Cartwright's Cavaliers

Cartwright's Cavaliers<br />The Revelations Cycle, Book 1<br />By: Mark Wandrey<br />Narrated by: Craig Good<br />This is a really good science fiction book I hope is a series. The main character is a chubby guy which makes me like him right away! He is not the muscle bound guy that is the typical hero but the hero's son that looks like a disappointment to everyone. We follow him as he grows in confidence, he already has a lot of skills, as he takes over a dying enterprise. The characters are unique and people that would be great to be on a mission with! It is a excellent story with plenty of exciting things to keep the reader/listener entertained. Will look for book two!<br />The narrator was awesome and easy performed all the voices and there are some strange ones to make! Great job!

Jimmy Cartwright has turned 18 and just graduated school. It is time for him to move into a management position in the family business, Cartwright’s Cavaliers. It takes a tad over 10% of this book for Jimmy Cartwright to hit rock bottom. “You realize that you are, by law, responsible for the remainder of this debt, under the Inheritance Reform Act of 2020.” <br />“I do, Your Honor.” <br />The judge looked down at her slate. “The total remaining debt is 188,012,801.15 credits. How do you intend to settle this?” <br />Jim’s attorney spoke for him. “Mr. Cartwright is declaring bankruptcy, Your Honor.” <br />She nodded, having expected that. “You could have done that before any of this happened, you know,” she said, shaking her head. <br />“It wouldn’t have been fair,” he said. “Besides, doing that would have destroyed the name of the Cavaliers, and we’d have lost our charter.” <br />“That’s true,” the judge said, “but what good is a charter when you have no capital or equipment with which to operate? Who would give a contract to the shell of a company, even one with your name?”<br /><br />So we have seen this growth from power-challenged padawan to leader. Jimmy is not Luke or Harry. There isn’t a force to master, but Wandrey does nicely in providing adequate reasons for Cartwright’s growth and maturation as he decides to re-establish Cartwright’s Cavaliers.<br /><br />Now to explain the Cavaliers. They are one of a limited group of mercenaries in a very large universe of worlds and species that need their assistance. The larger universe operates on what is at times characterized as a “libertarian” philosophy. <br /><br />Cavaliers excels at descriptions of weaponry and aliens and the battle scenes are more than adequate. There is a heaping amount of “comfort plot” by which I mean things that make you feel good but are not particularly innovative. Every so often, Wandrey will surprise with a nice turn of phrase:<br />"A small smile broke the Major’s face, almost like a crack appearing in a granite countertop."<br /><br />But for the most part, this is a new show with a retread plot. It will be interesting to see whether the next book breaks any new ground.<br /><br />Thanks to GR friend, Montzalee, for pointing me in this direction.

This is a pretty good but very simple and shallow sci-fi novel, July 27, 2017<br /><br />This review is from: Cartwright's Cavaliers (The Revelations Cycle Book 1) (Kindle Edition)<br /><br />This is a pretty good but very simple sci-fi novel. Major parts of the plot are very predictable such as the combat value of the ancient, "useless" giant robots and the extreme value of Jim's rescuer, Splunk, as a friend and ally. Most of the combat scenes are well done and entertaining. The device of the fat, out-of-shape and mostly untrained Jim stumbling into combat success is pretty good. His single handed battle with an enemy heavy tank is worth the price of admission. That'll earn a tank destroyer badge!<br /><br />The romance angle is very poorly done. No explanation until near the end as to why the beautiful woman is attracted to the not so beautiful Jim. For that matter, other than looks, and the fact that Jim is desperate in the girlfriend department, why is he attracted to her? The beginnings of a shallow relationship?<br /><br />I too like battleships, particularly the U. S. Iowa Class, so I'm willing to overlook the credulity stretching way that two of their big guns get into combat. I'm not sure that others will be so forgiving. Speaking of forgiving, the plot device of having a grown or somewhat grown man, commander of a mercenary unit, being a fan of My Little Pony and collecting the stuffed animals, is too much for me. Stuffed animals? He carries a stuffed animal Rainbow Dash in his combat armor? No, No. Beyond silly. Doesn't work.<br /><br />I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.

