The war against the Elai has moved into the enemies' home system after several years of brutal and bitter fighting across known space. Even though their fleets are bottled up and their planets are under a tight blockade by the humans, the United Earth Alliance's technological edge is slipping as the Elia deploy new and more desperate weapons.
A strategic strike to cut the Elai off from their fuel supplies goes disastrously wrong, leaving the UEA Marines and the Valkyries cut off and fighting for their lives on an airless moon. They will soon find out that cornered enemies are often the most dangerous.
Operational tempo peaks as the war heats up. Ironic since it's on an ice world. As things go the way complicated battle plans do the Valkyrie crew fights to save the soldiers who are fighting to save them. But no place is really safe once the shooting starts...
My only criticism -- if you can call it a criticism -- is that Lucas packed so much into this story, a reader can get a bit lost at times. But hey, that's what second reads are for!
Definitely enjoyed this book and all the action. I did find some parts kind of long which served to emphasize how being stuck in combat waiting for backup must make every moment seem like an eternity. I wasn’t really expecting the story of Tony. It felt a little drawn out in parts but I’m looking forward to the next one to see how things unfold from here.
Been waiting mostly impatiently for awhile for Lucas to get enough time to finish this book in this brave new world we now live in. Will be waiting for the next one Lucas keep up the excellent writing and I'll keep reading.
Well above average military sci-fi; no new ground being broken, but the action is thrilling and the characters have depth, looking forward to the next installment in this series