The Blood-Dimmed Tide is the second in Michael R. Johnston’s Remembrance War space opera series. It would have been helpful to have read the first (The Widening Gyre), but Johnston provides enough backstory during The Blood-Dimmed Tide that reading the first isn’t essential. In the distant past, human destroyed their planet and took to the stars. They wandered alone in space until finally taken in by the Zhen. The Zhen are not as compassionate as they seemed originally, however, and Earthlings remain second-class citizens. Tajen Hunt, a human, has rediscovered Earth and taken the planet back from domination by the Zhen. As a result, humans are again walking where their ancestors walked 1000 years ago.
The world building is excellent, and technical stuff is believable enough for me to suspend disbelief. There’s a touch of romance (I enjoyed two men being both husbands to each other and partners in saving Earth), lots of techie stuff, and humorous banter. It does end on a huge cliff-hanger.
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The Widening Gyre is available through:
The Blood-Dimmed Tide is available for pre-order through:
