Communication Failure

Last Updated on December 31, 2022 by ThoughtsStained

After devouring Mechanical Failure by Joe Zieja last year, this was the book that I’ve been waiting to come out, i.e., my most anticipated read of 2017. It felt like it took an eternity to actually come out and even though I get that publishing is a slow business, I was impatient.

I wanted to know what happened next. To see how Captain Rogers was going to handle being acting admiral of The Flagship. I wanted to see how they were going to manage an invading Thelicosan fleet. To see how many times the Viking could punch him in the face. (And see if how, and if, their relationship developed.) I wanted to hang out with my favorites again and laugh more than I usually do when escaping from reality in the hands of a paperback. And, let’s be real, here.

I missed Deet.

So, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when November 7th finally rolled around or my gratitude to my public library, who was willing to buy a copy to add to their shelves since money is a bit tight for me (while I’m hoping to get my copy underneath the Christmas tree). I dove back into the hilarity of Captain Rogers’ world, curious if the impatient wait was worth it.

Spoiler: it totally was.

Warning: watch out for [EXPLETIVE] spoilers (even if they’re minor).

Table of Contents

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Book Info

Publication Info

Content Warnings

In this sequel to Mechanical Failure, Captain Rogers, despite his best attempts to do otherwise, has become the acting admiral of the 331st Meridan fleet. His first task: worrying. A lot.

The rival Thelicosan fleet, under the influence of bad intelligence, a forbidden romance, and a communication officer with an eardrum injury, is about to break a two-hundred-year-old nonaggression pact. They have offered a vague, easily misinterpreted message: “We’re invading.” Rogers isn’t sure, but he thinks that’s probably bad.

War is hell, especially when you’ve forgotten how to fight one.

On the Page

Referenced

Minor

Content warnings are written up by me, unless specified. Subject to being an incomplete list, though guided by referencing this list and trying to highlight as many as I can identify.

Book Depository

IndieBound

Raven Bookstore

Review

Likes

It had everything I loved about the first book–the characters, the antics, the satire and the guaranteed sore abs from laughter–and then amped it up a little bit, by adding in the POV of the Thelicosans, specifically Grand Marshall Alandra Keffoule, Secretary Vilia Quinn and Commodore Zergan, as they try to deal with the message they accidentally sent to the Meridian’s: “We’re invading.” The solutions they come up with are absurd, hilarious and mathematically fueled, leading to a lot of chuckling and trying to turn the pages faster on my end. I also found myself relating a lot to Quinn as I read and rooting for her to unwind as the book progressed (I wonder if she can teach me how to do that…).
It was really fun to see a different culture living in this space opera, especially a culture that this non-mathematically-minded brain couldn’t fully understand, yet still found their jokes to be funny, anyway. It was fantastic to see Rogers grow as a character, without losing the humor that made me fall in love with him in the first place. It was awesome to discover a few twists and turns I was so not expecting (I see you, Zoo Keeper), not to mention that freakin’ ending.
But, as we all know, the best thing about the book, hands down? Deet.

Dislikes

Rating

Considering I read this book in, what, two, three days, I’m now left in a familiar position as I was before I read this book. I have a greater understanding of what’s going on with Admiral Rogers and his crew and the questions I had before I read Communication Failure have been answered. But now, I have even more questions than I had before. Perhaps, too, a greater desire for the last book of the Epic Failure trilogy, Miserable Failure, to come out.

*commence waiting sequence*

A custom artowrk signature that reads, "Onward to Adventure, Nicole" with a feathered quill and inkpot bordering it.