The story is interesting, and the world in which the story is told is interesting. I even thought that the politics that drove the world were well crafted.The characters are pretty decent as well. I'm not going to call Kris Longknife another Honor Harrington by a long shot, but there are moments where she is very likable.But the writing.... my god, the descriptive writing is weak and awkward. And the dialogue was equally awkward until I started imagining everyone talking with stiff upper crust British accents. Even then, there are a few conversations in the book (especially when the Highlanders show up) which I just could not stand to read for more than 2 minutes at a time because they were so cheesy.I might give the second book a chance to see if the writer improves any and find out where the over-all story goes... but my advice for anyone considering this book is to wait until you don't have anything better to read, and then give it a chance if you're desperate.