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Embers of War

(Embers of War #1)

Gareth L. Powell (Goodreads Author)

3.93 · Rating details · 3,557 ratings · 481 reviews

The warship Trouble Dog was built and bred for calculating violence, yet following a brutal war, she finds herself disgusted by conflict and her role in a possible war crime. Seeking to atone, she joins the House of Reclamation, an organisation dedicated to rescuing ships in distress.

But, stripped of her weaponry and emptied of her officers, she struggles in the new role s ...more

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Paperback, 411 pages

Published February 20th 2018 by Titan Books

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· 3,557 ratings · 481 reviews

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Jun 05, 2018 Manuel Antão rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2018

If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.

Space Opera Made Simple: " Embers of War" by Gareth L. Powell

I can't believe all the people who want to see the SF establishment have a hack at Iain M. Bank's Culture novels. If ever there were novels that I hope Hollywood will never be let anywhere near it's those ones. The books are usually quite long and always involve considerable subtlety. Seeing that rendered down to a brainless action movie would just be heart breaking. Worse wo ...more

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Jul 21, 2018 Gary rated it really liked it

Gareth Powell’s new space opera Embers of War is the story of the reformed warship Trouble Dog and her crew. After participating in a terrible genocide that brought an end to a brutal, destructive war, Trouble Dog leaves her sister warships behind and joins the House of Reclamation, an interstellar Red Cross-like rescue organization. With new captain Sal Konstanz and a small crew of medics and rescue workers, Trouble Dog is assigned to rescue the survivors of the touring ship Geest van Amsterdam ...more

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Feb 05, 2019 Bradley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-shelf, sci-fi, space-opera

At first, I felt like this was going to be a single-track MilSF with big spaceships and disgruntled warriors, but soon I was very happy to discover multidimensional characters representing a much wider kind of cast than I usually see in these types of novels. Poetry, spies, sentient ships, (reminding me a lot of Leckie), and of course, disgruntled grunts fill these pages.

But do you know what I like the most about this? The ability to escape the world of war into a hard life of altruism, a-la the ...more

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Feb 01, 2018 Lindsay rated it really liked it

In this space opera there are many sentient races in a loose organization called the Multiplicity with human space referred to as the Generality. Within those is the House of Reclamation, a human-created organization that comes to the rescue of spaceships and their crews in trouble, either through accident or attack. We start the action here following the Trouble Dog, a Carnivore class battle cruiser that was sickened by her role in war atrocities and quit to join the House. The Trouble Dog and ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 Kati rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites-books

*** I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much too, Titan Books for the opportunity to read and review Embers of War. ***

Whoa, what an amazing and fantastic book was Embers of War was for me. I absolutely and thoroughly loved and enjoyed everything about this book, it had everything that I love in sci-fi books. Plus when I heard this was a space opera book I had to check it out. I really don't want to go into any details about this book because I *** I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much too, Titan Books for the opportunity to read and review Embers of War. ***

Whoa, what an amazing and fantastic book was Embers of War was for me. I absolutely and thoroughly loved and enjoyed everything about this book, it had everything that I love in sci-fi books. Plus when I heard this was a space opera book I had to check it out. I really don't want to go into any details about this book because I don't want to spoil it for anybody. But I will say what I love about this book. First I would like to say I haven't read a lot of sci-fi books and that this book was really different and unique to me, the plotline and concept of Embers of War were so unique and different to me that I have never read a book quite like this one before. And I absolutely love the refreshing and new to me plotline and concept that I was on my toes and on the edge of my set while reading this amazing book. I needed to know and learn more about the characters and world and I most certainly did get to learn and know a lot more about the complex world and characters. All the characters were very well developed and rounded they were also diverse and complex, I absolutely loved reading and knowing each character. The writing style was expressive, expository and descriptive, I just love reading the description of the world and the expression of each character. I especially love learning about the subjects in Embers of War which I won't say what the subject is because of a spoiler, but I will say the subject and concept of this book is absolutely fantastic that I was left in awe. But I will say this book is about redemption, second chances, and peace. And I am going to leave it off here without getting a spoiler, but all and all I absolutely love and enjoy Embers of War that I will most definitely continue reading this series. The ending did leave off that there is going to be more and there are a few unfinished questions, plus I see this is the first book of the Embers of War series. And this most definitely won't be the last book that I will read by Gareth L. Powell he really is an amazing and fantastic sci-fi author! I can't wait to read more books by Gareth L. Powell in the near future.
...more

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Jun 19, 2018 Tim Hicks rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction

Hey, I *like* sentient spaceships. I've devoured all of Banks and Leckie and Asher and others.