I have to admit that I began reading <i>Cartwright’s Cavaliers</i> with slightly low expectations. My previous foray into non-Battletech or Robotech mech books didn’t really satisfy, and I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to attempt another new series. And with the first chapter not really grabbing me, I thought for sure my time spent with Mark Wandrey’s Revelations Cycle series would be short lived indeed. But…something strange happened on the way to the mech hangar, and what started out seemingly as just another “hapless young man becomes a badass savior” tale ended up being so much more than that.<br /><br />First, credit where credit is due; though he may not always flesh out the various other races and species within his tale, Mark Wandrey has established a rich and interesting universe in which this story takes place. It’s sort of like the Battletech universe actually, with humanity spread across the stars, and with various mercenary companies as a stand in for the great Houses. War is business in this story…and business is good. From garrison duty to full-scale assaults, and from small engagements to planet-wide battles, mercenary companies have replaced standing armies/navies, and are now the de-facto source for any situation that requires force and/or security. It’s a natural extension of the PMC stories that were super popular a few years ago, and Mr. Wandrey sells it well.<br /><br />Despite certain elements of the story being a bit derivative at times, and more than a few “lucky break” plot contrivances, <i>Cartwright’s Cavaliers</i> is a solid start to a promising science fiction war series. I’m already itching to get started on book two, but other obligations will likely keep me from it for the short term.<br /><br />As with all my reviews, I will attempt to keep spoilers to a minimum. Even a story about big metal mechs beating the crap out of things still deserves to be enjoyed without knowing the play-by-play ahead of time. If it’s not mentioned in the official book synopsis, then I will do my level best to avoid mentioning it here.<br /><br />Aside from a few cutaways to ancillary characters, <i>Cartwright’s Cavaliers</i> is a single POV third-person affair, following the heir apparent of the titular Cavaliers, one of the 4 largest and most influential human mercenary companies. Jim Cartwright is nobody’s idea of a hero, himself included. While he has the mental chops and the general business acumen to run the company, his youth, lack of practical experience, and abysmal physical fitness scores have everyone doubting his ability. After all, mercenary work is physical work, and the Cartwright Cavaliers have a history of their commander being “boots on the ground” with the troops. Which is going to be quite a struggle for Jim, as unlike his father Thaddeus, he’s quite overweight and beyond clumsy. Taking ownership of the virtually defunct company after his mother ran it into the ground, Jim has one hell of an uphill battle ahead of him in restoring the Cavaliers to greatness, building a name for himself, and trying to find a way to stand apart from his father’s rather long shadow.<br /><br />Jim is a rather strange character, and as far from leading man material as you can get. Which, in a way, is rather refreshing. We already have countless stories of dashing space jockeys winning the day (and the hearts of the leading ladies) without breaking a sweat. It’s actually refreshing to see a character that sweats quite a lot, even doing basic things. He is, in a way, somewhat like the Harry Potter of this universe. Surrounded by good friends and powerful allies, he nevertheless takes much of the responsibility upon himself, determined to learn and grow, despite not being this amazingly great person that everyone expects him to be given his lineage. And he definitely learns and grows as the story progresses. Through hard work and frequent mistakes, Jim gradually becomes a man in his own right, and because of the struggles he undergoes, it feels earned. <br /><br />But not all is puppy sneezes and unicorn farts with Jim. Like so many other characters in books &amp; movies these days, Jim is obsessed with the culture of the late 20th century. Believe me, I get the appeal of 80’s movies and 90’s music and toys. But that’s because I grew up through those times, so I have a firsthand appreciation and a nostalgic history. I find it rather hard to believe that over 100 years in the future, these things still have enough appeal that an 18 year old obsesses over them. But Jim has a Rainbow Dash pony in his mech, wears a vintage “Half Life” t-shirt, and blares “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” by Drowning Pool, because somehow these things still resonate that far in the future. Dude…Drowning Pool…really? Hell, I even have the album on my iPod, and I hardly ever listen to it. And some young kid from the future uses it as his war song? Nope. Just…nope. There’s a time and a place for 80’s and 90’s appreciation, but 100+ years in the future is definitely not it.