The Myriad
R.M. Meluch
Daw, Jan 2005, $23.95, 320 pp.
ISBN: 0756402794

The Roman Empire never really died; it just went underground waiting and gathering its forces so that when it emerges it will be a power to be reckoned with. That time came when FTL space flight became a reality and the Roman Empire reemerged on the distant planet of Palatine. Earth and Palatine engaged in an on and off again war for almost two centuries until a common enemy united them in an uneasy truce.

The Hive is sweeping across the galaxy, eating everything that crosses its path and actually seeking inhabited planets for its meals. The U.S. Merrimack is charged with finding the Hive home world and destroying it. While on its mission, the crew finds THE MYRIAD, three inhabited worlds in a globular cluster; colony worlds settled by a non-Terran humanoid race. The inhabitants of these worlds travel through space using wormholes where time and space are twisted.

After making first contact, the Merrimack leaves and is attacked by a swarm of the hive. After two very intense battles, the Merrimack is called back to the Myriad because their use of the wormholes is causing the cluster to collapse; a planetary leader's plan will mean the destruction of the three inhabited worlds.

THE MYRIAD, the first book in the tour of the Merrimack, is terrific military science fiction. The crew of the Merrimack are believable and likable, especially Captain Farragut, who cares about the men and women under his command. R.M. Meluch provides intense battle scenes and vivid descriptions of their aftermath in such a way that readers feel for the men and women risking their lives against an almost unstoppable enemy while also eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Harriet Klausner