And superficially this is similar. It bops along well, with action but also some moral dilemmas and crises. The Trouble Dog is good, Nod is tedious, Clay is a cardboard all-anger-all-the-time, Konstanz is weak but credible, ..

The genocide bit was important to the plot, but I didn't get much out of the brief handwaving about why it was necessary. Probably something like "We saved lives by bombing Hiros ...more

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Feb 23, 2019 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copy, science-fiction

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/03/03/...

Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell is a sci-fi military space opera that has been on my radar ever since it was released last year, but it wasn’t until news of the sequel arrived that I was finally spurred to pick it up. And now that I’ve finished it, I’m kicking myself wondering why it took me so long. This novel has everything I wanted out of the genre and more, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Following a handful of dif 4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/03/03/...

Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell is a sci-fi military space opera that has been on my radar ever since it was released last year, but it wasn’t until news of the sequel arrived that I was finally spurred to pick it up. And now that I’ve finished it, I’m kicking myself wondering why it took me so long. This novel has everything I wanted out of the genre and more, and I had a lot of fun reading it.

Following a handful of different characters, the story is set in the aftermath of a bitter and violent war fought in a galaxy rife with political tensions. Disgusted with the part she played, the sentient warship Trouble Dog has decided on a new course for her life, joining the House of Reclamation, an organization that answers the calls of distressed starships, in the hopes of atoning for the atrocities she committed. Sal Konstanz, who once fought against Trouble Dog, now finds herself on the same side as the ship as her captain. Together with their crew of medics and rescue workers, they follow a signal from a downed vessel to a touristy but disputed area of space called the Gallery, a system whose planets have all been carved into gargantuan intricate shapes by an ancient alien race.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the system is another example of former enemies now working together as allies. Ashton Childe and Laura Petrushka, agents from opposing sides team up to locate a missing poet who was rumored to have been on the ship that went down in the Gallery. And indeed, the missing woman in question is Ona Sudak, whose relaxing pleasure cruise with her travel companion has turned into a nightmare after the attack on her ship leaves them marooned on a strange planet surrounded by all kinds of mysterious threats.

Out of all the characters though, the one I was most looking forward to going into the book—and whose point-of-view turned out to be my favorite—was Trouble Dog. The idea of sentient starships is becoming more and more popular in science fiction, a trend I’m enjoying very much, and Powell’s take is both interesting and inventive. While the concept of a living ship made up of both organic and machine parts is nothing new, Trouble Dog gets her own chapters written in the first person, allowing readers an intimate look into the way she thinks and feels. Although warship class vessels should be unaffected by emotion, the better to do their job, that clearly didn’t turn out to be the case for Trouble Dog who struggles with her fair share of hang-ups as well as memories she’d much rather forget. For a ship character to feel even more “human” than some of her actual human co-stars in a book is no small achievement, and I applaud the author’s skill in pulling this off, though I’m also pleased that he allowed Trouble Dog to retain many of her A.I. traits, resulting in a perspective that it is truly memorable and unique.

And while we only get to visit a relatively small slice of this universe—mainly the Gallery, where most of the book’s action takes place—I’m already in love with the setting. Everything I find irresistible about the space in science fiction is embodied in the mystery and majesty of this system, where entire planets are sculpted into works of art by some unknown civilization many eons ago, using advanced technology we can only dream of. The effect is both inspiring and a little eerie, but I’m intrigued and excited to explore further.

In terms of the story, I’m pleased with how all the different threads came together. However, as much as I enjoy space operas featuring ensemble crews, most novels told via multiple perspectives inevitably lead to some character arcs being more compelling than others. This is what I found with Embers of War, which saw Trouble Dog and Sal Konstanz emerging as my clear favorites almost as soon as the book began. Namely, this was because a character was only as interesting as their interactions with other characters, with the ship and her captain’s dynamic being the best example of a relationship that immediately stood out. Other perspectives like Ashton Child or Nod, the ship’s no-nonsense engineer, were not as appealing, though I understood their need to show another side of the story or flesh out the world-building. In addition, there were plenty of secrets beneath the surface as well as a number of interconnected events whose links aren’t revealed until later, which made discovering them one of the highlights of the novel’s climax and concluding chapters.

