Igniting the Reaches 3: Fireships: 3

I think this is one of the best works Drake has done. It explores war and its effects on the combatants to a degree rarely seen. It takes the series to an excellent conclusion and speaks volumes about what war will do the combatants. This book is raw and visceral at times, for most people it is as close as they will (hopefully) come to experience these things first hand. This book is one of the best if you suffer from PTSD from any cause. It helped me through some rough spots in my own life.

Fireships appears to be the conclusion to the series started by Igniting the Reaches. But unfortunately, it did not have the flavor that one would expect from a Drake novel. I found it to be more a book written to reach closure, for both the series and for the author, instead of one designed specifically for entertainment value. Piet Ricimer and Stephen Gregg are old and familiar characters, and we get to see them again. But they've already progressed from being the new and inexperienced privateers we enjoyed reading about in Reaches, to men with wealth and comfort. Now the story revolves around them having to cope with the trauma of their travels, and their search to find their humanity again. If you enjoyed The Voyage or The Sharp End, you may find his book to be a slight disappointment. I found the moral issues in the book to be incomprehensible in a sense. Stephen Gregg is a tormented soul, but I don't believe the average reader can truly understand the level of pain that Drake is trying to portray. As a result, it takes away from the plot. My final recommendation is this: Should this novel interest you, read David Drake's afterward first, before reading the story. And do not expect a military thriller like we've grown to expect from this author.