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The Queen's Squadron
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 7, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 24, 2026
The Queen's Squadron from 1992 was Meluch's seventh novel, and after it she was inactive in the field until her Merrimack series began in 2005. It's a military space opera that examines immortality and has some interesting FTL battle scenes, but the strength is in the well-defined characters and good dialog. It rather graphically describes some violent torture scenes, but it's a good page-turner.
September 11, 2017
This is a darker version of Meluch's Tour of the Merrimack series, with some harder SF elements underneath, but it's still action-packed. In tone and content, this is very much a bridge novel between her debut novel Sovereign back in the '70s and her more recent Merrimack books.
Having just rewatched Rogue One last night, I find comparisons between this book and that film are inevitable. Just as Rogue One is the darkest entry in the Star Wars franchise, so this is the grimmest entry in Meluch's oeuvre. A lot of heavy emotional themes and hardcore violence with lots of death abound here.
The book starts off with a dark prelude, then does that "two years earlier" thing so popular in many stories, downshifting into a much lighter adventure. But that death-infused shadow hangs over the witty banter which propels the universe-building forward. Knowing Meluch's work, I was pretty sure the Scalzi-before-Scalzi tone was there to lull the reader into a false sense of security, that somehow the dark scene in the prologue would have a twist to make it better. And she does hint at that, with the introduction of amazing high-tech healing devices, immortal humans, and other goodies.
Spoiler: it stays dark.
Which is fine. While Scalzi-esque lightweight space opera is fun, and often preferable escapism, it's nice to read stories with teeth now and again.
The reason I give this 3 stars instead of 4 is because it feels like there's something missing. The immortals exist, but we're never given an explanation of how or why they came to be. Given that she devotes entire pages to how FTL works, how the various solar systems work, and how language has changed, it's an odd thing to leave out. I kind of think she was saving it for a sequel which never materialized.
Thematically, the immortal humans are key to the story, offering a contrast to the sacrifices and tragedies regular mortal humans experience, but it's a bothersome blank at the heart of the story that I kept waiting to be revealed. Maybe that's why there weren't any follow-ups to this book. Of course, the graphic torture scenes certainly didn't help. While important to the development of two of the characters, it's not a lot of fun to read about.
Anyway, it's still worth the read, because she writes cracking good action scenes and the story has a nice payoff once everything comes together.
Having just rewatched Rogue One last night, I find comparisons between this book and that film are inevitable. Just as Rogue One is the darkest entry in the Star Wars franchise, so this is the grimmest entry in Meluch's oeuvre. A lot of heavy emotional themes and hardcore violence with lots of death abound here.
The book starts off with a dark prelude, then does that "two years earlier" thing so popular in many stories, downshifting into a much lighter adventure. But that death-infused shadow hangs over the witty banter which propels the universe-building forward. Knowing Meluch's work, I was pretty sure the Scalzi-before-Scalzi tone was there to lull the reader into a false sense of security, that somehow the dark scene in the prologue would have a twist to make it better. And she does hint at that, with the introduction of amazing high-tech healing devices, immortal humans, and other goodies.
Spoiler: it stays dark.
Which is fine. While Scalzi-esque lightweight space opera is fun, and often preferable escapism, it's nice to read stories with teeth now and again.
The reason I give this 3 stars instead of 4 is because it feels like there's something missing. The immortals exist, but we're never given an explanation of how or why they came to be. Given that she devotes entire pages to how FTL works, how the various solar systems work, and how language has changed, it's an odd thing to leave out. I kind of think she was saving it for a sequel which never materialized.
Thematically, the immortal humans are key to the story, offering a contrast to the sacrifices and tragedies regular mortal humans experience, but it's a bothersome blank at the heart of the story that I kept waiting to be revealed. Maybe that's why there weren't any follow-ups to this book. Of course, the graphic torture scenes certainly didn't help. While important to the development of two of the characters, it's not a lot of fun to read about.
Anyway, it's still worth the read, because she writes cracking good action scenes and the story has a nice payoff once everything comes together.
January 21, 2016
I’ve just finished reading The Queen's Squadron, and I feel rather like I’ve been emotionally assaulted. It’s a good thing. This is a book that drew me in from the very first page, and kept a grip on my attention throughout (I say kept, but it hasn’t let go yet, despite my having finished it). I actually lost sleep thinking about this book, going over the events of the portions I had just read repeatedly, and both dreading and anticipating picking it up again.
This book seems to be largely billed as military sci-fi, but in all honesty, the military aspect is completely secondary to the human aspect. To me, it is a devastating and beautiful look at the often pointless (but sometimes not) brutality of war. There is no great victory to be had here, because Meluch does such a beautiful job at giving us people to love and to hate on each side of the conflict. We watch as characters grow and change under the pressure of the war, and are endeared to them in an almost painful way, as even their personal victories come so often at unimaginable expense.
I don’t really know what more I can say. Reading this was an experience that reminded me why I enjoy reading. It was truly an escape into another world, even if it was an escape that left my heart feeling as though it had been dashed against the rocks much of the time, only to bring hope back into the picture at just the right moment. I am immensely satisfied, now that I have reached the end, and I’m sure this book will be a favorite of mine for a long time to come.
