Well, for supposedly going back on a new mission to Haven, things have really taken an unexpected turn. Word has come down that an unknown alien fleet has devastated an American colony. Reports are that the planet was attacked with nuclear weapons from space and there is very little alive on a planet formerly with four million inhabitants!
Flag Captain James Somerville had been on leave while his ship, the Titan, was ungoing extensive overhaul. Those repairs were about done so it was time to see his uncle First Space Lord Somerville for his next assignment. He found out that he was going back to Haven which was as expected since his wife was a key political figure at Haven and she expected his return. He was also going to carry Commodore Hamilton with him. Commodore Hamilton was to replace the current British envoy to Haven. So this appeared to be a very mundane mission and James was looking forward to reuniting with his wife.
He also had to find a new First Lieutenant. His search focused on a former Lieutenant who, surprisingly, wasn’t assigned to any active ships. So, James tracked him down only to find out that the Lieutenant had run into some trouble, not of his making, with his former CO. James still wanted Lieutenant Sergey Romanov as his First Lieutenant (XO – Executive Officer). While he was talking with Lt. Romanov, both received an urgent message to report back to their ship. They later attend an all-hands briefing by Admiral Somerville which explained just how much their world had changed.
When word finally reached Earth about the attack on the American colony and the destruction the aliens did, there was concern among the other nations about their own colonies. So, most of the nations agreed that they needed to stop these aliens immediately before they came for other colonies or even advanced on Earth. Nothing was known about these aliens. Where they came from, why they were attacking and how large a fleet(s) did they have.
Was this new threat going to be the end of human civilization or was a long war just about to get started? You’ll find out as you read the book. There are some great space battle scenes and one really good ground action to the latter part of the book. I have enjoyed this series so far and it’s really gotten better since the beginning. I don’t know if the author planned it this way, but he’s on a route now to vastly expand the series. Good reading!