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burruss's review against another edition
3.0
Glory to the illustrious Shaa and their servants, our honored ancestors. I speak before you all today to provide you my thoughts on The Accidental War, the long-awaited fourth book in the Dread Empire's Fall series (not that our empire is dread or shall ever fall). Finally released by the Board of Censors after several years, the next adventures of Senior Captain Lord Gareth Martinez and Captain "the Lady Sula" are finally ours to peruse.
The book follows on the first three books of the series, re-establishing where each of our main characters are nine years after their last published adventure (minor spoiler: largely where we left them). As the first book in a new trilogy, much of the book is spent setting the scene and establishing the chain of events that will power the coming narrative. While necessary, it does mean much of the novel is spent on build-up with only approximately the last 20% of the book devoted to the explosive fall-out. An economic downfall is largely taken from events from the last decade on the planet Terra, on the one hand an interesting prism through which to view recent events on that planet, on the other hand a bit too on the nose for those who closely follow news on that planet. A denouement is almost entirely lacking, leaving a slightly sour taste in the reader's mouth at the end; it's one thing to be the first book in a new trilogy, it's another to automatically presume all your readers will follow you to the next one.
But at the end of the day (a strict 29 hours, as set down by the munificent Shaa), these are minor criticisms on a rousing read. This is "space-opera" at its best, with economic machinations, political intrigue, combat (space and hand-to-hand) set in an intergalactic civil war. It's a story that will keep you turning page after page as you read of events spinning out of control. Williams' narrative style remains a pleasure to peruse. It is an enjoyable novel and one that you won't regret purchasing.
Thank you, fellow Peers and Convocates, thank you. Long live the Praxis.
The book follows on the first three books of the series, re-establishing where each of our main characters are nine years after their last published adventure (minor spoiler: largely where we left them). As the first book in a new trilogy, much of the book is spent setting the scene and establishing the chain of events that will power the coming narrative. While necessary, it does mean much of the novel is spent on build-up with only approximately the last 20% of the book devoted to the explosive fall-out. An economic downfall is largely taken from events from the last decade on the planet Terra, on the one hand an interesting prism through which to view recent events on that planet, on the other hand a bit too on the nose for those who closely follow news on that planet. A denouement is almost entirely lacking, leaving a slightly sour taste in the reader's mouth at the end; it's one thing to be the first book in a new trilogy, it's another to automatically presume all your readers will follow you to the next one.
But at the end of the day (a strict 29 hours, as set down by the munificent Shaa), these are minor criticisms on a rousing read. This is "space-opera" at its best, with economic machinations, political intrigue, combat (space and hand-to-hand) set in an intergalactic civil war. It's a story that will keep you turning page after page as you read of events spinning out of control. Williams' narrative style remains a pleasure to peruse. It is an enjoyable novel and one that you won't regret purchasing.
Thank you, fellow Peers and Convocates, thank you. Long live the Praxis.
jhouses's review
3.0
Williams nos devuelve al universo de la Praxis donde asistimos impotentes a la gestación de una nueva guerra civil. Desde el prólogo, sucesos aparentemente triviales e inconexos van generando una pequeña marea que terminará originando un tsunami capaz de romper en pedazos la falsa estabilidad de la Praxis.
Es el comienzo de una nueva saga así que en previsión de que los demás libros tarden voy a insertar un pequeño resumen.
The series’ protagonists, Captain Gareth Martinez and Lady Caroline Sula, both suffer under this rigidity. At the end of Conventions of War (2005) they emerged as heroes of the civil conflict that followed death of the last Shaa, and after a strained romantic relationship they have gone in separate directions. In the intervening seven years the culture of the empire has largely returned to its old, old ways. In this environment, upstart Fleet hotshots (Martinez) and survivors of disgraced clans (Sula), however be-medaled, are still not welcome into the (often literally) refurbished corridors of power. In fact, there are legions of veterans who lack the patronage to get interesting and useful employment in the Fleet.
Not that Martinez or Sula are in terrible straits, though both would much rather be on duty instead of hanging around as officers-without-commands. Martinez has married, reasonably happily, into the old high aristocracy, and his own family is nouveau-riche wealthy enough for him to start a space-yacht racing club as a way of filling the empty hours while exercising his piloting skills. Sula has been unsuccessful at finding a satisfying post until an associate from her carefully concealed criminal past, having reinvented himself as a fixer, helps her to a seat on the governing Convocation. From that perch, in what should have been boring sinecure positions, she is set to gain some interesting insights into the workings of the upper crust.
