Book Review: ‘Star-Wheeled Sky’ Marvelous Sci-fi Entertainment

 

Second novels are frequently worse than the first. It happens so frequently that it’s called the second-novel curse. Brad R. Torgersen defies this curse. “A Star-Wheeled Sky,” by Brad R. Torgersen, a science fiction novel, the author’s second, offers a fresh take on interstellar conflict.

A millennium before this story takes place, humanity fled a war-ravaged Earth in slower-than-light colony ships. A few reached star systems connected by a faster-than-light transportation network, the Waywork. Node points, called Waypoints, offer instantaneous transportation to another star system in the network. The builders, the Waymakers, abandoned the network long before humans arrived. They remain unknown.

Since human arrival in the Waywork, starstates have emerged. Humanity has filled the once-empty planets. With no other way to grow, one starstate, Nautilian, has set out to conquer the Waywork. Nautilian is totalitarian on a scale that makes Stalin’s Russia seem amateuristic. Its policy if a conquered planet resists is to kill off the entire population and resettle it with inhabitants loyal to Nautilian.

Opposing them is the starstate Constellar. Constellar is an oligarchy, but it has a representative assembly and more freedoms than Nautilian. But, Constellar is slowly losing to Nautilian. Ultimate defeat seems inevitable.

Then a new factor enters the equation: a new waypoint suddenly appears near the boundary of Nautilian and Constellar space. It’s the first new Waypoint to appear, and whoever gets to the new system first can control the Waypoint and own the new system.

Both starstates hastily assemble fleets to explore the new Waypoint. Or rather, since this is a remote boundary for both starstates, they grab whatever they can in order to get their first. After both forces arrive, they discover the system contains a clement planet, one humans can live on without life-support systems. The Waywork has only seven clement planets. Additionally, the planet has a Waymaker artifact which is broadcasting.

Torgersen provides a fast-paced, exciting adventure, pitting two determined and capable opponents against each other. Controlling the system becomes critical, promising victory to anyone who unlocks the Waymakers’ secrets. “A Star-Wheeled Sky” is marvelous science fiction entertainment.

A Star-Wheeled Sky,” by Brad R. Torgersen, Baen Books, 2018, 384 pages, $16

I write a weekly book review for the Daily News of Galveston County. (It is not the biggest daily newspaper in Texas, but it is the oldest.) My review normally appears Wednesdays. When it appears, I post the review here on the following Sunday.

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  1. Hank Rhody, Acting on Emotion Contributor
    Hank Rhody, Acting on Emotion
    @HankRhody

    I tend to find waypoint universes interesting in that they both provide a convenient excuse for avoiding that whole FTL thing and also provide interesting strategic problems with the bottlenecks inherent to the system.

    • #1
  2. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Hank Rhody, Acting on Emotion (View Comment):

    I tend to find waypoint universes interesting in that they both provide a convenient excuse for avoiding that whole FTL thing and also provide interesting strategic problems with the bottlenecks inherent to the system.

    You’ll really like this book, then. That is the story.

    • #2
  3. Fredösphere Inactive
    Fredösphere
    @Fredosphere

    Seawriter: Nautilian is totalitarian on a scale that makes Stalin’s Russia seem amateuristic.

    Yeah, see, that’s why socialism failed: Stalin didn’t try it hard enough. ;-)

    This sounds interesting. I haven’t read any Torgersen, so I think I’ll add it to my list.

    • #3
  4. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Fredösphere (View Comment):

    This sounds interesting. I haven’t read any Torgersen, so I think I’ll add it to my list.

    Torgersen’s new.

    • #4
  5. Black Prince Inactive
    Black Prince
    @BlackPrince

    Another very interesting book review—this will be my next sci-fi book purchase. Thanks, Seawriter! 

    • #5
  6. Randy Weivoda Moderator
    Randy Weivoda
    @RandyWeivoda

    Black Prince (View Comment):

    Another very interesting book review—this will be my next sci-fi book purchase. Thanks, Seawriter!

    It won’t be my next purchase because I still have a lot of other books in my wish list, but I’m adding this.  There are so many new books I want to read, but right now I’m re-reading a batch of great books that I already have.

    • #6
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