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Dread Empire's Fall #1
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All will must bend to the perfect truth of The Praxis For millennia, the Shaa have subjugated the universe, forcing the myriad sentient races to bow to their joyless tyranny. But the Shaa will soon be no more. The dread empire is in its rapidly fading twilight, and with its impending fall comes the promise of a new galactic order... and bloody chaos. A young Terran naval officer marked by his lowly birth, Lt. Gareth Martinez is the first to recognize the insidious plot of the Naxid -- the powerful, warlike insectoid society that was enslaved before all others -- to replace the masters' despotic rule with their own. Barely escaping a swarming surprise attack, Martinez and Caroline Sula, a pilot whose beautiful face conceals a deadly secret, are now the last hope for freedom for every being who ever languished in Shaa chains -- as the interstellar battle begins against a merciless foe whose only perfect truth is annihilation.
274 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
385 people are currently reading
5764 people want to read
About the author
Walter Jon Williams
238 books893 followersWalter Jon Williams has published twenty novels and short fiction collections. Most are science fiction or fantasy -Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind, Aristoi, Metropolitan, City on Fire to name just a few - a few are historical adventures, and the most recent, The Rift, is a disaster novel in which "I just basically pound a part of the planet down to bedrock." And that's just the opening chapters. Walter holds a fourth-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, and also enjoys sailing and scuba diving. He lives in New Mexico with his wife, Kathy Hedges.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
January 2, 2019
The Praxis is the first book in the Dread Empire’s Fall trilogy and, if you enjoy grand old space action stories, you could do a lot worse than giving this a try. It has space combat, political intrigue, human drama, interesting aliens, and everything else you could wish for in this kind of thing. What’s more, the character development is quite good, but in order to appreciate the full scope you would have to get around to the sequels as well.
I knocked off one star because the book has a long build up. Which again makes sense in context of the overall trilogy, but it slows this book down, especially in the first half. Once the action gets underway, however, it is deftly treated and you will find yourself cheering the team on. The author goes to lengths to inject his space combat with tactical excitement. Is it Military Science Fiction? Is it Space Opera? Who cares? It’s just a lot of fun.
Recommended. Both this instalment and particularly the trilogy as a whole.
The Praxis is listed on the Barnes & Noble list of 55 Essential Space Operas from the Last 70 Years. I have no idea how this list was compiled (or whether it carries any real weight), but it contains some interesting ditties, and I’m trying to work through them all, just for myself.
I knocked off one star because the book has a long build up. Which again makes sense in context of the overall trilogy, but it slows this book down, especially in the first half. Once the action gets underway, however, it is deftly treated and you will find yourself cheering the team on. The author goes to lengths to inject his space combat with tactical excitement. Is it Military Science Fiction? Is it Space Opera? Who cares? It’s just a lot of fun.
Recommended. Both this instalment and particularly the trilogy as a whole.
The Praxis is listed on the Barnes & Noble list of 55 Essential Space Operas from the Last 70 Years. I have no idea how this list was compiled (or whether it carries any real weight), but it contains some interesting ditties, and I’m trying to work through them all, just for myself.
June 24, 2015
I am going to start out by saying that Walter John Williams is an accomplished writer. He has begun to spin a tale here that has me very interested in the trilogy.
No doubt that this is a space opera and it does have a fair chunk of your bog standard space story lines. But Williams creates a very interesting universe that you get to see at the end of its current cycle. A superior race has ruled for 5 or 10 generations (i forget which) and ha sbrought peace to, well everyone. But only because if you don't follow their way, they kill you. There are many races that fall under the Shaa (the dominate race) and have all fallen under The Praxis, a way of life that the Shaa preach. So you get all this in the first chapter. So this story is what happens when the last surviving Shaa dies and all races are free of their rule.
For the first 60% of this book, Williams builds in depth two characters. Their backgrounds and their personalities are delved deeply and I can see a lot of people thinking halfway through this book that nothing is actually going to happen. But the book is based on a couple of interesting storylines. One being class, without war for hundreds of years, the ruling class of humans has developed a very clear sense of 'upper class'. The Peers and Lords, though births are key to the story and in the space navy it isn't what you know, but more who you know. Our main character Martinez comes from a well to do family from a backwater planet, so he has come quite far through the ranks but is stuck because of his provincial accent and his birth place. This makes him a character bent on doing anything to climb the social ladder.
The other interesting storyline is that after hundreds of years of peace, the navy is basically just a show pony. All the senior officers are more interested in how the ships look and the quality of the uniform and staeroom. So when shit hits the fan, well everyone is really really crap at planning battles. So they have god awful tactics and you have that midshipmen with half an idea being told by Captains to follow orders that have been used in mock battles for 5 centuries. It makes for short battles :)
Between 60% and 80% it picks up the pace well and you begin to realise just why Williams invested so much time in the two major characters.
For a Space Opera, its fun, I am happy I found it and look forward to book 2.
No doubt that this is a space opera and it does have a fair chunk of your bog standard space story lines. But Williams creates a very interesting universe that you get to see at the end of its current cycle. A superior race has ruled for 5 or 10 generations (i forget which) and ha sbrought peace to, well everyone. But only because if you don't follow their way, they kill you. There are many races that fall under the Shaa (the dominate race) and have all fallen under The Praxis, a way of life that the Shaa preach. So you get all this in the first chapter. So this story is what happens when the last surviving Shaa dies and all races are free of their rule.
For the first 60% of this book, Williams builds in depth two characters. Their backgrounds and their personalities are delved deeply and I can see a lot of people thinking halfway through this book that nothing is actually going to happen. But the book is based on a couple of interesting storylines. One being class, without war for hundreds of years, the ruling class of humans has developed a very clear sense of 'upper class'. The Peers and Lords, though births are key to the story and in the space navy it isn't what you know, but more who you know. Our main character Martinez comes from a well to do family from a backwater planet, so he has come quite far through the ranks but is stuck because of his provincial accent and his birth place. This makes him a character bent on doing anything to climb the social ladder.
The other interesting storyline is that after hundreds of years of peace, the navy is basically just a show pony. All the senior officers are more interested in how the ships look and the quality of the uniform and staeroom. So when shit hits the fan, well everyone is really really crap at planning battles. So they have god awful tactics and you have that midshipmen with half an idea being told by Captains to follow orders that have been used in mock battles for 5 centuries. It makes for short battles :)
Between 60% and 80% it picks up the pace well and you begin to realise just why Williams invested so much time in the two major characters.
For a Space Opera, its fun, I am happy I found it and look forward to book 2.
February 23, 2020
Surprisingly good. Not freaking fantastic, but really, really good.
Of course, I have to discount the opening which made me want to run and hide, saying, "no, no, this book is so not for me," with all its stuffy space fleet stuff, but once we got into everything else almost immediately after the slog of a beginning, I was hooked.
One really shouldn't judge a whole series based on the first 30 pages. I should know better. And I was right. The life on the planets set me right. We got to see how the rich versus the poor live in a very cool setup that satisfies, we got to get knee-deep in the politics, but what caught me most was the steady, careful worldbuilding. The alien species are interesting, but not as important as the political moves and the attempted coup.
Sound like standard stuff?
