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Gareth L. Powell

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Fleet of Knives: An Embers of War novel Kindle Edition

by Gareth L. Powell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 1,740 ratings

Book 2 of 3: Embers of War

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From award-winning author Gareth L. Powell, the second book in the critically acclaimed Embers of War space opera series.

The former warship Trouble Dog and her crew follow a distress call from the human starship Lucy's Ghost, whose crew have sought refuge aboard an abandoned generation ship launched ten thousand years before by an alien race. However, the enormous vessel contains deadly secrets of its own.

The Marble Armada calls for recovered war criminal Ona Sudak to accompany its ships as it spreads itself across the Human Generality, enforcing the peace with overwhelming and implacable force. Then Sudak's vessel intercepts messages from the House of Reclamation and decides the Trouble Dog has a capacity for violence which cannot be allowed to endure.

As the Trouble Dog and her crew fight to save the crew of the Lucy's Ghost, the ship finds herself caught between chaotic alien monsters on one side, and on the other, destruction at the hands of the Marble Armada.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Amid almost nonstop action, with a jarring Joss Whedon-esque momentum, Powell delves into the characters as well as the themes with authority, putting himself in a league with Iain Banks and Ann Leckie." - Booklist (on Fleet of Knives)

Praise for Embers of War:

“An explosive finale with strong series potential.” – Publishers Weekly

“Deep and juicy in the details… a morality play within a space opera, with literary-style character exploration in thriller-style structure and pacing.” – New York Journal of Books

“Powell has a good line in striking images and pulpy set-pieces, while the final third of the novel builds to a satisfyingly large-scale climax, and sets up a status quo that hints at some promising directions for the rest of the saga.” – SFX

“This is a true space opera, full of suspense, and mystery, and stuff blowing up real good—but it’s the humanity of Powell’s vision that truly makes it something special.” – Barnes & Noble

“Vivid and sharp, and at times grittily poetic.” – Locus Magazine

“Embers of War is a thoroughly exciting pageturner, full of characters and personalities I couldn’t get enough of, and it sets up the next novel in the series beautifully.” – For Winter Nights

“A space odyssey you are sure to fall in love with.” – FangirlNation Magazine

“This is space opera the way it was meant to be: epic in scope, with plenty of exciting action and a cast of larger-than-life characters featuring, at its core, one of the most intriguing characters to appear in science fiction in many a long year — a self-aware spaceship that once was a warship, and must learn again how to wage war. Wonderful stuff.” – Winnipeg Free Press

“Don’t read Embers of War because you like Clarke, or Banks. Read it because you enjoy reading pace-y complex space adventures. Or space battles. Or sentient ships and impressive world building. Or well written characters. Or dogs. Or read it because you like Gareth L Powell’s other work. Or for Nod, if nothing else. But do read it, because before long blurbs will be comparing new and upcoming works with Gareth L Powell.” – SFFWorld

“I think my favorite bit was how it was written. They was just a…I’m not even sure how to describe it, a higher quality of style, in the way it was written. There was an eloquence that I don’t always find in books, yet I found within these pages, that I appreciated and admired. I would have enjoyed the book for the writing alone (but lucky for me, the story was pretty fantastic, too).” – Erlebnisse

“A first-rate author of space opera and alternate history.” – SFRevue

“Gareth L. Powell’s work has lost none of its engaging action, but has gained depth and nuance.” – Hugo Award Book Club

“This book delivers.” – Jaine Fenn

“This is an excellently paced adventure that swells with energy and force, upping the stakes at every turn of the page. It also manages to consider some heady and relevant questions as it jumps in and out of hyperspace.” – BookPage

“A fantastic space opera with tight prose, fast pacing, and unforgettable characters.” – Looking Glass Reads

“Embers of War was one of our favorite reads of 2018...and the sequel lives up to its predecessor, and then some" Barnes & Noble Bookseller's Picks for February

“this sequel delivers big-stakes space opera told on an intimate scale...the brisk pacing and sense of adventure make Fleet of Knives a fun and fulfilling read in the best space-opera tradition.” - Barnes & Noble Review

“the sequel lives up to its predecessor, and then some” - Barnes & Noble Weekly Round-Up

