Rating: 
Summary: Great series but don't start it while on vacation!
Review: Okay, so like I'm going on vacation to visit the in-laws and decide to bring something to read just in case. I randomly pick up the book and read a comment or two about in the "grand tradition of Ender's Game" (Orson Scott Card) which I loved so I decide to give it a try even though the author is new to me. Man what a story! I could not put the book down. I finished it in like 3 nights. Next day, the wife wanted to go shopping, I give the obligatory groans but inside I'm hoping to find a bookstore. Yee ha! Found one and its well stocked. The 2nd book is just as good. The day before we are due to fly back, I told my wife I'd buy her that new dress... I think I finished the 3rd book as we were landing at LAX. Three books in just over a week. Sure glad we took pictures to remind me what we did during our vacation
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining with Reservations
Review: First, let me point out that the book definitely has a homoerotic theme. From page 296-97:"I moved closer to the fire, watching my handsome midshipman's face as he chatted with Amanda. Odd feelings stirred, recalling Jason, eons past." Second, I agree that the world as described would be pretty unpleasant. Last, I agree that the book has an uncomfortable number of unlikely events. All that said, it's still pretty entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Horation Hornblower in Space
Review: If you put Horatio in space then this would be it. This is an honest military science fiction book without any nonsensical dialog or 'fantasy' type bs Just good straight action and adventure with an 18th century british naval flare. It rocks :)
Rating: 
Summary: Just Short of a SF Tier One Effort
Review: I have long ago accepted that most tier 2 and tier 3 American SF eliminates minorities and other nationalities in their projection into the future. If they are mentioned they are sterotyped, made into minor charaters or not mentioned at all. To allow the United Nations to be the new government in the future would have to have two of the bigest populations on the planet Earth (Chinese, Indian, Islamists, Latinos, etc.,). Many of the most imaginative SF creations are marred by the lack of projecting homo sapian into the future in his many flavors. The fact that is was not done relegates the novel to second tier.
Still an interesting effort even though the main character needs to be a liitle more observant and less self-consuming. If not, his survival seems improbable, through all the trials and tribulations at such a young age. Honour Harrigan made me react emotionally positivly and hopefully for the future. This book makes me hope it is a little better then this in the world.
Rating:
Summary: Military Sci-Fi at its Finest.......
Review: I have read quite a bit of science fiction in 2002 and "Midshipman's Hope" by David Feintuch is the best by far. It is a swashbuckling tale of the high seas that trades the ocean for the cold vacuum of space. The book is populated by a host of fascinating, well-developed characters. The book is written in the first person narrated by the by the main character Nicholas Seafort. We first see him as a lowly, insecure midshipman and watch him rise through the ranks. Along the way he must confront more than his share of demons. His character is at times deeply sympathetic and at other times loathsome. However, he is never boring and always compelling. Another distinguishing aspect of the book is in his depiction of the brutal 18th century style discipline that is employed in Feintuch's universe. It is at oft times quite disturbing. Fans of the movie "Starship Troopers" will certainly recognize the similarities. Perhaps the finest aspect of this novel is that it tells a complete self-contained story even though it is but the first of many in the "Seafort Saga". This is not to say that it does not leave you wanting more which it certainly does. "Midshipman's Hope" is one of the best works in the genre of military sci-fi.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, the angst...
Review: It's been a while since I read this book, but it wasn't bad, episodes of caning aside. *wrinkles nose at that* I even read one or two others in the series... I thought _eventually_ Nicholas Seafort would get over all that angst and self-punishment, but I guess he has a masochistic streak in his personality. It gets old - not to mention annoying! - after a book or two. I mean, okay, he broke his word (in a good cause, no less) and believes he's literally damned to Hell...so why does he have to (mentally) torture himself through the rest of his mortal life?!?! Surely he'll have all eternity to be punished in Hell, right? It's a shame, really - Feintuch _can_ write. If he would just write about a character that you don't end up wanting to strangle after a while... But, enough. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the series, if your tastes run that way. All I can say is, _I_ don't have any inclinations toward self-flagellation, so you couldn't pay me to read another one of those books. Or, well, you could - I'm a starving student. But I'd charge you lots. ;) Like maybe the cover price of the next Honor Harrington release.
Rating:
Summary: It's just the beginning
Review: It's just the beginning of a terrific series, and I hope there will be more. Nicholas Seafort is a real person, with real doubts and real feelings of inadequacy, thrown into situations that try men's souls. He is not Ender, by any means; the books are quite dissimilar. In a way, he is more like Harry Flashman, but in a darker and more realistic manner. I have heard Seafort compared to Horatio Hornblower, but I haven't actually read those yet, so I dunno... Never mind, just start with this one and get ready for a grand adventure, followed, thankfully, by many more.
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