The Sundering: Dread Empire's Fall

By Walter Jon Williams

“Space opera the way it ought to be [...] Bujold and Weber, bend the knee; interstellar adventure has a new king, and his name is Walter Jon Williams.” -- George R.R. Martin

Following The Praxis, Walter Jon Williams’ critically-acclaimed mix of space opera and military science fiction, the conflict grows for the fate of humanity…and the universe.

The Dread Empire of the Shaa is no more, following the death of the last oppressor. But freedom remains elusive for the myriad sentient races enslaved for ten centuries, as an even greater terror arises. The Naxids—a powerful insectoid species themselves subjugated until the recent Shaa demise—plan to fill the vacuum with their own bloody domination, and have already won a shattering victory with superior force and unimaginable cruelty. But two heroes survived the carnage at Magaria: Lord Gareth Martinez and the fiery, mysterious gun pilot Lady Caroline Sula, whose courageous exploits are becoming legend in the new history of galactic civil war. Yet their cunning, skill, and bravery may be no match for the overwhelming enemy descending upon the loyalist stronghold of Zanshaa, as the horrific battle looms that will determine the structure of the universe—and who shall live to inhabit it—for millennia to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061809613

Walter Jon Williams

Walter Jon Williams is the author of thirty volumes of fiction, in addition to works in film, television, comics, and the gaming field. Williams has appeared on the bestseller lists of The Times and The New York Times. He is a world traveler, scuba diver, and a black belt in Kenpo Karate. He has twice been awarded the Nebula Award.

Reviews for The Sundering

[neurodrew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Space battles and guerilla warfareMartinez is the tactical officer for the raiding Chenforrce under Michi Chen, and Sula is fighting a guerilla war on Zanssha. Martinez had an arranged marriage after Sula walked away in the first book, because she was asked to donate a blood sample before marriage. Martinez is married to the daughter of the Chen family, who owes the Martinez clan for making up its losses in the initial days of the war. The raiding force uses Martinez-Sula tactics, and destroys several Naxid armadas. Sula becomes an expert guerilla commander.

[vladmihaisima · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great space opera, continuing the first book of the trilogy. Adventures involving space combats, some strong willed characters that must navigate a somehow rigid social structure, but manage due to their wits and abilities. The first book of the series should be read before this one as it gives a lot of background information. The action keeps exciting and the characters seem natural in how they think and act. The imagined world keeps believable although it does not go too deep into many details except the focus of the novels (old fashion military hierarchy and stellar combat at speeds under speed of light but with large accelerations possible).

[Daniela Tahitoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Move faster than the first book because it knows more what it wants to do. 2 characters. Battles on the ground. Battles in space. That’s it. Simple. Tidy. Easy read.

[Hervé Solarzic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Better than the first volume (which is not that frequent). Not quite a space opera after all, but a good war story, complete with politics, strategy, tactics, and well-developed, interesting characters. Also, well-written and pleasant to read.

[dwwilkin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book one was the hook to get me to read this, and some of my observations there have played out here. The hero is just too much the only insightful member of the Space Navy. That is wrong. Even the Female counterpart being the only one who can see three chess moves ahead is wrong.We may be stuck in a situation where no new initiative has been used for thousands of years, but once it gets started, others can use their brains to come up with solutions.Then there is the development of the love story, and the characters who are part of it. This actually works and shows that Williams has gotten credence as a writer. The character development, while it takes away a great deal of time from the action, is pretty decent and worth some immersion.Where I get lost to some extent is the accuracy of the speed of light sequencing of movement. There is a great deal of detail, and yet, a few simple concepts and I can envision what will happen with out all the extra that Williams has included.Have ordered book 3

[jmvilches · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Praxis Empire is embroiled in civil war as the Naxid try to take control. Gareth Martinez and Caroline Sula, two human heroes of earlier battles between the Naxid and the loyalists, work together from their respective ships to formulate new battle tactics to face the larger fleets of the rebels. Their relationship grows through these long-distance exchanges and sparks fly when their ships return to Zanshaa, the capitol planet. Will the ambitious Martinez be able to overcome the jealousy and inertia of his superiors and put their innovative plans into action? Will their romance survive Caroline's dark secret?The Sundering picks up where the first book, The Praxis, ended and the books should be read in sequence. The plot is a well-balanced mix of political maneuvering, exciting combat sequences, and romantic entanglements. This series reminds me of the space operas by Peter Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds with a slightly more manageable cast of characters.It's refreshing to read well-plotted space battles that pay attention to the laws of physics. The main characters are compelling and definitely have their share of flaws as well as virtues. Martinez is developed more in this book as he struggles to keep his arrogance and hot temper from thwarting his ambitions. Williams' has an easy to read writing style and the series so far has an interesting and not entirely predictable story line.3 Stars

[tadad_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I tried the second volume of this series but it just didn't do it for me. The uniformly moronic behavior of those in charge whilst the protagonists are all brilliant; the artificiality of the "problem" in the romance; the utter lack of any tension about what will happen...it's just too trite. And it has extreme Second Book Syndrome. I won't bother with the third volume.

[lynndaell · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

"The Sundering" begins where "The Praxis" ended, with little or no back story. It's a very good middle to the trilogy. The Nexids made their opening bid to take over as the Grand Masters of the universe. Naturally, they were forstalled by Martinez and Lady Sula and a few others. Unfortunately, only a handfull of loyal space ships survive the initial trap. The question is this: can the loyalists learn the way to break enough of the rules of warfare that are followed by both sides so that they can win?Things are complicated because no one in power likes the heroes. This one is a page-burner. I stayed up after midnight several times to see what would happen next. The twists are logical and devious and build suspense. Keep reading...

[arvoitus_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story is more empty than interstellar void, characters have less personality than an amoeba and are duller... Half a star to this book saved by Lady Sula's anguish. For battleship stories I absolutely prefer C.S. Forester.

[zzin_24 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not quite as good as the first book, but an interesting setup, I got a deep irrational love for space opera and this trilogy is lots of fun.