Who suffers when you tell one little white lie? Who is it going to hurt when everyone who knows the truth of the matter is dead anyway? Why shouldn't you use your fortune to some benefit when no one stands to lose by saying otherwise? Why shouldn't you lie - if no one knows you're a liar?
As the champion of the Polemonian war, Sevdis Minare has it made. He's got fame and fortune and an easy retirement autographing copies of his book on tour. He's got it made - until Ben Novak shows up, pleading for the hero who defeated to Polemonians to come out of retirement and save his world. There's just one problem - Sevdis Minare's heroic legacy is built on lies.
Ben's brother Caleb fights for freedom on their homeworld, leading the resistance until help can arrive. The sudden arrival of the bounty hunter Tomita finds Sevdis unprepared to rejoin the fight and Ben desperate for allies. Swept off planet by Tromita, Ben and Sevdis flee from deadly assassins. Tromita has determined that Sevdis is going to either become the hero he claims to be, or die trying.
This story focuses on action and adventure. The characters rely heavily on archetypes, with only enough attention given to personal motivations to comfortably identify the characters. Most of the focus is given to the action scenes, with small breaks for banter and interplay between the characters. The central conflict is clear in its purpose, but the details of the conflict and the necessity of the conflict are left for later development. It's enough that we can identify the black hats from the white.
Many of the action scenes and much of the interplay is directly referential of other popular franchises. It's light enough and different enough to be an homage rather than an imitation. Little dramatic weight is given to the implications or consequences of the characters' actions. Many details of commerce and setting are given superficial treatment, which continues to direct the attention to the action scenes.
It's a rollercoaster of a ride, from brief moments of calm to explosive action that leaves the reader breathless. The stakes just keep building, until our heroes finally have to shut down a weapon capable of laying waste to entire planets. The brief and fast paced action scenes that move the characters on to the next challenge with reckless abandon. There is just enough time for our heroes to absorb the implications of their plight before the next wave of trouble descends.
By the end of the book, all three of our heroes will be faced with the implications of what they do, what they leave undone, where they are going, and what they must leave behind. Truth has a way of making itself known, transforming the lie, and possibly transforming the liar.
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