The Dark Wing

The Dark Wing		Rating
		A
Walter H. Hunt
Series	Related Books
N/A	The Dark Wing, The Dark Path, The Dark Ascent

The wars with the alien zor has been a najor problem for humanity. It's not that mankind is on the ropes; we've won every time. But the zor just won't give up! Every peace treaty offers them generous terms, hoping to show the aliens - and the humans - that humanity is not out to harm them. And each treaty is broken by the zor within a few years when they renew the attack.

Many in the military are sick of the situation. As far as they're concerned, this is one long war, not a series of smaller ones. And they think humanity should stop coddling the aliens, who are perfectly willing to bombard nonmilitary planets into glowing rubble. At the very least the politicians should dictate terms for peace that don't allow them to retain their navy, or the ability to rebuild it. And one man has studied the zor during one of the short peaceful periods, goes even further. He thinks the zor never considered themselves beaten at all, and in order to make a permanent peace they must admit defeat. And to do that, he is advocating using zor tactics on the zor. Bomb their civilians. Take no prisoners. Attack until they surrender - or, more likely, until they're extinct.

The book's rather lengthy prologue is quite good, an excellent example of the genre known as "space opera." Massive numbers of ships firing at each other, disagreements over the best course of action or what the enemy's goals may be, even tactics and strategy, all make an appearance. It is perhaps unfortunate that Hunt also included numeous flashbacks, a literary device I generally dislike, personally. But only perhaps, as he did the job very well. Each scene jump was accompanied by a time stamp, making it immediately obvious that this was a flashback and not a flash forward or a sidestep to show something going on elsewhere at the same time. The flashbacks are also placed well, in areas where there might naturally be a space break anyway. Thus they serve to relieve some of the tension the battle engendered, as well as provide the setup for that very same battle - or, at least, the main character's role in it. Had events been portrayed in straight chronological order - usual desire regarding flashbacks - the opening ten or fifteen pages would have been pretty dull. As it is, the battle livens up the setup, and the setup provides a break from the battle. This is one of the few times I can actually say I approve an author's use of flashbacks. It works, here.

Hunt also does a masterful job in hius depiction of the man who originated, planned, and carried out the genocidal strategy, Admiral Marais. Part of the way this is done is by not making him a viewpoint character. He is probably the most important character in the book, true, but by keeping readers from knowing his innermost thoughts they are left wondering just how far he is willing to go in pursuit of peace. It also makes genocide an issue for debate both in the book and readers' minds. Is Marais a hate-filled madman out to kill all the zor he can find, a barbaric militarist taking an unneccesarily harsh tack against an enemy, or just someone willing to do what must be done? Is the willful bombardment of civilian targets to their complete destruction ever really justifiable?

In fact, as I read on, I realized that The Dark Wing is not actually space opera. Oh, it certainly draws many of its cues from that genre, especially in the beginning. But after that most of the space battled are skimmed over, or even skipped altogether. Instead the book largely revolves around the question of the morality of the campaign, and the political chaos it generates back on Earth. Ands, as the plot moves onwards, evidence mounts of a previously unknown threat to both species. The novel is thus part space opera, part morality play, and part character drama. It is even part spy novel and part courtroom drama, thanks to the last fifty pages or so. It is a peculiar mix, but Hunt brings it off well.

Nearly everything about this book is done well, really. I honestly had few complaints, the most major of which is that every single nonmilitary human was either slimy - intelligence agents and politicians, mostly - or spineless - the general public or, again, politicians - while military personell are almost uniformly honest, competent, and dutiful. All the other problems are were mere quibbles, easily dismissed and forgotten.

In short, this is an excellent book, and promises to be the first of a series. If the sequels prove to be as entertaining and thought-provoking, then they will be welcome additions to my little library. Even alone, though, this one has earned a place on my shelves. And I highly recommend that you give it a chance to be on yours, as well.

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