Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

First off let me say I’m a big fan of this author. This book is a prequel to his Space Pirate Roberts series. As with all the books in the series the character development is first rate. The author has a sort of organic feel to the growth of his characters that makes me identify with them. Here again the world building is a continuous process across the series. The plot line has a sort of sublime simplicity that makes the story flow naturally. I recommend this book to all adult readers of sci-fi ranging from the military to the space opera.
 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

Excellent! It was a real pleasure taking this little trip down memory lane to when ‘Doc’ Roberts took over the captaincy of ‘The Queen Anne’s Revenge’ from his retiring father, and his introduction to his sexy AI Natashia. It was as enjoyable as a stand alone story within the series Well Done and keep them coming.
 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

Bartholomew Roberts is retiring, leaving his son in command of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. It is his first command, and it may be his last. In a mission doomed to fail will his son succeed. Great plot awesome characters. And a must read.
 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review:

Short and sweet introduction to the Doc Roberts series of space piracy – 4 stars. Doc Roberts has his first command after his father Bartholomew retires. You do not have to have read any of the books in the Doc Roberts series. This short story is a quick introduction. The Alliance did not get to be number one by being nice to its people or its enemies. Alliance officers enjoy being demanding and curt. The alliance enjoys its powerful position, issuing orders to pay for the privilege of providing offense to their enemy (the Coalition) and paying tribute to the Alliance. Roberts is greeted on his first visit to the home galaxy with a demand for a great deal of money (to be gathered from unwilling contributors) and meet at a just-announced location to hand over the money and get new instructions in a month or so. The AI is the key to the functioning of the Queen Anne’s Revenge – Doc’s ship. The AI has been given a synth’s body (a young, attractive human female with all the accoutrements). Her name is Natasha. Natasha runs the ship; she is a distraction – or welcome attraction – for all of the men who see her. Doc Roberts is the ideal pirate; he knows where to look for the booty and has no compunction about taking what he finds. Readers of the Doc Roberts series know that the Alliance is going to have its hands full trying to avoid being overshadowed by Doc Roberts as he starts his career. Hide your wealth. Enjoy the fireworks.
 
5.0 out of 5 stars A really fun space opera read

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2021

Verified Purchase
Space operas are fun to read and a well-written fast-paced one is not just fun but a pleasure to read. First Command is a well-written fast-paced space opera.
Doc Roberts, son of Bartholomew Roberts, captain of the privateer, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.” which is named after Blackbeard the Pirate’s ship, is leaving the ship to his son. Bart is retiring. Unfortunately, he has stripped the ship of four of the ship’s Marauders and taken as much loot as possible.
Doc has 39 days in stead of a full three months to accumulate more than 3 million galactic credits to pay to the Alliance if he wants to keep his ship and his head.
Two of his crew members find a synth in a storage crate in storage in the hold. The ship’s artificial intelligence is linked to it to make it the ship’s avatar.
Doc plans to stop along the way to the rendezvous with the Alliance ship in less than 39 days to appropriate credits, jewels, and anything else worth anything from a system along the way. But no paper money—it would be too easy to connect them to their scavenging mission. A “privateers” they are not supposed to rob banks.
The action is fast, the synth becomes a part of the crew, and the Queen Anne’s Revenge” heads off to collect booty and meet the Alliance agent. And, oh yes, this really is a fast paced. fun space opera that will have you quickly turning pages.
 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Review:

This is a good series starter. The characters are introduced and you get a good feel for their personalities. The action starts quickly and there’s suspense caused by the tight timeline. The combat is described well, the actions of the fighters are logical and well thought out. If you like action syfy novels, read this one.