Siege

This is a pretty good tale, especially so considering it's the authors first. A tried and tested formula of space-opera, plucky protagonist and sticky situations means it's often un-put-downable! That said, there are enough new bits of science-y tech and ideas about space-faring politics that it doesn't mimic existing universes - including a type of space drive (STDS) that I've not read about in other novels.

In the same vein as Lois McMaster Bujold with a dash of Asimov politics (just a dash mind, it's not heavy politics and even my mediocre understanding of politics isn't stressed too much). Connor, Stuart and Magnus are characters that I'm looking forward to reading more about.

The only thing that let's down the tale is the dialogue. Some of it is inconsistent and occasionally jarring - things said that appear out of character (Space Pirates should never use the word “nice”). Overall though, a minor detraction from an otherwise enjoyable novel.