![]() ![]() Our POV is a soldier named Dietz who after the death of her family in a massive attack on Sao Paulo signs up to become a citizen. Unlike Star Trek Hurley never ignores the insanity of that concept. The Light Brigade on the surface is a story about soldiers who are trained to be transported on a beam of light. OK, I hope I sold you because now I am going to start talking about the story. It is a rich political tapestry woven perfectly into the world-building that never forgets to give you character and story worth following. This book is military sci-fi but it also is a dystopia, Cli-Fi, a multi-verse story and involves time travel. ![]() At the heart of this novel is the fog of war but brought to the surface in a way that only sci-fi could. It is one of the most quoted statements about war but Senator Hiram Warren Johnson was not wrong in 1918 when he said the first casualty of war is truth. ![]() The Light Brigade has other very strong influences mostly in classics like Slaughterhouse-Five and 1984 which get subtle well-done nods through-out. That is bigger praise than anything I have to say. It is no small deal that Weston the author of those books and a Vet who has spent several tours in Afghanistan has said the Light Brigade impressed him with its military sci-fi-ness. While Hurley doesn't address as directly as Weston Ochse has in his Grunt series and his Burning and Dead Sky books. Light Brigade does pay homage to those books but importantly Hurley updates the themes with a close look at the one issue that is tops on the minds of our modern solider. The ultimate classics are Starship Troopers and the Forever War which kinda serve opposite sides of the political divide. Military Science Fiction has a long history that Hurley tips her hat too. So if you are like me (and many of my readers come via the Dickheads podcast) and you like mind-bendy science fiction stop now and come back and read the rest of this review.īefore I get into spoilers let say this. I think the best way to enter this book is without any background. I knew nothing about the plot, managed to avoid even the notion that it was military sci-fi although the title told me that. I say this because I went into this book as cold as I could. Primary was the strength of Hurley's last book, but second, was a five-star review from Science Fiction Book Podcast's Luke Barrage who very rarely gives that high praise. When I wrote my review of that book three years ago I thought Hurley would have a tough time following that up. The Stars are Legion is a book that you enjoy while reading but it worms around in your brain every time you think of it. The world-building in that novel is some of the best I have read in decades of science fiction reading. The Stars are Legion is an incredible epic space opera with hints of body horror set in a post-men future matriarchy. Then a few years back Hurley released The Stars are Legion. I knew it was good just didn't push my books. I could tell it was really well written but for some reason, it felt too fantasy for me or something. I mean not that new my first time reading Hurley was her 2010 series kick-off God's War (Bel Dame Apocrypha, #1). As a well known old school reader, it is awesome to have found a bold new voice. This is my favorite but the last two have convinced me that Hurley is one of the most exciting voices working in modern Science Fiction. Welcome to the review of my third Kameron Hurley novel. Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2019)ĭragon Award Nominee for Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel (2019) ![]()
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