A Matter of Oaths by Helen S. Wright is a military science fiction novel with a M/M romance in the background. There are two Empires, each ruled by an immortal emperor. The patrol ship Battya is currently assigned to serve the Old Empire. The Three commanding Battya – Commander Rallya, Webmaster Joshim and Captain Vidar – is looking for a new webber to add to their crew. Rafe is a webber looking for a berth on a ship, but he’s also an oath-breaker, and as such not a very popular choice. But there are not a lot of other candidates, so Rallya decides to take a chance on him.
The punishment for being an oath-breaker is a complete memory wipe, so Rafe doesn’t remember his past life or career at all. In performing his duties, he discovers he is much more competent than he knew. And then problems turn up that might have something to do with his past. The stakes are high. Sometimes not knowing your past is a very dangerous thing.
I love the characters in this, they are the heart of the story. They’re all real, with their own flaws and quirks, which makes it easy to relate to them. Commander Rallya, a strong and capable middle aged woman with a bad hip nearing the end of her career, is not the kind of character you often encounter in military science fiction. She is awesome. But what I love most is how the space battles are portrayed. Strategy and tactics play a huge role, and as a result the space battles play out almost like a game of chess.
The writing is incredible. From the very first page, the story runs along at a high pace, throwing the reader in the deep end without anything to hold on to, which I like. It means this book is even better the second time you read it. And the third time.
Q’s Reviews rating: 5 out of 5 stars
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