Well, here's where it gets kind of interesting. This came out in 2002 and yet I was getting some serious Battlestar Galactica vibes... as in the remake, the gritty terror. And then there was the serious satire and weakness of the ancient military and this one captain's obsession with football that matches the entire fleet's idiocy. And then there was the homage to the end of the Senate in Star Wars, some serious culture vibes that would make it into the later Mass Effect games, and much more.
It's almost like this book inspired all the modern breed of space operas. Not the single-minded pursuit of space opera, but the celebration of all the things surrounding a big space battle while also delivering on that space battle.
For that, I really appreciate the novel. The writing isn't always what I'd call fantastic, but the ideas and the steady inclusion of so many different aspects of SF in general WAS. I enjoyed it quite a lot ever since we got through the opener and actually grew to love it by the end. It snuck up on me. :)
Of course, I have to discount the opening which made me want to run and hide, saying, "no, no, this book is so not for me," with all its stuffy space fleet stuff, but once we got into everything else almost immediately after the slog of a beginning, I was hooked.
One really shouldn't judge a whole series based on the first 30 pages. I should know better. And I was right. The life on the planets set me right. We got to see how the rich versus the poor live in a very cool setup that satisfies, we got to get knee-deep in the politics, but what caught me most was the steady, careful worldbuilding. The alien species are interesting, but not as important as the political moves and the attempted coup.
Sound like standard stuff?
Well, here's where it gets kind of interesting. This came out in 2002 and yet I was getting some serious Battlestar Galactica vibes... as in the remake, the gritty terror. And then there was the serious satire and weakness of the ancient military and this one captain's obsession with football that matches the entire fleet's idiocy. And then there was the homage to the end of the Senate in Star Wars, some serious culture vibes that would make it into the later Mass Effect games, and much more.
It's almost like this book inspired all the modern breed of space operas. Not the single-minded pursuit of space opera, but the celebration of all the things surrounding a big space battle while also delivering on that space battle.
For that, I really appreciate the novel. The writing isn't always what I'd call fantastic, but the ideas and the steady inclusion of so many different aspects of SF in general WAS. I enjoyed it quite a lot ever since we got through the opener and actually grew to love it by the end. It snuck up on me. :)
June 2, 2017
I stopped reading The Praxis after the fifth use of the word "lush" to describe a woman's body. (So I read about 30% of the novel.) Regardless of the discomforting objectification of women, even when they're doing their highly skilled jobs, The Praxis lacks the world building that I think is necessary at the start of any sci-fi novel. I felt thrust into a complex setting without much explanation along the way. The Praxis also lacks something that makes it "The Praxis"/ "Dread Empire's Fall" like the way lightsabers make Star Wars Star Wars or the spice makes Dune Dune. It felt too generically science fiction instead of something truly independent and unique. I think Williams tried to go for something as grand as Dune but missed the target entirely.
One of the reasons why I love and appreciate sci-fi novels like Dune is because of the way it feels like it was simply written from a human's perspective, not specifically a man's (or a woman's). I don't know if I can properly convey what I'm thinking about this into words... It's just that science fiction is a genre that isn't specifically catered to any sex. At least, it shouldn't be. The genre was, after all, invented by a woman, Mary Shelley. I don't think The Praxis is meant to be male gender exclusive, especially since one of the two main characters is a woman, but even when reading her scenes I definitely felt like it was meant to be read from a male perspective. Good novels are the ones that examine human nature as it applies to everyone. This means that authors have to write with what's in their head and not what's between their legs. The Praxis isn't the only sci-fi novel with this problem, it's just unfortunate that I expected to really enjoy it but was unpleasantly surprised by how alienated I felt by the writing.
One of the reasons why I love and appreciate sci-fi novels like Dune is because of the way it feels like it was simply written from a human's perspective, not specifically a man's (or a woman's). I don't know if I can properly convey what I'm thinking about this into words... It's just that science fiction is a genre that isn't specifically catered to any sex. At least, it shouldn't be. The genre was, after all, invented by a woman, Mary Shelley. I don't think The Praxis is meant to be male gender exclusive, especially since one of the two main characters is a woman, but even when reading her scenes I definitely felt like it was meant to be read from a male perspective. Good novels are the ones that examine human nature as it applies to everyone. This means that authors have to write with what's in their head and not what's between their legs. The Praxis isn't the only sci-fi novel with this problem, it's just unfortunate that I expected to really enjoy it but was unpleasantly surprised by how alienated I felt by the writing.
December 10, 2021
Held up well to rereading -- I liked it more than the first time. The cast of aliens reminds me of Silverberg's Majipoor. Williams is a fine and under-rated writer.
The review you need to read is Jo Walton's. She covers the three books that were published prior to 2009 here:
http://www.tor.com/2009/05/26/aliens-...
Excerpt: "They need to be read in that order to make sense ... And they’re my favourite favourite kind of thing. There are aliens, and spaceships, and planets with funny names. There’s a space navy. There are great characters. The background all makes sense as it comes into focus. There’s a war, in which the characters get to do clever things and get promoted. If you like military SF you’ll like it. And if you don’t like military SF you might well like it anyway because it’s funny and clever."
The review you need to read is Jo Walton's. She covers the three books that were published prior to 2009 here:
http://www.tor.com/2009/05/26/aliens-...
Excerpt: "They need to be read in that order to make sense ... And they’re my favourite favourite kind of thing. There are aliens, and spaceships, and planets with funny names. There’s a space navy. There are great characters. The background all makes sense as it comes into focus. There’s a war, in which the characters get to do clever things and get promoted. If you like military SF you’ll like it. And if you don’t like military SF you might well like it anyway because it’s funny and clever."
May 18, 2021
The Praxis is the first book in the Dread Empire's Fall series, and is a very good story of love and war with a backdrop of an interstellar empire going through upheaval. It's got something of a slow start, but the two main characters are very convincingly drawn, Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, and you just -know- they're going to be forever doomed as the classic star-crossed (literally!) lovers. I'm intrigued by the number of reviews here in which Martinez is mentioned as the main character, because I thought Caroline Sula was the major character by a long shot, aided with a detailed background of intrigue and a very clever caper. The aliens are also interesting, and the political and military set-up seems fairly standard once the story takes off, but it's a great lift-off, with plenty of suspenseful battles. Fans of David Drake's Leary & Mundy or David Weber's Harrington or Elizabeth Moon's space series will feel right at home. There's not much of an ending or conclusion, so I'm anxious to pick up with the second book.
December 17, 2017
The only science fiction series that comes close to Dread Empire's Fall in terms of scope, characterization, and sheer brilliance would be Leviathan Wakes, or possibly Asimov's Foundation.
What it's about? Roughly, humanity is part of a Romanesque galactic empire 10000 years in the future. Travel is done through wormholes, the navy hasn't fought a real war...ever.
In short, it's about the collapse of an empire, and it avoids a lot of the typical trappings of sci-fi: the protagonists aren't simply "flawed", they're real. Alternately self-loathing and self-aggrandizing, they're excellently drawn. Moreover, there's no sense of the protagonists being the only actors or agents in the world Williams wrote. They're pieces of a grand puzzle.
The entire plot is heavy, but with no grand "hero destroys the evil menace" singular solution. There's no deus ex machina here, no technobabble that needs to be delivered to save the day. And at the end of the books, it's tough to be certain that anything's even remotely improved.
What it's about? Roughly, humanity is part of a Romanesque galactic empire 10000 years in the future. Travel is done through wormholes, the navy hasn't fought a real war...ever.
