Star Rebel

A return to the shorter form definitely works in Busby's advantage.
This, and the subsequent book, seem to be prequels dealing with Bran Tregare's background and catching us up to where he is when we meet him in Rissa Kerguelen. I'm guessing the deviation from what we've been told of his background previously is supposed to be chalked up to a combination of him spreading misinformation about himself and the inevitable 'telephone' effect of information being relayed across the galaxy with time distortion thrown into the mix.
Its a fun pulpy adventure, and we get *some* more background on the Slaughterhouse, though again I feel like Busby is always shying away from really embracing the horrors of the society that's creating these show more personalities. If there's a weak point I think its cramming in too many of the characters from 'Rissa' in ways that make it feel artificial and that there should be more closeness and trust between them when we see them united again later. show less

I found this book somewhat violent, and of course, since it was a prequel written later in the series, it was mostly backstory. Still, I enjoyed it, although not as much as I did the earlier books. I should probably reread the whole series again soon.

Busby has written a number of books about the Hulzein Dynasty. This one stars Bran Tregare who becomes the husband of Rissa Kerguelen and the father of Lisele (see Rebels' Seed).

Reminds me of the Sten series.