“Powell’s epic space opera series is one of the best of its kind. There are loads of drama, space chases, and characters we can connect with on an emotional level. Fleet of Knives is a story you won’t be able to put down” - Reviews and Robots

“the strong narrative arc, the pacing and engaging prose all add up to one heck of an adventure novel” - Hugo Award Book Club

“The descriptions are impeccable, the character development intriguing and the plot is immensely entertaining” 5* - Fangirl Nation

“epic space opera at its finest and most imaginative” - Rising Shadow

“The sequel to Gareth L. Powell’s British Science Fiction Award-winning Embers of War does everything right, crafting an adventure for its crew of ragtag, haunted heroes that is bigger and more mysterious than that which came before” - Barnes & Noble Best SFF of 2019

About the Author

Gareth L. Powell is the author of five science-fiction novels and two short story collections. His third novel, Ack-Ack Macaque, book one in the Macaque Trilogy, was the winner of the 2013 BSFA novel award. He lives in Bristol, UK.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07D6B42YZ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Titan Books (February 19, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 19, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1648 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 365 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #282,200 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,295 in Space Fleet Science Fiction
- #1,629 in Space Fleet Science Fiction eBooks
- #2,753 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 1,740 ratings

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Gareth L. Powell

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Gareth L. Powell is the award-winning author of 20 published books. He is best known for The Embers of War trilogy, The Continuance Series, The Ack-Ack Macaque trilogy, Light Chaser (written with Peter F. Hamilton), and About Writing, his guide for aspiring authors. He has twice won the prestigious British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel (previous winners include J. G. Ballard and Arthur C. Clarke) and has become one of the most shortlisted authors in the award’s 50-year history. He has also been shortlisted for the Locus Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Seiun Award, and the Canopus Award.

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Nerine Dorman

So. Much. Suspense.

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2021

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We finish book 1 of Gareth L Powell's Embers of War trilogy with the discovery of an ancient fleet of ships, unmanned and linked together by an alien intelligence – the ominous Marble Armada. The sentient ship Trouble Dog and her captain, Sal, and the rest of their mismatched crew, are called from their holiday to answer a distress signal just as an almighty cluster**** breaks out. Nope, not going to spoil it, but Powell drops us straight into turmoil then turns up the heat. Fleet of Knives is an aptly named title for book 2 in this trilogy.

New faces are the crew from the salvager Lucy's Ghost, who run into a spot of bother while looking for scraps in an ancient generation ship. Nope, not going to say what the spot of bother is, either, but I've watched Alien and the Event Horizon enough times to get the same kind of claustrophobic thrills with what Powell is doing here.

He ramps up the tension in such a way that I cannot conceive of how he's going to get his characters out of their pickle. And don't ever get too comfortable. If you think the characters get a breather, think again. It's only the quiet before the storm. I particularly loved the alien tech and the mystery behind how it works, which I'm sure will come into play again at a later stage – and yes, I've just bought book 3, because I need to know what happens next.

I'm so excited to see that Embers of War is coming to life onscreen – this one's going to be a cracker, and I'm glad to read it before I watch the series. One last word – I love the interplay between the human and non-human characters. Powell writes non-humans in a way that makes me smile. Anyhow, it's difficult to review this novel without spoilers, except to leave these words as encouragement for anyone who's a fan of space opera to go out and lay hands on this trilogy. It's worth every dollar.

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Richard Irwin

Excellent continuation of this series

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023

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In this sequel, things take a dark turn as the Marble Armada takes on the mission of eliminating war among humans by eliminating all of humanity's weapons. Caught up in this endeavor is the ship Trouble Dog with her captain Sal Konstanz and her small crew.

A new set of characters are introduced in this book as the ship Lucy's Ghost sets out to steal some alien technology from an old Nymtoq generation ship that has been adrift for some ten thousand years and whose inhabitants are long since dead.

This book is an excellent continuation of the series providing us with a grand Space Opera populated by great characters including Lucky Johnny Schutlz, the owner and captain of Lucy's Ghost.

What keeps this book from being a great Science Fiction classic is that it has no ending. Hopefully the third book in the series, "Light of Impossible Stars" will provide a satisfactory conclusion.

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Reviews & Robots

An Epic Race Through Space

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2019

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Fleet of Knives is brimming with everything that makes a space opera epic—fast-paced chases through space, unseen enemies bursting from the pages unexpectedly, deep characters who struggle with their high-stakes lives, and a galaxy-scale setting. All together, it makes for an exciting, no-holds-barred ride through space.

Powell has continued the brilliance in this second addition to the Embers of War series, bringing us back to the characters we’ve come to know. There are deep histories with everyone involved, filled with tragedy and past losses that must be coped with on a daily basis. It’s so easy to connect with the characters. These crews are each other’s families and that camaraderie creates a meaningful connection for readers.

The use of several perspectives gives the story a well-rounded feel that keeps the action going page after page. We see a crew lost in the fold, barely holding on aboard a planet-sized ship. We see our trusty captain and the Trouble Dog continuing their mission to save lives, while also dealing with the loses from the first book. Most interesting is the inclusion of the always conflicting villain and her commitment to doing the wrong thing that’s tinged with a smidgen of right. It’s fascinating to see a villain that isn’t super villainous, one who makes horrifying decisions but feels them deep down and is convinced she’s actually saving the universe from destruction.

I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say the fancy fleet of marble ships isn’t what it seemed. All hell breaks loose pretty early on, thanks to our favorite telepathic grizzly bear. You’ll be shocked and itching to know how it ends.

Overall, Powell’s epic space opera series is one of the best of its kind. There are loads of drama, space chases, and characters we can connect with on an emotional level. Fleet of Knives is a story you won’t be able to put down.

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Robert K.

It's Okay

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2020

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I loved the first book and thought it was very creative. The second book is also entertaining but I had difficulty accepting the premise, which requires the reader to believe a hyper-advanced sentient alien fleet has an unimaginative and childlike intelligence. And that they find the one human being in the universe who completely agrees with them without hesitation or reservation. I couldn't get past those hurdles. The book was still fun so if you liked the first one you should give this a shot. But I have not gone on to the third book and am not sure if I will.

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Offer Kuban

Buckle Up!

Reviewed in Canada on November 20, 2023

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Gareth L. Powell is one heck of a good storyteller!

This is book #2 in his Embers of War series, the first of which I read and loved back in late January. I know, I know! You may ask, what took you so long to get to this one? I can certainly tell you, it wasn't for lack of interest.

Even after all this time, Powell's writing drew me back into the arc of the storyline in a heartbeat. From page one to the very end, I was thrilled to once again fly with the sentient warship Trouble Dog and the whole host of wonderful characters (some familiar and some new) she interacted with.

Things don't look good for humanity in this space opera writ pretty damn large across the canvas of the universe...or, universes, perhaps? No spoilers, though. Here, the author brings us in and out of the action, the intrigue, the intimate and revealing conversations, as well as the dry humour, and keeps that all churning around us as readers. We slip between and re-engage within multiple points of view that help tell the many facets of the tale, as time, danger, and circumstances keep shifting.

I am delighted to have spent more time in Gareth L. Powell's "Embers of War" universe, and despite the enormous pile of to-be-read (TBR) books that lie in wait for me, I am looking forward to seeing where the Bothersome Mutt takes us next. Will she prevail against the Marble Armada, or will...? Next book shall shed more light.

Cheers!

Alan D

The dark but utterly brilliant second book in the Embers of War trilogy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2021

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Even better than the first, Fleet of Knives is a fantastic sequel that dives right into the action and pulls no punches. Much moreso than in Embers of War, there’s clear inspiration taken from the movie Aliens and, reader, I’m here for it. I honestly wish I had started reading this one straight after the first, but in the interests of variety, I took the time out to read other things. The consequence here was that I ended up starting to read the book and then not having time to read much more than a few pages every few days. But to be clear, that’s a failing on the part of my own time management, not an indictment of the book. So it’s taken me quite a lot longer to read through than I had anticipated. Thankfully around the halfway mark I found more time and ended up blasting through the it because it’s just so great. Given how long it took me to read the first half, should I use the word “unputdownable”? Probably not. But I will anyway, because it certainly would have been if I hadn’t, um, put it down so much? … That doesn’t make any sense. Look, the book’s really, really good, damn it.