In short, it's about the collapse of an empire, and it avoids a lot of the typical trappings of sci-fi: the protagonists aren't simply "flawed", they're real. Alternately self-loathing and self-aggrandizing, they're excellently drawn. Moreover, there's no sense of the protagonists being the only actors or agents in the world Williams wrote. They're pieces of a grand puzzle.
The entire plot is heavy, but with no grand "hero destroys the evil menace" singular solution. There's no deus ex machina here, no technobabble that needs to be delivered to save the day. And at the end of the books, it's tough to be certain that anything's even remotely improved.
April 21, 2024
4.0 Stars
This was an enjoyable space opera with engrossing worldbuilding and well developed characters. I went into this one with virtually no expectations and had a really good time. I will try to read further into this series if I can get a hold of the later books.
This was an enjoyable space opera with engrossing worldbuilding and well developed characters. I went into this one with virtually no expectations and had a really good time. I will try to read further into this series if I can get a hold of the later books.
February 26, 2020
This is a reread after a decade or so; I enjoyed it then and now. It starts off as basically a feudal/fantasy romp in space. We are introduced to a baroque pageantry of a society, with many races under the heel of the Shaa. Within the subjugated races we have feudal lords and their vast estates. Humans were the third race conquered by the Shaa, all 'united' by the 'Praxis', a Shaa philosophical creed. The last living Shaa dies, however, and another race picks up the Shaa mantle, declaring they are now the protectors of the Praxis, leading to civil war; and event never having occurred before (there has not even been a war in over 3000 years).
The first third of the book develops the two main leads in their social context, and also serves as an introduction to society at large. The last third or so concerns the outbreak of war and really starts to move.
The first third of the book develops the two main leads in their social context, and also serves as an introduction to society at large. The last third or so concerns the outbreak of war and really starts to move.
July 21, 2021
This is a different take on military SF. Walter Jon Williams takes many of the tropes of the genre, but he puts them into a somewhat unusual setting. The protagonists are working for what can only be called an evil empire, but it's an evil empire which has softened with time, and whose evil edges have been sanded off a bit. There still is public torture and execution, but it's rare. Corruption is more an exchange of personal favours, and as long as it's not excessive, it's mostly tolerated. And the empire has maintained peace for so long that the military really has no experience with actually using their many and expensive toys.
I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. First, it is clearly the first part of a trilogy, and it barely stands on its own - I think more than half of the book is dedicated to world building and character background. And it's not quite clear if Williams really wants us to identify with the "good" protagonists in the evil empire, or if he is doing a Verhoeven on the reader. If the first, I think he missed a chance when the conflict erupts along species lines, not ideological lines.
Anyways, The Praxis is well written, after a bit of a slow start it's highly entertaining, and it has more depth and complexity than any other military SF I've tried. I've immediately bough not just the second, but also the third part of the series. Take this as a good sign ;-).
I'm not quite sure what to make of this book. First, it is clearly the first part of a trilogy, and it barely stands on its own - I think more than half of the book is dedicated to world building and character background. And it's not quite clear if Williams really wants us to identify with the "good" protagonists in the evil empire, or if he is doing a Verhoeven on the reader. If the first, I think he missed a chance when the conflict erupts along species lines, not ideological lines.
Anyways, The Praxis is well written, after a bit of a slow start it's highly entertaining, and it has more depth and complexity than any other military SF I've tried. I've immediately bough not just the second, but also the third part of the series. Take this as a good sign ;-).
April 23, 2015
This review applies to all three books in the trilogy. They can hardly stand on their own as separate books, after all.
I think the main drawback of these books is the lack of author's imagination, lack of consistency in world-building, weak technical background, and too much repetition.
On some distant planet, a conglomerate of humans and non-human species who built a ring that circles the whole planet and elevators from surface to orbit, are still driving around in cars, go to restaurants, do shopping, have marriages and divorces, and are basically living a middle-class American life, with some minor twists.
Author has some very strange notions about how space travel works, or could work. In order to change course, a spaceship cuts off its engine, "rotates" to the new course (not explained how it does this), and then ignites the engine again. And author repeats this maneuver over and over again, literally using the same words. It is very irritating.
Most of the volume of these books is taken by space battle. Very detailed, repetitious and boring space battle. Every little detail is repeated over and over. Over and over again.
I've given two stars and not one, because there are still some interesting and unexpected plot twists, some characters are likeable, and considering other specimen in "military sci-fi" sub-genre, these books were definitely not the worst out there.
I think the main drawback of these books is the lack of author's imagination, lack of consistency in world-building, weak technical background, and too much repetition.
On some distant planet, a conglomerate of humans and non-human species who built a ring that circles the whole planet and elevators from surface to orbit, are still driving around in cars, go to restaurants, do shopping, have marriages and divorces, and are basically living a middle-class American life, with some minor twists.
Author has some very strange notions about how space travel works, or could work. In order to change course, a spaceship cuts off its engine, "rotates" to the new course (not explained how it does this), and then ignites the engine again. And author repeats this maneuver over and over again, literally using the same words. It is very irritating.
Most of the volume of these books is taken by space battle. Very detailed, repetitious and boring space battle. Every little detail is repeated over and over. Over and over again.
I've given two stars and not one, because there are still some interesting and unexpected plot twists, some characters are likeable, and considering other specimen in "military sci-fi" sub-genre, these books were definitely not the worst out there.
November 20, 2019
I found this boring. The action at the beginning is raw and interesting and the world building makes me want to know more. However, that gets done all too soon and then we have two characters, both of whom are interesting, but nothing happens. And then more nothing happens. And what does happen is cliche', predictable, and telegraphed way in advance. In the end, I just didn't care enough about what had been teased in the beginning to wade through all the rest. :(
January 12, 2015
Walter Jon Williams is the author of the sleek, sophisticated ripped-from-tomorrow's-headlines series that kicked off so memorably with This Is Not A Game. Before he dipped his toe into flashy techno-thrillers, however, he penned the more stately Dread Empire's Fall series. How does WJW manage with grand spacer opera and military sci-fi? Based on the first book in the series, The Praxis, the answer is: quite well!
The author has set a challenge for himself by putting the ending of the story right on the cover: we know there's a Dread Empire, and we know that it falls, right? So what else is there to say?
Plenty, it would seem. For starters, the protagonists of the book are part of the eponymous Dread Empire and their interest is to preserve it, not destroy it. Turning our initial expectation on its head proves to be a clever move on WJW's part that pays off throughout the first book.
Let me tell you about this empire: thousands of years ago, the technologically superior Shaa arrived in Earth orbit and bombarded humanity's major cities until we surrendered unconditionally. It then recruited humans to serve it and attack the next intelligent species, and them the next, until all known intelligent species were subjugated, eight in total. The Shaa imposed a law called The Praxis on its empire, which stated that 'all that is required is known'. In other words, there could be no further technological advancement beyond what the Shaa had achieved. Furthermore, the Shaa forbid research of any kind into specific fields including artificial intelligence and genomics, and enforced this prohibition with ruthless brutality.
So humanity is ready to wake up and throw off the oppressive rule of the Shaa, right? No! The Shaa have now ruled for thousands of years and all the subjugated species completely accept the legitimacy of the Praxis. In fact, the last surviving member of the Shaa is not long for this world, and the empire it is leaving behind is extremely anxious that no rebels or mutineers disrupt the glory of the Praxis. The last wish of the Shaa and the empire they leave behind is that everything should continue exactly as it has been.
