Absolutely fantastic. I was a bit skeptical about the magic, but it’s written in a way that it’s not always a Deus Ex Machina. There are consequences to using magic and the characters use it sparingly.
I am a big fan of science fiction with complex political intrigue and a strong technical side. I’m not opposed to military fiction if the action is thoughtful, realistic and it’s only one component of the complex story. Alastair Reynolds and Joel Shepherd are some of my favourite authors. This story anthology is neither a technical science fiction or a space opera. It doesn’t have overwhelming military or any serious long term story arcs. It is an anthology of short(ish) stories meant to mimic the feel of watching Firefly. There is an authors note at the end that says as much. Before you turn your nose up, let me be clear about what it does have: excellent characters who are extremely well portrayed by the narrator, just the right amount of humour/silliness that it’s still believable but cuts the dramatic action into fun, a series of high paced extremely fun adventure stories and an incredible dedication to consistency and continuity between missions/chapters. I have a high standard for science fiction and this collection is excellent. Highly recommended.