Gateway

Knowing that Brian Dorsey's background is that of a naval officer, I expected more space battles and tactics. Instead, his story focuses more on the actions of a special ground unit, more akin to the Marines. A parallel story focuses on the political intrigue in a society where position and rise in rank depend more on family lineage than on merit. The combination of the two makes for a fairly unique story which reads like a Leigh Bracket pulp scifi novel mashed up with a David Weber military scifi novel...as if The Sword of Rhiannon and March Up Country spawned a baby where there are more strong female characters.

Gateway was one of several “first” novels I read right around the same time. In comparison to a couple of these other first efforts, Gateway's prose and pacing felt a little more polished. I expect this will only get better as the series progresses.