Fleet of Knives, by Gareth Powell

This is just barely 3 stars for me. It's big in scope but small in imagination. The ethical dilemma at the heart of the book (the genocide of a particularly advanced species) is a good starting point, and the protagonist, the Carnivore class ship Trouble Dog, is appropriately conflicted. But how it's brought off is not particularly inspiring. Most of the metaphors are 20th century British, and slide in without comment, though on one occasion we do see Ona Sudak (another main character, implementer of the genocide, then poet, then back to implement another one) explain her familiarity with those metaphors as a fascination with history. FTL ships are built and last for generations--and all of them have inscrutable Druff (an alien species) engineers.

So as space opera it sort of works, except when it aspires to something higher. If you're looking for some time-killing candy, the book is fine--it never drags and the POV changes keep it kind of fresh. But if you like to stretch a little, look for something else.

My Goodreads Review

Empress of Forever, by Max Gladstone

This book started out like it might be some kind of near future commentary on a more authoritarian United States, as so many stories have been for awhile. Then our protagonist (Vivian Lao) gets yanked out of that picture and thrust into another universe that feels like the very far future, where we have something called the Cloud that is kind of like an IT Cloud, in that all the information in it is available everywhere, all at once. And we have an Empress ruling over all of the civilized part, saving it from a more wild part by destroying it, maybe.

The book repays thinking about it after you read it. The story line is a bit tired and familiar, as the Guardians of the Galaxy comparison suggests. But the plot twists lead it in very interesting directions. The ultimate point is an exploration of friendship and connection--and the point is not very subtly made.

Overall I'm glad I read it, even though a lot of the ground is familiar. There's enough good stuff going on to make it entertaining and worth the read.

My Goodreads Review