Embers of War

This book’s charming combination of sentient spaceships, quirky and interesting alien races, a touch of horror, and a rag-tag group of main characters thrust into a do-or-die situation apparently way beyond their respective abilities pushed a lot of my buttons in all the right ways.

Thus, this series has become another fast favorite of mine. I often recommend it to new science-fiction readers as I feel it’s a near-perfect introduction to the “space opera” sub-genre.

I was blown away by the idea of a warship that isn’t just sentient but reluctant to go to war. Artificial intelligence is hardly a new concept in science fiction, and classics like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep told us stories about their feelings and desires decades ago. 

But I was enthralled by a story featuring a purpose-built warship that withdrew itself from service after a traumatic battle in an intergalactic war. To be honest, I was initially put off by the idea of yet another “talking spaceship.” But when I realized one of the most powerful ships ever… show more.