Conventions of War - Walter Jon Williams

By Harbinger,

I decided to finally complete my review of all the books from the Dread Empire's Fall, trilogy. Maybe it will act as therapy for my ruined back after drunken games of cricket and darts. I have already reviewed the first two, The Praxis and The Sundering.

The Civil war rages on in the heart of the old Shaa's empire. With the Naxids still waging war against the rest of the constituent species of the Empire. The Guerrilla war on the capital has gone badly for the loyalists. Most importantly of all Caroline Sula's superiors have been wiped out. Plus her own cell is in complete disarray. Things are even worse for her on a personal front. Her relationship with Gareth Martinez has fallen apart so completely that he has married the daughter of one of the highest positioned peers (a result of his brother's socialite wrangling).

For his part, things are not exactly rosy for Martinez. Serving as a tactical officer on board the ship of an in-law, essentially castrated of any real authority. Retaliation by his betters for becoming a hero. Torn between his new wife, now pregnant, Sula the woman he really loves and an old squeeze desperately trying to use him to sleep to the top. Not to mention his squadron's battles with the Naxids and some very strange goings on on board ship.

Williams delivers in his usual well written and thoughtful style. He gives ample opportunities to think a long with the characters and Martinez and Sula continue to be multi-faceted and interesting characters. I love his mixture of politics, intrigue and typical science - fiction explosions. The book also gives u-turns from the expected plot direction to reader. Making you believe in one outcome then flipping it round through several cycles. The one fault was the ending of the Martinez/Sula issue left me feeling a little cold, but that is just personal preference. A worthy ending to this series that left me wanting... maybe one more story.

TTFN Chaps and Chapesses.