A return to the basics of the series. ( )

This book focused on a character that had not appeared previously in the Lt Leary series. What a disappointment. The story focuses on and is told from the point of view of Roy Olfetrie. Leary, Mundy, Hogg, Tovara, and the regulars make little more than cameo appearances. My reaction might have been slightly more positive If the promotional material had been more forthcoming about the focus of the novel, but I was expecting a story featuring the exploits of Leary and his team.

The story gets off to a slow start as much of the first half is devoted to establishing Olfetrie in the Leary universe. As such, it describes his meeting with a number of the series regulars. Nothing much happens.

Once Olfetrie is established in the Leary crew he is kidnapped. Then he escapes and makes his way back to Leary with a few mundane adventures along the way. Then Leary takes off and Olfetrie once again has to carry the story. None of it is particularly interesting.

All-in-all, “Though Hell Should Bar The Way” is average to below average. ( )

A shift in style by introducing a new character and telling the story from his perspective. An Academy dropout, to escape his father's disgrace and suicide, Roy is rescued by Leary to serve on his diplomatic mission. This change of luck is soon reversed as he is shanghaied and ends up as a slave on an outlying world. His escape, rescuing a fair maiden, and chaotic travels in a derelict spaceship serve as an introduction into one of Leary's and Adele's covert operations.

If you want to start a war; these are the people to do the job. Damsels rescued, slavers punished, a war started and progressing nicely make another lively and interesting tale in this fun series from David Drake. ( )

This twelfth book in the RCN series is told in first person, from the viewpoint of a minor character. Roy Olfetrie dropped out the the naval academy after his father was proven to have defrauded the Cinnabar government, including the Navy. Reduced to penury, a chance encounter gains him a job offer from Captain Leary, as third officer on a ship carrying a group of diplomats to Segantum. Roy throws himself into his new responsibilities, learning a lot about being a spacer, until the Sunray's first landfall. There, his story takes an unexpected turn.

The switch to first person and the change of viewpoint character breathes new life into the series. Roy is an appealing character, a very young man with an unwavering sense of honor and a lot to learn. Recommended. ( )