Of course, that's not going to happen.
Our protagonists are two humans. One is Gareth Martinez, scion of minor nobility and a junior officer in the imperial Fleet. Martinez, like most of his peers, is spoiled, arrogant and unaware of his privileges. Unlike most of his peers, he is actually a competent officer.
Martinez will get the majority of the 'screen time' in this book, which is a bit annoying as his preening ambition and lack of self-awareness make him a bit unlikable; also, because WJW has a much more interesting character in Caroline Sula. Caroline Sula is also a peer, but her family is disgraced and she has a shadowy past involving a cast of marginalized teenagers scraping out a living in the slums of a far planet. WJW has much more of a talent for writing this sort of thing than most authors of space opera typically do, and I enjoyed these sections whenever they came up. I enjoyed Sula's character generally, as she is much more sympathetic than the spotlight-hogging Martinez. This tension is echoed early on in an accident in which Sula's quick thinking and bravery save the day, while Martinez gets the glory.
Fortunately, Martinez eventually starts to grow into his undeserved accolades as a great threat to the Praxis reveals itself from an unexpected corner. I won't spoil this except to say that the greatest threat to fundamentalists is often other even more dogmatic fundamentalists.
The Praxis also sets up several larger mysteries that will no doubt play out throughout the series: where did the Shaa come from originally? And why did they establish strict laws limiting technological advancement? We get hints that they were motivated not by a desire to dominate, but by something else entirely. I have my guesses.
WJW does an excellent job of weaving together a tense story full of action, intrigue, humor and subtle social commentary. The setting feels suitably grand but grounded in a way that space opera usually isn't. WJW has previously penned a couple of Star Wars novels, and perhaps those were what inspired him to do this impressive 're-interpretation' of the standard tropes of the genre.
I gobbled up The Praxis and am eagerly looking forward to book two, The Sundering. If you're a fan of smart sci-fi, especially space opera and military sci-fi, you should definitely look this up.
The author has set a challenge for himself by putting the ending of the story right on the cover: we know there's a Dread Empire, and we know that it falls, right? So what else is there to say?
Plenty, it would seem. For starters, the protagonists of the book are part of the eponymous Dread Empire and their interest is to preserve it, not destroy it. Turning our initial expectation on its head proves to be a clever move on WJW's part that pays off throughout the first book.
Let me tell you about this empire: thousands of years ago, the technologically superior Shaa arrived in Earth orbit and bombarded humanity's major cities until we surrendered unconditionally. It then recruited humans to serve it and attack the next intelligent species, and them the next, until all known intelligent species were subjugated, eight in total. The Shaa imposed a law called The Praxis on its empire, which stated that 'all that is required is known'. In other words, there could be no further technological advancement beyond what the Shaa had achieved. Furthermore, the Shaa forbid research of any kind into specific fields including artificial intelligence and genomics, and enforced this prohibition with ruthless brutality.
So humanity is ready to wake up and throw off the oppressive rule of the Shaa, right? No! The Shaa have now ruled for thousands of years and all the subjugated species completely accept the legitimacy of the Praxis. In fact, the last surviving member of the Shaa is not long for this world, and the empire it is leaving behind is extremely anxious that no rebels or mutineers disrupt the glory of the Praxis. The last wish of the Shaa and the empire they leave behind is that everything should continue exactly as it has been.
Of course, that's not going to happen.
Our protagonists are two humans. One is Gareth Martinez, scion of minor nobility and a junior officer in the imperial Fleet. Martinez, like most of his peers, is spoiled, arrogant and unaware of his privileges. Unlike most of his peers, he is actually a competent officer.
Martinez will get the majority of the 'screen time' in this book, which is a bit annoying as his preening ambition and lack of self-awareness make him a bit unlikable; also, because WJW has a much more interesting character in Caroline Sula. Caroline Sula is also a peer, but her family is disgraced and she has a shadowy past involving a cast of marginalized teenagers scraping out a living in the slums of a far planet. WJW has much more of a talent for writing this sort of thing than most authors of space opera typically do, and I enjoyed these sections whenever they came up. I enjoyed Sula's character generally, as she is much more sympathetic than the spotlight-hogging Martinez. This tension is echoed early on in an accident in which Sula's quick thinking and bravery save the day, while Martinez gets the glory.
Fortunately, Martinez eventually starts to grow into his undeserved accolades as a great threat to the Praxis reveals itself from an unexpected corner. I won't spoil this except to say that the greatest threat to fundamentalists is often other even more dogmatic fundamentalists.
The Praxis also sets up several larger mysteries that will no doubt play out throughout the series: where did the Shaa come from originally? And why did they establish strict laws limiting technological advancement? We get hints that they were motivated not by a desire to dominate, but by something else entirely. I have my guesses.
WJW does an excellent job of weaving together a tense story full of action, intrigue, humor and subtle social commentary. The setting feels suitably grand but grounded in a way that space opera usually isn't. WJW has previously penned a couple of Star Wars novels, and perhaps those were what inspired him to do this impressive 're-interpretation' of the standard tropes of the genre.
I gobbled up The Praxis and am eagerly looking forward to book two, The Sundering. If you're a fan of smart sci-fi, especially space opera and military sci-fi, you should definitely look this up.
June 17, 2019
At times it felt a little like I was reading a regency romance instead of a space opera, what with all the lords and ladies and patrons and frilly tailored attire.
But Gareth Martinez is an instinctively likeable protagonist (sometimes in spite of himself), and once we finally got to space for real (nearly 2/3 of the way through the book), the story pivoted nicely toward space opera, with compelling and unique space battles and clever conflicts. I plan to read Book 2.
But Gareth Martinez is an instinctively likeable protagonist (sometimes in spite of himself), and once we finally got to space for real (nearly 2/3 of the way through the book), the story pivoted nicely toward space opera, with compelling and unique space battles and clever conflicts. I plan to read Book 2.
December 3, 2020
When I first caught sight of this book, after some time searching on Amazon for a good space opera, I had high expectations. 5 stars all around, a lot of praise and people saying this is one heck of a book. “Nice! I scored myself a good book”, I thought. I was wrong. I’m obviously the minority here, considering the amount of 5 star reviews this book has, but I feel like I really need to explain, to however is reading, why is it that I just didn’t like this book, and why I think it’s overrated.
Before we start, I have to say that this review does contain SPOILERS, not much though. And in my opinion, you shouldn’t read it anyway, so let’s start the rant.
The premise of the book is relatively simple, but still interesting: in the distant future, an alien species know as the Shaa has subjugated every other species in the galaxy, including humans, and imposed unto them a strict set of rules and laws know as the Praxis. Things like genetic manipulation are forbidden, with severe punishments for those who disobey the Praxis (ie: brutal, gory death)The thing is, the Shaa are dying, and when the last one perishes, the Naxid, evil insectoid aliens, enact a long thought plan to take over the empire. It’s now up to our heroes, the lowborn noble Lt.Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, pilot with a mysterious past, to survive the ensuing chaos and find a way to stop the Naxid in a divided empire. Sounds cool right? Well, while it is a very interesting premise on hypothetical paper, it’s not so good on literary paper, for a variety of reasons.
