There is nothing all that unique about Warship. The formula used here has been done before and many of the usual tropes are included: a grizzled captain with secret bottles of alcohol in his closet, dysfunctional leadership back home in command, an old ship that is about to be retired, and one last mission that puts the ship off in a part of space by itself where it comes across a serious threat to humanity. Despite all that, I must admit that Joshua Dalzelle does it all in a way that just works for me. This is solid old school "single ship against crazy odds" sci-fi and when it was all said and done I was eager for more of it.

With the events that occurred at the end of book 2, The Shadow of Cincinnatus, the stage was set for an epic showdown between the Federation and the Outsiders. The Federation has stood for over 1,000 years but it is riddled with problems that may not have any answers. Emperor Marius remains dedicated to the ideals of the Federation and he has shown that he will do anything to protect it, but that very attitude is likely to be his undoing. Despite his failing state of mind, and the deep economic and social flaws that are fracturing the Federation, there is still one thing that can ultimately unite them - a fear of subjugation by aliens. Along come the Outsiders who are offering progressive economic and social changes that are attractive to many, but they have allied themselves with multiple alien races and that is a bridge too far. This book reveals once and for all which of humanities many flaws will ultimately dictate the winner in this epic fight for the future.

Guy Gavriel Kay offers up a solid fantasy tale with plenty of plotting and intrigue from cover to cover. The 9 provinces of the Peninsula of the Palm are shattered by war and find themselves split under the rule of 2 sorcerers from foreign lands. Four provinces have fallen to each sorcerer with only one remaining independent, which makes this province the key to the fragile balance of power. This tenuous situation has gone on for almost twenty years and this story tells the tale of the spark that sets off the powder keg.

Marius Drake has always believed in the ideals of the Federation and has done everything within his power to ensure that the human planets stay unified. Marius knows that a strong Federation is required for humans to remain the dominant race in the known universe, so he must make sweeping changes now that the corrupt Grand Senate is a thing of the past. He also can't ignore the threat of the Outsiders out on the Rim. Lucky for him that he has his protege, Roman Garibaldi, who he can send out to the Rim with the main fleet while he takes care of things on Earth.  Of course no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy and the Rim is a very long way from Earth.

Right from the start this book thrusts you into the fight for humanity's future as Earth finds itself under assault. Of course Earth is the most heavily defended planet in the human Federation so it is unthinkable that anyone would attack it, which is why the defenders of Earth find themselves so unprepared for such a bold move. The reader experiences the initial battle, and the rest of the story, from two very different perspectives - one being Admiral Marius Drake, who surprisingly finds himself coordinating Earth's defense, and Roman Garibaldi, a promising student in the naval academy who is about to graduate into service. These two men will do their best to maintain the human Federation that has shaped mankind's existence for hundred of years, but ultimately, they will both need to wrestle with the fact that the organization they are fighting for may not be worthy of survival.

​​​​​​​"Will the magic return?" is a question that has a dual meaning for me when it comes to this book as it applies to both the storyline and the series itself. Those who read the first book, Ice Forged, know that the main characters are on a quest to return magic to their homeland and this book follows through on the resolution of that storyline. However, for me the question also applies to the series itself as the first book started strong but did not maintain my interest level throughout. So I moved on to book two with the hope that the quest would be a successful one and that the magic of this series' strong start would return to my reading experience as well.

Iron Gold, the latest book in the Red Rising series, shows us how the rebellion from Morning Star has resulted in a new age of peace and harmony for mankind. Ummm, no. In truth, the war is far from over and establishing a new Republic is a lot harder than just disposing of the old leaders. The old color-based system is entrenched in society and the concept of accepting everyone as an equal is far from a reality. This is just one reason of many that the newly formed Republic finds that the challenges of peace can be more difficult to overcome than those of all out war.

Casey Duncan murdered a man. Not in the line of duty as a homicide detective, nor in self defense. She's not even sorry he's dead, although she feels guilty about the lack of guilt, so to speak. Her best friend has an abusive ex-husband who won't leave her alone. Both of them need to disappear for a while and they apply to join a hidden community off the grid. Her friend Diana has no special skills but they desperately need a detective, even one who murdered, because they may have a serial killer. Casey's job is to figure out whodunit in a town where everyone is hiding behind a fake identity to protect their pasts, and some have even bought their way in with criminal pasts far more sordid than Casey's own.

Velant is a penal colony hidden away in the frozen wastes of Edgeland, an inhospitable location on the edge of the world where the King of Donderath sends the convicted of his domain. Those banished to Velant never return, so it is a fate just short of death to be sent there, and for many it turns into a death sentence. The prison is ruled by an oppressive governor who uses his warden mages to keep the prisoners in line and ensure they continue working in the ruby mines. Those prisoners fortunate enough to survive their sentence of servitude in the mines still don't get to return home when they are done, instead they earn a ticket of leave which makes them a colonist in a small town near the prison that remains under the rule of the Governor. This town barely survives at the best of times and during the 6 month long dark season it must rely on the regular supply ships from Donderath to keep everyone alive. However, it seems that those ships have stopped arriving for an unknown reason, and the long dark is approaching...

Linesman is a character driven sci-fi series about a young man, Ean, discovering that his unique way of working with space ship "lines" will revolutionize human understanding of that technology. A piece of scrap metal used for a ship repair was found to contain ten "lines" that when integrated with the ship allowed for greater control and most importantly, the ability to travel through hyperspace. On the edge of interstellar war for control of that technology an alien ship with amazing defenses is discovered and both factions are desperate to possess it. It will take "Crazy" Ean Lambert to figure out how to access and use it.