The third in the series is another winner for Mr. Nuttall. I was drawn to these books because they reminded me of David Weber's Honor series and the basic storyline is similar but each story is distinctly different. If you love a strong heroine, great worlds, and characters that leap off the page into action, you should read there books.
Captain McElney is the first person ever given command of a starship who wasn't born on the home world. There is resentment by many who are from Alliance member worlds because there is no way for them to rise in the Navy. Kat Falcone backs his promotion and the 2 ships are dispatched to deal with pirates in a backwater system. Lots of action follows. This book can be read as a stand alone, it briefly covers past events so you aren't lost, but the series is great so read them all.
I received a review copy from NetGalley. Thanks to all.

“Cursed Command” eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Christopher Nuttall (http://www.chrishanger.net). Mr. Nuttall has published nearly 30 novels. This is the third book in his “Angel in the Whirlwind” series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in the far future. While the main character is Captain Kat Falcone, her former Exec and now Captain, William McElney is also a prominent figure.

Falcone and McElney are sent with their ships away from the front and the war with the Theocracy to the Jorlem Sector. They are on a primarily diplomatic mission. McElney’s new command, the HMS Uncanny, has a spotted history and is nicknamed the Unlucky.

McElney must overcome the reputation of the Uncanny, assist Falcone in fighting pirates, help smooth diplomatic relations and carefully confront a Theocracy ship that is on a “diplomatic” mission in the Jorlem Sector. Falcone again comes across as a strong and resourceful leader.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 416 page Science Fiction novel. I have read all three of the novels in this series and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. This is another good military science fiction novel. I have liked the principal character of Kat Falcone. The cover art is OK, but does not appear to relate to any particular part of the story. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

I received this free from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
I can honestly say that I loved this book. I love the series. The action kept me on the edge of my seat, at times I think I stopped breathing while reading wondering what was going to happen next. This series is the kind you read over and over because you enjoy it so much.

This is in my opinion better than the previous two novels in the series.
Unfortunately there are far better Military science fiction novels than this available.
Hence only 3 stars.

I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Written by Christopher Nuttall, and self-published in 2017, this book is a sci-fi novel that is set in distant future interstellar space. It is a credible space yarn — if you are willing to suspend a belief in the laws of physics as we know them today. Captain Katherine “Kat” Falcone and Captain Sir William McElney each command a heavy cruiser, and they form a battle group to rid the sector of raiding pirates and their deadly enemies: The Theocracy.

The book is fairly well-written. The author clearly has skills as a writer. The story, however, seemed predictable to me. It also seemed to be a metaphor of the world as it is today. The “Commonwealth” could be a metaphor for the West, including NATO or the EU, for example. The Theocracy could easily be Iran, ISIS (The Islamic State), al-Qaeda and Saudi Arabia — religiously extreme organizations and countries that are intolerant of non-believers. The existence of “Inquisitors” in the Theocracy, for example, seem similar to the religious police to be found in modern-day Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as in ISIS. The “Jorlem” system seems to be dominated by a personality cult, similar to what the world has seen in places like Russia, China, North Korea and Cuba. The three factions come into contact, and conflict, in this novel.

The Commonwealth is divided into two groups: “Aristocrats” and “Colonials.” This division could be a metaphor for the segregations seen in class-conscious Great Britain, or it could represent the division between white skinned people and those with darker skins, especially in places like the United States. The author could have intended it either way, and both would be valid.

Kat is an Aristocrat. Her father is a successful industrialist and Minister of War Production who works directly for King Hadrian on Tyre, home world of the Commonwealth. Kat’s family is wealthy, and it rubs elbows with Tyre’s upper crust. Sir William is a Colonial who has made it to the rank of Captain in the Navy, and he is the very first Colonial to be given a naval command. Before his promotion, he was Kat’s Executive Officer (XO) on her cruiser, “Lightning.” William is given command of the seemingly-cursed starship: “Uncanny.” It is more frequently called “Unlucky” because of the unusual number of “freak” accidents that have bedeviled the ship. Unbeknownst to Kat and Sir William, there is a mutiny brewing on Uncanny — a mutiny plan that has been in place for a long time before Sir William takes command of the vessel. Joel Gibson is Senior Chief aboard the Uncanny, and he is the leader of the mutineers. Ruthless and clever, his planning seems complete, and comprehensive. His thirst for power is unquenchable. It’s only a matter of time before the mutineers will strike, but nobody is even aware of their existence aboard the ship.

