The Accidental War

Dread Empire's Fall #4

by Walter Jon Williams

Blending fast-paced military science fiction and space opera, the first volume in a dynamic trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Praxis, set in the universe of his popular and critically acclaimed Dread Empire’s Fall series—a tale of blood, courage, adventure and battle in which the fate of an empire rests in the hands of a cadre of desperate exiles.

It’s been seven years since the end of the Naxid War. Sidelined for their unorthodox tactics by a rigid, tradition-bound military establishment, Captain Gareth Martinez and Captain the Lady Sula are stewing in exile, frustrated and impatient to exercise the effective and lethal skills they were born to use in fighting the enemy.

Yet after the ramshackle empire left by the Shaa conquerors is shaken by a series of hammer blows that threaten the foundations of the commonwealth, the result is a war that no one planned, no one expected, and no one knows how to end.

Now, Martinez, Sula, and their confederate Nikki Severin must escape the clutches of their enemies, rally the disorganized elements of the fleet, and somehow restore the fragile peace—or face annihilation at the hands of a vastly superior force.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, Space

475 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2018

About the author

Walter 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.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Accidental War kicks off a new trilogy in Walter John Williams’ Praxis universe. This time, it’s not a power vacuum that threatens the empire – now the Praxis is the victim of its own success. A financial crisis leads to a fracturing of the Empire’s coalition on racial lines, with several non-Terran member groups exploiting the nouveau riche Martinez family’s connection to the troubles to band all Terrans as criminals. As tensions boil over, military conflict ensues. Gareth Martinez and Lady Sula are still the focal point of events, and though their romance was long ago scuttled, the two haven’t moved on as much as they would like to think.
Space opera has undergone such a radical shift in the ten years since the last Praxis novel, the Machiavellian maneuvering and Plutocratic decadence on display in The Accidental War often feels like a relic of a bygone era. Williams considerable skills have not diminished in that time: the pace is engrossing - tensions germinate, bloom, and pollinate in a natural progression. The plot develops so logically and consequentially that the book’s title takes on something of an ironic bend.
Williams plants a lot of seeds in The Accidental War, too many to come to fruition between the covers of this entry, and for me this felt more like the first act in a long novel than a complete story unto itself. Definitive judgment of its success isn’t easy to parse at this point, but this is a very promising start.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is definitely a comfort zone going on here as we return to our favorite heroes that always seem to bounce off each other in interesting ways. The worldbuilding is as familiar and as frustrating as usual, but here we come back to a large spacefaring society having rebuilt after the bloody war of the previous volumes. Seven years in, and neither grand hero has gotten the respect that either deserves.

Indeed, while they thrive, the conservative and staunchly traditional conformist empire severely distrusts anyone with a spark of innovation and desperately wants to get rid of the very people who won the war in the first place.

But of course, nothing is all that direct. Indeed, no direct shots were fired until economic collapse started a blame game that got all the reactionaries out of the woodwork. Soon, the lynch mobs followed.

Humanity is blamed in almost the same way Jews were blamed throughout history.

And the rest IS history.

Great action, very cool, interesting buildup, and desperate odds. A whole galactic empire versus the Humans that used to be an integral part of it.

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Accidental War" was a book I had accidentally picked up. I saw the cover and it said "A Novel of the Praxis". It intrigued me enough to take it home. When I got home I noticed that it is the SECOND Praxis War this one covers. Oops.

Never fear. The history/background of the First war, against the Naxids, is hinted at here and there. It doesn't really detract from the machinations of this cosmic soap opera. It follows the lives of two individuals and their various relatives, who while important always seem to be secondary to their story. I speak of Martinez and Sula.

The Praxis is a society based on the Shaa who ruled it. Apparently they are gone and now the individual species of the Praxis, including Terrans, run the apparatus of the Empire. The soap opera, not a negative thing in light of this book, follows Martinez and Sulas adventures through the Praxis. Martinez is the scion of a wealthy family and a war hero. Sula's family is even older, though they have had some issues in the past and Sula isn't who you think she is. But that would be spoilers (unless you've read the First Praxis War).
The joy of this soap opera is that it unfolds over quite epic events, but still retains that soap operaish emphasis on interpersonal conflicts and drama. Strangely enough it works. I was interested in the story and appreciated the politics going on in the background. I prefer Martinez to Sula, but Sula would come off a lot better if it weren't for her permanently pissed off attitude towards Martinez. Otherwise she is a very cool character.

