kay, it’s the reader’s osculation, I suppose, for lack of a better phrase. You read a bad book and limp to the conclusion, then follow it with a good book, which becomes a delight (perhaps, in no small part, by comparison). But after limping through a mediocre book, I hit on Gareth L. Powell’s Embers of War and suddenly I have a book I found myself making time for.

This story is told from various points of view and begins when five battle cruisers (the Trouble Dog among them – they form a pack of human/canine stem-celled AI to control their ships) attack a planet and roast a continent-mass jungle of somewhat sentient trees, burning them to the bedrock (along with soldiers on both sides of a war) to end said war. But Trouble Dog has enough of a conscience that it resigns its commission and joints the House of Reclamation, a sort of air/sea rescue for space. And that’s where we begin, with the small group of four beings (and the ship) trying to save lives in a difficult situation (Warning: Nightmare fuel).

And before they have recovered from that, they hear that someone has shot down a huge liner in some strange solar system filled with alien artifacts and are now hunting down and killing ever one of the 900 souls on board. And even though Trouble Dog is now largely unarmed, she goes tearing in (with her disjointed surviving crew) to save whoever they can.

Anyway, a great story written fairly recently (I’m chipping away at my massive credit with the local bookstore). The characters are interesting, the action great fun (especially the space combats) and the resolution leading to another novel (which is fine – I’ll keep an eye open for it). What’s not to like? Get it if you see it.

>>>AND MY BOOKS, RIGHT HERE! HAVE A LOOK!<<<