book is consumed primarily with the war between the Coalition and the revs. Some characters do not even consider it much of a war, as it involves mostly just the revs throwing troid ships at Coalition systems, and the Coalition breaking up the troids. It seems to be conducted more like a long series of skirmishes. It is a brutal, senseless, and monotonous war of attrition, with the revs hoping to wear the Coalition down with repeating waves of troids and troops, which the Coalition hopes to outlast. With the populations and resources of potentially dozens of worlds on each side, the war is bound to continue interminably before either side is exhausted. Background The precise origins of the war are unknown to readers. Mainly, readers are left with the sense that it has been going on a long time, and will continue to do so. A few major events in the history of the war are mentioned, such as the Harmony Raid, the most successful Coalition raid upon a rev position, which required nearly a year of build-up in the outskirts of a rev system due to translation inaccuracies. The motives of the revs in prosecuting this war are fairly straightforward: they need living space. Their religion and their society encourage high birth rates and high levels of individual consumption. The Coalition, while not the most vulnerable of targets, has the most and best planets closest to being prepared at any given time. The revs are also able to justify the war religiously in another manner: the Coalition's neural implants. The revs have declared the use of these implants to be abomination and that those who join with machines have become soulless golems. The Book of Toren encourages the elimination of abominations, and so the revs are able to cloak their land-grab in terms of a holy battle between good and evil. Tactics The tactics of the war are fairly simplistic, at least on the large scale. A typical engagement begins in the outer reaches of a given solar system, where the Coalition is planoforming a world. The revs, back in their own systems, have converted nickel-iron asteroids into great "troid" ships, fitting on engines and digging out enough room for soldiers in cryonic sleep, scout ships, and paragliders. Upon arrival in the system, the troid is pointed at the target planet, and set on its inexorable course. Coalition