Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by palerider37
Capital Starship by Scott Bartlett
4.0
Bartlett returns to the Ixan series, taking us back to our Universe and Captain Vin Husher.
It is over 17yrs since the events of the Ixan War that devastated the Galaxy, leaving Humanity shattered, multiple other races decimated and destroyed, and the Galaxy in turmoil.
With great effort an International Union was established to bring some unity back to the Galaxy. There is an uneasy peace in the Galaxy between all of the different races, the only exception being the Gok, which refused to join the IU, but has stayed away from nearly everyone else. Whilst Husher has attempted to warn everyone of what he was warned of, the AIs, and the galaxies impending doom, no one really believes him, and has moved towards a more peaceful attempt at existence. Humanity as such, has created a new class of starship, the Capital class of Starship, that is part warship, but is also a living city, with an entire population of thousands of people living in the heart of the ship. The warship part is only there to protect them.
Husher is the Captain of one of these ships, but he is also ‘governed’ by a Mayor and a Council that can have a say on how the ship is run, to avoid issues with other races, and to make sure that the Civilians aboard the ship are kept happy. Thus this is now a very political role, and one that Husher is not well suited for.
The story is incredibly complex, and brilliantly done, taking us through this new galaxy, exploring these new political structures, and how it has impacted on the characters that we used to know, Husher, Fesky and so many others. There are several new characters as well aboard the Capital ship, all of them utterly fascinating in their roles. Some are there to be useful to Husher, but it seems that many are there to make trouble for him as a new threat is unveiled. It quickly becomes clear that the Ixan were not destroyed as once thought, and have returned to the galaxy, and this is where the story gets very interesting.
Bartlett has taken his previous universe and tweaked it, giving it a different look, one in which humanity are now viewed in a very different way.
This is an intriguing read, with in-depth characters and plots, multiple sub-plots, and detailed political concepts that make for a mesmerising read that you won't be able to put down. There is also some incredible space combat between not just the new Capital class, but some other new ships that makes you wish this could be converted to a visual form for the special effects. Bartlett does a magnificent job of detailing these combat scenes though so you feel like you are in the thick of it.
As well as some very clever twists and turns within the plots, there are also some fantastic surprises towards the end that make this even better.
The original Ixan series was a brilliant piece of writing, and this series looks like it is going to be better again, can’t wait for part 2. If you liked the first series, this is a must.
It is over 17yrs since the events of the Ixan War that devastated the Galaxy, leaving Humanity shattered, multiple other races decimated and destroyed, and the Galaxy in turmoil.
With great effort an International Union was established to bring some unity back to the Galaxy. There is an uneasy peace in the Galaxy between all of the different races, the only exception being the Gok, which refused to join the IU, but has stayed away from nearly everyone else. Whilst Husher has attempted to warn everyone of what he was warned of, the AIs, and the galaxies impending doom, no one really believes him, and has moved towards a more peaceful attempt at existence. Humanity as such, has created a new class of starship, the Capital class of Starship, that is part warship, but is also a living city, with an entire population of thousands of people living in the heart of the ship. The warship part is only there to protect them.
Husher is the Captain of one of these ships, but he is also ‘governed’ by a Mayor and a Council that can have a say on how the ship is run, to avoid issues with other races, and to make sure that the Civilians aboard the ship are kept happy. Thus this is now a very political role, and one that Husher is not well suited for.
The story is incredibly complex, and brilliantly done, taking us through this new galaxy, exploring these new political structures, and how it has impacted on the characters that we used to know, Husher, Fesky and so many others. There are several new characters as well aboard the Capital ship, all of them utterly fascinating in their roles. Some are there to be useful to Husher, but it seems that many are there to make trouble for him as a new threat is unveiled. It quickly becomes clear that the Ixan were not destroyed as once thought, and have returned to the galaxy, and this is where the story gets very interesting.
Bartlett has taken his previous universe and tweaked it, giving it a different look, one in which humanity are now viewed in a very different way.
This is an intriguing read, with in-depth characters and plots, multiple sub-plots, and detailed political concepts that make for a mesmerising read that you won't be able to put down. There is also some incredible space combat between not just the new Capital class, but some other new ships that makes you wish this could be converted to a visual form for the special effects. Bartlett does a magnificent job of detailing these combat scenes though so you feel like you are in the thick of it.
As well as some very clever twists and turns within the plots, there are also some fantastic surprises towards the end that make this even better.
The original Ixan series was a brilliant piece of writing, and this series looks like it is going to be better again, can’t wait for part 2. If you liked the first series, this is a must.