Pike’s Progress
Sandy Pike Book 3
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The Planetary Alliance has re-formed, though some of its former member planetary systems are still in the hands of the breakaway Hegemony admirals. How to get them back in the fold?
Back in uniform, the Alliance Navy places great responsibility on Sandy’s shoulders. In the midst of planning how to recover the planets lost when the Alliance surrendered at the end of the previous war, Sandy receives the horrible news that Mendele, the human-trafficker—has escaped government custody. Agent Lynch reappears, and joins the hunt for the monster, only to end up as a captive herself. The same unlikely ally who rescued Sandy from the demon’s clutches frees Lynch after a horrifying encounter.
Sandy Pike has crafted a plan for the Alliance Navy to pick off the fleets of the breakaway admirals one-by-one. The Hegemony is not willing to stand idle, and attempts to take advantage. High-stakes military action leads to tense negotiations.
The Planetary Alliance regains the systems lost in the war. The Hegemony recovers the systems pried away by the renegade admirals. The conflict is finished—or is it?
What Others Are Saying
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
Pike’s Progress is the third book in the Sandy Pike series by John J. Spearman. The story of Sandy and his friends continues in this installment. Sandy is once more Captain Sandy Pike of the Planetary Alliance as it has finally recovered after its surrender to the Hegemony of United Worlds (HUW). While getting control of a few lost planets is good, it is still not the same power the Alliance once enjoyed. With Sandy back on board and a brand-new ship to command, Sandy believes all will be well soon, or so he hopes. As the Alliance plans to become stronger. Sandy, Monty Swift, Alison Lynch, and others try to find a balance between work and danger. But that seems impossible as the threat against Sandy and his peers is constantly active. Can Sandy stay safe and protect everyone at the same time?
I love this space opera, but more than that, I love these characters the most. Stick and Puss, Sandy, Alison, and even Monty Swift are beloved characters who are the life of this story. Each character has a tale to tell, and author John J. Spearman makes sure these characters get the opportunity to do so. The descriptions are so vivid and transporting that I was in the moment with the characters. I love Ali’s storyline. She has to force herself to face her tormentors and make them pay and protect Sandy at the same time. Sandy, on the other hand, has an air of excitement as he loves his new ship and cherishes it like it’s his baby. The dialogues are fantastic, the pace is fast, and the plot is action-packed. Once again, Spearman has done an outstanding job with Pike’s Progress!
Review by Vincent Dublado
The third book in the Sandy Pike Series, Pike’s Progress by John J. Spearman continues its intense sci-fi military storyline. As the Hegemony of United Worlds acted in tyranny, things started to fall apart which enabled the Alliance to retake some of the planets that HUW once ruled. But taking control, however, will not be an easy feat for the Alliance, as they have yet to deal with factions loyal to the United Worlds. As they create a strategy for an offensive, old allies will be reunited. Captain Monty Swift is yearning to fight once again. Alison Lynch, a brilliant investigator who has a strong connection with Sandy, is also back but the scars of her past will fester. Meanwhile, Sandy Pike becomes the commander of a new ship called the Audacious—the reward he has earned from his previous heroics. This time, a new challenge awaits that will test his leadership and quick decision-making skills.
John J. Spearman takes military science fiction to a whole new level with his meticulous attention to detail and diligent research of military procedurals that he applies with futuristic panache. The jargon, however, is tamed and the author does not overwhelm with too many technical terms to the point that it overshadows the human element of the storyline. It has an evergreen theme as it discusses social and political differences, and how the power of coming together for the benefit of the collective can make a huge difference. The plot is complemented by the convincing dialogue that makes Pike’s Progress a character-driven space military saga. You can tell that Spearman is equally a skillful listener judging by the authenticity of what his characters have to say. This is a highly imaginative and confident military space opera that any sci-fi lover will enjoy reading.
Reviews by Pikasho Deka
Pike’s Progress by John J. Spearman is a sci-fi military action thriller set in space. The third book of the Sandy Pike series continues the story from its previous installment, Pike’s Passage, and follows the former Commander of the Planetary Alliance, Sandy Pike. After the Planetary Alliance lost the war to the Hegemony of United Worlds (HUW), tyranny reigns supreme over the Alliance planets. Sandy Pike is once again called upon to lead a fleet of ships with the newly commissioned PAS Audacious and free the people living in the former colonies of Alliance from HUW’s rule. Meanwhile, Ali Lynch is still recovering from the physical and mental torture of the Graz Syndicate when she is assigned to Special Agent Hugh Ryan’s team, tasked to hunt down the notorious slaver, Alfred Mendele. But things don’t go according to plan.
Author John J. Spearman crafts a fast-paced space opera military thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Pike’s Progress is yet another enthralling installment from the Sandy Pike sci-fi series. Spearman has a knack for creating well-written military thrillers with a large cast of characters and intricate plot threads that combine toward the end to make a fulfilling narrative. The multiple POV narrative gives readers access to the various factions and keeps them updated on the main plot threads. You will find yourself hooked from the first page and unable to put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to space opera lovers.
Pike’s Progress by John J Spearman is an action-splashed and cathartic installment of his innovative sci-fi military saga.
