RANTS AND RAMBLES
DISCLAIMER: When I review books, weaknesses and inconsistencies tend to dominate my discussion; therefore, I will emphasize that any particular rant (and, yes, they can be long-winded) does not have special bearing on my unified opinion of the book. For this, please refer to my overall star rating. Additionally, this review is my personal opinion, intended to help like-minded readers navigate the plethora of available options. Use it as a tool but do not assign undue importance to it (i.e. feel free to disagree with me).

• The writing in this book has a few technical issues like ambiguous sentences, words in the wrong order, and missing words, but nothing stands out as bogging down the readability of the novel.
• There is a person who wears, at their hip, a dirk, a longsword, and a claymore. Of course, there is the issue of which type of claymore is being referenced here and if it could even be worn on the hip, but let’s give the benefit of the doubt and assume it is a basket hilt Scottish claymore. Even in this case, wearing three bladed weapons on one hip seems like a dubious proposition both due to the actual area available to fasten the weapons as well as their weight. It would probably make more sense to wear the two swords on opposite hips to prevent tangling them when drawing and to balance out the weight. That said, I am not an avid sword user, so I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of this. Perhaps I am wrong, and this is an acceptable way to wear weaponry.
• The world of the book is fantastic. The universe has lots of alien species, each of which feels distinct. They are not all humanoid as is the case in some sci-fi universes, rather each has drastically different abilities, physiologies, and social structures. The history is apparent, but the book doesn’t beat you over the head with it. It simply exists, shaping the world and story and is referenced in organic ways. Settings are unique, distinct, logical, and interesting. From a sub-terranean human reservation which mines materials from the earth to snow covered planets, mining space stations, and galactic battle stations, each location is engrossing. The protagonist’s spaceship also has a greenhouse built into it to grow food he remembers from earth which is cool and a neat way to build the universe while also fleshing out the character.
• TINY SPOILERS: When Louis changes his hair and skin color in the elevator near the beginning of the book, it seems to happen instantaneously and with no evidence of the transformation. A few chapters later, however, the process takes longer with sloughed off skin and hair being a byproduct of the alteration. This contradiction was not enough to take me out of the story, but it is inconsistent.
• MINOR SPOILERS: There are some great interactions between the characters. Even the jerk of an AI is likable in her own way. However, Saedie’s continued trepidation that she is just a bargaining chip to Louise and the thoughts to this effect he has near the conclusion of the story don’t ring true. It is possible that Saedie’s past experience could have “people” who seem nice but only when it is convenient, but the book doesn’t show this. Louis is nothing but nice to her, so her trepidation doesn’t land. Additionally, the windows into his thoughts over the course of the book don’t really support the idea that he views her merely as a bargaining chip, so this quandary near the end of the book isn’t consistent with his character.
• SPOILERS: The emergency at the space station seems kind of pointless. The fragile nature of the station was not apparent until this sequence, it was not caused by the antagonist, and it does not propel the plot. It is an isolated incident which, if taken out of the book, would not alter the story at all. It is exciting and entertaining, though.
• MAJOR SPOILERS: What is the main focus of the story? This is hard to nail down because there are two protagonists with different character traits and goals. Louis is a mythical Delta who cares about nothing beyond killing the machines who defeated him long ago. His involvement early in the story is as a dispassionate mercenary. Shortly after, he gets news of an old friend and goes to reconnect. Then, he heads back to Saedie’s planet in a bid to kill a machine overlord. Saedie, on the other hand, has no real drive. Initially she wants to save her home and afterward she is simply trying to survive, dragged along by Louis. This is true for the majority of the story. Also, Saedie is a Rho, though this doesn’t fit well into the narrative. Overall, the story is a little unfocused, but the characters are good enough and the action exciting enough to carry it. Also, the climax has high physical and emotional stakes, so it mostly effectively wraps up the story.