The Quiet War Book

This kind of thing reminds me somewhat of Ben Bova's Grand Tour of the Solar System series. OK, it's not quite the same, since The Quiet War leans a lot more towards Space Opera. But still, there's a vibe that corresponds, and it's not just the hard science, either. The concept of war between Earth and the Outers received the treatment in other novels as well, such as Charles Sheffield's Cold as Ice. Then there's the blurb on the back cover that cites similarities with Peter F. Hamilton (is it me or is there a lot of that going around?) So… I've already name-dropped three different authors and my review isn't in its second paragraph yet. Bad form. But here's the thing: my initial impression on reading this was that it would be easy to disregard it as a mish-mash of Science Fiction's greatest hits. That, however, would be an unfair assessment: The Quiet War does an admirable job of making these conventions its own.

This isn't a light or easy read. Not only is it a bit of a slow burner, but there is a lot of Hard Science in here (Botanical, Ecological et al). Early on in the book there are a number of expositions on everything from the attributes of mud to Genome Sequencing. I'm no scientist, so it often happens that this kind of thing goes right over my head anyway. However, the story is fascinating, and there are lots of exotic locations and big ideas to sample. Once I was immersed, I couldn't stop turning the pages. What I'm trying to say is, stick with it, even when it gets technical. It's worth it.

There is a sequel, Gardens of the Sun. You will want to have it close once you've finished The Quiet War.