<br /><br />So about those friends and allies I mentioned. They are a well-drawn bunch, a mix of veterans within the Cavaliers themselves, plus a few friends in high places with other mercenary companies. While Jim is the main character, with most of the story taking place from his viewpoint, these side characters are just as important to the narrative. Without their support and tutelage, Jim would never have made it as a merc commander. And even though we don’t spend even nearly enough time with some of them, they become fixtures in the tale. There’s more than a few characters that I am hoping to see more of in the future books. One of the things I really loved about the way the story unfolded is that, even though they may be competing for contracts at times, the human mercenary companies have an unspoken bond, and they look out for each other in various ways. The few characters we meet from other merc companies are invariably interesting and unique, so I always wanted to know more about them. Sadly, I was left wanting, but I know that they will have bigger roles to play as the <br />narrative moves forward and expands.<br /><br />But enough about the characterizations…we’re here for mech combat, right!? Right! And suffice it to say, <i>Cartwright’s Cavaliers</i> does not disappoint with the battle scenes. From ground assaults to space battles, Mark Wandrey fills the pages with enough warfare to satisfy hardcore fans for the genre. The mechs that Cartwright’s Cavaliers pilot may be older models, but they are still incredibly effective, especially with a skilled pilot behind the controls. The tactics used seem mostly sound, as despite being heavily armed and armored, the CASPer suits are not all-powerful, meaning the pilots have to be careful and constantly aware of the battle going on around them. I love the fact that tactics still rules the day here, even with super powerful battle armor, as ultimately it’s the person wielding the weapon that determines the outcome, not necessarily the weapon itself. Some stories I’ve read just have these all-powerful weapons that change the course of battle just by existing, but that’s generally not how things actually go. It doesn’t matter how effective your weapon is; if you don’t utilize it properly, it will not achieve the desired result. So our human mercs have to strategize and scheme in order to survive many of the engagements. This gritty adherence to basic combat rules helped the fights feel authentic, dangerous, and unpredictable. Which, you know, it how battle should be.<br /><br />Sadly, not everything is as well done as the combat. Like I said earlier, there are more than a few coincidences (plot contrivances), and they range from acceptable to “saw that coming a mile away”. I understand the basic need for a little luck every now and again, but some of the major happenings in this book simply happen because someone screwed up at their job (but it turned out for the best), or some last minute deus-ex-machina just happened to materialize. It took some of the hard-earned progress away from our characters, and had me asking “seriously!?” more than a few times. <br /><br />And then there’s Splunk. It’s hard to talk about Splunk without going into MAJOR spoilers, but we’ll just say that I have a love/hate relationship with the character. She’s adorably alien and immensely entertaining, which is what she was written to be, and it’s hard to not smile at her antics and her relationship with Jim. On the other hand however…she’s just way too convenient and gifted. There’s not even really a lead-in or buildup to how amazing she is. She just shows up, dials up the amazeballs to 11, and is suddenly Jim’s best friend and portable problem solver all in one. She’s like the treecats from David Weber’s Honor Harrington universe, but more with more technical know-how and a more hands-on approach to fixing things. Now Splunk is an integral part of the story, and there’s definitely more coming with her character and her species in general, but I would have liked Jim to have had to earn her trust and companionship a little more than he did. Which is to say, he didn’t earn it at all; she just shows up and they’re instant BFF’s. I feel there should have been a much more protracted reveal of just how useful Splunk could be. Jim doesn’t earn her companionship as a character (aside from being nice, he doesn’t do much for her), and we don’t earn it as an audience. Still, she’s adorable and spunky, so most criticisms against her just wilt away when up against that level of “awwwwwwww!”. It would be like being annoyed with a particularly cuddly and non-stinky ferret…you just can’t help but smile at their antics and curiosity.<br /><br />Now I could say that I enjoyed <i>Cartwright’s Cavaliers</i> as much as I did because my expectations were low going in. But that would be a lie, as well as a disservice to Mark Wandrey and the story he is telling. This is an above-average book about men and mecha, with entertaining combat scenes and an enjoyable, and refreshing, apolitical look at a future where mankind has colonized the stars (and met many new alien species along the way). Aside from a clunky first chapter, I was thoroughly entertained, and will definitely be seeking out the other books in this series in the future!<br />

