Published by Earthlight in the UK
I just finished reading this the other day, bought with some of the book tokens I got for Christmas, and as it was such an enjoyable read I felt obliged to give it a bit of hype, despite the fact that most of what I say below has been said before.
I’d encountered some fairly good reviews of this (see below for some links) before I picked it up, but I’d been meaning to get it anyway as I’ve enjoyed WJW in the past. It’s a Space Opera in the classic sense, complete with galaxy-spanning decadent empire, aliens, planet-busting weaponry, dramatic space battles, and most of what you’d expect from such a work.
The aliens who thousands of years previously had established the empire and it’s code of ethics (the Praxis) by ruthlessly conquering everyone else – humanity included – have been dying out gradually, and the death of the last member of the race occurs during the book, triggering all sorts of events best left out of this brief commentary. The story follows two human characters, both of whom are fun to read about and I found myself interested in both of their fates. The pace doesn’t really pick up until the last half/third of the book, but when it does the action comes thick and fast and I found myself up late reading the last sections.
Although The Praxis doesn’t really break any ground in terms of innovative plot structure, amazing new technology or particularly well rounded aliens, it’s a fine example of it’s type. It’s the sort of book you’d expect to see from an accomplished writer like WJW who’s decided to sit down and pen a classic space opera, and as such is highly readable and I recommend it for those times when the future shock is getting too much and you’d like to get back to the old days of ray guns, rocket ships and adrenalin. It’s the first book in a sequence too, so there’s the next in the series to look forward to once you’ve finished off this one.
Other reviews available online include: