Revolutionary

In the conclusion of the trilogy, protagonist Dominic Magnus realizes the Terran Executive Command's plan to bring the anarchical planet of Bakunin forcibly into the Confederacy can't be defeated on the ground. It must be defeated politically and at the heart of the Confederacy -- the diplomatic quarters on Earth. First, though, he must avoid capture by his crazed brother Klaus and run the blockade of Bakunin.

And, if that wasn't enough to worry about, he finds himself agonizing over Kari Tetsami when she's shot up by a TEC prisoner, wondering if he can trust his ally Random Walk -- an intelligent robot who is also a master manipulator, and learning a Dacham family secret.

This story held up as well on a second reading as it did when it show more first came out. Swann throws everything into this book: espionage, superscience, political intrigue, straight up military combat, romance, and a family drama. All the plots are ably wrapped up in an emotionally satisfying - if not always happy - way from the fate of the Confederacy and its chief secret policeman, Dimitri Olmanov, to the future of human colonization of space, the superscience of the Proteus Commune, the guilt of Shane the deserter, and the troubled relationship of Dominic and Tetsami.

Swann never stumbles in his story though it threatens to wobble a bit during the Proteus bits. He throws in some sections clearly designed to sum up the story of the preceding books for those who haven't read them. However, the very numbering of the novel's parts indicates it's not truly self-contained, and I wouldn't attempt reading the series out of order. show less

F/SF