All in all, Embers of War was a great read that ticked off the boxes when it comes to what I look for in a military sci-fi or space opera. On top of that, I thought it laid out the groundwork for the sequel quite nicely, and I am beyond excited to jump into the next book Fleet of Knives where I hope Gareth L. Powell will continue to develop the series’ fascinating concepts and themes. ...more

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Jun 24, 2018 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, x2018-read

The story opens with an horrific act of brutality to stop a war, then continues years later where members of both sides live in an uneasy peace. The author presents different viewpoint characters from both sides of the former conflict, Sal Konstanz (the captain of the ship Trouble Dog), Ona Sudak (a poet), Ashton Childe (a spy for one of the sides), and Trouble Dog (a former warship involved in the war crime).
All these characters are brought together when someone unknown fires at a cruise ship t ...more

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Apr 16, 2018 Justine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-read

I really quite liked this. The lighter, redemptive feel was refreshing after some of the grimmer SF I've read recently.

The pacing was great and everything moves along well. I absolutely loved Trouble Dog, and her flawed captain, Sal, was a great compliment. I'm not sure that I liked having all those POVs written in the first person, but that is a matter of personal taste. Also, the whole storyline relating to Ona Sudek felt a bit unnecessary when taken as part of the whole. I would rather have ...more

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Apr 23, 2020 Oleksandr Zholud rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is a military SF with a twist that won British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel in 2018. Currently I prefer British SF to the USA one and therefore decided to read it. I read is as a Buddy read for April 2020 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group.

The story starts with a bang: there is some space battle and one of the sides to speed up capitulation of the other orders bombing of a planet with a sentient forest.

Then we are brought a few years forward, the war is over a This is a military SF with a twist that won British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel in 2018. Currently I prefer British SF to the USA one and therefore decided to read it. I read is as a Buddy read for April 2020 at SFF Hot from Printers: New Releases group.

The story starts with a bang: there is some space battle and one of the sides to speed up capitulation of the other orders bombing of a planet with a sentient forest.

Then we are brought a few years forward, the war is over and one of the ships that did the bombing, named Trouble Dog defected from the Navy (for it/she is sentient) and joined an organization that helps people in distress across the galaxy. The ship’s captain is Sal Konstanz, who was a medical officer of the losing side during the war. Together with the saved marine Alva Clay and spider-like hermaphrodite alien technician/mechanic Nod they try to save lives. The space liner is torpedoed by unknown hostiles at a peculiar star system, where planets are carved into abstract sculptures. One of the passengers on the liner was a poet Ona Sudak, who harbors a secret for which possibly the liner was shot. On the way to the crash site Trouble Dog acquires more passengers with own agendas.

The setting is interesting, characters are diverse and there story more or less flows. At the same time, changing point of view every single chapter is a bit disorienting at the beginning because a reader (at least me) isn’t invested enough in character to recall them instantly. A very idea of post-war mil-SF with characters, who try to atone for their sins is quite strong.

What makes this book less than great is that the idea isn’t followed through by the author: repentant characters have no qualms of conscience for killing others whom they see as ‘bad’, just like they did during the war. The social issues are also quite one sided, as one of the characters states:

“The Conglomeration despised us because they thought we cared nothing for the traditions of Old Earth. They thought we were reckless and naïve in our openness to alien ideas and influence, and the way we embraced new philosophies, new arts and new gods. We believed in universal healthcare and common ownership of resources and infrastructure, while they worshipped the free market and the individual accumulation of wealth and power for its own sake.”

So, there are clearly good socialists, who lost to bad capitalists, described as two-dimensional cartoons.

An interesting but not groundbreaking novel in the tradition of Culture series by Iain M. Banks, which hasn’t lived to its full potential.
...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Mili rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-the-book

I loooove Embers of War! I was looking for an adventure with not too many POV and a graspable plot that has adventure and mystery. And this is it! I loved the writing and characters, and especially Trouble Dog. Trouble Dog is a sentient ship I guess I can call it that. With human and dog elements. The dynamic between ship and the chars is fun. It starts off with war in the prologue and than chapter one with Trouble Dog and the gang exploring a fallen ship on a planet. Things go awry and dude tha ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 imyril rated it really liked it

Shelves: subjective-chaos-2019

I adore stories about sentient ships. I have a huge soft spot for stories about salvage crews. And anybody who can paint a setting as big and bold as the excesses of the Culture will have a little piece of my heart forever. Gareth L Powell has created a galaxy peopled with many races and cultures and imbued with a sense of history in which humanity is only a very recent participant. We only ever – at best – scratch the surface of the world-building.