More than half the novel is given over to the protagonists’ movements through imperial society, official and civilian: ceremonies, celebrations, receptions, yacht races, committee hearings, business and dynastic negotiations. And along the way, they (and we) are able to observe the folly and incompetence that leads to a multi-world financial crisis that has an unmistakable resemblance to one in our own recent history. (The details occupy an entire chapter.) The response of some of the aristocrats who get burned is to blame “Terran criminals” (and the Martinez clan in particular) and to inflame the populist Steadfast League, which wants to make the Praxis great again, preferably by mob violence against Terrans. The riots that follow – one is described in detail – infect reactionary elements in the government and Fleet, and humans find themselves in danger of becoming a species non grata. And that is what leads to the breakout of actual warfare.
This comes as no surprise to Sula, who had not expected the previous civil war to bring peace and stability, “Because we still have a government that could permit something like the Naxid War in the first place” – a government run by former subject species that “were good… at sucking up to the Shaa. But not good… at making decisions, or questioning themselves, or coping with changed circumstances.” So when she finds herself and her allies on the run and sharing a space liner with an entire company of famously overzealous imperial enforcers, it’s just as well that she has come prepared for the kind of guerilla-style dirty work she perfected in the civil war. Martinez, fleeing in an unarmed luxury craft filled with old colleagues and family members, faces a different kind of threat, but one also amenable to the unconventional problem-solving that got him all those decorations on his uniform. Their parallel actions form the climactic sequences of this volume, but those battles are clearly nowhere near the end of the story.
Es el comienzo de una nueva saga así que en previsión de que los demás libros tarden voy a insertar un pequeño resumen.
Spoiler
The series’ protagonists, Captain Gareth Martinez and Lady Caroline Sula, both suffer under this rigidity. At the end of Conventions of War (2005) they emerged as heroes of the civil conflict that followed death of the last Shaa, and after a strained romantic relationship they have gone in separate directions. In the intervening seven years the culture of the empire has largely returned to its old, old ways. In this environment, upstart Fleet hotshots (Martinez) and survivors of disgraced clans (Sula), however be-medaled, are still not welcome into the (often literally) refurbished corridors of power. In fact, there are legions of veterans who lack the patronage to get interesting and useful employment in the Fleet.
Not that Martinez or Sula are in terrible straits, though both would much rather be on duty instead of hanging around as officers-without-commands. Martinez has married, reasonably happily, into the old high aristocracy, and his own family is nouveau-riche wealthy enough for him to start a space-yacht racing club as a way of filling the empty hours while exercising his piloting skills. Sula has been unsuccessful at finding a satisfying post until an associate from her carefully concealed criminal past, having reinvented himself as a fixer, helps her to a seat on the governing Convocation. From that perch, in what should have been boring sinecure positions, she is set to gain some interesting insights into the workings of the upper crust.
More than half the novel is given over to the protagonists’ movements through imperial society, official and civilian: ceremonies, celebrations, receptions, yacht races, committee hearings, business and dynastic negotiations. And along the way, they (and we) are able to observe the folly and incompetence that leads to a multi-world financial crisis that has an unmistakable resemblance to one in our own recent history. (The details occupy an entire chapter.) The response of some of the aristocrats who get burned is to blame “Terran criminals” (and the Martinez clan in particular) and to inflame the populist Steadfast League, which wants to make the Praxis great again, preferably by mob violence against Terrans. The riots that follow – one is described in detail – infect reactionary elements in the government and Fleet, and humans find themselves in danger of becoming a species non grata. And that is what leads to the breakout of actual warfare.
This comes as no surprise to Sula, who had not expected the previous civil war to bring peace and stability, “Because we still have a government that could permit something like the Naxid War in the first place” – a government run by former subject species that “were good… at sucking up to the Shaa. But not good… at making decisions, or questioning themselves, or coping with changed circumstances.” So when she finds herself and her allies on the run and sharing a space liner with an entire company of famously overzealous imperial enforcers, it’s just as well that she has come prepared for the kind of guerilla-style dirty work she perfected in the civil war. Martinez, fleeing in an unarmed luxury craft filled with old colleagues and family members, faces a different kind of threat, but one also amenable to the unconventional problem-solving that got him all those decorations on his uniform. Their parallel actions form the climactic sequences of this volume, but those battles are clearly nowhere near the end of the story.
sreeves's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wiseard's review against another edition
2.0
This really shouldn't be marketed as a military SF book because those elements are very very in the minority.
Seriously. Compared to the previous trilogy so far there has been no fleet engagement.
It brings no new things to the world of Praxis with the exception of a bunch of very two dimensional characters. The villains have become caricature villains with a Supreme Fleet Commander that whines about innovation and progress 7 years after he won his big battle. The only way the author can make him more of a caricature is to make him kick a puppy. He probably saved that for the next book.
