The Service of Mars should have been classified as a different series, as it is effectively a spin-off with a new main character augmented by some returning cast members. As it doesn't telegraph this, I suspect a lot of readers will be disappointed due to a lack of Damien Montgomery.

Personally, I was expecting that Damien would end up as a side-character, and was unsurprised when it became clear that scenes with him would be as rare as those from the Mage-King himself. Instead, we return to the frontlines of the War, which was put on hold in the previous novel. It's not a jarring transition since the cast is almost equivalent to Sword of Mars, with the crew of Rhapsody in Purple returning, as well as the Admiral and her flag staff in Second Fleet. Basically if you liked Sword of Mars, you shouldn't dislike this book because there is one less Hand on the spy ship.

Now that I've finished defending the shift in main characters, I'll return to an actual review of the novel. The plot itself is just as thrilling as ever, with the Republic as sneaky as before and the Protectorate straddling the line between highly competent but constantly getting stabbed in the back. I think we come out just right... the Protectorate doesn't feel like it's too stupid to survive, but just barely. Suspense is ratcheted way up, as while I know Damien won't be killed, I have no assurances for the rest of the cast. I feared for the lives of quite a few of the main characters.

That said, The Service of Mars just isn't quite up to the standards of the previous books. The Republic is not enough of a threat, and worse, the story moved on to other matters in Mountain of Mars. And finally... the new characters just aren't Damien.

Recommended, but have your expectations set correctly.