The novel succeeds on its fundamentals. Baxter builds an imaginative science-fiction setting with coherent physics, convincing interplanetary politics, and engaging warfare. The world-building supports the story rather than overwhelming it. The characters hold attention, and the social tensions feel relevant within the setting. The scale and concepts reward suspension of disbelief.
The weaknesses come from repetition and excess. Multiple characters repeat near-identical descriptions of the Hearth Space system, which feels contrived. Several scenes echo the same moral outrage about the enemy vessel in nearly the same language, which dulls the effect. Baxter also returns to extreme depictions of cruelty. Those moments distract from the narrative rather than deepen it, even when restrained compared to his harsher works.
The strengths dominate. The story works. The characters carry weight. The science and spectacle deliver. 4/5 stars.
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