A long-awaited opportunity for payback against a brutal enemy. Only a few things in the galaxy can stop the Catalan Archon and Emirs of the Heracles Gulf from each other's throats, and a Wyking Civil War tops that list. When a joint intelligence operation reports a vulnerability in the border systems, it's all hands on deck. Newly promoted Vandal and the rest of the Chevaliers are pulled from their contract to drive a spearhead deep into Wyking tribal territory.
But the tribal raiders have never lost a war on their home turf. It will require new weapons and new ways of waging war if the joint fleet doesn't want to return with a new crew and a coat of savage paint. And it will rely on not just uprights and marines, but a state-of-the-art battle suit made with the sole purpose of overwhelming an unbeatable enemy. Vandal must balance his new responsibilities as a leader with the dangerous new duties on the front lines in order to pull himself and his comrades through dangerous new challenges.
Solid entry in the series. Continues with the mech action and the minor dramas of semi-military life.
Minor spoiler, underutilized pointing out what makes the Wykings foreign and so good. They have some nice tech, but it feels like their advantage isn't so great that that tech would be a big secret.
A lot of it doesn't make the most sense from a high level. But it's easy to overlook when the main meat of the book is another great entry in the series.
Literally borrowed the day of release. Read in two days. Enjoying the allusions to ancient Western and Middle East history. Loving the mechs, and the armor suit. Fun work. Great characters.
One of my favorite series and this book didn’t disappoint. El Rascador is starting to come into his own, and I look forward to seeing his arc through completion.