The story is well-told. The editing is very good. The story is relatively fast-paced, although predictable. It drags a bit in the middle, but then the action picks up again, and it maintains until the end, when all loose ends are neatly tied up. The stage is, of course, set for another book in the series, so we are left with the knowledge that Kat’s and Sir William’s careers are far from over. This is an entertaining, easy read for sci-fi fans.

Captain Kat Falcone and William McElney are back but this time both are in command of a ship. William has been give the ship UnCanny called "Unlucky" and had to whip it into shape. Both have been sent to the notoriously lawless Jorlem Sector. What happens is easy to predict but still makes very good reading. I enjoyed how Nuttall set everything in motion. The story is told from several view points letting me know what was going on in the background on each ship. A nice military science fiction story that solves some of the problems but leaves more for both Kat and William.

Good installment! There is no slump in teh writing and the characters are fleshed out a bit more. There is an unexpected turn at the end that make you want the next insallment

Angel of Death!

Another rewarding adventure with Kat Falcone and crew as they are ordered to investigate the outer reaches of space for the Commonwealth, seeking out allies and partners in the war against the Theocracy. (The Theocracy has some of the earmarks of a combination of the Havens and the Masadans in the Honor Harrington novels. They are implacable enemies of Kat. She has bested them in all encounters.) This time Kat's former executive officer has been granted his own command. William McElney is to captain his own heavy cruiser, the HMS Uncanny. The cruiser has been dogged by the deaths of two former captains. It is commonly referred to as HMS Unlucky--not a glowing recommendation. Captain McElney is faced with command of a cruiser where the crew are undisciplined, both the crew and the ship are physically and mentally unready for action, and with some crew discontent verging on mutiny. All this as McElney sets forth with Kat and HMS Lightning to the Jorlem Sector, a sector rife with piracy and possible Theocracy intrusion. Kat as usual is an unpredictable counter on the battle chessboard. Not as forceful a novel as previous contributions, although the character of McElney and his place in things, his viewpoint as someone who's come up through the ranks and is not from the elite echelons of the Commonwealth, more than makes up for that. This for me is where the full interest lies of this story--how to break through the circle of power and attitudes of entitlement of the Commonwealth's inner circles that extend to the command structures of the armed forces. This continuing saga of Kat and her people places all in readiness for the next episode in Nuttall's exciting interplanetary space opera.

A NetGalley ARC
(March 2017)

Very much the mixture as before; and that is meant as a recommendation. Fans of Mr Nuttall will not be disappointed by the latest installment in the career of Kit Falcone, but those not familiar with earlier volumes in this series would be advised to read those first.

Overall a well written and engrossing novel, even though the naval background was vaguely reminiscent of both David Feintuch’s Seafort Saga, and the Imperial Space Navy who opposed the Moties in Niven & Pournelle’s ‘Mote in God’s Eye’.

I was initially somewhat perplexed by the very liberal use of italicised words as “emphasis” in the text, but this quickly wore off, and the action flowed quite freely.

This seemed to me more of a ‘Space Opera’ style of novel, rather than the more intense, action-led Mil-SF that has recently become more apparent, but I found it a absorbing read, and finished it off fairly quickly – and thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

This is the third of a four part series that I have not previously been aware of; but I am surprised that this is the second book (the other being ‘First Strike by Richard Turner) I have recently read, wherein fiction is mimicking real life, with an enemy waging war on the basis of religion – though this book goes further by attributing Arabic type names to the Theocracy.