History is the raw material of fiction

The Blood-Dimmed Tide by Michael R. Johnston

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


They say history is the raw material of fiction. This book is very much a case in point. It's book 2 in a series, and opens about a year after the events of the previous book. Tajen Hunt has led a group of humans in reclaiming an uninhabited Earth from the Zhen Empire. Said empire had claimed to "save" humanity from the wreck of a slower-than-light starship.

Here's where the history comes in. The template for the events of this book are based on the Irish war of independence which started with the Easter Uprising of 1916. Much like Ireland and England, humans and the Zhen have been living together for hundreds of years, which makes this war feel more like a civil war than the typical "D-Day in Spaaaccceee!" military SF. Now don't get me wrong - much stuff gets blown up real good, but there's a lot more than that going on.

Johnston's characters are very interesting. Tajen, our lead character, is gay and early in the book he marries his partner Liam. This, however, is not treated as unique nor is it a focal point of the story. It just is, and it's treated as such. The book is Book 2, so the ending is more of a "that's all for now" than an ending, but overall it's highly enjoyable.



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