Side note: The summary on the back of my paper back edition actually fused two of the characters into one, which is ridiculous, as the characters had no defining factors in common except their side of the war. *facepalm*
This book seems to be largely billed as military sci-fi, but in all honesty, the military aspect is completely secondary to the human aspect. To me, it is a devastating and beautiful look at the often pointless (but sometimes not) brutality of war. There is no great victory to be had here, because Meluch does such a beautiful job at giving us people to love and to hate on each side of the conflict. We watch as characters grow and change under the pressure of the war, and are endeared to them in an almost painful way, as even their personal victories come so often at unimaginable expense.
I don’t really know what more I can say. Reading this was an experience that reminded me why I enjoy reading. It was truly an escape into another world, even if it was an escape that left my heart feeling as though it had been dashed against the rocks much of the time, only to bring hope back into the picture at just the right moment. I am immensely satisfied, now that I have reached the end, and I’m sure this book will be a favorite of mine for a long time to come.
Side note: The summary on the back of my paper back edition actually fused two of the characters into one, which is ridiculous, as the characters had no defining factors in common except their side of the war. *facepalm*
February 29, 2016
I discovered R.M. Meluch through her Tour of the Merrimack space opera series. She had not published for over a decade, and through used bookstores I found much of her previous work. The Queen's Squadron uses many of the tools, and character types, that she showed readers in her later books. But, here she does it better.
Terrans have long since colonized many parts of the galaxy. During the Earth exodus it was discovered that hiding among Terrans were immortals, the basis for many myths about gods. Now, New Earth and the Immortals Empire are on the verge of interstellar war. The Immortals advantage is the Queen's Squadron the only FTL ships that don't require using a stargate to travel between solar systems, and their pilots are the best.
That might sound like a stereotype for a military space opera. It is, but Meluch executes it very well. She does a better job at trying to create FTL here than in the Merrimack books. her usually well honed ear for dialogue is at its best. The characters for the most part are well defined, and she tosses in a very nice plot twist at the end.
What impressed me most was, for a mainstream book written in 1992, how she portrayed the relationship between New Earth's Paul Strand and his torturer Penetanguishene. The two of them admit it might be Stockholm Syndrome, but in failing to break Strand during torture Penetangusihene also discovers he is not only gay, but in love with Strand. Don't look for any soft core porn here, but for a writer who elected to place two of her main characters in a same sex relationship, and one that is better written than some straight relationships I see in fiction.
Terrans have long since colonized many parts of the galaxy. During the Earth exodus it was discovered that hiding among Terrans were immortals, the basis for many myths about gods. Now, New Earth and the Immortals Empire are on the verge of interstellar war. The Immortals advantage is the Queen's Squadron the only FTL ships that don't require using a stargate to travel between solar systems, and their pilots are the best.
That might sound like a stereotype for a military space opera. It is, but Meluch executes it very well. She does a better job at trying to create FTL here than in the Merrimack books. her usually well honed ear for dialogue is at its best. The characters for the most part are well defined, and she tosses in a very nice plot twist at the end.
What impressed me most was, for a mainstream book written in 1992, how she portrayed the relationship between New Earth's Paul Strand and his torturer Penetanguishene. The two of them admit it might be Stockholm Syndrome, but in failing to break Strand during torture Penetangusihene also discovers he is not only gay, but in love with Strand. Don't look for any soft core porn here, but for a writer who elected to place two of her main characters in a same sex relationship, and one that is better written than some straight relationships I see in fiction.
July 23, 2013
Since I’ve enjoyed Meluch’s rollicking new sci-fi series, I thought I’d go back and read some of her earlier work.
This is very different from the new stuff. It’s a strange book, and I liked it without ever really believing in it. I don’t think I had time - the story and the universe are awfully rich for such a short novel. Judging from the sparse writing (very different from her newer work) the author felt strongly that less is more. Meluch has a knack for dialog, though, which draws me in.
I’d warn a reader about some gruesome torture in the book. While I was rationally unconvinced by the Stockholm Syndrome aspect, the interaction (relationship?) between Strand and his torturer was fascinating.
This is very different from the new stuff. It’s a strange book, and I liked it without ever really believing in it. I don’t think I had time - the story and the universe are awfully rich for such a short novel. Judging from the sparse writing (very different from her newer work) the author felt strongly that less is more. Meluch has a knack for dialog, though, which draws me in.
I’d warn a reader about some gruesome torture in the book. While I was rationally unconvinced by the Stockholm Syndrome aspect, the interaction (relationship?) between Strand and his torturer was fascinating.
January 18, 2010
I felt like I was reading\watching a Terry Gilliam film. It all sort of made sense and had a thread running through it but I never felt like I had a grasp on what was really happening, why it was happening or why I should even care about either the characters or honestly the plot. I saw that the book received high marks, and I really enjoyed Meluch's other books but this one was maybe just either over my head or just not my kind of book...
April 21, 2019
I felt like I was reading\watching a Terry Gilliam film. It all sort of made sense and had a thread running through it but I never felt like I had a grasp on what was really happening, why it was happening or why I should even care about either the characters or honestly the plot. I saw that the book received high marks, and I really enjoyed Meluch's other books but this one was maybe just either over my head or just not my kind of book...
April 15, 2014
I liked the idea for the FTL fighters. The feeling of being with the Queen's Squadron was cool because you were hanging with the elites. The quest of an immortal to find a purpose in her life was cool. I very much enjoyed the sparce combat action. Overall a good read that I plowed right through.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews