Book #36 - Helfort’s War Book 1 - The Battle at The Moons of Hell

A re-read for me, but when I bought book 4 before my last trip and started it, I realized I wasn’t sure what was going on. So I stopped and went back to read Helfort’s War Book 1: The Battle at the Moons of Hell.

The book follow Michael Helfort, newly graduated Jr Lt in the space Navy of the Federation Worlds. It’s split between following Helfort, a talented young man with a bit of a tempter, and the Hammer Worlds, a Soviet style empire that brutally oppresses it’s citizens, but based on a religion.

The Hammer worlds disdain the use of AIs, which are key to the Federation Worlds, but are wracked from within by economic issues. When the current leader of the Hammer worlds hatches a plot to hijack a terraforming ship and use it on one of their planets, things break loose. Helfort’s mother and sister are on the ship, and his ship is tasked to provide some intelligence to get them back.

In the deep space scout DSL-387, Helfort learns to be part of a team, and work together. He grows as a young soldier, while shouldering the burdens of his family being in danger. When the Federation attacks, it’s Helfort’s ship that is providing advance intelligence and intercepts a small force of much larger Hammer ships to distract the patrol from the Federation ships.

It’s an exciting space military opera, full of action, adventure, and lots of politics, particularly in the brutal Hammer worlds. I enjoyed the re-read and am looking forward to getting to book 4.