The chances are that if you're reading this review that you' ve likely not read the first book in this trilogy and so I urge you to get that book entitled Warship. If he has not been a navy man in the past and thus be able to draw on personal experience then his portrayal of naval tactics and systems as used in his stories is all the more remarkable. As noted in my review of the first book in this trilogy, I get the feeling that Dalzelle either has a deep understanding of naval procedures and technologies or has previously had direct experience of this either in surface ships or perhaps even more likely in submarines. Boyett brings life and emotion to each of the characters he renders and makes listening to this story a pleasure. The sense of coming along for the ride was almost palpable at times which is no mean feat for a book and I think the well executed audio version of this has to be the definitive format when so ably narrated by Mark Boyett. For example, the reader is brought right onto the bridge of Jackson Wolf's ship in the thick of battle as the exchanges between him and his officers pull us right into the tension of any given situation and maintaining a furious pace that enthralled me completely. Having now read two of Dalzelle's books I can see that he is a master of realistic dialogue and the book is written in many sections where we are moving through the story in real time as it were. I don't like stories that are broken or slowed right down by lengthy digressions into the political wrangling that are always part of the bigger picture and some authors allow too much of the narrative to get bogged down by such distractions but Dalzelle has just about given what we needed to keep the overall story plausible and done it in a very skilful way. I hasten to add that the aforementioned political interlude is something that in the scope of the plot had to be included in order to complete the narrative in a meaningful way.
#Call to arms full
There is a section where some political dealings are gone into which did slightly break the flow but once that was done with the momentum picks right up again and we are once more in full flow.
The pace of the book as with the first, is just about perfect. Joshua Dalzelle has done an absolutely superb job of not letting up in his story so far. I am lucky to have the last book in the trilogy ready and waiting.
#Call to arms series
I actually feel sorry for those coming to this series early and having to wait. Call to Arms builds upon the first part, Warship, and continues to build nicely until leaving the reader at yet another vital juncture that makes those like me crave to have the final part. Sometimes the middle act can be a somewhat of a filler before reaching the climax of the trilogy but in the case of this superb book that is not the situation at all. I've just finished reading the second book in the Black Fleet trilogy, Call To Arms, which has left me wanting to get this review written as quickly as possible as I'm still in awe at just how great this second act to the trilogy was. Pacing is respectable and makes for an easy and enjoyable listen. The narration is well done with an excellent range of voices. Finally, the introduction of a possible new alien ally suggests a whole another level of alien tech for the 3rd installment. While the underlying alien motives remain mysterious, hints of a machine versus biologic struggle are evident. There is little further exposition of the alien tech, but larger constructs with planet destructive capabilities are revealed. The sci-fi elements continue as with the first. Finally, Dalzelle introduces a hint of another alien race that may be a potential ally. Captain Wolfe spends more of his time dealing with stubborn and reluctant humans both political and military, rather than the aliens.
While there is a considerable effort to face the alien threat, a large group is hoping the aliens simply go away, while a more disturbing group is planning to hide out on the other side of the encroachment zone. While the alien menace continues to grow, the main focus is the political discord among the humans about their response. Call to Arms is the 2nd book in Joshua Dalzelle's Black Fleet trilogy.
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