So what is this all about? A great deal of money, planetary influence, galactic influence, xenophobia, greed- it really has a little bit of everything. While there was not a great deal of action for most of the book, that was just fine since there were a lot of things going on that start giving credence to some truly epic upheavals in the norm. I don't want to be more specific because it's worth your time to just experience the plot and meet the the cast.

I think anyone who appreciates a good sci-fi story or even a sci-fi space opera will find this interesting. It certainly intrigued me enough that I will find more of the books and read them. It has a very good pacing and his writing style makes pages seem to disappear and then you realize the book is done. I am interested to see where the Accidental War goes, as well as find out more about the First Praxis War.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

WJW is one of my favorite SF writers, and has been for decades. He’s rebooting the Dread Empire’s Fall series for a new trilogy. OK, rather than reinvent the wheel, here’s PW’s nice summary and review. Read this instead of the publisher's blurb: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-... : “This capable military SF trilogy opener begins slowly, but Williams delivers the goods in the end. …” I liked the use of economics and a banking collapse, basically because of sneering aristos, self-dealing and stupid bankers. The sneering aristos get old. But not Lady Sula, who’s elected to the Convocate, the 500 aristos who rule the Empire. She’s as sharp as ever, and I loved Ming Lin, her part-time economics grad-student adviser, who ultimately writes a best-selling show-all tell-all about the banking collapse.

The financial crisis and the ramshackle structure of the Empire comes back to bite everyone in the ass. Especially the Terrans, who are being scapegoated for the economic collapse and start of a Depression. But no one wants another Civil War….

This was a fatter book than I expected, for the first of three, but it’s a fast read once you get up to Lady Sula. Who is one of WJW’s great characters. I’ll be reading on. Not a great book, but entertaining and nicely-done. Recommended: 4 stars.

Here's an exceptionally fine full review by Liz Bourke, but CAUTION -- SPOILERS!
https://www.tor.com/2018/09/07/book-r...

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have since finishing this already finished book 2 and started book 3.

I really enjoy Walter John William's writing, world building and drama. This is High Space Drama. It's not brilliant, it doesn't shine out among it's peers, but it's a rock solid series.

I really enjoy the characters and their plots. It gets a little over the top every now and then ,but it somehow fits in perfectly with the incredibly stratified social hierarchy. It all feels like it fits.

He writes pretty exciting space battle and urban militia actions, as well as court intrigue and some light romance.

All in all a solid and enjoyable read.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won an advance reading copy of this latest book in the Praxis series in a Goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed it very much, and think that readers new to the series will be able to pick up what's going on and enjoy it as well as those familiar with the previous volumes. It's a military science fiction book, but it's a carefully crafted and slowly developed story of empire rather than a zip-zoom-bang-boom space opera. The politics, diplomacy, and economics figure more heavily than military action in this volume, and I occasionally grew a little impatient for the titular war to get started. The characters are all exceptionally well-developed, one of Williams' hallmark strengths. (The only complaint I had was that there are several members of the Martinez family, so when a character is called Martinez in narration I was lost a time or two trying to figure out which Martinez was meant, but that's a minor nitpick.) The tension and suspense build quite successfully on a number of levels, and I'll be sure to read the next volume when it appears.

[David Pedreira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable blend of space opera and military science fiction. Williams has a light touch with his prose, and he builds a rich universe that is both exotic and identifiable at the same time--which is no small feat. I was particularly impressed with the economic underpinnings of war in this first volume of a planned trilogy, and how they are reminiscent of recent financial upheavals here on Earth. I look forward to the next book! Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Becky Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this first Novel of the Praxis, Walter Jon Williams beautifully builds the society, characters, family structure without sinking too far into significant “info dumps” that often lose a reader. This story falls comfortably into the genre of science fiction epic, stylistically reminiscent of Star Wars. While it’s a bit more linear than Tolkien, The Accidental War can sit proudly next to the Epics of Middle Earth as well.
While this is not the first book in this world created by Williams, it’s my first reading of his work. Williams utilizes third person limited POV to weave a tale of political intrigue, action, and privilege.
He establishes his main characters early, building the society and politics around them and their relationships with each other and with the minor characters rather than planting them in an established world. The growth when done this way, is more organic and centered on characters more than thematic and genre elements. This is what will make The Accidental War stand out from other sci-fi.

