From BSFA Award winning author Gareth L. Powell comes the first in a new epic sci-fi trilogy exploring the legacies of warThe sentient warship Trouble Dog was built for violence, yet following a brutal war, she is disgusted by her role in a genocide. Stripped of her weaponry and seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress. When a civilian ship goes missing in a disputed system, Trouble Dog and her new crew of loners, captained by Sal Konstanz, are sent on a rescue mission.Meanwhile, light years away, intelligence officer Ashton Childe is tasked with locating the poet, Ona Sudak, who was aboard the missing spaceship. What Childe doesn't know is that Sudak is not the person she appears to be. A straightforward rescue turns into something far more dangerous, as Trouble Dog, Konstanz and Childe find themselves at the centre of a conflict that could engulf the entire galaxy. If she is to save her crew, Trouble Dog is going to have to remember how to fight...
"Embers of War" is a book that works on a few different levels. Fans of "classic" science fiction will find a lot of familiar and comforting concepts on display throughout its pages, yet it still manages to provide a few surprises and wrinkles that prevent it from feeling too similar to or overtly derivative of the countless works of the "space opera" sub-genre that preceded it. That's no small feat in and of itself but "Embers of War" also manages to act as a compelling and well-executed introduction to said sub-genre that I wouldn't hesitate to put into the hands of any reader with even the slightest interest in exploring it.
Another standout aspect of this book, somewhat ironically, lies in its subtlety. To be sure, there are dramatic, exciting, and, dare I say, epic moments throughout it; however, some of the best of what it has to offer is contained within its more quiet, introspective passages, as characters reflect on the circumstances of their lives that led them to the pivotal scenario at the center of the tale. To a large extent, this is a story about people dealing with the aftermath of war and I was pleasantly surprised to find that this wasn't simply used as a gimmick or set dressing, but as a fundamental and recurring element of the storytelling in a way that to me felt very genuine and worthy of praise. Yes, things do often escalate into perilous conflict and periods of intensity, with some appropriately-juicy doses of horror sprinkled in for good measure, but the effort as a whole is quite dynamic, which in my view elevates it a bit beyond what one might expect at first glance.
Honestly, there's not much here for me to complain about or critique beyond a general caveat that, if you already have a predisposition against science fiction or space opera, "Embers of War" might not be able to win you over despite its quality. Highly recommended and I absolutely intend to continue the series.