Weapons Free (Battlegroup Z) Paperback – February 13, 2021

Weapons Free is all about military and the battles in space. I was going to say sci-fi, but the plot line reads like the US in the late 50’s and 60’s. I’m just old enough to remember the Cuban crisis.The characters are more than believable and the story line is too. Reservists have long been an important factor and it’s good to see this in the story.Thank you for the great plot line and believable story. I look forward to reading #2.

The book was worthy of 4 stars as it kept me going page by page. I thought the characters were represented well and the plot was easy to follow along with. Once in awhile I could kind of predict what was going to happen, which I think shows that you are following along with the story. It is a good thing but if you predict too much you will get bored. I didn't see that happen here and the battle of starships is good. ;>)I would recommend to young adults interested in space intrigue

Don't like religion? Hate religion? That doesn't matter — you can still read and enjoy "Weapons Free" and all the rest of Daniel Gibbs' books. I have the six "Echoes of War" series books, the five "Breach of Faith" series books, and the four "Battle Group Z" series books released to date, and have pre-ordered "Iron Hand," book five of "Battle Group Z." I recommend all of these without reservation as mature, thoughtfully written, character-driven military sci-fi. The inclusion of religion and its place in life in general and warfare in particular is daring on Daniel Gibbs' part, but is an integral component of the stories. In the 1970s I enlisted and served in the United States Marine Corps, so I have personal knowledge and experience of the military and warfare. I was raised in the Byzantine Catholic faith, and in fact my paternal grandfather was a Byzantine Catholic priest and my paternal grandmother was the daughter of a Byzantine Catholic priest. (Byzantine Catholics are under the Pope and part of the Catholic Church, but are not of the Roman Catholic rite. Some Catholic rites, unlike the Roman Catholic rite, retained the right of their priests to marry and have families when they agreed to be under the Pope centuries ago.) I attended and graduated from an all-boys private high school run by the Brothers of the Holy Cross, who run Notre Dame University, and all five of my siblings attended and graduated from Roman Catholic primary and/or secondary schools. However, Catholicism never rang true to me. After a long study of comparative religions I decided I'm probably highly spiritual but agnostic, and certainly not interested in any organized religions, which I consider the worst evils ever inflicted on mankind. Philosophical (not religious) Taoism comes closest to my personal belief system. Despite the above, Daniel Gibbs' treatment of religion strikes me as non-evangelical, inclusive, humanitarian, integral to the plot, and something that would make the world a better place if more people adopted it.

This is an easy read, certainly isn't deep but still very readable. Lots of battle scenes and in-cockpit action. The main character is humanized by having doubts and fears as well as confidence when appropriate. The author has tried to mix in some very idealistic themes of how people approach their religion in year 2433. Which is all very well, but a little goes a long way and in my opinion he needs to dial that waaaay back. Couple that with a tone that's pretty close to YA territory and I feel I'm being generous with 3-stars.

This was a great book. I really like this series beginnings. I'm really surprised that It was as interesting as it was. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. And read it relatively quick. And I am a slow reader. But now I am off to book #2.Thank you

Weapons Free (Battlegroup Z Book 1). My sixth read from author Daniel Gibbs and the first book in yet another series Weapons Free (Battlegroup Z Book 1). I grew up reading C.S. Forester’s Hornblower books, as a young adult I was captivated by Alexander Kent’s Bolitho books, never getting enough of them. An outstanding, enjoyable read! I was given a Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. The book was well-written & flowed smoothly & quickly laying out the background for the series. I look forward to more books in this series as well as others from this author. It bears mentioning that I was also given a Kindle copy of A Simple Mission the prequel to the Breach of Faith series, yet nowhere I can find to review this excellent book, so now I have 3 series to choose from. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Weapons Free by Daniel Gibbs is not without some basis for criticism, but I read it for what it was and found it compelling and emotional Sci-Fi. As a military veteran who was forced to fight in a war when I shouldn’t have had to, I could certainly relate to Lt. Spencer’s reaction to suddenly being thrust into unexpected combat, his evolution to winning at any cost, his deep empathy for his fallen comrades, and his amazement and wonder that he had survived. I was further impressed by the spaceship’s captain, Col. Banu Tehrani, who knew fear but never let it keep her from “doing her duty”, making appropriate decisions as the tactical situation dictated, being an inspiring leader, and exhibiting deep sorrow for those under her command who gave the ultimate sacrifice. While I found the plot a little “far-fetched”, the space battles a bit long (and somewhat repetitive), the overwhelming technical superiority of the Terran Coalition a little surprising, it was still an entertaining and plausible read. I recommend this book.

This book has an interesting mix of references from Naval Carrier aviation along with a bit of submarine warfare references as w. It’s certainly refreshing to see the author’s ideas for people of all or no faiths not only getting along, but respect for each other’s lives as well. A good series start!

Great character development. I believe that is what makes a book. On to book 2 to see how the plot develops.

Liked the ideas in this story. War in space is a common theme but this story was centred on one small group of reservists who worked as a competent team.

A different mix of space fighting, religion, and politics. But not overwhelming to make the story confusing.Also, nice to see a reservist squadron as the pointy end of the stick in a battle

Fast paced full of adventure and some appropriately somber bits. I liked it, particularly the portrayal of the after affects of the battle and how it affected Justin Spencer and his crew mates. Well done! Many authors gloss over this part and it does need to be stated for us to remain human.

I enjoyed this book. The warfare in space was fairly realistic. The small craft fighting was good as was the battles involving carrier action. There is plenty of opportunity for the main characters to flesh out in the next book. As with many other readers I was surprised by the amount of religious references in this book, I must say it did not distract me from the storyline as it was strong enough to overcome this.