[Christian Freed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started so slow. I mean sloooooooow. The writing was well done and the universe and characters extremely well fleshed out. I wish the pace was faster. It struggled to keep my attention up to the last 200 pages. Then it flew by.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5

[Florin Pitea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good novel. Recommended.

[eisn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really shouldn't be marketed as a military SF book because those elements are very very in the minority.

Seriously. Compared to the previous trilogy so far there has been no fleet engagement.

It brings no new things to the world of Praxis with the exception of a bunch of very two dimensional characters. The villains have become caricature villains with a Supreme Fleet Commander that whines about innovation and progress 7 years after he won his big battle. The only way the author can make him more of a caricature is to make him kick a puppy. He probably saved that for the next book.

It's a shame because the world at large in the Praxis universe is entertaining and has really lots of potential in exploring.

[Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book the Dread Empire's Fall series restarts with a bang.
Good read; I'm looking forward to more.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of military science fiction, this first book in a proposed trilogy starts a little slow but pulls you in so that you can't wait until the next book comes out. Set in the future (a long time in the future), humans are part of the Praxis, an empire made up of a number of different species. The characters have appeared in a previous series and that background would probably add to the enjoyment of the book but I liked the book without that knowledge.
It's been seven years since the war detailed in the previous series. Lord Gareth Martinez, a hero of that war has been sidelined because apparently life has tried to go on as it had before: the rulers are from families that have always ruled and the upstarts that helped win the war are back to being kept away from any major influence. Lord Gareth has spent his time racing space yachts and trying to get a military command back. Lady Sula, a former colleague of Lord Gareth has also been kept from a command. This empire runs on influence and influence peddling and both protagonists are given a chance to acquire influence; for a price of course. The reader finds out some of their backgrounds and how that will affect their choices. Lady Sula especially is given a chance to influence events and the law of unintended consequences takes over.

[Joe Crowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review from an advance copy.)

Space opera! That's what this is, with spaceships shooting at each other and lots of good old fashioned fightin'.

Walter Jon Williams returns to his Dread Empire Falls storyline with this book, but you don't necessarily have to read the first series to enjoy this one. If you want more of this kind of thing, you should -- but Williams pushes his whole narrative forward in a way that separates it from the previous stuff.

Williams also writes funny stuff amid the space explosions.

My favorite part: Williams' description of bad guys who aren't trained in anti-gravity fighting. "They clutched at each other, shrieked, squalled, raved...furred bodies bounced off the walls, the deck, the ceiling."

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

huh. So kind of a slow moving character study wrapped around a sf version of The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. I do like this author but I've actually not read the books in this series, so given that this was a book 4, it was surprisingly readable. And then it has late in the book action of various sorts. So definitely okay. But I might have liked it more if I had read the earlier books. This was from an Uncorrected Proof so basically an ARC - Advance Reader Copy.

[Patrick Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine start to a new trilogy. Familiar characters blend with the new as political intrigue, courtly machinations, and economic collapse leave the Shah empire teetering once again on all out interstellar war.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ler um livro sobre intrigas políticas, ruína económica e início de uma guerra civil não deveria ser tão interessante. Esta série é de pura space opera militarista, e esperamos as clássicas e entusiasmantes cenas de combate espacial que, nos livros anteriores da série, Williams já mostrou ser um mestre. Mas neste volume, não temos nada disso.

Temos o oposto, um meticuloso assentar de elementos no imenso jogo que continua a série Dread Empire's Fall. Após a vitória na guerra civil que ocupa os três primeiros volumes, tudo parece regressar à antiga ordem. As elites retomam o seu poder, e a economia imperial está ao rubro. Velhas fortunas aumenta, novas fortunas surgem de um dia para o outro. Entretanto, os personagens-pivot da série estão na obscuridade, por terem tido a audácia de inovar num império que valoriza a tradição ao extremo. Mesmo que tenha sido essa capacidade de inovar que salvou o império da derrota militar.

É a riqueza que irá ditar as causas da ruína que se aproxima. Apesar da aparência saudável, as finanças do império estão frágeis, com a economia assente em bolhas especulativas demasiado fortes. E quando uma destas rebenta, a economia começa a desmoronar-se. Perante a ruína das velhas famílias, as forças mais conservadoras começam a movimentar-se para se proteger. E fazem-no virando o império contra uma das espécies que o compõem.

