Negative Positive
Title: It's time spent not being miserable, but not worth buying.
Review: The first, space battle aspect of the book is good - though coming out after the Third Imperium and Harrington books it feels like a remix of the two rather than something new. From there, as others have noted, the plot is essentially a collection of near-future sci fi standards, with an ending that breaks the story's internal continuity. Avoid, but take this as being the exception that proives the rule that if David Weber wrote it, it's got to be good. A much better standalone is _Path of the Fury_, which I have worn out two copies of rereading.
Is the review positive or negative? 