Nova War

Dakota Merrick and Lucas Corso have recovered an alien spacecraft belonging to the enigmatic and long-extinct Magi. Possessing a functional FTL drive, the ship holds the key to freeing humanity from its dependency on the Shoal, hitherto believed to be the only race to possess the secret of superluminal travel. Unfortunately, Dakota and Luca are now 'guests' of the Bandati, another Shoal vassal species equally anxious to gain the secrets of the drive. As different factions of Bandati battle one another for access to the alien ship and the two humans who can pilot it, it becomes clear that the Shoal have been lying to their vassals for centuries about their abilities, for another race whose power rivals that of the Shoal are making their own play for the Magi vessel... In the second volume of The Shoal Sequence, the ante is upped as various alien races and factions within those races (and within the human Consortium) attempt to seize control of the Magi ship, whilst Merrick and Corso, aware of the ship's ability to unleash devastation on a vast scale, struggle to stop it falling into the wrong hands. The result is a complex, many-sided struggle with our heroes caught in the middle, unsure of which faction to ally with. Nova War is very much in the same vein as Stealing Light, with impressive action sequences bridging scenes featuring complex ethical dilemmas and some nicely-judged character-building moments, most notably as Dakota considers whether her unmatched ability to pilot the alien vessel could turn her into some kind of tyrant. The messy relationship between Dakota and Corso, who are on the same side but distrust one another's motives, is nicely developed and the story moves at a cracking pace, but some weaknesses remain. The new alien races, the airborne Bandati and the Emissaries of God (a race of psychotic space-elephants), are again not really that alien, whilst recurring bad guy Hugh Moss is starting to get a little annoying (although we finally learn why he is apparently indestructible). Dakota and Lucas again spend most of the book imprisoned in one form or another, which is frustrating, but made up for by the impressive (if rather rushed) climax. Nova War (****) continues the Shoal Sequence trilogy in a readable and entertaining manner.

Stealing Light came out in 2007 and was a book I really enjoyed. There's been a two year wait for the sequel, a long time in book terms, but after a strong first book and a title like Nova War it was always going to be a must read. I picked it up with great anticipation and was thoroughly pleased with what I found - Gary has moved from the more focused story of Stealing Light on to a widescreen look at the problems facing the species in the galaxy because of those events, all of which has made for some compulsive reading! We start off pretty much where Stealing Light left us - Dakota Merrick and Lucas Corso are in a Bandati system and are their prisoners. The derelict Magi spaceship is being held, along with Dakota's ship the Piri Reis, by the Bandati in one of their secure stations in the system. Not only this, but with the rival Bandati factions drifting toward opposite sides in a dangerous and escalating war the stakes are being constantly raised. Add to this the fact that Trader, a member of the Shoal we know from Stealing Light, is behind some decisions and actions that will have a lasting effect on the galaxy. What Nova War does is give a story from the perspective of characters we know that are now in a dangerous situation that effects not only them, but the whole galaxy - and Gary does a damned good job of it. Although the start is fairly slow paced, the scenes with Dakota, Trader and the Bandati show us that there is much going on in the background that we don't know yet. We get to find out the details along with Dakota and follow her as she takes whatever action she can to protect herself. The initial prisoner scenes were done very well and helped to show how vulnerable Dakota is, but also to show how her relationship with Derelict is developing and growing. This helps to put a lot in perspective and allows some hidden secrets to come out of the woodwork which in turn gets the pages turning all the quicker. Another aspect I really enjoyed were the alien species and civilisations that are present. The Bandati are especially impressive and it appears that there is so much effort and thought gone into their creations - everything feels real and totally believable. The history that comes through the story raises more questions about the Bandati, the Shoal, the Emissaries and the Magi. With four strong species in this book I felt spoilt while reading it and never felt out of my depth when the action switched from one to the other. Nova War is a great example of intelligent and thoughtful space opera that delivers a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining read. As the second book in a series it builds very successfully on the foundation laid in Stealing Light and also gives plenty to carry through to the next book (which I just can't wait for!). For an enthralling widescreen space opera with characters and aliens that are both interesting and engrossing this is the books to read. Very highly recommended.