This note contains spoilers for the book.

Second book of Dread Empire's Fall. As has recently been observed on rec.arts.sf.fandom, the US editions emphasize the series title, the UK editions emphasize the individual titles. These seem to be coming out as paperback originals in the US, which is great. I like hardcovers less and less as I get older—partly the cost, of course, but a lot of it is that I'm doing less and less of my reading sitting up in a chair, just reading. When lying in bed, or when eating, it's very handy to be able to manipulate the book, including turning pages, with just one hand.

This seems to take up pretty much where the last one left off. Luckily I remember at least bits of the characters, so I don't feel lost yet.

The fake lady and the clever Captain do eventually get involved, while also inventing a new system of tactics that actually works (and is of course opposed by the high officers). Then they have a stupid, stupid misunderstanding and break up, and she ends up working in the ground resistance on the capital planet (which the Naxids take, because the government is convinced to pull out to somewhere defensible).

And that's about where it ends. I hear that the next one ends the series, so there's a lot of work left to do, and it'll have to move at a much more energetic pace I'd think.