I’ve never been a big military SF fan, but The Lost Fleet: Dauntless does a solid job of changing my mind.

A soldier is woken up after one hundred years of drifting in space in survival hibernation and discovers that he’s been made a hero and a legend for his famous last stand. Not only is the war he fought in still raging, but he’s thrown into the command of a fleet of ships, deep in enemy territory and vastly outnumbered.

Dauntless is a skillful combination of military action, realistic science, and believable, interesting characters. The woken soldier (now fleet commander) has to deal with uncomfortable hero-worship, overeager soldiers, incompetent captains, political operatives with murky agendas, and a massive enemy fleet.

Recommendation: If you’re a fan of military SF, you should absolutely buy this book. If you’re not a fan, get it at the library. It’s a surprisingly good read.