Just Read: His Majesty's Starship, Ben Jeapes

[blufive]

[amazon.co.uk]

The alien First Breed have offered to share a nearly-empty world with humanity, and requested representatives from all interested parties to attend a Convocation on the alien world to decide who will act as humanity's representative in the alliance. Michael Gilmore can't believe his luck when he is yanked from asteroid-patrol duty to captain HMSS Ark Royal on its first mission. Unfortunately, his passenger, the Crown Prince of UK-1, is ill-tempered and isn't telling him everything. Not to mention that everyone suspects that the entire delegation fleet is flying into a trap...

Like Jeapes' Wingèd Chariot, which I read a few months back, this book feels curiously old-fashioned in its adherence to telling the story with a lack of stylistic flourish.

The space combat is well portrayed, and while not going into techie detail, manages to avoid completely fanciful physics. The aliens are pretty alien yet still comprehensible, and it's refreshing to see a work where the inter-species misunderstandings go both ways, and extend to little details as well as major plot points.

All in all, this book isn't anything revolutionary, but what it does, it does very well. A good read.

Comments

[greengolux.livejournal.com]

Interesting to hear another opinion on this. From everything I've heard it sounds like it might be worth getting hold of, but I tried to pick up a copy at Eastercon and they were all sold out, and Amazon says it's out of print. But Jeapes told us he's working on getting another print run out, so there's hope yet. :)