Fast, furious and fun. There’s a couple of asp ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites-read-in-2018, out-in-2018-and-read

I really enjoy a good space opera and this has everything I could wish - great characters, brilliant starships and a thoroughly entertaining plot set in a variety of fascinating settings - plus mysterious and wondrous alien artefacts. There are hints of something else in the shadows ensuring that my attention is caught for the rest of the series, although the characters and the strange 'Gallery' have done more than enough to hook me. Gareth L Powell writes very well and is an excellent teller of ...more

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Oct 05, 2020 Tobin Marks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Gareth Powell has spun a yarn as intriguing as it is entertaining. The starships are not only sentient, but they have the ability to create avatars of themselves and can interact in a virtual plane as humans. This gives the reader a vivid image of the starships personality. This is my first book of Powell’s that I’ve read and enthusiastically look forward to reading the whole series.

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Jun 06, 2018 Sirvinya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, science-fiction, space, reviewed, read-in-2018

This was one of those books that I had seen some promo for so I stuck in on my wishlist to get to "eventually". Then Booksandpieces talked about it in a wrap up which ended up being more of an excited squeak so I had to buy it and read it immediately!

I'm glad I did as it's possibly the best book I have read in a long time. In fact, as soon as I finished it I wanted to start again. And that's something that never happens.

We have multiple points of view in here, from the Captain of Trouble Dog, Sa This was one of those books that I had seen some promo for so I stuck in on my wishlist to get to "eventually". Then Booksandpieces talked about it in a wrap up which ended up being more of an excited squeak so I had to buy it and read it immediately!

I'm glad I did as it's possibly the best book I have read in a long time. In fact, as soon as I finished it I wanted to start again. And that's something that never happens.

We have multiple points of view in here, from the Captain of Trouble Dog, Sal Konstanz, to a spy, to Trouble Dog herself. Each personality really comes through. However, it took a little while to get into the flow of things due to the quick changes in point of view. Some of the chapters were quite short. On the one had, it got a little frustrating as I was still getting to know everyone one, on the other hand it really helped to ramp up the tension during more active sequences. It did establish a rhythm before too long and I felt like I really got to know everyone. I looked forward to Trouble Dog's chapters the most. Her chapters were surprisingly emotional and perceptive. She's a warship, built for ultimate destruction and violence, but she truly cares for the crew living and working within her. Sal Konstanz is an interesting Captain and I'm really interested in seeing her develop further in future books. She's always trying to do the right thing but doesn't always make the right choice. She makes mistakes but owns up to them and tries to learn.

The setting is absolutely fascinating. Up close, we have the crew getting to know each other. Some of the crew have worked together longer than others and everyone's wary about new people coming aboard (and quite rightly so with some of the characters involved!). But there's a slow process of trust and friendships beginning. It's going to take a while, every one has secrets but I can't wait for more development. On the wider view, we have Humans as part of a greater galactic community. We're here but we're one of many and not always the ones with all the power. Think more of Becky Chambers than Star Trek. We got some glimpses of how Humans have reached this part and some idea of the greater universe. I loved this as world building as it all felt seamless.

One or two pieces of technology felt a bit "handwavy". As in it works because a more advanced race of aliens did it. It does fit into the world and the general feeling that Humans in this universe don't know a lot and we're definitely not the most advanced.

This definitely felt like an interesting lovechild of The Long Way To A Small Angry Planet and The Expanse. Humans are out in the universe, we still have issues but we're working on it and a crew of misfits and loners getting to know each other and working together are something to pay attention to. ...more

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May 12, 2019 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

2019: Addictively readable with compelling characters and a fascinating yet not overly complicated world. This book just whizzed by. I enjoyed the perspectives of all the characters and how the short chapters helped quicken the pace. I loved the ethical questions about personhood, loyalty, war and legacy. The writing style was also subtly beautiful. Such a wonderful surprise!!

2020: I listened to the audiobook this time. I didn’t enjoy this format as much as physically reading it. A few of the na ...more

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May 15, 2018 Nick rated it really liked it

Vigorous space opera peering into war and guilt - but not so much so as to detract from the action. Banksian (if that's a word) flavours, and plenty more to do. Swallowed it in a short space of time, will no doubt enjoy the next as well. ...more

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Sep 07, 2020 Jennifer rated it really liked it

This was a most enjoyable space adventure. My favorite character is the ships mechanic. And is exactly the escape I needed right now.

