TL;DR Review – Slow-burn beginning that builds to an action-packed climax. A fascinating look at the construction and launch of a brand new spaceship.
Synopsis:
Humanity is on the brink of annihilation. Only one man can turn the tide.
For centuries, we explored the stars and settled new worlds. But a mysterious alien threat emerged, launching devastating attacks and seizing entire star systems. Every fifty years they come, silent and relentless, before disappearing again into the dark. And as they close in on humanity’s home worlds, one more defeat could mean total extinction.
Captain Jim Garrett joined the navy to fight back. But when a delicate mission ends in madness and mutiny, Garrett takes the blame and his career is left in ruins.
Now, the only thing he commands is a construction site. The CNS Surprise is an experimental warship, half built in the dockyards of Midway Station. Garrett knows the ship inside out, but the navy brass would never let him take the helm, let alone lead her in battle.
But when the aliens strike early, with unexpected ferocity, it’s clear that every ship in the fleet will be needed. And the Surprise could be the only hope of slowing the enemy onslaught.
Garrett is thrust into command for the first time, launching straight into combat. He must unite a maverick crew and master new technologies, as he leads a desperate counterstrike that will decide mankind’s future.
Full Review:
There’s a special place in my heart for underdog stories like this, stories of people called to rise to the occasion and do the impossible even when outmatched or outclassed.
Off Midway Station follows Jim Garrett, a naval officer who has been relegated to captaining ships under construction after a difficult choice cost him any chance at a career future. Politics in the armed forces ensures he’ll never rise higher in the ranks, but that doesn’t stop him from doing the best job he can to guarantee that every ship built under his command is turned out in tip-top shape and ready for the war everyone knows is coming.
Only that war comes early, with a surprise attack that rocks Midway Station, the space station that serves as both military dry-dock and home for hundreds of thousands of civilians. When the enemy rips through their defenses and sets their sights on destroying the station itself, it’s up to Garrett and his crew to launch their not-yet-complete vessel to save the civilians and fight back.
One thing this book does very well is offer insight into the construction and deployment of a ship. It’s something I’ve never read in any sci-fi book before—most spaceships are high-tech, top-of-the-line, and fully armed and ready for battle, but definitely not this one. This ship is in its final stages of construction, and we learn a great deal about its construction in a fascinating way, but we also get to see its first launch and how much goes into that process. I found it a really fun and fresh take on the typical “cutting edge spaceship” trope. We only get to see a fraction of its full capabilities, but boy, does it deliver.
The beginning of Off Midway Station is slower; it takes its time to introduce us to all the characters, set the stakes, develop the world, and give us a look at the technology to be deployed. It’s never boring—quite the opposite, I found the insight into the ship itself fascinating—but maintains a steady pace of building the character and the ship that will be our home for the series.
But once the attack comes, that’s when things kick into high gear. It’s setback after setback, challenge after challenge, with the entire crew rushing to launch the ship, then try to hit back against the enemy that has come to destroy them. The last 25% was a wild ride that ended in truly epic fashion and the promise of great things to come.
Off Midway Station has all the military and sci-fi flavor I’ve loved in David Weber and Tom Clancy novels, and I absolutely enjoyed it from start to finish. I can’t wait for Book 2 to find out what comes next, and how THAT AMAZING TWIST deployed at the 85% mark is going to be resolved.
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