Among the Stacks with Duncan: Reviewing The Shattered Skies by John Birmingham
The Sturm, an empire of “species purists,” have returned from the farthest reaches of Dark Space to wage a war against what they call mutants and borgs: any human being with genetic or neural engineering. In a sneak attack, they overwhelmed almost all of humanity’s defenses, blasting vicious malware across galaxy-spanning networks, dark code that transformed anyone connected to the system into a mindless psychotic killer. The Sturm’s victory seemed complete, their final triumph inevitable, until one small band of intrepid, unlikely heroes struck back.
Commander Lucinda Hardy and Admiral Frazer McLennan used the Armadalen Navy’s final surviving warship to fend off the Sturm, destroying the massed power of an entire Attack Fleet. With brilliant tactics—and support from drunken, grief-ravaged pirate Sephina L’trel and treasonous battle-rig operator Booker—this ragtag crew sent the Sturm running, managing to save Princess Alessia, the sole surviving heir to the gigantic Montanblanc ul Haq Corporation and perhaps Earth’s only remaining senator.
Now left with the remains of a fallen civilization, they must work together to rebuild what was lost and root out the numberless enemies of Earth. The Sturm invaders remain vastly more powerful—and they may not be the only threat lurking in the darkness of space.
Another wild ride through space fighting “species purists” and treacherous survivors of the nanophage attack. The crews of the Defiant and Arianne continue to fight the Sturm and the awful effects of the malware attack. Excellent battles and exploration of corporations ruling systems. Characters that deal with the real trauma of their experiences and have to find a way to do what must be done to survive. Threads started in Book 1 leading to bigger things in the final book. Climactic ending that leaves me looking forward to the final book in the trilogy. Overall a great read and well worth the time.