Num resvalar cada vez mais vertiginoso, os humanos começam a ser apontados como a causa da ruína (apesar desta ser devida à cupidez e má gestão das elites). São colocados planos em marcha para desarmar todos os de origem terrestre, e confiscar as naves militares que estão sob seu comando na frota imperial. Estes planos são intuídos por humanos em altos cargos, que colocam em marcha uma fuga que poderá significar a diferença entre a quase-extinção dos humanos, e a sua sobrevivência. Uma nova guerra civil é inevitável. Mas isso, ficará para o próximo livro da série.

[Matt Rizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment in the fascinating series that is Dread Empire's Fall. So riveting I could not stop reading.....even after it was 4AM. Definitely a page turner, even if slightly different in terms of plot when compared to the other books in the series. Absolutely excited for the next book in the series and what the author has planned next.

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Though I am still disappointed Caro Sula and Gareth Martinez are not together, I understand that the author is trying to build toward something else.....its just very frustrating.

The book itself is very 2007 in its lead in to the climax. I was not expecting a book about aliens, tyrannical empire's built on oppression, and an incompetent ruling class to talk heavily about derivatives and demonstrate their ability to collapse the system. But it was surprisingly fun to watch the fortune's of the old guard vanish. The Terran Criminals scape goating was disappointing (how can Terrans fight off the other 4-5 species in the Empire??).

Whereas books 1-3.75 were good, they did not seem relevant to their namesake series, there was a civil war but the Empire did not fall...This book definitely gives some indications where the author wants to take the series and I am all for it. At the same time I wish we got more hints regarding the meaning the last Shaa's thinking before he died. They knew something was going to happen that would unravel their entire work in building the Empire - how did they know?

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams, Walter Jon. Accidental War. Dread Empire’s Fall No. 4. Harper, 2018.
Like Peter F. Hamilton, Walter Jon Williams is a science fiction writer whose forte is world-building. I missed the first trilogy and short fiction in this series, which began in 2002 and has not had a major addition since 2005. The Dread Empire World reminds me somewhat of the world in the Vorkosigan saga that has defined the career of Lois McMaster Bujold; it also resembles the monarchy in David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. It describes a complex space-faring society of multiple cultures and species that are kept in uneasy equilibrium by strict social hierarchies and codes of honor. Caught in the middle of all this are two frenemies, a warship captain, Caroline Sula, and Gareth Martinez, a merchant prince. They are fiercely competitive with each other but thrown together to fight common enemies. Williams does a good job of describing the tactics and technologies of his space battles, and he keeps the action bubbling along. I look forward to the next installment.

[Gary Weinman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this author and have enjoyed all the Praxis/ Dread Empire's Fall books. There is going to be a bit of spoiler ahead so don't go much further than this if you don't want to read it. I have really enjoyed the saga of Sula and Gareth. After the last two books focused on only one of them. This one comes back to both of them. I like the way the author uses some real economics and physics in his books to make them seem realistic. OK now on to the part about the spoiler and this is the main reason why I gave this book five stars. If you are like me, you have been dreading Sula's secret getting out since the very first book. Well in this one, bam, the author hits you over the head with it. Now true, it is only one person who knows, and this could potentially get much worse, but for me it was such a sense of release that at least some of the pressure has been relieved. How it will eventually be resolved will continue to drive me crazy and I hope the author decides to let Sula live in peace to her dying days without it ever coming out, but I doubt I will be that lucky.

[Paul Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been years since I read the original Praxis trilogy, and I had trouble finding a good online summary, so remembering all the details from books 1-3 was hard. But this is a lovely return to that setting. Years have passed since the Naxid rebellion ended, and the Praxis has re-ossified into the old ways. Or has it? Walter Jon Williams takes "ripped from the headlines" ideas and overlays them onto Praxis society, with delightful results.

Military scifi fans familiar with the original trilogy be warned: yes there is action, but the first half to two-thirds of the book are largely filled with political and social intrigue. I enjoyed it a great deal as I felt it served well to set up the fall, but it does take quite a long while for things to truly start coming apart for the protagonists.