It's a shame because the world at large in the Praxis universe is entertaining and has really lots of potential in exploring.
Seriously. Compared to the previous trilogy so far there has been no fleet engagement.
It brings no new things to the world of Praxis with the exception of a bunch of very two dimensional characters. The villains have become caricature villains with a Supreme Fleet Commander that whines about innovation and progress 7 years after he won his big battle. The only way the author can make him more of a caricature is to make him kick a puppy. He probably saved that for the next book.
It's a shame because the world at large in the Praxis universe is entertaining and has really lots of potential in exploring.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
huh. So kind of a slow moving character study wrapped around a sf version of [b:The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine|26889576|The Big Short Inside the Doomsday Machine|Michael Lewis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446581171s/26889576.jpg|6654434]. I do like this author but I've actually not read the books in this series, so given that this was a book 4, it was surprisingly readable. And then it has late in the book action of various sorts. So definitely okay. But I might have liked it more if I had read the earlier books. This was from an Uncorrected Proof so basically an ARC - Advance Reader Copy.
thearbiter89's review against another edition
4.0
The Accidental War is a promising start to a new trilogy of Walter Jon William's criminally underrated Praxis series of sf space operas.
A little nostalgic bias here - The Praxis novels were a big part of my teenage years and were seminal books in development as a science fiction fan. They hinged on an interesting premise - military sf told from the perspective of aristocrats who rule over a galactic empire established by blood and ruled by an unshakeable, hierarchical political system known as the Praxis.
But, far from being a simple, evil-empire-decrying morality tale, the original Praxis novels told a story of two brilliant military heroes - Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula - fighting for survival and glory in the midst of a succession crisis brought about by the demise of the empire's alien masters. Thrilling, unexpectedly comic, yet suffused with a subtle cynicism, the books constructed an implicit thesis for the shortcomings of an inflexible, tradition-bound system of power, while not condemning its ethical shortcomings.
Years after the conclusion of that saga, The Accidental War came along, to my great surprise and pleasure. Reading it brought back memories of fictitious events that I was surprised to have retained so strongly in the back of my mind, yet The Accidental War seeks to update the Praxis for a post-2008 universe. If the first series was about the succession crisis in the aftermath of a power vacuum, the second seems to be shaping up to be a story of in-out species tribalism arising from an economic collapse, with humanity as the out-group - a kind of combination of post-depression Weimar Germany and post-2016 US politics, if you will. In this series, it is the backwardness and ossification arising from the long incumbency of extant power structures that leads to the whole edifice toppling down, rigid and unable to bend to the winds of changing times.
For the reader who is in this for the series' signature gritty, realistic (sounding) space battles full of g-forces and tricks of orbital mechanics, the beginning of the book can seem rather slow, as Williams slowly assembles and arranges the component pieces to set up the crisis that will lead to the emerging civil war. Much of it has to do with political and economic posturing in the halls of power, punctuated by the kind of snobbish class-based politics of inclusion and exclusion that would not seem out of place in a Regency novel - slow as they might be, they are fascinating insofar as they represent William's effort to create a science-fictional allegory of our times.
But then, near the end-third of the book, the space battles start to come to the fore and Martinez, whom I had rooted for so hard in the first series, starts to display his unique brand of tactical brilliance, and in so doing helps usher in the unfolding conflict between humanity and the rest of the empire.
Given the quality of this first entry, I have every confidence that the next few books will continue, in typical stellar fashion, the stories of Martinez and Sula for a more cynical age.
I give this: 4 out of 5 congratulation rounds from "Lord Fizz Takes A Holiday'
A little nostalgic bias here - The Praxis novels were a big part of my teenage years and were seminal books in development as a science fiction fan. They hinged on an interesting premise - military sf told from the perspective of aristocrats who rule over a galactic empire established by blood and ruled by an unshakeable, hierarchical political system known as the Praxis.
But, far from being a simple, evil-empire-decrying morality tale, the original Praxis novels told a story of two brilliant military heroes - Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula - fighting for survival and glory in the midst of a succession crisis brought about by the demise of the empire's alien masters. Thrilling, unexpectedly comic, yet suffused with a subtle cynicism, the books constructed an implicit thesis for the shortcomings of an inflexible, tradition-bound system of power, while not condemning its ethical shortcomings.
