What do you think?
Rate this book
Starfire #7
Imperative
The war with the Arduans - profoundly alien invaders who originally arrived in STL ships - is over. Most of those attackers are now probationary (and very productive) citizens of the Rim Federation.
However, many among the Arduans' warrior caste have accepted neither defeat nor the personhood of any of the other intelligence races. Their leader, the ruthless admiral of the second Arduan exodus, Amunsit, is in firm control of the Zarzuela system. Along with a fifth column among the peaceable Arduans, she hopes to find allies in subsequent refugee fleets that abandoned their race's now-dead home system long ago.
But as the victors' diplomats attempt to soothe tensions with these warlike neighbors, two heroes of the last war - veteran admiral Ian Trevayne and young troubleshooter Ossian Wethermere - suspect they have stumbled upon a deeper Arduan plot: one that could shatter the Pan-Sentient Union and perhaps interstellar civilization itself.
However, many among the Arduans' warrior caste have accepted neither defeat nor the personhood of any of the other intelligence races. Their leader, the ruthless admiral of the second Arduan exodus, Amunsit, is in firm control of the Zarzuela system. Along with a fifth column among the peaceable Arduans, she hopes to find allies in subsequent refugee fleets that abandoned their race's now-dead home system long ago.
But as the victors' diplomats attempt to soothe tensions with these warlike neighbors, two heroes of the last war - veteran admiral Ian Trevayne and young troubleshooter Ossian Wethermere - suspect they have stumbled upon a deeper Arduan plot: one that could shatter the Pan-Sentient Union and perhaps interstellar civilization itself.
MP3 CD
First published March 1, 2016
49 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Steve White
33 books78 followersBorn in 1948.
Steve White is an American science fiction author best known as the co-author of the Starfire-series alongside David Weber.
He is married with 3 daughters and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also works for a legal publishing company. He previously served as a United States Navy officer and served during the Vietnam War and in the Mediterranean region.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wh...
Steve White is an American science fiction author best known as the co-author of the Starfire-series alongside David Weber.
He is married with 3 daughters and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. He also works for a legal publishing company. He previously served as a United States Navy officer and served during the Vietnam War and in the Mediterranean region.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Wh...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 8, 2016
I have really enjoyed the earlier books in this series. Which is why I stuck with this one for about a month, but never could get into it. DNF at about 50%
April 10, 2016
This is the 7th book in the Starfire series. The first 4 were written by David Weber and Steve White. The 5th was written by Steve White and Shirley Meier. The 6th and now the 7th were written by Steve White and Charles E Gannon. Despite the author changes this series has maintained a high quality of writing and the story line has remained true to the earlier books. Of course Steve White has co-authored all 7 books and he is an excellent author as well as being one of my favorite authors.
In this one the various human space empires as well as several of their alien allies come under attack from not one but two of their old enemies. This book is an excellent example of Military Science Fiction with good character development and great space battle scenes. The Arduans’ who appeared from space in slower than light colony ships were defeated in a very bloody war and at great cost to the humans and their allies. A few of them however fled and awaited more of their colony ships to arrive to reignite hostilities. During their wait they discovered a hidden colony of "Bugs", a species that had attacked with genocidal intend against all the other sentient species. They had been though to have been totally destroyed but had been in hiding biding their time before attacking again. Now both the Arduans’ and the "Bugs" are attacking on several fronts and things are looking bleak for the humans and their allies.
I highly recommend this book and this entire series to fans of Military Science Fiction and of Space Opera.
In this one the various human space empires as well as several of their alien allies come under attack from not one but two of their old enemies. This book is an excellent example of Military Science Fiction with good character development and great space battle scenes. The Arduans’ who appeared from space in slower than light colony ships were defeated in a very bloody war and at great cost to the humans and their allies. A few of them however fled and awaited more of their colony ships to arrive to reignite hostilities. During their wait they discovered a hidden colony of "Bugs", a species that had attacked with genocidal intend against all the other sentient species. They had been though to have been totally destroyed but had been in hiding biding their time before attacking again. Now both the Arduans’ and the "Bugs" are attacking on several fronts and things are looking bleak for the humans and their allies.
I highly recommend this book and this entire series to fans of Military Science Fiction and of Space Opera.
September 19, 2024
When the Arduans first came they arrived in enormous groups containing millions of individuals. These two fleets threatened the PanSentient Union and required the entire combined forces of all the allied races two years to eventually defeat. And then the limited victory was only made possible by internal division among the Arduans. In the end a portion agreed to an arimistice and the rest took their fleet and fled. That was with two groups.
Now 12 more groups have arrived. Joined with the original Arduans who would not make peace they set out to wipe the galaxy free of the annoying nonArduans. With the size of their fleets and the intelligence gained from the earlier arriving Arduans they cause unprecedented destruction. Not just to PanUnion fleets, destruction far beyond anything previously imagined.
