Sorry for the flood of posts. I’m trying to catch up on my book blogging for the year as work winds down a bit, so I can try and manage the task I set myself at the start of reviewing all the books I’ve read.

This is the sequel to Heavy Time and features many of the same characters. It follows them as they reform their group, brought together to try and fly the prototype of the advanced attack ships carried by the carriers of the Earth Fleet. A familiar name from earlier written later-in-internal-chronology book Downbelow Station turns up: Jurgen Graff. The main storyline is just as engaging for me as Heavy Time, with a(n attempted) murder mystery, political shenanigans, interpersonal relationship conflicts and philosophy of sociology all joining the mix. The only weakness to my mind is that there are some continuity issues with the Fleet information from Downbelow Station with regards to Mallory’s status as third-most-senior of the Fleet Captains, despite Keu and Kreshov being listed here as senior in the nascent fleet and still in command at the time of Downbelow Station.

This neepery aside, this is another cracking book, with brilliant pacing and excellent characterisation and plotting.