Winter is dark
Admiral Geary and his fleet stumbled upon what they called “dark ships” by virtue of accident. However, fully automated units designed to imitate Black Jack behave like a typical stalker – they admire their idol, follow his actions and start destroying his life with great enthusiasm. What is more, they are invisible to all other troops and Alliance authorities, which was ensured by special updates in the official government software.
If in Outer Space you were primarily attracted to human relations, politics, or alien descriptions, the final volume of this series will probably not be very much to your liking. It is true that the starting point here will be a kind of investigation: Geary will try to find out who and when created the dark fleet, but this time Campbell survives in space skirmishes. Intelligence agents under the command of Black Jack will focus on trying to find a secret base where artificial intelligence replenishes resources and in which it was most likely constructed. It will also be necessary to somehow communicate the situation to other troops, which is a challenge – after all, even recordings of space battles show the First Fleet fighting only against the blackness of space …
On the battlefield
The essential part of Leviathanfocuses on great battles between human and machine fleets. Artificial intelligence has not only broken free from the control of the government and admiralty, it has gone mad. This topic will be examined primarily in Geary’s somewhat naive conversation with the ship’s medic. Gentlemen use psychologizing metaphors that make AI psychotic monsters. If you have anything to do with programming or machine learning, you’re going to be frowning because Campbell’s meticulous, realistic mind suddenly has a terribly old-fashioned way of thinking about computers. On the other hand, it is possible that this conversation sheds some light on what a miracle the Navy did so badly to create fully automated units – they just had no idea what they were working with or what they should expect of such a fleet.
Fortunately, the descriptions of the fights will not be limited to the battle formation settings. We always watch the battle from inside the liner Captain Desjani, a place full of people. The undefeated, effective and bitter politician, Victoria Rione, will return in great style, and will play a significant role in the final battle of the First Fleet. And finally – the Dancers will return.
Battle haiku
This volume brings a breakthrough in communication with the only human-friendly alien race. Spiders, or Dancers, graceful seekers of patterns in minds and spaces, seem to be drawn from Star Trek , a sort of disguised Volcano. They have shown people a lot of patience and finally it starts to pay off. How much do creatures in perfectly egg-shaped spaceships know and do? This is another Leviathan puzzle , this time giving a very positive impression.
Battle after battle, amidst sudden twists and deceptions, Admiral Geary will finally find himself in a mysterious star system, where he will play his final battle with the First Fleet. How many seamen will go to the final rest? Will the Alliance recover from the machinery revolt? Will he have documentation of errors from which he could learn something?
You may find some consolation in the fact that Outer Space is not the only spin-off of the Lost Fleet . Campbell also wrote The Lost Stars. There is also a full prequel, The Genesis Fleet . For now, we are waiting for the publication of these series in Polish, so you do not have to rush to read the next volumes. Sometimes lift your head from the paper or the reader and look at the night sky. Due to light pollution, it may not be full of stars, but it still surrounds us, and its vast spaces are waiting to be explored. Maybe they will become battlefields, or maybe just routes that will allow you to venture somewhere where no one has been yet.
