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Book Review By John B. Bolton
Fleet Command's Enigma Ship by John B. Bolton

   "Fleet Command's Enigma Ship" is a story of a ship's captain who has paid his dues and of his conceptual warship Pegasus. From his entrance to the Fleet Academy to the end of the novel there is no doubt Capt. J.T. Buckton is the main character. He is both "book smart and a "man of the world" at the same time. He is warm and caring to those who are close to him, but to others he seems to be distant, even cold and hard as steel, almost an automaton.

    The first two chapters are expressly devoted to main the character JT Buckton, with the first chapter being devoted primarily with his character development, the what, where, when, how and why he became the man he has become. The second chapter chronicles his life's work and achievements in Fleet Command and how he came to be selected for the honored position of captain of the fleet's newest and greatest warship, Pegasus.   The third chapter is where I created and developed the officers Capt. Buckton selects to serve as his command staff. Each of these characters is detailed to include their looks, specific physical abilities, desires, wants and wishes, etc.   The fourth chapter is the last chapter that deals with the foundation not only of this book, but of the series I've created. This chapter deals directly with the warship Pegasus. It deals with the idea behind its construction to include the materials used in the construction, how the ship is constructed, its revolutionary propulsion system called the X-Drive, its completely new offensive and defensive weapons, and even some of the older ones that are upgraded. Once again these chapters are necessary for the foundation of the book and the series.

   The rest of the novel deals with Pegasus' shakedown cruise (tests), disasters that occur, such as ship explosions during those tests, and events that occur back on Earth that affect their status way out in space.   There are specific events that occur on Earth, i.e. Perseton spies within the alliance that lead to war with the Perseton Empire when the Persetons invade alliance space. Captain Buckton displays his wisdom throughout the story and "his baby" Pegasus gets to display the new technology that was developed specifically for this ship. There are several underlying events in the story, one of which involves the Chief Medical Officer's attempt to capture the captain's love. There is a great deal of feelings and emotions displayed by the characters and even some misinterpreted ideas about the captain by some of his staff.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - two lovers coping with tough mission
War or Invasion Yes
Major kinds of combat: - spaceship battles
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10 %

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status:
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
Terrain
Spaceship setting: - really, really giant spaceship/station
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - inhabited by friendly aliens
Planet outside solar system? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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