Brilliant? No. Derivative? Absolutely. Yet, this novel seems to overcome all of that with a quick pace and a determined narrative drive. The characters are all familiar and likeable, we've seen the plot before, though maybe not in this order, but it is space opera we are interested in after all, and the authors have written a compelling one.

I will probably read the other books in the series, though I might have a hard time recommending them to anyone who isn't already excited about the genre.