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Imperials #5
The Thucydides Trap
Thucydides Trap: A point when one great power threatens to displace another, war is unavoidable…
Thracius "Tracy" Belmanor has struggled to do his patriotic duty in the wake of the loss of the love of his life, Empress Mercedes de Arango. Amid a desperate war, the Solar League cannot afford his grief, nor the political instability of admitting the depth of their relationship.
It is for duty alone, both as a soldier and as a father, that he has entered into a loveless marriage that makes him part of the royal family to shepherd his son and the Solar League towards what seems to be humanity’s triumph against its foe.
However, a new danger has appeared that will lead to extinction on a galactic scale, and once again both Tracy and Mercedes must place duty over their own desires.
Thracius "Tracy" Belmanor has struggled to do his patriotic duty in the wake of the loss of the love of his life, Empress Mercedes de Arango. Amid a desperate war, the Solar League cannot afford his grief, nor the political instability of admitting the depth of their relationship.
It is for duty alone, both as a soldier and as a father, that he has entered into a loveless marriage that makes him part of the royal family to shepherd his son and the Solar League towards what seems to be humanity’s triumph against its foe.
However, a new danger has appeared that will lead to extinction on a galactic scale, and once again both Tracy and Mercedes must place duty over their own desires.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2023
About the author
Melinda M. Snodgrass
69 books222 followersMELINDA M. SNODGRASS
Melinda Snodgrass was born in Los Angeles, but her family moved to New Mexico when she was five months old making her almost a native. She studied opera at the Conservatory of Vienna in Austria, graduated from U.N.M. with a degree in history, and went on to Law School. She practiced for three years, and discovered that while she loved the law she hated lawyers so she began writing.
In 1988 she accepted a job on Star Trek: TNG, and began her Hollywood career. Her novels, The High Ground, In Evil Times and The Hidden World are available from Titan Books. She is the executive producer on the upcoming Wild Cards shows being developed for Hulu. Her passion (aside from writing) is riding her Lusitano stallion Vento da Broga.
Melinda Snodgrass was born in Los Angeles, but her family moved to New Mexico when she was five months old making her almost a native. She studied opera at the Conservatory of Vienna in Austria, graduated from U.N.M. with a degree in history, and went on to Law School. She practiced for three years, and discovered that while she loved the law she hated lawyers so she began writing.
In 1988 she accepted a job on Star Trek: TNG, and began her Hollywood career. Her novels, The High Ground, In Evil Times and The Hidden World are available from Titan Books. She is the executive producer on the upcoming Wild Cards shows being developed for Hulu. Her passion (aside from writing) is riding her Lusitano stallion Vento da Broga.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 4, 2023
This masterfully crafted, tightly plotted gem of a series is the best (or certainly among the best) space opera series that I have ever read!
Duty, honor, passion in spades! Star-crossed lovers one doomed to rule and the other doomed to never socially be her equal.
The entire Imperials Saga series revolves around Tracy, the common citizen and Mercedes, heir to the empire. And the first woman admitted to The High Ground (this society's version of West Point, the military academy). Mercedes had to attend the High Ground because that was a requirement for the throne after her father died. This society’s rulers were also required to be military leaders.
I also loved that this series assumes that the leaders of humanity look to Spain as their ancestor with the Spanish aristocracy and its titled nobility as the social hierarchy. And, of course, the Catholic Church.)
Mercedes totally loves Tracy but knows he would never be accepted by the hidebound aristocracy that runs the empire. Boho is a member of that aristocracy but is so narcissistic that he really loves no one except himself. He has plenty of hate, though. Hate for Tracy because Tracy has his wife Mercedes' heart.
Five book series, the last two of which had to be published by a small specialty publisher Prince of Cats Literary Productions because the traditional publisher Titan Books bailed.
Titan Books issued the first book The High Ground in 2016, the second book In Evil Times in 2017, and the third book The Hidden World in 2018. Then stopped. Evidently Titan Books felt like the books weren't selling well enough to keep going, no matter that the tale was barely halfway through. I was further shocked that my public library never bought the final two books. So far as the library
catalog shows, the series was just a trilogy.
Prince of Cats Literary Productions published the fourth book Currency of War in 2021, followed by the fifth and final book Thucydides Trap in 2023.
I am so grateful that I now live in a time when after authors get dropped by traditional publishers that there are still ways to publish the final books in a series!! Other than specialty publishers such as Prince of Cats Literary Productions the last resort is for the author to just publish the book himself/herself.
So, I do end up reading self-published books. For the most part, these are authors whose career began with traditional publishing and then that traditional publisher said sorry. No more books from you because the sales did not meet our commercial expectations.
So the author either finds a small publisher or a specialty publisher or rolls up his (or her) sleeves and just does self-publishing. I DO have a few favorite authors who do self-publishing by choice. But not the majority of my favorite authors.
Book five Thucydides Trap is highly recommended for Imperials Saga fans, Melinda M. Snodgrass fans, all space opera fans, and fans of a thumping good story told exceptionally well!!
Duty, honor, passion in spades! Star-crossed lovers one doomed to rule and the other doomed to never socially be her equal.
The entire Imperials Saga series revolves around Tracy, the common citizen and Mercedes, heir to the empire. And the first woman admitted to The High Ground (this society's version of West Point, the military academy). Mercedes had to attend the High Ground because that was a requirement for the throne after her father died. This society’s rulers were also required to be military leaders.
I also loved that this series assumes that the leaders of humanity look to Spain as their ancestor with the Spanish aristocracy and its titled nobility as the social hierarchy. And, of course, the Catholic Church.)
