The Humans have had enough, and it's time for payback.
I obtained this book through the Kindle Unlimited program.
There is such a richness of story detail in this series, it's surprising to reflect that it's only slightly more than a year old. Nearly every paragraph reminds me of a prior storyline, and sometimes that sets up a demand that I go back and re-read earlier works in the Four Horsemen Universe so I can more vividly enjoy the writing here.
At the same time, this book COULD, POSSIBLY be read as a stand-alone. It's the first volume in 'The Omega War' arc, and that may be a part of why that's possible. However, I think it's more likely that the authors, having a solid grasp on character and plot, just don't have to depend on prior works to carry their water for them.
For reasons not related to the story, I was kept away from the series for a period of months. When I returned to the series, two days ago, I suffered no sense of discontinuity. For the uninitiated, a one-paragraph prologue would be helpful, but my guess is that the primary audience for this volume is that slavering horde out there, those who check their email 15 times per day to see if Seventh Seal Press has released anything new. Even so, 150 words of summation wouldn't go amiss. We are also anticipating the release of reference material in the electronic forms of the works, as dozens of other life-forms, each with unique characteristics, are essential players. Sigh. Rome wasn't built, and all that, and when you have to get PRODUCT on the table, you don't always have the resources to present the trimmings.
In addition to the customary mecha battles we have demanded, this volume also presents some startling new alien species. For those who value diversity for its' own sake, I suppose that makes this series go straight (err, maybe not STRAIGHT) to the top of the list.
The tie-ins with the initial book in the series, "Cartwright's Cavaliers," are significant. Jim Cartwright, the somewhat low-luck leader of one of the Four Horsemen companies, is featured prominently, and the storylines beginning in that work are extended. But, here's what you really need to know about the book:
After being subjected to wholesale persecution and murder at the hands of indifferent or hostile Galactics, the humans in the mercenary companies have FINALLY seen clearly that the Mercenary Guild power brokers are out to destroy them. And they are determined to go down fighting.
It's the combination of the personal stories (tragic loss, budding love, professional development), with the Big Picture view (Machiavellian politics at the galactic level, incredibly ancient birds coming home to roost) that lifts this volume above standard, exploding spaceship, space opera fare.
Well, that plus the fact that it is just so well written:
“I understand,” he said. “You’re scared. This is a great place to hide.”
“How dare you,” she said, her voice low and menacing.
“My grandfather would spit on you,” Nigel said.
(Kennedy, Chris. A Fiery Sunset (The Omega War Book 1) (Kindle Locations 2128-2130). Seventh Seal Press. Kindle Edition. )
You miss that by just a smidgen, and it's farce, at best. But if you NAIL it, as the authors have done, then the reader can feel the tension in the air, and subconsciously reaches for a weapon and a desk to use as cover. And it's like that, all the way through.