Fleet Elements

Starred review from August 3, 2020
Williams impresses with the second book of his sophisticated Praxis trilogy (after 2018’s The Accidental War), more red meat for fans of high-quality space operas. After a financial crisis rocks the multispecies, interplanetary Praxis Empire, blame is placed on humans by one of the alien races that serve alongside humans on the Convocation, the empire’s ruling body. The false claim is used to justify a power grab: humans are booted off the Convocation and every Terran spaceship is disarmed. But a few humans, led by war hero Gareth Martinez, preempt the attack by seizing control of a handful of ships in the Praxis Fleet. Now Martinez and his allies, including his former love, Lady Sula, are desperate to avoid the tragic fate of other species the empire has deemed rebels and strategize the best way to restore humanity’s place in the empire. Williams never lets the tense action sequences overwhelm the complex inner struggles of his characters; he’s especially good at portraying Sula’s fears that she will be exposed as an imposter, having assumed the real Lady Sula’s identity years earlier. Newcomers will have no problem getting oriented in this rip-roaring sci-fi world, and returning readers will be thrilled to dive back in. Agent: Joshua Blimes, JABerwocky Literary.

October 15, 2020
This follow-up to The Accidental War (2018) fulfills the promise of the first book, which seemed to be more about opera than space, by delivering two exciting fleet battles. Terrans have been declared outlaws by the Convocation of the Praxis and are gathering their battered forces at Harzapid. Gareth Martinez leads a rescue mission to gather up a fleet being chased by the Praxis. Lady Sula, meanwhile, is on Harzapid, overseeing the restoration of ships to fighting fitness and dealing with saboteurs. Once they have mustered what ships they can, they are still outnumbered by more than two-to-one when Praxis forces approach. Martinez, with Sula as his tactical officer, is counting on Lord Tork, Supreme Commander of the Fleet, to follow his arrogant, outmoded tactics. The opera elements are as tight as the fleet elements, making readers care about those inside the starships desperately evading missiles and proton blasts. A satisfying setup for the final showdown at Zanshaa promised in the next book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)