Valiant Dust by Richard Baker

Valiant Dust by Richard Baker is a promising start to a new Military Sci-Fi series with intriguing characters and a fascinating universe. The series (Breaker of Empires) is based on the colonization of Africa as European powers fought for dominance. Here, Earth long ago colonized the stars but some planetary systems became isolated, leaving them relatively primitive compared to some of the more technologically advanced star-faring empires.

The story is told through the eyes of Sikander North, royalty in his own system of Kashmiri but sent into military service in the Aquilan Commonwealth. On a new assignment as gunnery officer on the CSS Hector, Sikander faces adversity ranging from skepticism of his qualifications to outright hostility.

A sudden change in orders sends the Hector to the planet Gadira. Gadira is led by a Sultan. The Sultanate is under pressure within from rebels who desire a stricter adherence to religious dictates and from without by colonial powers looking to extend their influence in the system as well as provoke the other colonial powers. Sikander must navigate his duty to his ship with the desire to keep peace on Gadira, a culture he strongly identifies with. Tensions between the natives on the planet and between the competing interplanetary powers above it make for an exciting story.

Baker excels at creating political intrigue and simmering tensions. The action builds steadily until exploding into crisply and entertainingly drawn battles both on the planet and in orbit around it. Characterization isn’t especially deep in this first novel in the series, but the religious tensions and the uneasy alliances between and among interstellar empires are well detailed. The decision to tell the story through the eyes of a gunnery officer rather than a ship’s captain leads to an interesting perspective on the events. Particular one of Sikander North’s background. Valiant Dust is chock full of action and political intrigue. It is an exciting story and a great introduction to a new series. One in which I look forward to reading many more adventures.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

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