The Last Watch (2021) [+]
Jan 13 2025
The Last Watch is a science fiction novel by JS Dewes and the first novel of The Divide series.
In the far future Augustus Mercer aka Cavalon, disgraced scion and heir of the largest ruling house of the System Collective, is exiled into the Legion and assigned to the Sentinels where all the misfits Legionnaires go. The Sentinels are stationed at the edge of the Universe which is a measurable dividing line and any matter that crosses that line is de-rezzed into nothingness. Which is strange since the Viators came across the Divide to destroy the Human race and almost succeeded with a depopulated humanity still recovering and still fearful of a new invasion.
Mercer meets Excubitor Adequin Rake, commander of the Sentinel battleship SCS Argus, though after a couple hundred years of sentry duty with few supplies it's less of a space-going ship than a barely mobile base. As an aside it's kind of neat that the Legion uses Roman Empire-reminiscent rankings: Optio are high rankers, Circitors are sergeants or lieutenants, Oculus are the privates. Anyway, Rake is a hero of the last Viator incursion and she personally wiped out the last Viator mother and yet now she's also exiled to the Sentinels. As another aside Rake is also a Titan, which is the elite first-response unit of the Legion.
The main plot is that something is happening with the Divide, it's moving inwards which could signal the contraction of the Universe. As SCS Argus is in peril because her star drive is non-functional Mercer is part of a team sent to the Kharon Gate — old Viator gates are used for I assume instantaneous FTL travel though ships can also travel FTL at a slower pace — where they find it abandoned and are attacked by Drudgers, a warrior race developed by the Viators. Meanwhile the Divide catches up to SCS Argus and Rake is forced to abandon ship with a few survivors…
I like that Dewes does not go into long explanations. Things and terms are introduced and maybe briefly described but it's basically bits and pieces until you get a clearer picture. So for example the Titan stuff and what it means to be a Titan takes a bit to figure out.
Also it's nice that there is no romance subplot between Mercer and Rake, and no real hint of it either in this book. In this story Rake has a romance subplot with a long-time friend.
There is not a huge big battle or even big events in this novel. Sure SCS Argus is destroyed, the Divide is contracting, and the Viators seem to be back. But it's more like things are starting rather than being resolved and the novel ends at an interlude. It's a novel designed to be the start of a series.
The writing style is good. It's more conversational and literally lots of dialog between the characters and not that much of their thinking (or maybe average compared to their talking). It is kind of a slow-moving story and sometimes it was getting close to being a bit boring, though I did read it 50 pages at a time alternating with other reading material.
Characters are still a bit mysterious. Some of their background is revealed but even the two main protagonists have lots of stuff left unsaid since there are more books in the series. Mercer starts out a bit spoiled and sarcastic but grows once he's in the military while Rake is kind of disillusioned though still believes in the Legion and her growth is letting that blind faith go.
Overall I liked this novel more than the last couple of science fiction multi-book properties I've read. Could make a good RPG setting.
In the far future Augustus Mercer aka Cavalon, disgraced scion and heir of the largest ruling house of the System Collective, is exiled into the Legion and assigned to the Sentinels where all the misfits Legionnaires go. The Sentinels are stationed at the edge of the Universe which is a measurable dividing line and any matter that crosses that line is de-rezzed into nothingness. Which is strange since the Viators came across the Divide to destroy the Human race and almost succeeded with a depopulated humanity still recovering and still fearful of a new invasion.
Mercer meets Excubitor Adequin Rake, commander of the Sentinel battleship SCS Argus, though after a couple hundred years of sentry duty with few supplies it's less of a space-going ship than a barely mobile base. As an aside it's kind of neat that the Legion uses Roman Empire-reminiscent rankings: Optio are high rankers, Circitors are sergeants or lieutenants, Oculus are the privates. Anyway, Rake is a hero of the last Viator incursion and she personally wiped out the last Viator mother and yet now she's also exiled to the Sentinels. As another aside Rake is also a Titan, which is the elite first-response unit of the Legion.
The main plot is that something is happening with the Divide, it's moving inwards which could signal the contraction of the Universe. As SCS Argus is in peril because her star drive is non-functional Mercer is part of a team sent to the Kharon Gate — old Viator gates are used for I assume instantaneous FTL travel though ships can also travel FTL at a slower pace — where they find it abandoned and are attacked by Drudgers, a warrior race developed by the Viators. Meanwhile the Divide catches up to SCS Argus and Rake is forced to abandon ship with a few survivors…
I like that Dewes does not go into long explanations. Things and terms are introduced and maybe briefly described but it's basically bits and pieces until you get a clearer picture. So for example the Titan stuff and what it means to be a Titan takes a bit to figure out.
Also it's nice that there is no romance subplot between Mercer and Rake, and no real hint of it either in this book. In this story Rake has a romance subplot with a long-time friend.
There is not a huge big battle or even big events in this novel. Sure SCS Argus is destroyed, the Divide is contracting, and the Viators seem to be back. But it's more like things are starting rather than being resolved and the novel ends at an interlude. It's a novel designed to be the start of a series.
The writing style is good. It's more conversational and literally lots of dialog between the characters and not that much of their thinking (or maybe average compared to their talking). It is kind of a slow-moving story and sometimes it was getting close to being a bit boring, though I did read it 50 pages at a time alternating with other reading material.
Characters are still a bit mysterious. Some of their background is revealed but even the two main protagonists have lots of stuff left unsaid since there are more books in the series. Mercer starts out a bit spoiled and sarcastic but grows once he's in the military while Rake is kind of disillusioned though still believes in the Legion and her growth is letting that blind faith go.
Overall I liked this novel more than the last couple of science fiction multi-book properties I've read. Could make a good RPG setting.