The Rifter's Covenant

Exordium #4

by Sherwood Smith, Dave Trowbridge

Inheriting an unexpected duty as ruler of the Arkad Empire, Brandon finds his power threatened by the usurping Jerrod Eusabian, Jerrod's planet-pillaging allies, and a traitor at the hear to his own councils. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Aliens

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 15, 1995

About the author

I am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

The entire thing has been rewritten, shifted to omniscient POV, which streamlined a great deal of a massive story with a huge cast. Back in the early nineties we'd had a great deal of trouble with the enforced time jerkiness of distant third, which was de rigueur at that time.

Since that time we've both learned a lot about writing, about the exigencies of political maneuvering, and there has been a lot more understood about the science and the tech, which Dave brought in. Dave did some twiddling on one battle, otherwise that aspect was still pretty tight, only the prose needed corresponding tightening.

Mostly, it was tremendous fun to be back in that world!

[Mike Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for anyone who picks up this book as a one-off, not for anyone who started the series it is part of from the beginning.

I ended up enjoying the book, but there is altogether too much going on for a stand-alone book. I assume that the earlier books in the series would have provided the background required for everything to make sense from the beginning.

I would recommend starting with the first book in the series if the story line and universe are of interest to you.