Part of Alex Benedict, book 1
First published 2004
Alex Benedict faces a disturbing accusation that threatens to shatter everything humanity believes about its greatest military hero. Christopher Sim supposedly saved the human race by transforming a collection of outcasts and misfits into the force that defeated the alien Ashiyyur in a war that changed history. But someone claims Sim was nothing more than an elaborate fake. Alex must leave human space behind and venture deep into Ashiyyur territory to uncover what really happened during those legendary battles. His investigation takes him across the alien galaxy, following clues that lead further from the official story with each discovery. The truth Alex uncovers proves more bizarre and unsettling than any tale of heroism or cowardice could be. What he learns about Christopher Sim forces him to question not just one man's legacy, but the very foundations of human understanding about their place in the galaxy.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, action, alternate-history
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ashiyyur, Human Space
Period: Legendary Battles
310 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ace