The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell

The Lost Fleet series by John G. Hemry writing as Jack Campbell
[This review covers the novels Dauntless, Fearless, Courageous, Valiant, Relentless, and Victorious]
1,843 pages

The Lost Fleet series, by John G. Hemry writing as Jack Campbell, follows the exploits of Captain John "Black Jack" Geary of the Alliance Navy in the far future. Captain Geary fought a heroic Alamo-style space battle, went into suspended animation aboard an escape pod and was revived a century later. Geary discovers upon awakening that in the intervening time he has become not only a military hero, but an Arthurian figure as well, prophesied to return in the Alliance's hour need.

Hemry, a former U.S. Naval officer, has clearly spent a lot of time translating real naval tactics and traditions into a realistic sci-fi setting. The books are hobbled, however, by what I can only call their narrowness: there are only a handful of named characters, and 99% of the books' action takes place in only three settings (the bridge, the captain's cabin, and the meeting room). Further, one gets the sense that Captain Geary is just a very thinly veiled fantasy version of the author himself. All the supporting characters either love Geary because he's so awesome, or hate him because he's just too damn awesome. The romantic subplots, which Hemry uses very blatantly to pad out his novels, get very tedious.

As a hypothetical look at how navies in space might fight, these books are excellent, but if you're looking for interesting characters and an engaging plot, look elsewhere.