The Sagittarius Command: A Novel of the Merrimack

by R.M. Meluch

Book Overview

After the finest battleship-class spaceship in Earth's fleet, the U.S.S. Merrimack, rescues a near-space Roman world besieged by a destructive alien life-form known as the Hive, the Romans' leader,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756404576
• ISBN13: 9780756404574
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Daw Books
• Length: 357 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great SCI FI book

This is the 3rd book but you could read this one first and be fine. I would read all three books if I was you. Well worth your money.

Fast paced sword and sorcery in space

Meluch has brought together a Star Trek problem solving style and Robert Heinlein grittiness to create The Sagittarius Command. The plot is fast paced and humorous, allowing the reader to read rapidly through the story. Fans of Star Trek and Heinlein alike will enjoy the story. Because Meluch provides enough background without getting too deep into prior novels, a reader can pick up this book without having read the first two, and still enjoy it. Fans of Star Trek and Heinlein alike will enjoy the story. Because Meluch provides enough background without getting too deep into prior novels, a reader can pick up this book without having read the first two, and still enjoy it. This was true for me. I had not read the first two books, but now I'd like to go back and read about the genesis of Farragut and the men and women of the Merrimack, having enjoyed this space epic so much. While you will become invested in the story and the characters, your emotions will not be toyed with, nor will any great philosophy be preached at you. R. M. Meluch tells a great story of space warfare and the triumph of the human spirit against insurmountable odds in The Sagittarius Command.

R.M. Meluch does it again.

"Make me laugh; make me cry; make me wait." I'm not sure who said that but I have heard it over the years in regards to good fiction, and R.M. Meluch does all three in her 3rd installment of the Merrimack series. Usually I can figure plot directions out pretty early in a book but not so with Sagittarius Command. Meluch leaves a clear and intriguing trail to follow without giving away what it's made of or where it will end up. At just the right moment in the story she connects the dots (or pretzel crumbs)bringing the reader to a satisfying conclusion that wasn't really expected but more fitting than my best guess. Of course she doesn't give it all away and creates more questions for us to ponder until the next book comes out (please make it soon). As for laughing and crying--oh yeah. She got me more than once with a cast of characters fighting a war that appears futile. Well, actually not quite futile. Not with John Farragut, T. R. Steele, and their mighty Marines--heroes made larger than life by their humanity presented so intuitively by the author. I am as anxious to catch up with all the characters, even Numa Pompeii and Augustus (who has more facets than a chameleon has colors), as I am to savor all the well-crafted elements of each successive book. R.M. Meluch has that rare gift of being able to write a series without resorting to repetition and contrivance. Just when I think she is leading me toward one destination, I find myself landing very smoothly on another path of the story, and yet confusion is absent. Better yet, I can read these books again and again and enjoy them as much each time, as well as catch something I missed the last time. As always R.M. Meluch delivers a great story and strong characters that indeed make me laugh, make me cry, and make me wait with happy anticipation...for the next book and the next. I know I'll re-read the first three at least once between now and the next publication. Hoo Rah!

a new Book in an interesting series

Third in the new series and just as good as the first two. Exciting space opera. This series is unusual in that the personalities of the characters are well developed, not only the main but the lessor ones too. I cannot recomend this enough and will have the author next on my buy list. But a new reader should read the first two in the series to get the full effect. I do have a few questions that maybe the fourth book will answer Although Kerry Blue got plenty of action, the captain's love life was neglected this time. Have the swarm been cleaned out? What will the status of the new Roman Empire be? All-in-all, a buy and read recomendation.

fine outer space military fiction

The old Roman Empire never really died it just went underground placing its people in positions of power. When mankind colonized the stars, the Roman Empire now called the Palatine Empire broke away from Earth's control and established a new empire that became an implacable enemy of Earth especially America. When the Hive; an alien life form who knows only hunger begins eating away at Roman Colony planets, Captain John Farragut of the Merrimack negotiated the Subjugation. Roman forces are under the command of Farragut for as long as the crisis lasts but the Hive is a formidable opponent eating everything on a planet until that orb can no longer support life. It is discovered where the Hive is and the human life form that lies safely on one of the planets in the Sagittarius sector is believed to be an enemy of Rome who thought they destroyed him. He resonates on the Hive harmony and is directing them to planets he wants them to devour. Farragut hopes to find out how he is doing it and destroy the Hive before any more planets full of people are destroyed. R.M. Meluch is a creative writer of outer space military fiction. The action starts in the first chapter and never lets up until the last page is turned. The cast is fully developed especially those characters on the Merrimack so readers obtain a character driven military thriller that takes place for the most part aboard the space ship. The third book in this exciting series, THE SAGITTARIUS COMMAND continues to fascinate as audience will thoroughly enjoy trying to figure out what the Hive actually is. Harriet Klausner