Mercedes totally loves Tracy but knows he would never be accepted by the hidebound aristocracy that runs the empire. Boho is a member of that aristocracy but is so narcissistic that he really loves no one except himself. He has plenty of hate, though. Hate for Tracy because Tracy has his wife Mercedes' heart.
Five book series, the last two of which had to be published by a small specialty publisher Prince of Cats Literary Productions because the traditional publisher Titan Books bailed.
Titan Books issued the first book The High Ground in 2016, the second book In Evil Times in 2017, and the third book The Hidden World in 2018. Then stopped. Evidently Titan Books felt like the books weren't selling well enough to keep going, no matter that the tale was barely halfway through. I was further shocked that my public library never bought the final two books. So far as the library
catalog shows, the series was just a trilogy.
Prince of Cats Literary Productions published the fourth book Currency of War in 2021, followed by the fifth and final book Thucydides Trap in 2023.
I am so grateful that I now live in a time when after authors get dropped by traditional publishers that there are still ways to publish the final books in a series!! Other than specialty publishers such as Prince of Cats Literary Productions the last resort is for the author to just publish the book himself/herself.
So, I do end up reading self-published books. For the most part, these are authors whose career began with traditional publishing and then that traditional publisher said sorry. No more books from you because the sales did not meet our commercial expectations.
So the author either finds a small publisher or a specialty publisher or rolls up his (or her) sleeves and just does self-publishing. I DO have a few favorite authors who do self-publishing by choice. But not the majority of my favorite authors.
Book five Thucydides Trap is highly recommended for Imperials Saga fans, Melinda M. Snodgrass fans, all space opera fans, and fans of a thumping good story told exceptionally well!!
April 22, 2024
Well, at least 7 years and 3 publishers after I started reading this series, I finally see the conclusion. And it pulled of the nearly impossible task of being satisfying, with an ending that, mostly, made sense in the world it was set in.
I get the distinct impression that there was a lot of behind the scenes drama getting this one out there and I'm glad it did. Lots of fun.
For the series as a whole: I enjoyed the aliens, the look at a society pulling it's way towards equality and tolerance and how it kept me invested throughout the characters' lives over 40 years.
Great series, wish the rival would have got at least mildly stabbed at some point though.
I get the distinct impression that there was a lot of behind the scenes drama getting this one out there and I'm glad it did. Lots of fun.
For the series as a whole: I enjoyed the aliens, the look at a society pulling it's way towards equality and tolerance and how it kept me invested throughout the characters' lives over 40 years.
Great series, wish the rival would have got at least mildly stabbed at some point though.
August 21, 2025
Great ending to the Imperials Saga
I am glad Melinda got to finish her saga! These five books have been wonderful. I’m sad that the story has finally ended but happy that the conclusion was satisfying and that all the loose ends got resolved. A lot of times with sprawling sagas the story finish with a lot of unsolved threads but that was not the case here. Highly recommend the entire saga even if you have never was any of the books. Beautifully written.
I am glad Melinda got to finish her saga! These five books have been wonderful. I’m sad that the story has finally ended but happy that the conclusion was satisfying and that all the loose ends got resolved. A lot of times with sprawling sagas the story finish with a lot of unsolved threads but that was not the case here. Highly recommend the entire saga even if you have never was any of the books. Beautifully written.
April 12, 2024
And it is finished. Loved this series.
Not sure the title is appropriate, makes it sound clever but I am not sure I saw any evidence of an actual Thucydides Trap - unless of course I don't understand what it is. The fact that they largely avoided war (twice in fact) would seem to indicate that.
Tracy and Mercedes are two brilliant protagonists and their story ends awesomely.
Not sure the title is appropriate, makes it sound clever but I am not sure I saw any evidence of an actual Thucydides Trap - unless of course I don't understand what it is. The fact that they largely avoided war (twice in fact) would seem to indicate that.
Tracy and Mercedes are two brilliant protagonists and their story ends awesomely.
December 31, 2025
The plot and characterization in this complex and well-paced series probably deserve five stars. But the proofreading/ copyediting is completely execrable. Between that and the cover design, it comes off feeling like mid grade fanfiction, when it could be much better with the simple addition of a read through for grammar, unfortunate autocorrects, etc.
March 23, 2023
Great conclusion to the series!
I loved this series and almost missed this last book because it wasn't listed on Goodreads. Enjoyed the space opera and military sci-fi with a sweet love story mixed in to give it some depth. Glad the story came to a happy conclusion.
I loved this series and almost missed this last book because it wasn't listed on Goodreads. Enjoyed the space opera and military sci-fi with a sweet love story mixed in to give it some depth. Glad the story came to a happy conclusion.
April 2, 2023
Recent Reads: The Thucydides Trap. The final volume in Melinda Snodgrass' Imperials series of space operas completes the series neatly, solving mysteries and saving worlds with sensible political decisions. Even the soap opera elements resolve well. Is this a space telenovella?
June 11, 2023
I was not sure if iwas going to grade 3 or 4. It's bit too fast, eveyrthing is too nicely solved.
BUT it's nice to see an author who can write endings, and not do books after books.
So, it deserves a 4. Anyway, it's nicely written, pleasant to read.
BUT it's nice to see an author who can write endings, and not do books after books.
So, it deserves a 4. Anyway, it's nicely written, pleasant to read.
July 11, 2024
Pretty good series, but it ended kind of abruptly, and didn't explain how things got resolved.
March 9, 2023
I really liked the book; even the a little-bit-too-tidy ending worked for me. I wasn't a fan of the typos and errors that should have been caught in copyedits and proofreading, but it happens.
May 25, 2025
An enjoyable series. I loved the ending.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews