# Sunstone Imperative

![Book cover of Sunstone Imperative](/books/covers/sunstone_imperative.jpg)

by [Scott Warren](/books/authors/scott_warren/)
Book 6 of [War Horses](/books/series/war_horses/)
★★★☆☆

## Review

_Sunstone Imperative_, by Scott Warren,
is the sixth book in the _War Horses_ series. Returning to
the action-packed roots of the earlier books, it drops the Chevaliers into the
middle of a raid against a Wyking stronghold to open the gates for a
full-scale invasion.

In _Sunstone Imperative_, the Wyking clans, which we first saw in [_Ymir_](/books/ymir/), are
locked in a bitter civil war. Sensing an opportunity, the Emirs of the West
Gulf and the Archon de Catalan put aside their differences and assemble a
joint task force to breach the Dwimor Gate, one of the few navigable routes
into clan space. Blocking their path is a massive fortress-asteroid
honeycombed with narrow passages and defended by Wyking warriors. Taking the
stronghold is essential for the invasion's success. Mechs are too large for
most of the asteroid's tunnels, but the Seraphs---human-sized power armor
first seen in [_Dog Soldier_](/books/dog_soldier/)---are just right.

The story is relatively simple, but I enjoyed it. The long-running gag about
Vandal's leadership training is great. Warren must have
read some of the same terrible books I did when I was trying to be a better
manager, because he lampoons their concepts perfectly. The Wykings are
probably the best part of the book. Scott Warren makes them horrifying and
evil, but with some humor, and it's interesting to get a deeper look into
their culture and how the hierarchy of the different clans works.

The initial assault on the asteroid reminded me of the [American airborne
assault][airborne] during [Operation Overlord][overlord], or at least how it's
described in Ambrose's _Band of Brothers_. The Seraphs and marines
teleport over to take out key objectives before the main assault, but they end
up scattered and in the wrong drop zones, desperately trying to regroup rather
than achieve their objectives.

[airborne]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_airborne_landings_in_Normandy
[overlord]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Overlord

_Sunstone Imperative_ didn't have the fun twists of [_Grand Melee_](/books/grand_melee/), and it didn't have the
careful plotting and insight into the types of people you need during and
after a revolution that made [_Serpent Valley_](/books/serpent_valley/) and [_Dog Soldier_](/books/dog_soldier/) so good, but it's a solid
action romp in the vein of [_Chevalier_](/books/chevalier/), and a perfect palate cleanser after the
philosophical and _long_ [_Endymion_](/books/endymion/) and [_The Rise of Endymion_](/books/the_rise_of_endymion/) of the [_Hyperion Cantos_](/books/series/hyperion_cantos/).

## Reviews that mention _Sunstone Imperative_
- [_Grand Melee_](/books/grand_melee/)
- [_On Basilisk Station_](/books/on_basilisk_station/)†
- [_Surface Detail_](/books/surface_detail/)†

† _Mentioned via a link to the series._

## Related Books
- [_Serpent Valley_](/books/serpent_valley/) by [Scott Warren](/books/authors/scott_warren/) --- ★★★★☆: Serpent Valley, the third book in the War Horses series, is another quick, action-packed read—but without the flaws holding back its predecessors. Easily my favorite of the series so far!
- [_Dog Soldier_](/books/dog_soldier/) by [Scott Warren](/books/authors/scott_warren/) --- ★★★☆☆: Dog Soldier, by Scott Warren, is the fourth book in the War Horses series. It concludes the Cinto DaSelva campaign and further develops the setting’s backstory.
- [_Grand Melee_](/books/grand_melee/) by [Scott Warren](/books/authors/scott_warren/) --- ★★★☆☆: Grand Melee, by Scott Warren, is the fifth book in the War Horses series. In it, the Chevaliers take a break from wartime contracts to participate in a massive mech tournament.