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Apr 14, 2020 Antti Värtö rated it it was ok

Shelves: scifi-fantasy-etc, 2020

When I began with Embers of War I was prepared to love it. I almost felt like I was reading a Culture novel: there was thinking ships with FTL drives, multiple alien races living side-by-side pretty much equally, mysterious alien megastructure artifacts.

And the book had themes of atonement and repentance, something I always enjoy.

Alas, the book didn't live up to my expectations. Part of the problem were the characters, none of whom were particulary likeable. It didn't help that the book was di ...more

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Oct 29, 2018 Jacob rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scifi, favorite-book-of-the-year

This is everything I want in a story. Sentient space ships facing moral dilemmas, excellent character building, quality universe building, interesting histories, deep personal issues facing the characters, intense and engaging inner and outer struggles, and some of the best spaceship warfare ever! Loved it and highly recommend to readers of SciFi and for those who normally skip SciFi too. This story will appeal to readers of all genres I think.

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Jul 03, 2018 Robyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

I really enjoyed this - great if you're looking for some escapist, character-driven SF set in a really interesting world. ...more

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Aug 16, 2018 Emily rated it it was ok

Shelves: sci-fi

Boring, weak characters. I mostly skimmed it the farther into the book I got. I just couldn’t care about the characters or the plot.

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Mar 19, 2019 Paul O'Neill rated it it was amazing

Like Iain M Banks Culture series? This is better...

#boldstatements

Seriously, though. This is one of the best, character driven books I've read in a long time. A rare thing for sci-fi. ...more

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Mar 23, 2018 Alteredego rated it liked it

Understudy to the meistersingers

Draw an equilateral triangle. Write "Iain M Banks", "Alastair Reynolds" and "Ann Leckie" at the vertices. That pretty much gives a feel for this book and its influences/ancestry/sources of plagiarism. From the side linking Banks and Leckie, author Gareth L Powell takes sentient starships, leaning more towards the smaller scale of the latter. Also from Banks there is that New Labourish feel of being right on but also being able to play with guns. From the side link ...more

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Sep 05, 2019 Luke Burrage rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed-on-the-sfbrp, audio-book

A book which takes the surface details of deep ideas you'll find in novels by Iain M Banks and Alastair Reynolds, along with nods to trendy ideas you'll find in Anne Leckie and others along the lines of "I'm a spaceship/robot but am I really human underneath?"

But it's only the surface details of those ideas, layered onto some space ship battles and exploration action. Which is fine, for light summer reading, but disappointingly shallow.

Full review on my podcast, SFBRP episode #407

http://www. ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Keith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, fiction, 2018

The soul of great literature surely lies in an imaginative and grounded presentation of identifiable persons involved on a stage of aspiration and conflict recognizable to the reader. The protagonists must reside in an ethical world, even if they be monsters their lack of human compassion or virtue should be comparable to more decent standards. The classics of world literature exemplify the creative artist’s successful mastery of this environment. From Austen to Zola readers are blessed with an The soul of great literature surely lies in an imaginative and grounded presentation of identifiable persons involved on a stage of aspiration and conflict recognizable to the reader. The protagonists must reside in an ethical world, even if they be monsters their lack of human compassion or virtue should be comparable to more decent standards. The classics of world literature exemplify the creative artist’s successful mastery of this environment. From Austen to Zola readers are blessed with an embarrassment of riches. The author who moves from the realist or naturalist novel undertakes an increased challenge. What is often dismissed as “genre” writing often simplifies the aspects of what great literature contains in order to tell a story that excites more than it might teach. Yet there is no reason why a reader’s cosmos cannot contain both. A world without Dorothy Sayers or P.G. Wodehouse is as bereft as one without Dickens or Proust.

The writer who chooses the realm of science fiction for their canvas faces a interesting challenge. Not only does the SF writer have to pay proper attention to the requirements of plot and character but they also have to present the reader with a world that exists only in the future, no matter if that future is 50 years or 50 centuries distant. Constructing this future is often called “world building” and the quality, the resonance, of it is a great part of a book’s success. Lately, the fictional SF future has, more often than not, been a dystopia, a bleak world of misery, bad weather and tin pot despotism. No doubt this has something to do with attitudes towards current world conditions. Although once upon a time people read SF as a form of escapism, now it seems it’s an escape to a much worse situation than today.

