The Lost Fleet Books in Order: How to read Jack Campbell’s series?

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Written by American author John G. Hemry under the pen name Jack Campbell, author of the Stark’s War and Paul Sinclair series, The Lost Fleet is a military science fiction series. The story is set more than one hundred years into an interstellar war between two different human cultures: the Alliance vs the Syndics. Discovered floating in a suspended animation escape pod, Captain John “Black Jack” Geary came back to life with a new mission.

He is now a fleet commander on the run. He must fight the Syndics and bring his men home. Beyond the Lost Fleet series, Campbell continued the story with a spin-off: Beyond the Frontier, focusing on the main characters from the Lost Fleet. Also, a second series, The Lost Stars, focuses on the collapse of the Syndicate Worlds.

How to read The Lost Fleet Series in Order?

There is more than one Lost Fleet Series as Jack Campbell developed the universe of the Lost Fleet with spin-off series.

I. The Lost Fleet

1. The Lost Fleet: Dauntless – The Alliance has been fighting the Syndic for a century, and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is Captain John “Black Jack” Geary – a man who has emerged from a century-long hibernation to find himself heroically idealized beyond belief. Now, he must live up to his own legend.
2. The Lost Fleet: Fearless – Outnumbered by the superior forces and firepower of the Syndicate Worlds, the Alliance Fleet continues its dangerous retreat across the enemy star system. Led by legendary Captain John “Black Jack” Geary, the Alliance is desperately trying to return home with its captured prize: the key to the Syndic hypernet.
3. The Lost Fleet: Courageous – Badly damaged and low on supplies, the Alliance Fleet is raiding Syndic mines for raw materials-and Captain “Black Jack” Geary hopes they can continue to remain one step ahead of their enemies. But the Syndics are the least of Geary’s worries when he learns of the existence of aliens with the power to annihilate the human race.

4. The Lost Fleet: Valiant – ‘Black Jack’ Geary has ordered his fleet back to the Lakota Star System where the Syndics nearly destroyed them, a desperate gamble that may give them a fighting chance of survival – or tear them apart.
5. The Lost Fleet: Relentless – After successfully freeing Alliance POWs, ‘Black Jack’ Geary discovers that the Syndics plan to ambush the fleet with their powerful reserve flotilla in an attempt to annihilate it once and for all. And as Geary has the fleet jump from one star system to the next, hoping to avoid the inevitable confrontation, saboteurs contribute to the chaos.
6. The Lost Fleet: Victorious – As war continues to rage between the Alliance and Syndicate Worlds, Captain ‘Black Jack’ Geary is promoted to admiral-even though the ruling council fears he may stage a military coup. His new rank gives him the authority to negotiate with the Syndics, who may finally be willing to end the war. But an even greater alien threat lurks on the far side of the Syndic occupied space.

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II. The Lost Fleet’s spin-offs

The series ended in 2010. After that, Jack Campbell continued to expend the Lost Fleet universe with two spin-off series. First, Beyond the Frontier, about Captain ‘Black Jack’ Geary ; then, The Lost Stars, focusing on the Syndicate Worlds. He also started The Genesis Fleet, a prequel series.

a. Beyond the Frontier

1. Beyond the Frontier: Dreadnaught – Geary’s legendary exploits have earned him the adoration of the people-and the enmity of politicians convinced that a living hero can be a very inconvenient thing. The century-long war between the Alliance and the Syndicate Worlds may be over, but Geary and his newly christened First Fleet have been ordered back into action to investigate the aliens occupying the far side of Syndic space and to determine how much of a threat they represent to the Alliance. And while the Syndic Worlds are no longer united, individually they may be more dangerous than ever before. Geary knows that members of the military high command and the government question his loyalty to the Alliance and fear his staging a coup, so he can’t help but wonder if the newly christened First Fleet is being sent to the far side of space on a suicide mission.
2. Beyond the Frontier: Invincible – Admiral John “Black Jack” Geary earned his rank after being revived from cryogenic sleep to lead the Alliance to victory against the Syndicate Worlds. But his superiors question his loyalty to the regime. Now in command of the First Fleet, Geary is tasked with exploring the frontier beyond Syndic space, a mission he fears deliberately puts the fleet – and himself – in harm’s way.
3. Beyond the Frontier: Guardian – Geary’s mission is to ensure the safety of the Midway Star System, which has revolted against the Syndicate Worlds empire-an empire that is on the brink of collapse. To complicate matters further, Geary also needs to return safely to Alliance space not only with representatives of the Dancers, an alien species, but also with Invincible, a captured warship that could possibly be the most valuable object in human history. Despite the peace treaty that Geary must adhere to at all costs, the Syndicate Worlds regime threatens to make the fleet’s journey back grueling and perilous.