#TeamTroubleDog

Given that I’ve just gushed about it above, let’s delve a bit deeper into why Fleet of Knives is so good. First of all, the style of alternating first-person POV chapters continues here, as you would expect, but we are introduced to new characters from the point of view of Johnny Schultz, the captain of the stricken starship, Lucy’s Ghost. And character is where I want to start. In my review for Embers of War I pointed out that while the characters were interesting, they did seem to fall into particular archetypes, but here in Fleet of Knives our main cast is much more well fleshed out and compelling. Trouble Dog herself remains as awesome as ever, and we also have an introduction to Lucy who is thoroughly charming - I do love me a sentient AI - but the human characters feel like they have a lot more weight to them as well. Last time I said Nod was a bit weird, but the Druff engineer has a much expanded role in this book and it is very endearing. Just everything about the character work here is taken up several notches, and that’s helped by the tight and snappy pacing that makes a return from the previous book.

When it comes to the world-building, there’s an extra bit of depth here that I appreciated. I’m starting to understand why we’re not seeing a lot of the other species of the Multiplicity: the human Generality is pretty much left to its own devices, and the Multiplicity now comes across as less of a galactic federation, and more of a loose alliance based on a respect of interstellar boundaries between species. I think it’s handled very well to be honest. And I’m looking forward to reading more.

I said this book is dark, and it certainly does take on a more sinister tone. So much goes wrong for the characters and Gareth pulls no punches. There’s no contrivances to lessen the impact of what’s happening around the Generality or aboard the avian generation ship. There’s no easy outs. Out of the frying pan and into the fire is an apt metaphor here. Horrors lurk in the dark and humanity is caught between that and the cold malice of an advanced race. It’s chilling stuff.

And I want to take a moment to mention the absolute audacity of chapter 49. Wow, just… Bravo, sir. Bravo. That was a chef’s kiss moment in the book.

I think that about sums it up, really. I loved this book. There’s intense action, great pacing that keeps you turning those pages, fantastic character moments, the plot flows well and the world-building is excellent. What more could you want? I definitely won’t leave it as long before I start the last book in the trilogy, Light of Impossible Stars - in fact, it’s already sitting on my shelf. I can’t wait to see what this series looks like in adaptation as well.

What a fantastic read. Highly recommended.

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Grande

Reviewed in Spain on July 25, 2019

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Es una history muy grande y buena

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FeydRautha

Un deuxième tome convaincant

Reviewed in France on February 26, 2019

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Dans le premier tome, Embers of war, nous avions fait connaissance avec Trouble Dog, le croiseur militaire de classe Carnivore, à l’IA construite à partir de cellules cérébrales d’origine humaines et implantée de gènes canins pour développer son esprit de meute, et son équipage de rescapés d’une guerre dont les traumatismes marquent durablement les esprits. Trouble Dog est désormais démilitarisé et employé par la House of Reclamation, ou l’équivalent interstellaire de la croix rouge. Embers of war faisait le récit d’une mission de sauvetage qui aboutissait à la libération d’une gigantesque flotte d’origine extra-terrestre d’un million de vaisseaux entièrement automatisés, la fleet of knives (la flotte des couteaux) qui apparaît dans le titre de ce deuxième tome.

Nous retrouvons dans Fleet of Knives quelques-uns des personnages qui ont survécu au premier tome, à savoir Trouble Dog et son équipage, ainsi qu’Ona Sukda, la poétesse qui fut par le passé le commandant de vaisseau responsable du massacre de Pelapatarn narré dans le prologue d’Embers of war, et qui mit fin au conflit. De nouveaux personnages sont introduits, dont Johnny Schultz, le capitaine du navire de contrebande le Lucy’s Ghost et son équipage. Gareth L. Powell utilise le même procédé narratif que dans le premier tome, à savoir une alternance de chapitres racontés à la première personne par différents narrateurs homodiégétiques (comme on dit sur les bancs de l’université). Plus encore que dans Embers of war, le procédé s’avère très efficace dans Fleet of knives et Gareth L. Powell développe particulièrement bien la psychologie de ses personnages par ce moyen. Les événements sont ainsi narrés par trois voix principales, celles de Sally Konstanz, capitaine du Trouble Dog, d’Ona Sukda et Johnny Schultz. Quelques interventions de Trouble Dog et de Nord, son ingénieur druff, viennent complémenter le récit. Quoi de plus immersif que de lire un récit à travers les yeux et les pensées de ses protagonistes ?