1st of all, the book is VERY slow. I kid you not, the main triggering event of the book, the death of the last Shaa, only happens on the exact middle of the book. The entire first half is comprised of boring subplots that lead exactly nowhere, with a small flashback section dedicated to Sula’s dark past. After that, things start to escalate a bit, culminating in a very satisfying action scene, where our protagonist finds out about the Naxid secret plan, and has to hijack his ship and escape the current solar system with alien ships in hot pursuit. To its credit, it’s a very good action section, but one that lasts too little, and nothing like it ever happens again, for the remainder of the book. Because at this point, we’re at the last quarter of the book, which is filled with more flashbacks and more boring, unimportant politics, like the first half. And the book ends with a smaller and less interesting space battle, and some more unimportant subplots because why not? In the end, the story only really starts at the mid-to-end point of the book, and while good, it’s not really worth all the uninteresting stuff from before.
2nd point is that the setting just doesn’t work in some ways, making for a more comical experience than a dramatic one. To begin with, for a civilization called “the dread empire” there’s not really all that much of evil in it. Sure, you have “noble” families with more privileges than the common folk, a strict guideline of laws whose transgressions are punishable by death, and poor people living in crime ridden slums. But nothing really stands out as particularly evil or bad. The book tells us that this empire is oppressive and evil, but doesn’t show anything to corroborate that. The Praxis itself is more a collection of very specific things you can’t do, with the punishment of exaggerated death, to an almost comical extent. As for the inequality and poor people living in terrible slums thing is no different than what we have in current day Brazil and USA. But the nail in the coffin is the way the book handles the government of the Dread empire.
Essentially, the Shaa were so good at dominating and subjugating stuff that no one has tried to rebel against the empire in thousands of years. This has, in result, created a complacent and comically ineffective government. The best example of this is the military, which for years has changed from being the manifestation of a estates might, to a organization which exists for the sole purpose of elevating the social status of those who work in it. Our male protagonist Gareth Martinez’s main goal in the beginning is to find a way to climb the ranks after his superior, who was supposed to recommend him for a higher position, kills himself so he could die with the last Shaa (an early book spoiler). Afterwards, he gets assigned to untimely named Corona, which is, I shit you not, a spaceship fully dedicated to FOOTBALL, where everyone in the crew is a professional player, the captain cares more about training than official military duties, and the ship itself is painted bright green and decorated with football balls to celebrate this fact. And it’s not the only spaceship of that kind by the way, there’s a full blown football tourney, where teams from different spaceships compete against each other. This fact, coupled with Naxids complete clueless attempts at making a coup (with how a group of Naxids failed to execute part of their plan because one of them insulted a superior in their language, which the insulted understood), as well as the complete inefficiency of the Empire government’s (with a group of senators debating for hours on how to punish traitors instead of directing the empire, eventually settling on having all traitors be trown out of windows) makes for some very fun moments, but ends up completely killing all the all the tension in the book, as well as destroying any credibility the Dread empire had as a self respecting tyrannical government.
In the end, maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe 1 star is too little, and the book obviously has SOME merit, considering it’s stellar score. But to be honest, this book just isn’t all that good as people make it out to be, and even though the sequels might be better, I’m not sticking around to find out. If you want a good space opera, I’m afraid that this ain’t it. Thanks for reading trough my rant.
Before we start, I have to say that this review does contain SPOILERS, not much though. And in my opinion, you shouldn’t read it anyway, so let’s start the rant.
The premise of the book is relatively simple, but still interesting: in the distant future, an alien species know as the Shaa has subjugated every other species in the galaxy, including humans, and imposed unto them a strict set of rules and laws know as the Praxis. Things like genetic manipulation are forbidden, with severe punishments for those who disobey the Praxis (ie: brutal, gory death)The thing is, the Shaa are dying, and when the last one perishes, the Naxid, evil insectoid aliens, enact a long thought plan to take over the empire. It’s now up to our heroes, the lowborn noble Lt.Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, pilot with a mysterious past, to survive the ensuing chaos and find a way to stop the Naxid in a divided empire. Sounds cool right? Well, while it is a very interesting premise on hypothetical paper, it’s not so good on literary paper, for a variety of reasons.
1st of all, the book is VERY slow. I kid you not, the main triggering event of the book, the death of the last Shaa, only happens on the exact middle of the book. The entire first half is comprised of boring subplots that lead exactly nowhere, with a small flashback section dedicated to Sula’s dark past. After that, things start to escalate a bit, culminating in a very satisfying action scene, where our protagonist finds out about the Naxid secret plan, and has to hijack his ship and escape the current solar system with alien ships in hot pursuit. To its credit, it’s a very good action section, but one that lasts too little, and nothing like it ever happens again, for the remainder of the book. Because at this point, we’re at the last quarter of the book, which is filled with more flashbacks and more boring, unimportant politics, like the first half. And the book ends with a smaller and less interesting space battle, and some more unimportant subplots because why not? In the end, the story only really starts at the mid-to-end point of the book, and while good, it’s not really worth all the uninteresting stuff from before.
2nd point is that the setting just doesn’t work in some ways, making for a more comical experience than a dramatic one. To begin with, for a civilization called “the dread empire” there’s not really all that much of evil in it. Sure, you have “noble” families with more privileges than the common folk, a strict guideline of laws whose transgressions are punishable by death, and poor people living in crime ridden slums. But nothing really stands out as particularly evil or bad. The book tells us that this empire is oppressive and evil, but doesn’t show anything to corroborate that. The Praxis itself is more a collection of very specific things you can’t do, with the punishment of exaggerated death, to an almost comical extent. As for the inequality and poor people living in terrible slums thing is no different than what we have in current day Brazil and USA. But the nail in the coffin is the way the book handles the government of the Dread empire.
Essentially, the Shaa were so good at dominating and subjugating stuff that no one has tried to rebel against the empire in thousands of years. This has, in result, created a complacent and comically ineffective government. The best example of this is the military, which for years has changed from being the manifestation of a estates might, to a organization which exists for the sole purpose of elevating the social status of those who work in it. Our male protagonist Gareth Martinez’s main goal in the beginning is to find a way to climb the ranks after his superior, who was supposed to recommend him for a higher position, kills himself so he could die with the last Shaa (an early book spoiler). Afterwards, he gets assigned to untimely named Corona, which is, I shit you not, a spaceship fully dedicated to FOOTBALL, where everyone in the crew is a professional player, the captain cares more about training than official military duties, and the ship itself is painted bright green and decorated with football balls to celebrate this fact. And it’s not the only spaceship of that kind by the way, there’s a full blown football tourney, where teams from different spaceships compete against each other. This fact, coupled with Naxids complete clueless attempts at making a coup (with how a group of Naxids failed to execute part of their plan because one of them insulted a superior in their language, which the insulted understood), as well as the complete inefficiency of the Empire government’s (with a group of senators debating for hours on how to punish traitors instead of directing the empire, eventually settling on having all traitors be trown out of windows) makes for some very fun moments, but ends up completely killing all the all the tension in the book, as well as destroying any credibility the Dread empire had as a self respecting tyrannical government.
In the end, maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe 1 star is too little, and the book obviously has SOME merit, considering it’s stellar score. But to be honest, this book just isn’t all that good as people make it out to be, and even though the sequels might be better, I’m not sticking around to find out. If you want a good space opera, I’m afraid that this ain’t it. Thanks for reading trough my rant.
