Chuck Grossart https://www.chuckgrossart.com is the author of more than a dozen novels. Fleet Opposed was published in 2019 and is the first volume in his Han Wars series. This was the 85th book I completed in 2022.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature language, I categorize this novel as R. The primary character is Republic Commander Jackson Flynn. It has been nearly a century since the Republic was at war with the Han Bloc. Peace has filled the years, and the Republic has grown less vigilant. Without warning, the Han launch a sneak attack on the Republic.

Flynn is Captain of the Republic cruiser RSS Repulse. They witness the destruction of nearly the entire Combine Fleet by the Han. Only the Repulse and a handful of other ships manage to escape the vicious attack.

Flynn and the crew of the Repulse are determined to fight on. Mere survival will not be easy. They must contend with Han warships, as well as former Republic ships now controlled by the Han or their Republic sympathizers.

But all is not what it appears. A quiet conspiracy has been in the works. A conspiracy to bring the Republic and Han back to war.

I enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this 403-page science fiction novel. I have also had the opportunity to read one of Grossart’s earlier novels The Phoenix Descent. I enjoyed that novel, but I think this one is much better. The chosen cover is simple but eye-catching. I like it. I give this novel a rating of 4.8 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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"Fleet Opposed" is a heavy military science fiction novel, focusing solely on a surprise attack after nearly a century of watchful peace. It's a starfleet battle step by step with action alternating between the commanders of different ships, including opposing ships. There are many characters, all fleshed out realistically. And, the story is all about a great military battle like a giant naval battle.

This book was intensely action packed as two confederations of worlds join in war. There are finely drawn characters and battle plans by the dozens. Our outnumbered Republic is taken off guard by the reemergence of the Han destroying entire worlds. We see the war from both sides and find all is not as it seems. The characters breath life into this book and make it a great read.
I received this book from Netgalley and wish to thank them, the author and the publishers.
The only thing that detracted from the story was the over use of military terms and abbreviations that I had no idea what many of them meant and added nothing to the story. Overall an interesting and entertaining read.

I have always had a deep love for sci-fi and fantasy books. And this will definitely be told as one of my favorites. I was so excited to get a sci-fi war book. I figured it would be the same as all the others, but I still decided to give it a shot, and it was an amazing book that was completely different from anything that I have ever read before!

Thank you to Chuck Grossart and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book!

This book is a must for military science fiction fans that enjoy Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse. The author describes a resumption of hostilities from two empires, including an Earth based Republic alliance and a former chain of colonies that formed their own empire, which appears to be a derivative or descendant of Russia. The author cycles between numerous locations or ships over the course of the narrative, some of which are only referenced once or twice, some visited more frequently. The reading comes across almost like a screenplay for a science fiction show, rather than a book, with the reader bouncing from one event to the next. The author names many of the ships and space stations of the Earth's Republic after famous American and British warships, naval figures, or battles from World War II, while the Han Empire's ships uses the names of former leaders of that empire which have a Russian sound/spelling to them.

The action itself is scripted much like one might have scripted Tora! Tora! Tora!, In Harm's Way, or the original Midway movie. There is an opening, which is a series of events indicating hostilities are resuming after a pause of approximately 100 years. The book then follows the procession of a series of engagements, starting with a surprise invasion coupled with a linked chain of sabotage attacks. The reader is treated to the struggles, successes, and failures on both sides of the conflict, with several surprises shared as events unfold. Both sides of the conflict struggle with resistance on the home front and struggles with maintaining order due to the politics on the homefront. This political struggle adds a greater level of uncertainty to the events, thereby making the read that much more exciting.

Of course, because this is the first book of a series, the author could not resist leaving the reader a cliffhanger or two at the end, to entice the reader to anxiously wait for the next book. While it is clearly a complete book in of itself, the story line is not resolved, so I too am anxiously awaiting the next book . Thanks again for a great, compelling book, and I look forward to the rest of the series!

An interesting read for the first book of the series. A good development of characters and story. Although the plot is similar to many others (evil empire attacks the good, but the good is facing a collapse of its own). However the story has its good merits and I am going to watch for the next book in the series to read. I would recommend this book to those who like action SF.