Embers of War
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4.1 • 180 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
THE FIRST IN A SCI-FI TRILOGY: This “smart, funny, tragic” space opera puts a fresh spin on genre tropes with Firefly vibes, “gosh-wow ideation, and thriller-style action” (Locus).
“Fast-paced and fun and full of adventure.” —Ann Leckie, Hugo Award-winning author of Ancillary Justice
The 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 organization 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 center 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 . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Powell (the Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy) delivers an emotionally wrenching take on life in a war-torn far future. Sal Konstanz captained a medical vessel in the wake of the bombing that destroyed a sentient jungle, ending an interstellar war. In the aftermath, she joins the House of Reclamation, a neutral humanitarian group, as she tries to recover from witnessing the horrors of war. As they go about their rescue work, it's clear that she and her small crew and even Trouble Dog, their sentient ship suffer from severe trauma. Nevertheless, they display courage and resilience when they stumble into covert operations that threaten to reignite the war and must find a way to stop the conspirators. Though the story is a little ponderous at first, the pace picks up as the threads begin to come together, leading to an explosive finale with strong series potential.
Customer Reviews
Come on, in a future that isn’t, it’s up to the reader.
I liked the sentient “ship,” although usually imbuing an inanimate object (or subject for that matter) with characteristics - genius, guilt, grief, generosity, etc. - found only in animate subjects is, as one reviewer said, “boring.”
In spite of that, I found the smarts of the ship one of the most cheerful aspects of the story. For me at least, Trouble Dog functions as the chorus in Greek comedy forging a connection between the reader and the tale.
Considering the book or the entire trilogy as “woke” is just an excuse for a rejection of anything not like “us,” not “our” correct universe. It’s become a code word for bias.
Embers of War
Wow, I really enjoyed this story. Read it in 3 days! Looking forward to continuing the story in his next book. His characters were thoughtful and legitimate to the story. Not just filler, but contribute to the story. You get to know them in-depth along with the ship AI the lovable engineer who keeps the ship running. The captain is a woman of strong character who faces unbelievable obstacles, constantly challenging her direction. I definitely recommend this story.
Great read!
I really loved the story, the characters, the creative ideas.
Well developed characters and enough action to keep it moving.
Well done!