February 27, 2021
I had previously read the Rift by this same4 offer. The style is very similar, Williams creates a world and to do this, he goes into great detail. The main characters are Martinez and Sula. Earth was long ago conquered and Terrans have become fully functioning people under the rule of the Shaa. The last Shaa commits suicide. What is to happen to Praxis, the empire? If I have any complaint is that Williams is long on development but short on action. It is traditional Sci-fi.
June 4, 2019
4.0 Stars
Jo Walton, when reviewing the hugo award nominees for 1998, makes this observation about Walter Jon Williams after talking about one his earlier works, City on Fire: "It’s not in print, and it’s in the library in French only, thus reinforcing my perception that Walter Jon Williams is massively under-rated."
After reading The Praxis, I have to agree with her.
It's not that The Praxis is an incredibly ground-breaking novel, but it's a well written novel in a sub-genre that has always been defined by it's lack of quality. It's got some creakiness to it: A plot that takes way too long to get going, a villain with thin motivation and poor set-up, and a great female character who gets tons of flashbacks to flesh out her motivation and personality, only for her to not participate in the story in a larger way (Though never seemingly from Williams not wanting to, just that she has a bigger role to play in later installments), and operational if shallow world-building.
BUT
The prose is sharp and clear, the character writing is genuinely strong, and it has some of the best descriptive writing when it comes to space combat since Eric Nylund's First Strike (Which is extremely high praise coming from me FYI). It's a space opera book that doesn't get bogged down by it's hard science or too invested in it's own cleverness nor is it an interesting story let down by it's clunky writing. And most of all, it's devoid of the horrible misogyny and general ickiness that has come to define the sub-genre (Looking at you Peter F. Hamilton!).
It's a novel (and author) that desperately deserves to be read and enjoyed by more people.
Some might even say Walter Jon Williams is just a tad bit under-rated.
Jo Walton, when reviewing the hugo award nominees for 1998, makes this observation about Walter Jon Williams after talking about one his earlier works, City on Fire: "It’s not in print, and it’s in the library in French only, thus reinforcing my perception that Walter Jon Williams is massively under-rated."
After reading The Praxis, I have to agree with her.
It's not that The Praxis is an incredibly ground-breaking novel, but it's a well written novel in a sub-genre that has always been defined by it's lack of quality. It's got some creakiness to it: A plot that takes way too long to get going, a villain with thin motivation and poor set-up, and a great female character who gets tons of flashbacks to flesh out her motivation and personality, only for her to not participate in the story in a larger way (Though never seemingly from Williams not wanting to, just that she has a bigger role to play in later installments), and operational if shallow world-building.
BUT
The prose is sharp and clear, the character writing is genuinely strong, and it has some of the best descriptive writing when it comes to space combat since Eric Nylund's First Strike (Which is extremely high praise coming from me FYI). It's a space opera book that doesn't get bogged down by it's hard science or too invested in it's own cleverness nor is it an interesting story let down by it's clunky writing. And most of all, it's devoid of the horrible misogyny and general ickiness that has come to define the sub-genre (Looking at you Peter F. Hamilton!).
It's a novel (and author) that desperately deserves to be read and enjoyed by more people.
Some might even say Walter Jon Williams is just a tad bit under-rated.
August 9, 2013
I would have given this book 4 stars but it didn't start getting good for me till chapter 7.
Too much time was spend on the early character development while neglecting the main plot.
This is my second attempt and I'm glad I finally finished it as it finished really strong. Probably will read the sequel.
Update: the next 2 books in this series make slogging through this book worth the effort.
Too much time was spend on the early character development while neglecting the main plot.
This is my second attempt and I'm glad I finally finished it as it finished really strong. Probably will read the sequel.
Update: the next 2 books in this series make slogging through this book worth the effort.
March 22, 2017
Agree with reviewers who found the bones of a decent space opera deeply, DEEPLY embedded in inconsequential back stories, simplistic society building and tedious detail. Not feeling any need to continue with the series.
November 6, 2022
Solid writing. Good plotting. Relatable characters. Clever world-building. Recommended.
September 30, 2017
Okay, I reread this book after about 3 1/2 years since my first time and I have to bump my rating up to five stars.
This book is exactly what Space Opera and Military Sci-Fi should be, it sets out to create a sweeping, fully realized world inhabited by unique, interesting characters and serves up a plot that is equally personal and melodramatic. Its not often that I say that I wish a book were longer, but in this case I wish there were an extra 100 pages to describe the world, its history, the characters, the politics, and the battles.
But don't take that as a negative in the least. This book is impeccably paced so that skips in time never feel jarring, and it never spends too much time in one place. It focuses on whichever characters are most relevant, and does not pull any gimmicky cliffhangers to generate tension, but actually BUILDS tension by crafting scenarios where the stakes are high and the outcome could plausibly turn out badly for the characters. And occasionally they do.
The sci-fi part is executed supremely well. As I've come to find, a lot of authors would rather gloss over the tougher implications of their universe. In a reality with intelligent robots, why do humans still pilot ships and do dangerous work? In a reality of high-technology, why would people still exist in their current form? And in a reality of great wealth, why would poverty and conflict exist?
The Praxis answers all of these questions by the introduction of, well, The Praxis, which is the supreme law of the empire run by the Shaa. It is epitomized by the statement "Everything important is known." This deeply conservative mantra means there ARE no intelligent robots because machine intelligence has been outlawed and is strictly punished, likewise for genetic modification. The Shaa insist that natural selection must be natural. Finally, the seeds of conflict are sown by the strict caste-system that grants near universal power to the upper classes, known as 'peers,' and everyone else who scrambles for whatever scraps get handed down. This justifies the state of the universe as we find it. The draconian Shaa leaders impose this rule on all races with their superior technology and after literally thousands of years of tradition very few people see fit to question it, and those that do are quite wary of questioning it out loud? for fear of social ostracization at best and torture and death at worst.
And so we enter a world where social standing is everything, and the military fleet is the height of social standing. The dynamic this sets up is a world where technology, social institutions, and (albeit at an incredibly advanced level) have remained stagnant for centuries. But with the death of the last Shaa, the cement holding this empire together shows its first cracks.
All of this allows the story to work on a level that is still relatable to us in our present and yet doesn't have to leave gaping logic holes in logic when the author fails to address the implications of their choices regarding tech, and why certain aspects of society haven't been adapted to certain innovations.
Perhaps the strongest feature is that both of the main characters, Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, are incredibly well-realized and made exceptional yet flawed. Their exceptionality is mostly comes from the fact that both of them are competent and skilled in an empire where competence and skill are less valued than tradition and obedience. But each has their stumbling blocks. For Gareth its his low (for a Peer) upbringing and his unwillingness to toe the line. Sula, on the other hand, harbours a secret that haunts her and could be her complete undoing. Both are smartly written, relatable, and easy to root for, especially in the context of the society they inhabit. Some people might find them more likeable than others, but you'd have to go out of your way to hate them.
Each one is ambitious and yet is dissatisfied with social climbing through pandering and nepotism. Each has a unique background. These properties mean when they cross paths, good things happen.
The book does not neglect the larger political intrigue of the empire, though. It sprinkles in subplots about various relevant minor characters as they grapple with the problems that arise as the situation and empire spirals out of their control. The theme here is those who try to follow the old ways of the Praxis in faith that the methods that have worked in the past will work in the future, against those who seek to innovate and see the old ways as sub-optimal. ALL, however are angling to improve their own station. If one enjoys Game of Thrones-style politiking and intrigue, you will be satisfied here.