Okay so the premise is pretty decent here...the writing a bit amaturish as to be expected, and this was probably on track for a stronger 2...but something kept popping up over and over and over again...which was 20th and 21st century pop culture references. They were so over the top cringey I got frustrated every-time they came up. It didn't help that it just kept getting more and more unbelivable and eye-rolly as everyone who didn't like the character was bad, and everyone who did was good. Also the main character suceeding without really actually ever learning anything and developing, which needed to happen.

Normally, when you stay up until 2 am in the morning reading a book it is a good thing. For me and <i>Cartwright's Cavaliers</i>, it was more akin to a little kid eating their vegetables before they can get dessert: it was something I just wanted to get over with so I could move on to something better. <br /><br />This book seems to have a bit of an identity crisis in that much of it reads like a young adult novel. This wouldn't be a problem (many popular books are YA) except that it makes the parts that <i>don't</i> read like a YA novel jarring and out of place. That, along with other things, make me feel like the book could have used another good editing pass (I thought there were a few action scenes where exclamation points might have been a bit overused! Also, are those things in quotation marks sound effects, or is the character yelling "BOOM!" and "whack whack crunch!"?).<br /><br />Just didn't do it for me. Will not pursue the series past here.

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<strong>Very Good Military Space Opera Novel</strong><br /><br />HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!<br />This is a great military space opera novel. It is the first time I have read a novel by Mark Wandrey, and I am really impressed with the quality of his writing. The story starts out in a seemingly predictable YA fashion, with an eighteen year old protagonist. Just when I thought that the storyline was predictable, Wandrey veers off into a new creative direction. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. It looks like it is the start of a series, and I look forward to reading more!

<strong>Decent, Fun, But A Little "Too Cutesy" and Borderline YA</strong><br /><br />"Cartwright's Cavaliers," is a decent, fun, quick read. There is a major issue in that by being "too cutesy," with his main character, the author dangerously borders on "young adult" (YA) SciFi and being sickening sweet. Also, numerous repetitions, along with proofreading errors, while listing two (2) [sic] editors, makes one wonder: where were they during the editing process?<br /><br />The storyline is a couple centuries hence, humanity is out and about in the teeming with life Galaxy. Earth has maintained its various governments and joined a loosely-run "Union." The main (and pretty much sole) economic product Earth peddles to other galactic, sentient species is mercenary ("merc") companies. The scion of one of the primary merc companies, takes it over as a young adult, following its bankruptcy, under his widowed and amoral mother. The lad brings the "Cavaliers" back from the brink of extinction, by banding with trusted lieutenants, and fulfilling a few initial contracts against great odds.<br /><br />The action moves quickly, without much difficulty. The scion, an overweight, fat obsessed, angst driven, self pitying eighteen year old, who ships out with "My Little Ponies" stuffed animals (one of the sickening sweet "cute" devices), proves to have more spine and determination than he realized. He was also born under a incredible "lucky star," given the author's various subplots successful endings.<br /><br />The eBook is recommended and was fully read via Kindle Unlimited.

<strong>Great</strong><br /><br />I was not sure when I selected this book how it work be but I am so glad I did!! It started out a little slow and then speeded up until it was like a run away train!! Can't wait to read the next one!