Fleet Elements
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Average rating3.3
"Space opera the way it ought to be . . . Bujold and Weber, bend the knee; interstellar adventure has a new king, and his name is Walter Jon Williams."--George R. R. Martin Following The Accidental War, the second book of a brand-new series set in the Praxis--an epic mix of space opera and military science fiction, from a grand master of science fiction, Walter Jon Williams. The Praxis, the empire of now extinct Shaa, has again fallen into civil war, with desperate and outnumbered humans battling several alien species for survival. Leading the human forces are star-crossed lovers Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, who must find a way to overcome their own thorny personal history to defeat the aliens and assure humanity's survival. But even if the human fleet is victorious, the divisions fracturing the empire may be too wide to repair, as battles between politicians, the military, and fanatics who want to kill every alien threaten to further tear the empire apart. While Martinez and Sula believe they have the talent and tactics to defeat an overwhelming enemy, what will prevent their fellow humans from destroying themselves?
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6 primary books8 released books#5 in Dread Empire's Fall
Dread Empire's Fall is a 8-book series with 6 primary works first released in 2002 with contributions by Walter Jon Williams.
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Fleet Elements is another good read in WJW's excellent Dread Empire's Fall series. This one is marketed as #5, but there are also two novellas that take place between books 3 and 4. You don't have to read the earlier books first – WJW gives enough background – but it is probably better to do so. (And anyway, they are damned good reads!)The previous book in the series ([b:The Accidental War 37486195 The Accidental War (Dread Empire's Fall #4) Walter Jon Williams https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523738506l/37486195.SY75.jpg 56993451]) was long on political machinations, intrigue, economic shenanigans, and treachery – all leading to inter-species war. This book, however, is almost all military action. The humans are fighting for their very existence with Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula leading the battle fleets against long odds. The romantic tension between Gareth and Caroline also heats up as they are thrown together by the necessities of battle preparation.The pace is fast and the ending is quite good with a nice little twist (though of course it does not resolve the overall storyline).Good book. 4+ stars.