Finally, and the part that I enjoy the most, is the well-conceived and perfectly executed battle sequences. Making a space battle exciting is not difficult. Making it exciting and realistic tends to be harder. Especially when you assume that computers would be doing most of the work, and the battle will usually go to the person with the fastest computers. The scale of the battles is massive, and yet the human actions involved are still the key. Tactical decisions and technical limitations are just as important to the outcome as the size and number of ships. The characters often have to come up with new and untested strategies on the fly to survive situations that would otherwise not seem winnable. Its basically all the best parts of the battle scenes of Ender's Game but in some ways even better.
I really can't heap too much praise on this book, and there's very little I have to critique at this point. One reason why I had initially enjoyed this less was that I had less an understanding of the concepts that the story takes for granted (for instance, understanding how relativity effects space combat). But having an internet connection to quickly reference things you don't get will solve that problem, and most of it is sufficiently explained in the narrative.
So yes, if you want some good, classic-style space opera OR you just want to read some of the best-conceived space battles I have EVER read, all tied together with great skill and made incredibly entertaining throughout, PICK UP THIS SERIES
This book is exactly what Space Opera and Military Sci-Fi should be, it sets out to create a sweeping, fully realized world inhabited by unique, interesting characters and serves up a plot that is equally personal and melodramatic. Its not often that I say that I wish a book were longer, but in this case I wish there were an extra 100 pages to describe the world, its history, the characters, the politics, and the battles.
But don't take that as a negative in the least. This book is impeccably paced so that skips in time never feel jarring, and it never spends too much time in one place. It focuses on whichever characters are most relevant, and does not pull any gimmicky cliffhangers to generate tension, but actually BUILDS tension by crafting scenarios where the stakes are high and the outcome could plausibly turn out badly for the characters. And occasionally they do.
The sci-fi part is executed supremely well. As I've come to find, a lot of authors would rather gloss over the tougher implications of their universe. In a reality with intelligent robots, why do humans still pilot ships and do dangerous work? In a reality of high-technology, why would people still exist in their current form? And in a reality of great wealth, why would poverty and conflict exist?
The Praxis answers all of these questions by the introduction of, well, The Praxis, which is the supreme law of the empire run by the Shaa. It is epitomized by the statement "Everything important is known." This deeply conservative mantra means there ARE no intelligent robots because machine intelligence has been outlawed and is strictly punished, likewise for genetic modification. The Shaa insist that natural selection must be natural. Finally, the seeds of conflict are sown by the strict caste-system that grants near universal power to the upper classes, known as 'peers,' and everyone else who scrambles for whatever scraps get handed down. This justifies the state of the universe as we find it. The draconian Shaa leaders impose this rule on all races with their superior technology and after literally thousands of years of tradition very few people see fit to question it, and those that do are quite wary of questioning it out loud? for fear of social ostracization at best and torture and death at worst.
And so we enter a world where social standing is everything, and the military fleet is the height of social standing. The dynamic this sets up is a world where technology, social institutions, and (albeit at an incredibly advanced level) have remained stagnant for centuries. But with the death of the last Shaa, the cement holding this empire together shows its first cracks.
All of this allows the story to work on a level that is still relatable to us in our present and yet doesn't have to leave gaping logic holes in logic when the author fails to address the implications of their choices regarding tech, and why certain aspects of society haven't been adapted to certain innovations.
Perhaps the strongest feature is that both of the main characters, Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, are incredibly well-realized and made exceptional yet flawed. Their exceptionality is mostly comes from the fact that both of them are competent and skilled in an empire where competence and skill are less valued than tradition and obedience. But each has their stumbling blocks. For Gareth its his low (for a Peer) upbringing and his unwillingness to toe the line. Sula, on the other hand, harbours a secret that haunts her and could be her complete undoing. Both are smartly written, relatable, and easy to root for, especially in the context of the society they inhabit. Some people might find them more likeable than others, but you'd have to go out of your way to hate them.
Each one is ambitious and yet is dissatisfied with social climbing through pandering and nepotism. Each has a unique background. These properties mean when they cross paths, good things happen.
The book does not neglect the larger political intrigue of the empire, though. It sprinkles in subplots about various relevant minor characters as they grapple with the problems that arise as the situation and empire spirals out of their control. The theme here is those who try to follow the old ways of the Praxis in faith that the methods that have worked in the past will work in the future, against those who seek to innovate and see the old ways as sub-optimal. ALL, however are angling to improve their own station. If one enjoys Game of Thrones-style politiking and intrigue, you will be satisfied here.
Finally, and the part that I enjoy the most, is the well-conceived and perfectly executed battle sequences. Making a space battle exciting is not difficult. Making it exciting and realistic tends to be harder. Especially when you assume that computers would be doing most of the work, and the battle will usually go to the person with the fastest computers. The scale of the battles is massive, and yet the human actions involved are still the key. Tactical decisions and technical limitations are just as important to the outcome as the size and number of ships. The characters often have to come up with new and untested strategies on the fly to survive situations that would otherwise not seem winnable. Its basically all the best parts of the battle scenes of Ender's Game but in some ways even better.
I really can't heap too much praise on this book, and there's very little I have to critique at this point. One reason why I had initially enjoyed this less was that I had less an understanding of the concepts that the story takes for granted (for instance, understanding how relativity effects space combat). But having an internet connection to quickly reference things you don't get will solve that problem, and most of it is sufficiently explained in the narrative.
So yes, if you want some good, classic-style space opera OR you just want to read some of the best-conceived space battles I have EVER read, all tied together with great skill and made incredibly entertaining throughout, PICK UP THIS SERIES
August 20, 2020
3.5 stars, this is fun space opera. I was recently complaining about the rushed pacing of another book, but this one nearly goes too far in the other direction: the plot does not kick in until past the halfway point, and this is only the first of a three-part story. It takes a little effort to get past the sluggish beginning, which is packed with a little too much exposition.
The known galaxy was long ago conquered by the Shaa, who imposed on all its subjugated races a repressive, draconian legal and ethical system known as the Praxis. Its maxim is “All that is important is known.”
So it’s an evil empire, but it has been at peace for millennia. Our protagonists are members of a military program which has never seen actual combat, and when a rebellion arises (it’s not evident that the rebels intend their rule to be any less evil) the forces on both sides are confounded by tactics that one could easily pick up from reading any Honor Harrington novel.
This has wormholes and spaceships (which do a lot of accelerating and decelerating and slingshotting around things) and aliens (of the Star Trek variety, meaning that they are characterized largely as human regardless of their fur or tentacles). It has a feudal aristocracy, which I always find amusing mixed with spaceships.
The known galaxy was long ago conquered by the Shaa, who imposed on all its subjugated races a repressive, draconian legal and ethical system known as the Praxis. Its maxim is “All that is important is known.”
So it’s an evil empire, but it has been at peace for millennia. Our protagonists are members of a military program which has never seen actual combat, and when a rebellion arises (it’s not evident that the rebels intend their rule to be any less evil) the forces on both sides are confounded by tactics that one could easily pick up from reading any Honor Harrington novel.
This has wormholes and spaceships (which do a lot of accelerating and decelerating and slingshotting around things) and aliens (of the Star Trek variety, meaning that they are characterized largely as human regardless of their fur or tentacles). It has a feudal aristocracy, which I always find amusing mixed with spaceships.
