Tuesday, May 4, 2010

[Review] The Myriad by R. M. Meluch


Title: The Myriad

Author: R. M. Meluch
Cover art: Romas Kukalis
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: DAW (January 3, 2006)
Genre: Military Science Fiction
Series: Tour of the Merrimack 1
Order: DAW | Amazon US, UK | B&N | Sfbok

Reviewer: Ove Jansson

I stumbled on this entertaining military science fiction on my latest trip to Stockholm and it is the first of a series. The battleship Merrimack is on a mission to find the home world of the ravenous Hive and destroy it when it stumbles on the Myriad, three populated worlds the Hive have overlooked. Adult with charming and colorful gung-ho characters just as I like it.

The U.S.S. Merrimack was the finest battleship class spaceship in Earth's fleet, able to stand up against the best the Palatine Empire could throw at them, even able to attack and kill swarms of the seemingly unstoppable Hive. But nothing could have prepared the captain and crew of the Merrimack to face the Myriad-three colonized worlds in the midst of a globular cluster that the Hive had somehow overlooked.

The plot is as stated above by the publisher, USS Merrimak is on a deep strike mission to try to find the home world of the Hive, a race of ravaging space traveling insects that have been striking ships and planets, eating anything living that comes their way and leaving only lifeless shells behind.

They come upon three inhabited worlds in a star cluster that seems to have been overlooked by the Hive. They meet a mystery. The Myriad as the inhabitants call themselves don't have faster than light travel, but how do their three worlds broadcast the same news at the same time? The crew sets out to find out more before the Hive could find them.

The World building is intriguing and inventive. The Roman Empire never died, it just went underground. Have you ever wondered why most scientists or intellectuals speak Latin? They are part of a secret society that eventually will break loose from earth civilization and start their own Palantire Empire. The Hive onslaught forced the old enemies of the New Roman Empire and Earth to an uneasy peace to fight the new threat. The Neo-Romans is a nice twist.

Rebeca holds degrees in Communications and Classical Civilization which is noticeable in the rich historical backgrounds and the historical basis for some of her characters. She also talks Latin . . .

She also has a delightful and endearing ability to create lovable and colorful characters like Captain Farragut and his Roman liaison Augustus. Characterization is an important part of my enjoyment when I read, and I am very happy that I found another author that write characters I can love and root for.

I think you will enjoy this entertaining book. The Myriad has space battles, relentless insects , sword play, first contact, steamy relationships and surprising paradoxes. The characters Rebeca M. Meluch created here are on pair with the ones by some of my favorite authors like Elizabeth Moon and Lois McMaster Bujold. I can recommend the next books in the series too, reviews of Wolf Star and The Sagittarius Command. A Review of book 4 Strength and Honor is coming up on Cybermage. I think next review will be non-military or you might think I have a single track mind.

Interested in Military Science Fiction? check out my list of 10010 Top Military Science Fiction Series.

Rank 9/10

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