Fun read. Interesting to have read end on end with Accidental War; while this is on the surface a much darker book (Earth is destroyed! Billions die! Terrifying, mysterious attacks by near indestructible aliens!) it’s still the Williams tale of banal post-colonial greed that feels far uglier and more terrifying. But a good cast, a peppy, fast moving plot, and plenty of intriguing mysteries. It’s not a deeply chewy book but I had fun and will be grabbing the rest of the series.