September 3, 2018
I reread this to prepare for Walter Jon Williams' new book in the series. (Which will be the 4th major, 6th overall.) It held up very well on the second read. Damned good space opera. Williams is a very good writer. 4+ stars.
October 5, 2014
"Ship to ship" (versus space marines) military scifi.
Slow build, but finishes very nicely.
Slow build, but finishes very nicely.
June 21, 2024
Good, fun, solid book. Has more character work than I was expecting. Sula's backstory is great. The current stuff takes a while to get going, with the world and flashbacks taking precedence for the majority of time. Though, it does have its moments of craziness later, but they do feel a little rushed in the last third. I am interested in continuing, and will be reading the next book when I can, but I'm not like dying to get to it.
6-7/10
6-7/10
August 27, 2018
Decent Space Opera, in the vein of Scott Westerfield and Michael F. Flynn.
So it't not top notch, brain behind Sci-Fi. I'm not gong to gush over it to friends. But it's really entraining brain candy. Nothing too deep, but the characters are liable, the setting is novel enough to enjoy, the politics just intriguing enough. I've finished book one and immediately stated book 2, so I guess that's as much as you need to know.
So it't not top notch, brain behind Sci-Fi. I'm not gong to gush over it to friends. But it's really entraining brain candy. Nothing too deep, but the characters are liable, the setting is novel enough to enjoy, the politics just intriguing enough. I've finished book one and immediately stated book 2, so I guess that's as much as you need to know.
December 19, 2020
If I want boring sci-fi, I’ll read Dune.
Ohhhh! Shots fired!
Ohhhh! Shots fired!
November 25, 2019
The first half of this book consists of the worldbuilding slowly coming into focus, and once all the complexities are understood, it takes off, and boy does it get interesting. It has the biggest turn around I've ever experience at the midpoint. I recommend anyone who starts it read it all the way through.
April 3, 2017
Let's be fair, this was written 15+ years ago.
Essentially, it's a pretty good story, with good lead characters surrounded by cardboard cutouts.
There's action, and hard-SF detail. Some of the detail is good, some cringeworthy.
First, let me address nearly ALL of the space opera books out there. Can someone please write one that doesn't end with two fleets fighting, with hundreds of gigantic spaceships exploding in huge fireballs? Or convince me that a system in which a force routinely loses a mega-quadrillion-dollar asset and thousands of crew to a single shot from an (adjective)(noun) can be thought to be sustainable. Why giant ships? Why crews of thousands?
Martinez is, ho-hum, capable but scorned because of his background. Yeah. no one's ever used that character before. But I will forgive that because of Sula's back story. Even though that back story is handled clumsily and the key event telegraphed hundreds of pages before it happens.
And then the loyal batman, this time called Alikhan instead of the usual McGregor, but he's the same guy. He's Digby from "Dan Dare," which I read in the fifties! He's Jeeves. He's The One Man I Can Trust, and luckily he has a vast array of skills.
Then we come to the space navy. OK, hidebound and not too realistic because of centuries of peace. But gee gosh, people who can use wormholes and antimatter are not going to use tactics that Sir Francis Drake could have defeated, let alone Nelson.
And the Foote family. Ah, that was tolerable, until Martinez needed rescuing. Everyone's zinging around, wormholing and slingshotting around planets, Martinez takes off in no particular direction, and is rescued by, well, gosh, look, it's his old buddy Foote. What a lucky coincidence! Wait, was that Sula that got rescued that way? Whatever.
I award points for the alcoholic crew members. I deduct them for the cartoonish soccer tournament part of the plot.
Good for Williams for getting the part about how much velocity matters when you're using wormholes. He goes on too long about it, but at least does it. BUT ... delta-vee is CHANGE in velocity, not just velocity (which is speed+direction). It measures what has to be done to change from one velocity to another. To go faster or slower or in a different direction, you need delta-vee, and you get it by converting energy in one way or another - burning fuel or using up kinetic or potential energy (which includes slingshotting around a planet). Navigators who do that well usually end up on the winning side.
I was also fascinated by another aspect of navigation: the way the fleets turn by rotating all the ships then blasting away directly at the target. Even while travelling 0.7c. I imagine they had to do a lot of corrective steering.
Speaking of 0.7c, g0sh, no time dilation? No discussion of how everything's travelling so fast that there is no way humans are operating anything? All humans can do - and to Williams' credit he uses this one - is leave things in the way for the fast-moving ships to hit. I accept having antimatter and wormholes but no AI; SF authors get to make that choice.
But still ... we want Sula and Martinez to cross paths, and this is the story of how they do, and for all its faults I will read the next one.
Essentially, it's a pretty good story, with good lead characters surrounded by cardboard cutouts.
There's action, and hard-SF detail. Some of the detail is good, some cringeworthy.
First, let me address nearly ALL of the space opera books out there. Can someone please write one that doesn't end with two fleets fighting, with hundreds of gigantic spaceships exploding in huge fireballs? Or convince me that a system in which a force routinely loses a mega-quadrillion-dollar asset and thousands of crew to a single shot from an (adjective)(noun) can be thought to be sustainable. Why giant ships? Why crews of thousands?
Martinez is, ho-hum, capable but scorned because of his background. Yeah. no one's ever used that character before. But I will forgive that because of Sula's back story. Even though that back story is handled clumsily and the key event telegraphed hundreds of pages before it happens.
And then the loyal batman, this time called Alikhan instead of the usual McGregor, but he's the same guy. He's Digby from "Dan Dare," which I read in the fifties! He's Jeeves. He's The One Man I Can Trust, and luckily he has a vast array of skills.
Then we come to the space navy. OK, hidebound and not too realistic because of centuries of peace. But gee gosh, people who can use wormholes and antimatter are not going to use tactics that Sir Francis Drake could have defeated, let alone Nelson.
And the Foote family. Ah, that was tolerable, until Martinez needed rescuing. Everyone's zinging around, wormholing and slingshotting around planets, Martinez takes off in no particular direction, and is rescued by, well, gosh, look, it's his old buddy Foote. What a lucky coincidence! Wait, was that Sula that got rescued that way? Whatever.
I award points for the alcoholic crew members. I deduct them for the cartoonish soccer tournament part of the plot.
Good for Williams for getting the part about how much velocity matters when you're using wormholes. He goes on too long about it, but at least does it. BUT ... delta-vee is CHANGE in velocity, not just velocity (which is speed+direction). It measures what has to be done to change from one velocity to another. To go faster or slower or in a different direction, you need delta-vee, and you get it by converting energy in one way or another - burning fuel or using up kinetic or potential energy (which includes slingshotting around a planet). Navigators who do that well usually end up on the winning side.
I was also fascinated by another aspect of navigation: the way the fleets turn by rotating all the ships then blasting away directly at the target. Even while travelling 0.7c. I imagine they had to do a lot of corrective steering.
Speaking of 0.7c, g0sh, no time dilation? No discussion of how everything's travelling so fast that there is no way humans are operating anything? All humans can do - and to Williams' credit he uses this one - is leave things in the way for the fast-moving ships to hit. I accept having antimatter and wormholes but no AI; SF authors get to make that choice.
But still ... we want Sula and Martinez to cross paths, and this is the story of how they do, and for all its faults I will read the next one.
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