The Alliance has retaken control of some planets from HUW, but their previous power is far from restored, and the remaining Hegemony breakaway systems are a perpetual thorn for the recovering Alliance. Sandy Pike’s reputation and recent heroics have earned him a new ship – a massive dreadnought named the Audacious – and another chance at command, working within the Omega battle group.
The Alliance’s plans for a new offensive bring old comrades together again, including Monty Swift, a captain itching for a fight after years of working under someone else’s incompetent thumb. Commodore Pike is the same hard-nosed but heart-driven protagonist that loyal readers of this series have come to expect, and his peerless leadership and quick thinking make him an easy character to root for.
The return of Stick and Puss keeps the mood light at just the right moments, though there are plenty of hard and dark passages, particularly around the emotional burden being borne by Alison Lynch. Her deep connection with Sandy, who negotiated and paid her ransom from the Graz Syndicate, resurfaces when Mendele is freed by those same human traffickers. That psychopathic slaver has already tried to destroy Sandy’s life twice, and Ali is determined not to let him get another shot. Sliding back into ONI, her instincts as an investigator are sharp as ever, but her state of mind is anything but sound. Facing off against the same villains that nearly broke her, Ali pushes herself to a dangerous edge for the sake of revenge – and love.
New friendships, hard-won respect, and old rivalries collide in this military sci-fi procedural. As has been the case in all of Spearman’s writing, his firm understanding of hierarchy, military protocols, and on-duty responsibilities give the prose confidence and authenticity. The thematic undercurrents of each novel in this series have been slightly different, but this installment feels particularly timely – a diverse population attempting to overcome their differences for unity and the greater good, despite the manipulations of weak leaders and bad actors. Furthermore, this plot teeters on the edge of all-out war, which keeps the suspense nearly constant, without being exhausting.
On a technical level, there are very few grammatical or sloppy errors, and the editing is generally tight, with very few redundant moments. Some passages could be trimmed down, and some of the expositional moments could be tightened, especially further along in the book, once the action picks up. The pace is occasionally too slow, and readers are told the strategies of both the Alliance battle group and the Hegemony powers, so there aren’t as many twists or surprises as in the first two books. However, the dialogue is one of the most impressive parts of the prose and makes up for slowdowns in exposition. Every conversation is believable – from highly formal military briefings to casual small talk with crew members, Spearman conveys a natural cadence and easy-to-read speech patterns that immerses the reader in the scene.
Overall, the storytelling in Pike’s Progress is richly imaginative, the messaging is timeless, and Spearman cleverly ties up many of the series’ loose ends with this impressive and satisfying installment.
Posted by Daniel | May 23, 2022
While two antagonistic superpowers oscillate between interstellar war and troubled peace, Captain Sandy Pike struggles to balance his return to naval life with ongoing concern for the safety of his family and friends in John Spearman’s PIKE’S PROGRESS.
The third in Spearman’s Pike series, PIKE’S PROGRESS opens on Sandy Pike having recently returned to naval service. Pike retired from the Planetary Alliance shortly before it lost its last war against the Hegemony of United Worlds, but after civilian life involved a close shave with organized crime, Pike is shipboard once more. Now the navy he knew is re-organizing under the pressures of a strained peace, and he and his loved ones still have unfinished business with the criminal syndicates that they escaped.
PIKE’S PROGRESS is clear about its intentions. The text opens with Pike walking his new ship, lovingly described meter-for-meter, gun-for-gun, and nearly room-for-room; this book is less about characters than it is about ships. These ships are described from myriad viewpoints – from the halls of state where high-level strategic decisions are made to the command centers of individual vessels – but the essential action is between two superpowers, both leery of escalation, attempting to pursue their policy goals. Although it boasts armfuls of characters, the text is largely uninterested in them as people; some have particular histories or attributes, but the story is about a military engagement. Characters pass through this engagement, in space and time. An entire B plot involves mafia types, events from the previous novels, a trauma-and-rebirth arc, but this plot is surprisingly straightforward and without meaningful stakes. Even when Captain Pike’s life is on the line, there’s little real tension compared to the lengthy concerns about whether a particular battlegroup will arrive in time to make a difference in a fight.
But this is fine – PIKE’S PROGRESS states its focus plainly and follows through. The prose is uncluttered and clear, suitable to the military mindset which shapes its story and characters. The characters themselves exist more as clusters than individuals: a “political” cell of civilian decision-makers; the “military” cell of Pike and his officers; the “underworld” cell of former-naval intelligence officer Ali and her contacts in organized crime. Few of the characters stand out, but together they evoke types. In this regard, the portrait of shipboard officers is most effective, calling to mind the career-long layers of camaraderie seen in military fiction like o’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series. The best moments are the simplest: constraints on ships, time, and resources; clever solutions to problems; and the responsive nature of decision-making.
That said, PIKE’S PROGRESS struggles to maintain its focus. While building on material from the previous novels, the text fails to meaningfully integrate its plotlines; the political and military scenes fit hand-in-glove, but the espionage plotline meanders away at times. Meanwhile, an entire episode near the end of the novel seems entirely unnecessary, introducing a political actor with no foreshadowing and resolving without any apparent consequences.
Nonetheless, when PIKE’S PROGRESS keeps its head level and guns aimed true, it’s an entertaining ride for fans of hard sci-fi, military fiction, or political thrillers alike.
~Dan Accardi for IndieReader