Years after the conclusion of that saga, The Accidental War came along, to my great surprise and pleasure. Reading it brought back memories of fictitious events that I was surprised to have retained so strongly in the back of my mind, yet The Accidental War seeks to update the Praxis for a post-2008 universe. If the first series was about the succession crisis in the aftermath of a power vacuum, the second seems to be shaping up to be a story of in-out species tribalism arising from an economic collapse, with humanity as the out-group - a kind of combination of post-depression Weimar Germany and post-2016 US politics, if you will. In this series, it is the backwardness and ossification arising from the long incumbency of extant power structures that leads to the whole edifice toppling down, rigid and unable to bend to the winds of changing times.
For the reader who is in this for the series' signature gritty, realistic (sounding) space battles full of g-forces and tricks of orbital mechanics, the beginning of the book can seem rather slow, as Williams slowly assembles and arranges the component pieces to set up the crisis that will lead to the emerging civil war. Much of it has to do with political and economic posturing in the halls of power, punctuated by the kind of snobbish class-based politics of inclusion and exclusion that would not seem out of place in a Regency novel - slow as they might be, they are fascinating insofar as they represent William's effort to create a science-fictional allegory of our times.
But then, near the end-third of the book, the space battles start to come to the fore and Martinez, whom I had rooted for so hard in the first series, starts to display his unique brand of tactical brilliance, and in so doing helps usher in the unfolding conflict between humanity and the rest of the empire.
Given the quality of this first entry, I have every confidence that the next few books will continue, in typical stellar fashion, the stories of Martinez and Sula for a more cynical age.
I give this: 4 out of 5 congratulation rounds from "Lord Fizz Takes A Holiday'
ronanbossard's review against another edition
4.0
The covers lies, this is not mil-SF. Some economics, short enough for those who don't like it, long enough for the others (and the parallels with the real worlds are unsettling). Interesting secondary characters. Subtext about how normalising and incentivizing war crimes done on others might end up with war crimes done to yourself.
The Sula character would have been too much of an hypercompetent author's pet if her hypercompetence did not screw everything up. But it did, so that's Ok I guess?
I might add a fifth star if the sequel is good too.
The Sula character would have been too much of an hypercompetent author's pet if her hypercompetence did not screw everything up. But it did, so that's Ok I guess?
I might add a fifth star if the sequel is good too.
jontia's review against another edition
3.0
Not fantastic. But will see how rest of this second series goes.
tasadion's review against another edition
3.0
This series is space opera, with all the trimmings. This book however gets a bit caught up with a setup work for a new war, putting the piece in the right places, and so becomes a little caught up in the heavy lifting of plot, with not enough space battles, where the real strengths lie.
The characters are morally ambiguous, which is nice, but all too often they seem to find quick technical solutions to every problem, which can get a little repetitive.
Certainly my favourite offering from WJW (not a fan of the Dagmar series) and will definitely read the next book.
The characters are morally ambiguous, which is nice, but all too often they seem to find quick technical solutions to every problem, which can get a little repetitive.
Certainly my favourite offering from WJW (not a fan of the Dagmar series) and will definitely read the next book.
tome15's review against another edition
4.0
Williams, Walter Jon. Accidental War. Dread Empire’s Fall No. 4. Harper, 2018.
Like Peter F. Hamilton, Walter Jon Williams is a science fiction writer whose forte is world-building. I missed the first trilogy and short fiction in this series, which began in 2002 and has not had a major addition since 2005. The Dread Empire World reminds me somewhat of the world in the Vorkosigan saga that has defined the career of Lois McMaster Bujold; it also resembles the monarchy in David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. It describes a complex space-faring society of multiple cultures and species that are kept in uneasy equilibrium by strict social hierarchies and codes of honor. Caught in the middle of all this are two frenemies, a warship captain, Caroline Sula, and Gareth Martinez, a merchant prince. They are fiercely competitive with each other but thrown together to fight common enemies. Williams does a good job of describing the tactics and technologies of his space battles, and he keeps the action bubbling along. I look forward to the next installment.
Like Peter F. Hamilton, Walter Jon Williams is a science fiction writer whose forte is world-building. I missed the first trilogy and short fiction in this series, which began in 2002 and has not had a major addition since 2005. The Dread Empire World reminds me somewhat of the world in the Vorkosigan saga that has defined the career of Lois McMaster Bujold; it also resembles the monarchy in David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. It describes a complex space-faring society of multiple cultures and species that are kept in uneasy equilibrium by strict social hierarchies and codes of honor. Caught in the middle of all this are two frenemies, a warship captain, Caroline Sula, and Gareth Martinez, a merchant prince. They are fiercely competitive with each other but thrown together to fight common enemies. Williams does a good job of describing the tactics and technologies of his space battles, and he keeps the action bubbling along. I look forward to the next installment.