A blonde woman against the background of a planet. doors to her sides give the impression of wings

Imagine a Spartan colony of hardcore warriors, but it’s in on an asteroid in space. Oh, and the earth has been destroyed thanks to a benevolent alien AI who figured this was the best way to ensure galactic peace.

So far, so sci-fi. For the first few chapters of Some Desperate Glory, I thought this would be another enjoyable, lengthy, but soon-forgotten tale of vengeance, spaceships, war, and hardship.

While the book does have those parts, it has more. In addition to interesting plot elements such as timeloops, timeslips, and infinite possible universes, there are some not-so-subtle moral and ethical issues.

The daily chant on the asteroid of a couple of thousand surviving humans is “So long as we exist, they will fear us.” When a peoples’ homeland or world has been obliterated, do they right to vengeance? Do they have a duty? How far does that extend?

It’s impossible to read Some Desperate Glory without thinking of some real-world conflicts today.

I’d almost say that the book falls into an unfortunate “young adult” category. The protagonists are teens, and start with the kind of absolute certainty and moral absolutism that comes with adolescence. You’ll also find themes of sexual identity and abusive power dynamics throughout.

It’s a fun read.