Book Review: Off Javelin Station by Marc Alan Edelheit

Book Description:

Alien starships smashed our defenses in a storm of missiles and laser fire… but a small human fleet escaped into space. Battle scarred but determined to fight on, they could be our last hope.

Captain Jim Garrett thought his navy career was over. But when aliens attacked, he took the helm of an experimental warship, leading her into battle for the first time.

Now, he commands a ragged fleet of ships that survived the alien onslaught. Their crews are inexperienced and exhausted but there’s no time to rest. Garrett must shape them into a lethal fighting force.

His deadliest enemies may come from within. A rival captain threatens mutiny, furious that Garrett is now his superior. And alien infiltrators, disguised as ordinary humans, are hidden aboard every ship, with orders to destroy them no matter the cost.

As a vast enemy force descends on Javelin Station, one of the last strongholds resisting the alien attack, can Garrett seize control of his fleet and strike back? Or will the station, and the freedom of humanity, be swept away by the alien tide?

Off Javelin Station is an epic story of battle and adventure, packed with hard-hitting action and shocking twists. It’s perfect for fans of Jack Campbell, David Weber, and Marko Kloos.

After the battle at Midway Station, Captain Jim Garrett—now Commodore Garrett—finds himself in charge of not only the cutting-edge battleship Surprise but also a motley fleet of ships, soldiers, and civilians rescued from Midway. They’re now heading to Javelin Station, one of the last fortresses standing between humanity and the alien invaders. He’s got unusual orders from Fleet, a highly experimental device that’s never been tested but that could make a real difference against the enemy, and a short time to get his green civilians and battle-weary soldiers formed into some kind of fighting force. Just another Tuesday in the deep dark, right?

Once again, Marc Alan Edelheit has written an absolutely compelling space opera. I don’t know how he does it. He crams the pages full of tension even in waiting, he works in all the military jargon without it coming across as unwieldy or hard to understand, and he puts his characters in the most perilous of positions and lets things unfold.

We see events unfold from three viewpoints: Commodore Garrett, his Marine commandant Stroud, and the fighter pilot commander Tabby. Tabby gives us the human perspective, the toll of battle and the challenges of fighting on even as they mourn the loss of comrades and friends. Stroud is the front line, the first to spot trouble that may require Garrett’s attention. And Garrett is smart enough to listen when Stroud speaks. And Garrett himself illustrates the hard decisions that must be made in war, the moves that must be made knowing you’re putting people under your command in harm’s way to stop a great evil. There are moments of levity, of softness, in the story, because that’s how life is. You find those little jewels once in a while, and you store them away for later, because you’ve got to keep pushing back the dark. And so Garrett does.

Infiltrated by the enemy, authority challenged by a rival captain, facing a war against what seems to be extreme religious fanaticism, and barely a minute to rest after the onslaught—what will happen next? I can’t wait to find out, and Edelheit has cemented his place on my list of must-read authors.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Second Sky for an advance copy. I wasn’t required to leave a review. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.

About the author:

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