Author Richard Baker (https://richardbakerauthor.com/) published the novel “Scornful Stars” in 2019. He has published a dozen novels and this is the third in his "Breaker of Empires" series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and some Mature Situations. The story is set in the far future. The primary character is Captain Sikander Singh North. He commands the Aquilan Commonwealth destroyer Decisive.

The Decisive is cruising the Zerzura sector. It is known for pirate activity. With the Decisive and her sister vessels now on patrol, the hope is that commercial vessels will be protected. Pasha Marid al-Zahabi is the governor of the Zerzura sector. The Aquilan Commonwealth and the Empire of Dremark are seeking cooperation from him.

The Decisive is successful in the pursuit of pirates. Their success seems to come in-part from their deviation from the planned cruise. Somewhere a spy is revealing their itinerary.

North becomes involved with the diplomatic mission to Pasha Marid. He also meets young and beautiful Elena Pavon. Pavon's family owns the Pegasus-Pavon international shipping line. Pegasus-Pavon ships have suffered from piracy in the sector. Also appearing is Dremark spy Otto Bleindel. Before long North must weave a careful path. Not only must he avoid diplomatic incidents, but he must contend with the pirates.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 13.5 hours I spent reading this 457-page science fiction novel. I have been fortunate to read both of the previous novels (Valiant Dust and Restless Lightning) in this series. All three have been very enjoyable. Most of the 'supporting characters' differ between the novels. North stays as the main character. I like his character. At one point in the novel, he thinks to himself "Leadership is about taking responsibility and setting examples". I wish all our real leaders adhered to that philosophy. I like the selected cover art. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

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This book is part of a series and I would recommend reading the previous books to fully appreciate the worldbuilding and characters in play

Now promoted to Captain , Sikander North , is patrolling four sections in the Zerzura section on alert for
piracy in the systems . Other powers would like to gain influence in the Zezura section and to that end Dremark
have offered to sell previously mothballed ships ........... to what end ? For as part of the Dremark delegation we find
an old foe of North's , the spy Bleindal ......... just what is he up now ?
This book deals with corruption and politics of the various parties resulting in a breakdown of diplomacy .
It was nice to see a touch of romantic interest for North ... however duty , as it does interferes .

I was given an arc of this book by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review .

Published by Tor Books on December 3, 2019

Richard Baker’s Breaker of Empires series is written in a style that reminds me of Jeffrey Archer. The protagonist behaves in a way that is consciously proper, as if he wishes to be an exemplar to others, while the writing style is formal, graceful without being stilted. You won’t find slang or foul language passing the lips of the series’ hero.

The hero of the series is Sikander North, a member of an aristocratic family on his homeworld. He begins the series as a lieutenant in the Aquilan Navy, although he is a Kashmiri, not an Acquilan. By the second novel, he is assigned to naval intelligence but posted to a remote world as a result of his actions in the first novel. He does rather well in that assignment and, by the time Scornful Stars begins, he has been made the captain of his own ship.

His patrol beat includes the Zerzura Sector, which is part of the Terran Caliphate, “one of the largest powers in the Coalition of Humanity” that includes worlds colonized by humans during the First Expansion. Its power declined after the Second Expansion, as the Aquilan Commonwealth, the Republic of Montréal, and the Empire of Dremark ascended. Fans of the series will be familiar with the political and military rivalries among those powers.

The other powers would like to gain influence in the Zerzura Sector. To that end, Dremark offers to sell some not-quite-mothballed military vessels (retrofitted to remove any classified technology) to Zerzura. Joining the Dremark delegation is a spy named Bleindal, with whom North has battled in the past.

North’s ship is patrolling four systems in the Zerzura Sector. Piracy has been a problem that North hopes to do something about. He is, in fact, entreated to do so by a lovely woman whose shipping company is plagued by pirates. Of course, North takes an interest in the woman and, all very properly, pursues a relationship with her. Alas, his duties interfere, as duties tend to do.

The pirates seem to know when the military will arrive. North develops a theory as to why that might be, putting him in a position to shoot it out with pirate ships. Later, he seizes an opportunity to thwart Bleindal’s nefarious plans, which leads to more shootouts, both between vessels and between North’s boarding parties and provocateurs.

The emphasis in the second novel was on diplomacy, while this one explores how corruption results in a breakdown of diplomacy. All three novels feature strong action scenes and interesting discussions about military strategy in the context of space, where warships are separated by thousands of kilometers.

A fair amount of military science fiction is ghastly, but the Breaker of Empires series combines a thoughtful balance of diplomacy and politics with military action. Baker’s attention to the forces that drive military engagements gives the series greater depth than most military sf can muster.

Scornful Stars continues Baker’s strong characterization and carefully conceived universe building. The story balances moments of excitement with convincing descriptions of what it might be like to serve in a space-based military organization. Baker’s attention to detail adds credibility to the story, while his focus on the impact of war on his characters adds an important dimension that most military action novels address only in generic terms.

RECOMMENDED

It's the first book I read in this series and I found it entertaining and enjoyable.
I loved the great world building, the style of writing and the fleshed out cast of characters.
The plot is fast paced and action packed, I liked it and it kept my attention till the end.
A good read: recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Book three in this series has Sikander Singh North with his own naval space ship, dealing with pirates whose activities are destabilizing the peace of the nations they are preying on. Sikander and his crew are tasked with cleaning up the pirates and exposing the nation behind their activities. There are space battles and political ramifications as Sikander works to fulfil his brief for the Coalition of Humanity.

I feel I've given this series a fair chance, but all three of my ratings have been three stars because my reaction to Sikander and his worlds are tepid at best. Mostly I just can't seem to connect with this main character and don't particularly care what happens to him. It is definitely time for me to wish him well and move along.

I received an e-galley of this novel from Macmillan - Tor/Forge through NetGalley.

Scornful Stars is the third in Richard Baker's gripping military SF series, Breaker of Empires. Its hero is Kashmiri royal Sikander Singh North, who joined the Commonwealth Navy and is now in command of the destroyer Decisive.

This episode pits Sikander and his crew against Zerzura Sector pirates, as well as series super-villain Otto Bleindel, as they play the Great Game in interplanetary space.

I enjoy Sikander Singh North's adventures just as much as I've appreciated those of Horatio Hornblower, Honor Harrington, and Kylara Vatta. Don't miss this excellent series!