4. Beyond the Frontier: Steadfast – Geary and the crew of the Dauntless have managed to safely escort important alien representatives to Earth. But before they can make tracks for home, two of Geary’s key lieutenants vanish. The search for his missing men leads Geary on a far-flung chase, ultimately ending at the one spot in space from which all humans have been banned: The moon Europa. Any ship that lands there must stay or be destroyed-leaving Geary to face the most profound moral dilemma of his life.
5. Beyond the Frontier: Leviathan – Two Syndicate World star systems have fallen prey to a mysterious fleet of warships – a fleet controlled entirely by artificial intelligence – that is now targeting Alliance space. The warships are no mystery to Geary. They were developed by his government to ensure security but malfunctioned. If the Syndics learn the truth, the war with the Alliance will resume with a vengeance.

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b. The Lost Stars

1. The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight – CEO Artur Drakon has been betrayed. The Syndicate Worlds’ government failed to protect its citizens from both the Alliance and the alien enigmas. With a cadre of reliable soldiers under his command, Drakon launches a battle for control of the Midway Star System-assisted by an ally he’s unsure he can trust…
2. The Lost Stars: Perilous Shield – Following a successful coup against the tyrannical Syndicate, the leaders of the rebel Midway Star System work to forge a government free enough to please its citizens yet strong enough to secure power. But in a world where former rulers have become new foes, an alien threat to humanity may turn old adversaries into uncertain allies.

3. The Lost Stars: Imperfect Sword – President Gwen Iceni and General Artur Drakon have successfully liberated the Midway Star System-but the former rulers of the Syndicate Worlds won’t surrender the region without a fight. The dictatorial regime has ordered the ex–Syndicate CEOs terminated with extreme prejudice and the system’s citizens punished for their defiance.
4. The Lost Stars: Shattered Spear – The Syndicate Worlds continue to splinter as more star systems pledge allegiance to President Gwen Iceni, General Artur Drakon, and the new government they’re establishing at Midway. But the toxic legacy of Syndicate rule continues to undermine their efforts as the rebels encounter difficulty trusting one another and believing their new leaders’ promises of freedom from tyranny.

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c. The Genesis Fleet

1. The Genesis Fleet: Vanguard – Earth is no longer the center of the universe. After the invention of the faster-than-light jump drive, humanity is rapidly establishing new colonies. But the vast distances of space mean that the old order of protection and interstellar law offered by Earth has ceased to exist. When a nearby world attacks, the new colony of Glenlyon turns to Robert Geary, a young former junior fleet officer, and Mele Darcy, a onetime enlisted marine.
2. The Genesis Fleet: Ascendant – In the three years since former fleet officer Rob Geary and former Marine Mele Darcy led improvised forces to repel attacks on the newly settled world of Glenlyon, tensions have only gotten worse. When one of Glenlyon’s warships is blown apart trying to break the blockade that has isolated the world from the rest of human-colonized space, only the destroyer Saber remains to defend it from another attack. Geary’s decision to take Saber to the nearby star Kosatka to safeguard a diplomatic mission is a risky interpretation of his orders, to say the least.
3. The Genesis Fleet: Triumphant – The recently colonized world of Glenlyon has learned that they’re stronger when they stand with other star systems than they are on their own. But after helping their neighbor Kosatka against an invasion, Glenlyon has become a target. The aggressive star systems plan to neutralize Glenlyon before striking again.

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d. The Lost Fleet: Outlands

1. Boundless – Geary believed in the Alliance. Even when he uncovered overwhelming evidence that the highest echelons of the government and fleet command were involved in secret programs and prison camps, he believed it was worth saving. And that his duty was to see that justice was served even though some factions feared that revealing the truth would cause the Alliance to crumble.
2. Resolute – Geary knows that some political factions in the Alliance were just trying to get rid of him when he was assigned to escort a diplomatic and scientific mission to the far reaches of humanity’s expansion into the galaxy . . . and beyond. But he views his mission as both a duty and an opportunity to make things better wherever he can. And when a crippled Rift Federation ship tumbles out of jump space, Geary leaps into action. But the survivors’ story isn’t completely adding up.
3. Implacable – As far from explored space as any human has ever been, Geary and the Alliance fleet are on their own, protecting a diplomatic mission in territory belonging to an alien species with still-unknown motives. His already complex and dangerous mission is further imperiled by deadly challenges from other human factions seeking to harm or exploit the aliens. When another alien species whose technology is far more advanced than humanity’s arrives, the stakes are raised to the highest possible level. Only the most serious danger comes from an unexpected source.

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e. A Lost Fleet Collection

1. Rendezvous with Corsair – Spanning from before the Alliance/Syndicate war to the devastating initial conflagration that would lead to decades of unremitting conflict and beyond into full-blown war, from the Geary’s own epic heroics to where their surviving compatriots found their own fates, this volume reveals the triumphs, tragedies, and life-altering events that made these warriors living legends in their universe. Also includes the novelization of the Lost Fleet graphic novel Corsair.

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If our article about the Lost Fleet Reading Order is useful to you, don’t forget to bookmark it! If you like The Lost Fleet series, you may be interested in the Safehold series or the Expeditionary Force series.