ISBN: 0-7434-9881-X Order from: Amazon.com
Sometimes rushed, but quite satisfying conclusion to a long series filled with combat and intrigue.
Reviewed by David on May 07, 2005 (rev. 1)
Genre: Science Fiction (Military, War, Politics, Aliens)
Synopsis: After bloody months of fighting for survivial on the planet Marduk, Prince Roger McClintock and his company finally get to the interstellar space. With the Empire of Man taken over in a quit coup, and Roger's mother, the Empress Alexandra apparently under the control of the conspirators, Prince Roger and friends need to find allies, and find a way to return the rule to the McClintock dynasty—all without plunging the Empire into a destructive civil war.
Full Review: After a long, sometimes interminable, pace of the previous books, this installment seems rushed. However, the rapid pace, and tying off loose threads is satisfying, and fast action actually suits this type of adventure, complete with royalty, intrigue, love story, and most of all battles.
The book consludes the story nicely, with a handful of main characters continuing to be sympathetic. All previous subplots are well closed, while there are still seeds of future conflict should the authors want to return there.
Neither subtle nor insightful, this book satisfies with a sense of adventure, conflict, suspense, hissable villains and sympathetic heroes.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 5;
Copyright date 2005, Baen Publishing Enterprises (Baen), April 2005, Cloth, 392 pages
ISBN: 0-7434-9881-X Order from: Amazon.com