A mass murder is just the beginning of something that threatens to engulf the universe in death and slaughter.
This book has everything I love about science fiction.
It's got a large cast of characters (which carries it's own bonuses and perils), and while the action starts small, it quickly moves to world spanning, and we're left with a sense of reasonable doubt as to who is behind everything until the end. The action scenes are excellent, there's a real sharpness in the description of everything from hand to hand fighting to the wars between starships. I love that the characters aren't twenty five year old models who just happen to be brilliant at everything, the scenes with a woman at retirement age merrily blasting her way to victory over people much younger than her was a joy to read, and I love that there is no immunity from the reaper.
I just didn't love it as a whole.
I remember reading Ancillary Justice some years ago and having similar problems with that, just something about it didn't work for me. I should have loved this book, and yet, despite reading to the end of it, I found myself unenthused, and for the life of me I cannot think why. For books that I don't find enjoyable, I normally give a lower rating, but the writing here was good, the ideas excellent, and I'm loathe to mark down something that could well be brilliant for the next reader, just because it didn't gel for me.