When an author avoids the easy nihilism and cruel fates of much of today’s literature, whether realist novels, mysteries, thrillers or SF, it deserves to be celebrated. When such an accomplishment occurs within the pages of a new science fiction novel it is even more important to discuss it. Embers of War, the first book in a new series by British SF author Gareth L. Powell is a spirited and immensely entertaining novel that, while incorporating all the elements of good literature, strong characters, creative dialog, and visceral action, also wraps the main characters in serious ethical dilemmas, questions of good and evil, of guilt and innocence.

If there was a direct clue as to how far up the line Powell’a future extends, I confess to missing it. No matter. It is a world with interplanetary travel to multiple worlds, diverse alien races and a scattered humanity divided into factions such as the Outward and the Conglomeration. The book begins in media res, in the violent concluding battle of a cruel interstellar war. The main characters are those who suffered in both victory and defeat in that war.

The main action takes place on Trouble Dog, a former heavy cruiser with the Conglomeration faction. The ship is a central character in the tale and the onboard AI computer’s presence adds as much to the story as any of the humans or aliens. The Trouble Dog has the distinction of being the only warship to resign its commission. This action allies the ship with the others on board who are working on various states of guilt. It is this discussion of the morality of war that keeps the book grounded in a narrative tension that places the story on a serious plane. This is not to say that the book is weighed down by this. On the contrary, the higher questions are worked out in action. This is definitely not a dull book, indeed I consumed it at two sittings. It is also rather a rich book, a beautiful melding of full bore action and reflective passages. It was over all too soon and I await the next installments in Powell’s saga. ...more

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Jun 13, 2018 Jeremy Szal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, science-fiction, space-opera

In everything I read, I'm looking for one of the following: Great, three-dimensional characters that drive the narrative, an expansive and immersive world, and a dark, sinister world state that has glimmers of hope and redemption scattered throughout. Embers of War has all of these things, and does them brilliantly.

The main cast of the story is made up of broken, partially traumatized people who are looking for ways to do better in a universe that's been damaged by an on-going war that's killed ...more

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Dec 27, 2018 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

4.0 Stars
Combining my two favourite elements in science fiction (space opera AND sentient technology), it was so easy to get engrossed in this novel. The story moved along at a good pace, with short chapters shifting between the different perspectives. I found the human characters fairly flat and unmemorable, yet the non-human perspectives were amazing. I absolutely loved the chapters written from the perspective of Trouble Dog and, even more so, Nod. These characters were refreshingly unique w ...more

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Feb 25, 2018 S. Naomi Scott rated it really liked it

Shelves: small-press-and-indie

What can I say?

This is one hell of a book and one I'd definitely recommend to fans of space opera. The characters are well-rounded and captivating, especially Trouble Dog who steals the show in the final act as far as I'm concerned.

I've seen a few people compare it to Iain M. Banks, and I can see the similarities. There are also some elements of Babylon 5 creeping into the narrative towards the end, though this is a good thing.

As the first in a series, Embers of War is an excellent piece ...more

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Jun 08, 2018 Liviu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read_2018, t_notable_books_2018, genre-sf, 2018_releases_read

light space opera (not necessarily in tone but more in little world building, lots of hand waving, following few typical characters, action, secrets)
lots of action, twists and turns, surprises, the usual continual raising of stakes of space opera and the clear Banksian overtones, all in a fairly moderate under 400 page romp; volume 2 definitely of interest

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SFF Hot from Prin...: Embers of War Buddy Read	13	16	Apr 22, 2020 01:47AM
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About Gareth L. Powell

Gareth L. Powell

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Gareth L. Powell is an award-winning author from the UK. His alternate history thriller, Ack-Ack Macaque won the 2013 BSFA Award for Best Novel, spawned two sequels, and was shortlisted in the Best Translated Novel category for the 2016 Seiun Awards in Japan. His short fiction has appeared in a host of magazines and anthologies, including Interzone, Solaris Rising 3, and The Year’s Best Science Fi ...more

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Embers of War (3 books)

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Light of Impossible Stars (Embers of War, #3)

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Quotes from Embers of War

“And yet, despite my misgivings, I felt a certain wild joy. I was a heavy cruiser, a machine of death and conflict. Hiding, no matter how pressing the strategic necessity, felt like cowardice. I had done it because I had to; but now I was rising to meet my foe head-on, and I had forgotten how heady and intoxicating it could feel. I was charging the enemy from the depths of a furnace, my hull glowing and my torpedo tubes primed and ready to fire. What could be more glorious?” — 0 likes

“Sometimes the needs of the mission outweigh the requirements of the rulebook,” — 0 likes

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Embers of War

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