Nous suivons trois arcs narratifs. A bord du Lucy’s Ghost, le capitaine Johnny Schultz et son équipage traversent l’hypervide pour tenter de rejoindre et piller un artefact extra-terrestre, le Restless Itch, qui est une arche générationnelle gigantesque taillée dans un astéroïde et qui dérive abandonnée depuis dix mille ans dans l’espace. Seulement, comme les dernières pages d’Embers of war le laissait supposer, quelque chose se cache dans les replis de l’hypervide et le Lucy’s Ghost se fait attaquer. Le vaisseau n’a d’autre choix que de resurgir dans l’espace réel et ce faisant percute le Restless Itch. Le vaisseau est perdu et son équipage n’a d’autre choix que de se réfugier dans l’arche extra-terrestre abandonnée. Mais, ils ne sont pas seuls.

De son côté, le Trouble Dog a réuni son équipage et reçoit le signal de détresse du Lucy’s Ghost. Ils vont se lancer à son secours.

Enfin, au centre du récit, se trouve la fleet of knives. Celle-ci réclame la présence à son bord d’Ona Sukda, qui échappe ainsi à la peine de mort à laquelle l’avait condamnée son rôle passé dans le massacre de Pelapatarn. L’armada a en effet besoin d’un être organique pour valider son plan d’action qui vise à mettre un terme définitif à toute guerre dans l’espace humain. Qui de mieux désigné que celle qui n’hésita pas à mettre en œuvre le pire pour faire cesser une guerre ? La mise en branle de ce plan va profondément affecter l’univers humain et menacer son équilibre.

Après Embers of war qui était une lecture plaisante mais qui pêchait à mon sens par un manque d’originalité, Gareth L. Powell propose un deuxième tome que je trouve de meilleur niveau que son prédécesseur. Bien sûr, on y lira encore diverses influences, notamment dans un ressort du scénario qui est tiré d’un célèbre film de science-fiction que je ne nommerai pas pour ne pas spoiler, mais qui est ici exploité avec une vraie ambition. Il y introduit aussi des éléments de science-fiction horrifique dans la veine du huis-clos avec monstres qui rodent dans les couloirs (suivez mon regard). Mais dans l’ensemble, Gareth L. Powell trouve une voix plus personnelle avec Fleet of knives. Son écriture est fluide et efficace, les personnages sont vivants et l’action est omniprésente. Fleet of knives est un page turner fait de chapitres courts qui sans cesse relance l’action. Les 412 pages du livre s’avalent en une petite journée.

Au-delà des tropes du space opera traditionnel, Powell aborde la question de l’interventionnisme armé en matière de maintien de la paix. Le prix à payer est-il celui de l’instauration d’un état policier brutal et aveugle ? Les conséquences évoquées ne sont ni plus ni moins que la fin possible de la civilisation. Les choix faits par les différents protagonistes face à cette éventualité, et clairement dérivés de leur propre passé, constituent le moteur de la trilogie. A la fin du deuxième tome, cependant, s’annonce un péril plus grand encore, qui pourrait signifier tout simplement la fin de toute vie.

Le reproche que je ferai toutefois est un ton qui n’est jamais suffisamment sombre pour porter vraiment efficacement le message ou faire trembler le lecteur. Gareth L. Powell est un auteur qui n’arrive pas à être véritablement méchant. Ce qui vous apprécierez ou non selon vos propres inclinations. Dans le genre, Yoon Ha Lee est bien plus cruel.

En conclusion

Gareth L. Powell propose avec Fleet of knives un deuxième tome de bonne facture, convaincant dans son intention et dans sa réalisation. Si cette trilogie ne révolutionne pas le genre du nouveau space opera, qu’elle y puise de nombreuses idées, elle n’en constitue pas moins un exemple dont la lecture est tout à fait recommandable pour le simple plaisir qu’elle procure.

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Matthew Poehler

Great Fun!

Reviewed in Australia on September 6, 2023

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This has all the elements of a rousing good time. I haven't had this much fun with an intelligent ship since Anne McCaffrey!

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Fleet of Knives: An Embers of War novel Kindle Edition

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