Review: Political Theory Disguised As Military SF
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2013
The galactic human empire is falling apart because the people at the top only care about themselves and most other people have become debt slaves.  Nuttall is a very good writer and his characters are interesting, although too often inflicted with cliche "on the other hand" worries to, I suspect, increase the tension.  This book in the series describes the events surrounding the young Emperor and his bodyguard, a female Marine who braces him up.  It is the most bleak of the 4 books, which is Nuttall's attempt to show what happens in states where the rich and powerful only care about themselves and the people are fed bread and circuses.  The other books suggest that one solution might be a commonwealth, but this one shows the death spiral in an uncompromising fashion, and most of the characters come to a bad end.  It is well worth reading, as are the others in the series, as Nuttall's politics are not, as with some military SF writers, driving rants and raves, but simply serving as the basis for a good story.