In an empire where political power is everything, Captain Timothy Val wants one thing: to serve his empire with honor and distinction. But after a mission to quell a revolt goes terribly wrong, Timothy is branded a traitor and barely escapes with his life. His only hope of regaining his lost honor and clearing his family name rests in the hands of a senator planning to use him as the face of a revolution.
With an intergalactic war looming and civil unrest spreading through the empire, Timothy must tread carefully. Assassins wait around every corner, and his new allies have made him powerful enemies, enemies that may not be entirely human.
Whew! That was a wild ride!
It's always interesting when authors branch out into a new and different genre--especially when their unique style still manages to come out in fun and exciting ways. Sometimes (as in the case of a certain adult crime thriller author who attempted to branch out into the world of YA fantasy) it doesn't go so well... But this time, I think it really worked.
It's one thing to write a story about a young interplanetary soldier whose decision to stand in defense of innocents--even against his own commanding officer--gets him in trouble with the evil establishment and sweeps him into a whole mess and tangle of political intrigue. Such a plot line is worthy of Asimov himself--the way it all played out, the machinations and the movements of the different characters like pieces on a chessboard, the rigors of a social hierarchy still very much locked into place, even in a society supposedly advanced enough to mainstream interplanetary travel--it all felt like reading one of those classic sci-fi novels set in some far-flung galaxy so different from our own, and yet in some ways very much the same, in terms of how people interact with one another.
But Copen, of course, being the brilliant urban fantasy/horror/paranormal author she is (just check out below where I list some of her other novels I've read and enjoyed!) adds a whole other level when she brings some paranormal entities, some truly devilish influences into play for at least one character group!
I have come to realize that what I think I like best about Copen's books is that she doesn't tell you which characters you ought to feel good about, because of "how good they think they are"... I've read books where the author tries to force such sentiments into the narrative, while the character they so earnestly desire to promote... doesn't actually display any remarkable qualities worth rooting for.
Not Copen's characters. I love the way she presents them with unique vulnerabilities, strengths and flaws that not only support and drive the plot forward, but opens up the character to become one's favorite--and not just the main character, but the support roles as well. (TEAM CHAUNSTANCE ALL THE WAY!!) And there were some of the "evil" characters who were so fiendishly well written that they made my skin crawl just seeing their names on the page!
I really enjoyed the intrigue of this book. Broken Empire: Aftermath wins an absolute *****5 STAR***** rating from me. If you enjoy sci-fi works like those of Isaac Asimov, with the twists and grisly peril of the latter half of a Michael Crichton novel, and you're on the lookout for something new and spellbinding to read--why not give this, or indeed any of Copen's work a try?
Further Reading: (Also by the author/paranormal/epic sci-fi/series with socio-political intrigue)
Judah Black Series--E. A. Copen
The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
-The Alcatraz Coup
-Jacq of Spades
-Queen of Diamonds
-Ace of Clubs-The Secret King: Letháo--Dawn Chapman
-The Arena--Santana Young
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