10 May, 2002
Starpilot's Grave (1993, 442 pp (MMPB))
By Honor Betray'd (1994, 407 pp (MMPB))
Debra Doyle and
James D. Macdonald
These are Books 2 and 3 of the Mageworlds series, and are sequels to The Price of the Stars. While the first book was able to stand on its own, that is not the case for these two. Starpilot's Grave is only half a book, and I don't recommend reading it without having the other half, By Honor Betray'd, close to hand.
This post contains spoilers for The Price of the Stars.
Starpilot's Grave starts off where the previous book left off. Beka and Nyls have headed towards the Mageworlds to track down one of Beka's mother's killers. Ari and Llannat have returned to the place they were originally stationed, the medical base on Nammerin. Commander Gil is commanding the border fleet. Additionally, we get two more major plot threads: Owen, the third Rosslin-Metadi child, is also on Nammerin, on some sort of secret Adept's Guild business, and General Jos Metadi himself has set off to spring a surprise inspection on a particularly troublesome sector fleet.
Of course, Beka gets her man, while Ari gets transferred to a new posting, but everybody's plans become moot when the Mageworlders break through the border and launch a devastating surprise attack on the capital world of the Republic. The Second Magewar is on.
One particularly good thing about the Mageworlds series is that, while the plot is structured like the Good vs. Evil scenario of classic space opera, the authors have completely rejected the essence of that set-up, going for a neutral, balanced approach. The conflict between the Republic and the Mageworlds isn't one of Good Guys vs. Bad Guys, it's just one of Our Guys vs. Their Guys. Both sides have good reasons for fighting: the Republic must defend its territory against invaders, and the Mageworlders are lashing out in a bid to overcome 20 years of brutal oppression by the Republic (which, in turn, was imposed after the last time the Mageworlds invaded). There's virtue and vice on both sides of the conflict. There are a few outright bad guys, including one really sadistic SOB and one whacko madman, but those guys are solo acts, acting on their personal motivations. They're not part of some cartoonish Axis of Evil.
Like the previous book, these two are very exciting and fast-paced. I had a very hard time putting them down, which really put a cramp in my TV-watching for a few days, let me tell you.