Rating: 
Summary: An honest hard SF book with a great story
Review: Yet another great book from Walter Jon Williams, the most underrated SF author around. This book is the second in the Praxis series and should not be read without having read "Dread Empire's Fall". The Sundering (not that I get the title) picks up right where the first one left off with our heroes gallantly trying to put down a rebellion that threatens the stability of a 10,000 year old empire. The book starts off quick, stabilizes in the middle and finishes with a bang which leaves you wanting more. The story is not over yet and while I have no idea how many more books WJW intends to write, one can only hope for about two more, in which he should be able to wrap up the story and get on with something else. (I don't approve of endless novels). There is also a wonderful sense of humor throughout this book, not the Terry Pratchett kind, but a subtle realistic humor that makes this book very unique and a wonderful read. WJW does a great job in showing just how hard it would be to stage a battle in space. Fighting gravitational thrust, incredibly long distances, inadequate intelligence all make a much more realistic view of space warfare then what is usually seen in SF novels. While other authors ignore facts of physics or invent some magical contraption to negate the effects, Williams deals with them honestly and effectively. This book is not only a great story, but it's not a cheat. In other words, as Arthur C. Clarke and other great SF writers have shown, it is possible to tell a good story and stick to scientific fact. While most other authors in this genre have conveniently forgotten how to do this in order to create boring "space operas", WJW forges ahead in the path developed for him by the great masters of SF. I only hope we see more of WJW soon and that he keeps writing great books like the Praxis series and "Days of Atonement", which is one of the best time travel novels ever written.
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