November 17, 2010
Filler. It doesn't advance the arc plot that the previous book set up, but it's an entertaining by-the-numbers entry in a fun series. Of all the gung-ho but humble female naval officers who populated 1990s pulp sci-fi, Kris is a survivor, due to a light tone and a fun supporting cast. The tone here is darker, as Kris goes up against slavers, but the cast shines.
Kris and Vicki really need to hook up: the UST is thick enough to cut with a knife, though I seriously doubt it's the author's intention. A Longknife/Peterwald co-imperium would solve a lot of problems...
Kris and Vicki really need to hook up: the UST is thick enough to cut with a knife, though I seriously doubt it's the author's intention. A Longknife/Peterwald co-imperium would solve a lot of problems...
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