The Union people fight back, hold off the advance for a while, come up with some stratagems. Then the Arduans reveal their secret weapon, and an old foe comes to visit. Looks bad for the hoomans, probably they'll be exterminated.
Another fine war porn piece. Lots of battles seen from the strategy room, some actual combat scenes, and a lot of planning and plotting and espionage. There is a good deal of time spent on the war front, but the main focus of the book is the stealthy maneuverings of a group trying to decipher the enemy plans. Many tech upgrades and a ramping up of the destruction far surpassing the previous novels in the series. One weapon in particular has an obvious use that is not exploited, so even this massive level of destruction could be surpassed in the future.
If you like war porn this is possibly the best series you will find anywhere.
Now 12 more groups have arrived. Joined with the original Arduans who would not make peace they set out to wipe the galaxy free of the annoying nonArduans. With the size of their fleets and the intelligence gained from the earlier arriving Arduans they cause unprecedented destruction. Not just to PanUnion fleets, destruction far beyond anything previously imagined.
The Union people fight back, hold off the advance for a while, come up with some stratagems. Then the Arduans reveal their secret weapon, and an old foe comes to visit. Looks bad for the hoomans, probably they'll be exterminated.
Another fine war porn piece. Lots of battles seen from the strategy room, some actual combat scenes, and a lot of planning and plotting and espionage. There is a good deal of time spent on the war front, but the main focus of the book is the stealthy maneuverings of a group trying to decipher the enemy plans. Many tech upgrades and a ramping up of the destruction far surpassing the previous novels in the series. One weapon in particular has an obvious use that is not exploited, so even this massive level of destruction could be surpassed in the future.
If you like war porn this is possibly the best series you will find anywhere.
May 27, 2025
Lu en anglais
Tome 7 de la série Starfire
Ouf ! Les humains et leurs alliés ont réussi à vaincre les Arduans. Mais une grande partie de la branche guerrière n'ont pas accepté la défaite et ont rejoint une nouvelle flotte des réfugiés Arduans. Quelques années ont passé. Les nouveaux arrivés Arduans, dominés par leur branche guerrière sont isolés et maintenus sous surveillance rapprochée autant par une flotte armée que par des activités d'espionnage. Mais soudain les évènements se déclenchent. Les nouveaux Arduans lancent une attaque qui fait des ravages imparables. Et plusieurs autres flottes Arduans se mêlent au conflit sans compter qu'un ancien ennemi refait surface. Les humains et leurs alliés sont vraiment dos au mur. Les flottes ennemies sont gigantesques et ont des atouts cachés. Comment s'en sortir ? Heureusement que les alliés peuvent compter sur l'amiral Trevayne, mais tout semble perdu.
Le début est plutôt lent et un peu laborieux avec un retour sur les évènements passés et des activités d'espionnage. Puis on passe à un autre niveau et les humains et leurs alliés sont en mode défensive avec peu d'espoir. Les batailles spatiales ont une ampleur jamais vue. Je dirais que le roman est assez défaitiste. Les Arduans ont renversé la situation avec plusieurs innovations technologiques sans compter un avantage en vaisseaux.
Mais quelques points m'ont dérangé. Comment Les Arduans, avec leur seul système solaire d'origine, peuvent concurrencer la capacité industrielle d'une alliance de plusieurs espèces avec une multitude de systèmes solaires ? Et le roman se continue avec le roman suivant, donc on reste sur notre fin.
Disons, malgré tout, qu'il s'agit de très bonne science-fiction militaire et je vais languir en attendant le me procurer le tome suivant.
Bien sûr, j'ai beaucoup aimé même si j'ai trouvé le roman un peu trop long.
Tome 7 de la série Starfire
Ouf ! Les humains et leurs alliés ont réussi à vaincre les Arduans. Mais une grande partie de la branche guerrière n'ont pas accepté la défaite et ont rejoint une nouvelle flotte des réfugiés Arduans. Quelques années ont passé. Les nouveaux arrivés Arduans, dominés par leur branche guerrière sont isolés et maintenus sous surveillance rapprochée autant par une flotte armée que par des activités d'espionnage. Mais soudain les évènements se déclenchent. Les nouveaux Arduans lancent une attaque qui fait des ravages imparables. Et plusieurs autres flottes Arduans se mêlent au conflit sans compter qu'un ancien ennemi refait surface. Les humains et leurs alliés sont vraiment dos au mur. Les flottes ennemies sont gigantesques et ont des atouts cachés. Comment s'en sortir ? Heureusement que les alliés peuvent compter sur l'amiral Trevayne, mais tout semble perdu.
