The third entry in the Proxima series, Proxima: War for Peace, picks up eighteen years later than the end of the second novel. In the first two novels, humans discovered the evil Othauls when landing on a distant planet, Hyera (or Proxima b), inhabited by a race called Proximinians. The Othauls are like the King John’s of the universe, flying around and collecting heavy taxes from other worlds. Fortunately, they haven’t found Earth yet. Liam and Ann Donovan are quietly persuading different alien races to join an alliance, and one day, stand up to the Othauls.
The book continues the narratives of many other characters introduced in the first two novels. In separate threads, a trio of law officers chase a terrorist who wants to rid our galaxy of non-humans, and Liam and Ann’s son, Mason, debates the moral implications of starting a war. But with the arrival of a wife of a long-lost character, and a desperate rescue mission on Proxima b, Liam and Ann separate. They decide it’s time to confront the Othauls, but where and how will they do it? With an interesting twist in the second act, the novel rushes toward its climatic ending.
This is equal parts science fiction and action-adventure. Many different characters and species come together to show off their powers and heroism. This book owes more to Starship Troopers than Star Wars, though it’s as fast paced as any space opera. The second book had Liam and Ann visit multiple planets. This one has less exploration of new worlds but manages to include many alien landscapes. There’s much here to thrill the science fiction reader.
When the conflict arrives, the scenes are well-thought out. I especially liked Mason’s thread and his personal journey, mostly in the middle of the novel. The group of characters he was a part of separate at one point, and it was interesting to see what happens to each one.
I appreciated the questions raised about war at the start of the novel, and the effect of those questions later on the Donovan family. Not one, but multiple rescue missions occur. One rescue mission showed the solid bonds of family and friendship even in the face of war. Though I thought this particular rescue mission’s timing was a stretch to believe, I found it a nice counterpart to the other sequences occurring at the same time. The battles had real consequences for some of the characters—it’s not only red shirts who were being killed.
Proxima: War for Peace ends a trilogy about man’s desire to continue its existence, its interactions with species outside of its own, and the eventual conflict between them. Broad in scope and brought to a satisfying conclusion, Proxima: War for Peace is an exciting science fiction novel.