Commander Hardy, Admiral McClennan, Seph, Princess Alessia, and their crews struck a decisive blow against the Sturm, but the war is just beginning. Humanity in the Greater Volume has been decimated, and the group is left searching for survivors to build an army to stand against an overwhelming enemy. But the Sturm may not be the most dangerous foe they face, as human greed and shortsightedness threaten to scuttle alliances before they can even start. The second entry in Birmingham's Cruel Stars series (after The Cruel Stars, 2019) boasts all the best elements of its predecessor: absorbing conflicts with high stakes and believable antagonists, complex characters with rich relationships and effective emotional depth, and Birmingham's magnificent world building. Whereas the first book was slightly marred by its overreliance on coincidence to set up the climax, that's not the case this time, which makes it the stronger tale--and readers will be left craving the next one. This is a delightful military space adventure that runs at full tilt.

Birmingham follows The Cruel Stars with more heart-pounding, breakneck action in the fight for survival between factions with differing views on humanity. The crew of the Defiant, led by Lucinda Hardy, managed to survive an attack from the Sturm Empire intended to destroy all humans with cybernetic enhancements. They were also able to rescue Princess Alessia Szu Suri sur Montanblanc, the sole surviving heir of a multi-planet-ruling corporate monarchy. Now, with the help of war hero Adm. Frazer McLennan; his acerbic AI companion, Herodotus; and Lucinda's childhood friend turned pirate, Sephina L'trel, they secure a Sturm-occupied station and set off in search of fellow survivors. While Sephina hunts down secret digital backups of Alessia's family so that the rulers can be reborn, Lucinda and the Defiant make the difficult choice to ally with their former enemies, the Javan Empire. With distrust and secret dealings on both sides, the shaky alliance prepares for a major assault from the Sturm. By shifting perspectives between factions, Birmingham allows his charismatic characters, especially bored tween Alessia and sassy Herodotus, to shine, adding humanity to the relentless and sweeping battle scenes. Fans of epic, military space opera with lots of last minute reversals will gobble this up. Agent: Russel Galen, Scovil Galen Gosh Literary. (Jan.)