Imperium Restored (A Novel of the Praxis), by Walter Jon Williams (Harper Voyager)
This was my first “Praxis” novel, and it’s a tribute to the
author that although I could not always follow the intricacies of the backstory,
I was so caught up in the action that I simply didn’t care. Imperium
Restored works on so many levels, each of them fascinating. Star-crossed
lovers are separated by a colossal misunderstanding that spews forth confusion,
mistrust, and crushing hurt (but does nothing to erase the fundamental
attraction between them). There’s also a bang-up battle in space, one of the
smartest and most inventive I’ve read, enough to convince me that any spacemil
science fiction Williams writes will be superb. Life in a vast star-spanning
spaceforce is filled with rivalries, jealousies, boredom, ill-fated sexual
encounters, interspecies friction, and what-do-we-do-with-ourselves once the
war is over. A lesser writer might have focused on the war itself. While the battle
scenes are pure bravura, Williams keeps enlarging the lens to look at the
ramifications, not just during the conflict but also afterward. The resulting
peace offers as many opportunities for tension, betrayal, alliances made and
broken, assassination attempts, revenge, and general chaos as the actual
fighting did.
There’s also a mystery.
What more could a science fiction fan want?
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