Also, this is clearly the first book in a new chapter in the Praxis. The story has resolution, but the accidental war is just getting started.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't wait for it to end

This is not one of Williams's best novels. It's not even 1 of the best novels in this series. It's not long but it is tedious. Like the earlier novels, this one follows Lady Sula and Gareth Martinez as the Shaa Empire experiences a major crisis. This time, the crisis is economic in nature, caused by corruption among the parasitic aristocracy. For reasons that I won't spoil, a major part of the aristocracy pins the blame on humans. And humans, who have seen the Empire wipe out entire species in the past, are not prepared to go meekly. This may sound interesting, particularly given how much certain politicians are using scapegoating and other forms of demogogery to seize power in our declining empire, but the narrative is too basic, obvious, and filled with useless odds and ends to be compelling. I may read the next volume but I'm not awaiting it anxiously.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked the first Praxis trilogy, you’ll probably like this one. Like the first of those books, this one is mostly a setup for the story that is coming. It’s very slow, and nothing much happens until the end. It takes place seven years after the end of the last book and has almost all the same characters.

Lady Sula is unemployed and disgruntled; when she’s given a committee assignment she makes public a huge financial scandal perpetrated by some peers, which is described in tedious detail. She’s reminded that her secret is a ticking time bomb when a ghost from her old life appears in her new one. Martinez is unemployed and disgruntled; he channels his energy into yacht racing.

When Lord Tork, who has always had it in for Sula and Martinez, and some other peers start blaming humans for all of their problems, the humans in the Fleet decide they aren’t willing to stand down and disarm. War is about to ensue. Proceed to book two.

[Frank Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooo, my 'Horatio Hornblower in space' has got serious.
Almost a decade after he finished the first series the author goes back to the setting with an obvious (in retrospect) continuation of the threads from the first series. This was a more serious take on the setting as the rotten core of the setting starts to collapse in on itself.
Empire collapses as species turn on each other when a financial collapse all too like 2008, occurs.
There are still whimsical slices of the 'Golden Age' in this but it is all tinged with the pathos of it clearly coming to an end.
I am giving this a strong 4.5 as I feel the series has grown from simple mil-SF into something a lot more nuanced. As I read this in two sittings (making a habit of this recently), it's clearly recommended.

[Kathy Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this Sci Fi novel and will be hunting up the other books set in the Praxis but not having read those others did not encroach on enjoying this one. The list at the beginning of the various families and the government agencies had me a bit worried but I didn't actually need to consult them. The main characters are well drawn and three dimensional, the government with all their department their ministers, etc. reminded me of Chinese bureaucracy but he action in the story was different -- yacht racing by bored fleet officers and the slow turning and targeting of one group -- The Terrans builds to a crescendo.

I will be adding Walter Jon Williams to the list of authors I follow.

[Jrubino · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Fantasy Sword & Sorcery novel trying to pose as Sci-Fi? The space empire is a worn-out plot device that needs to go away. Please. 



This novel is a perfect example of everything that doesn’t work. It’s a mishmash of lazy imagination, trite ideas, and a predictable narrative providing nothing new: Corrupt haughty royalty, political intrigue over planet-kingdoms, lots of ‘my lord’ and ‘my lady’, and everything else you’d already experienced in the hundreds of medieval fantasy novels written over the decades. 



I can barely slog through three chapters before giving up.

[Kelvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you ever thought your science fiction didn't have enough finance, accounting, and political administration in it then you'll find this book a real treat. It also has some rich people going broke in an economic crisis while some other rich people make big money off the failure of society (apparently those are the heroes). It's basically all the bad bits of capitalism, but now it's in space. At about 80% of the way through there is some pewpew spaceship action but it is way to late and pretty underwhelming.

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it takes almost the whole novel to set up, the series theme of financial and parliamentary ineptitude leading to total societal collapse is incredibly thrilling and deeply engrossing. Williams' characters are just rich enough to sustain his human drama - though some of the Martinez family begin to feel quite one-note. I read the whole thing in a single evening, it is that engrossing.

That said - you shouldn't begin the series here by any means. Start with the opening of the Praxis, and then enjoy yourself immensely.

Me, I can't wait for Fleet Elements!

[Myo Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interstellar Econ

Well not Williams' 's best, but still shows his flair for invention and very welcome humor. I've greatly enjoyed my other visits to the universe of the Praxis, and I look forward to me y more. I'm not a great fan of economics, but even so managed to find interesting aspects of the scenario Williams creates, combining universal greed and inter-species friction in a lively space opera.