Le début est plutôt lent et un peu laborieux avec un retour sur les évènements passés et des activités d'espionnage. Puis on passe à un autre niveau et les humains et leurs alliés sont en mode défensive avec peu d'espoir. Les batailles spatiales ont une ampleur jamais vue. Je dirais que le roman est assez défaitiste. Les Arduans ont renversé la situation avec plusieurs innovations technologiques sans compter un avantage en vaisseaux.
Mais quelques points m'ont dérangé. Comment Les Arduans, avec leur seul système solaire d'origine, peuvent concurrencer la capacité industrielle d'une alliance de plusieurs espèces avec une multitude de systèmes solaires ? Et le roman se continue avec le roman suivant, donc on reste sur notre fin.
Disons, malgré tout, qu'il s'agit de très bonne science-fiction militaire et je vais languir en attendant le me procurer le tome suivant.
Bien sûr, j'ai beaucoup aimé même si j'ai trouvé le roman un peu trop long.
March 18, 2019
I loved this book! Total interstellar war goodness! This may be my favorite military sci-fi series (even as I love the work of both David Weber and John Campbell's Dauntless Lost Fleet series. Capital ships pounding the shit out of each other in the depths of space is my science fiction happy place, and this series is full of battles, aliens, advanced weaponry, and humanity struggling against the horrors of the universe. Warp point defense, people! It's all about warp point defense!
I, truly, love this stuff. I become a 12 year old boy again, and my imagination travels into the vasty deeps of space...
I, truly, love this stuff. I become a 12 year old boy again, and my imagination travels into the vasty deeps of space...
August 20, 2017
Getting a bit long. The book could have used a fair amount of editing, but so much of the Space Opera genre is getting to be this way. I've read all of Starfire, starting with Insurrection when it first came out, and I am disappointed with this one. The crafting is still good, but the structure of the books have become not just formulaic, but bloated. I want to know the "end of the story" but when there is no end, and they can't be exercised enough to come up with new characters to further the plot, perhaps it is time to stop reading the series. And don't generate a book this long without a reasonable conclusion, just makes me annoyed.
September 19, 2018
Good space-military scifi, and a worthy sequel to this long series. Usually a series start going bad after the 4th book or so, but not this one.
If there's been some time since you've read the previous volumes, I strongly suggest you read the appendix "Arduan Terms and Concepts" first, it will help with getting you up to speed with the nomenclature that is used in almost every Arduan dialogue.
If there's been some time since you've read the previous volumes, I strongly suggest you read the appendix "Arduan Terms and Concepts" first, it will help with getting you up to speed with the nomenclature that is used in almost every Arduan dialogue.
October 16, 2017
Half the book…
Unfortunately, this is only the first half of the book. There is no resolution at the end, no logical stopping point. The book just abruptly ends. Very dissappointing and the reason it is missing that 5th star.
Unfortunately, this is only the first half of the book. There is no resolution at the end, no logical stopping point. The book just abruptly ends. Very dissappointing and the reason it is missing that 5th star.
October 21, 2021
I'm happy to have read book 7 and 8, which I didn't know existed until recently.
I didn't think they were amazing, but they were good enough to read once.
I didn't think they were amazing, but they were good enough to read once.
January 31, 2022
The middle part of the book was dull, boring and redundant ! The last third of the book got better with all the space battles but then the ending was totally unsatisfying leaving you hanging and forcing you to read the next book in the series to get the complete conclusion to the story !
December 4, 2020
I enjoyed the tale and appreciated the details, like people born and raised outside a gravity well would have trouble if force to a planet or moon or adherence to the light speed limits outside the magical warp points.
May 5, 2016
Kind of pissed off that this isn't a complete story. Read to the end, only to find a damn cliffhanger. One of my pet peeves.
Seriously, if you can't finish strong don't bother publishing it. Some of us have other things to do. I barely have the time to read that I did last year. Felt like I've wasted quite a bit of time.
Seriously, if you can't finish strong don't bother publishing it. Some of us have other things to do. I barely have the time to read that I did last year. Felt like I've wasted quite a bit of time.
April 18, 2016
Idiotic to the extreme. Could barely finish it.
I seriously loved the previous books in this series. In Death Ground and The Shiva option were major favorites that I've re-read multiple times.
I am so sad that these authors have ruined the world that I loved to read about so much.
I seriously loved the previous books in this series. In Death Ground and The Shiva option were major favorites that I've re-read multiple times.
I am so sad that these authors have ruined the world that I loved to read about so much.
May 20, 2016
Great Fun
This book is a worthy continuation of the Starfire series. It ties together elements of virtually every previous arc and weaves it into a cohesive whole. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of good old-fashioned space opera.
This book is a worthy continuation of the Starfire series. It ties together elements of virtually every previous arc and weaves it into a cohesive whole. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of good old-fashioned space opera.
April 8, 2017
I think this is the best written of the series. BTW looking for the sequel soonest!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews