The Far Bank of the Rubicon, by Erik Wecks

The Far Bank of the Rubicon by Erik Wecks is a science fiction novel set in the deep reaches of space. In the far-flung future the human race lives across numerous stars. There are however, two factions, the Unity and the Alliance The former is a malign force lead by corporations, while the Alliance are freer, but run by a royal family.

The plot follows a few points of view including, Jonas, the younger prince of the Alliance. When the Unity attacks, he finds himself thrust into the position of fighting for maintaining a scrap of his personal life while becoming a figurehead for the resistance. Right from the start, the Unity is winning the war and creating chaos and damage all across the planets Jonas’ father rules.

Quickly, Jonas and his allies find themselves fighting a losing battle they may not have a chance of winning. Spies, traitors, and assassins make each step harder. Also, the enemy has new technological advances which give them advantages and interfere with the Alliance’s AI. Things look bleak and the best they can hope for is more effective damage control.

The science fiction in this novel is innovative and interesting, yet the characters failed to catch me as much as in other novels. The action is there, later in the novel, but I didn’t feel a burning drive to care for the characters as much as I could have. The author made strange choices like changing to the POV of a young girl, for the first time, while she loses her virginity. I thought this was an odd decision.

Strong points are again the level of tech which influences the battles, which seems realistic. In the future, battles will probably revolve around each side’s level of technology. I also liked the different types of weapons used in space. The author has a good grip on what space battles could really be like.

This novel is heavy on the science fiction, but a little lighter on the people involved in the war. If you like exploring the future of space battles I would pick this up.