A Matter of Oaths

By Helen Saunders Wright and Helen S. Wright

'A compelling, mind-bending future that's finally come home to the present' - Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

When Commander Rallya of the patrol ship Bhattya hires Rafe as their new Web officer, she knows she is taking a risk. As an oath breaker, Rafe has suffered the ultimate punishment - identity wipe - but luckily for him, there's no one else around qualified for the job. Shunned by his previous shipmates, Rafe is ready to keep his head down and do his job, but his competence quickly earns him respect, admiration, and, in one particular case, love.

It's difficult to maintain the glow of acceptance however, when his past is chasing him across the galaxy in the shape of an assassin, intent on dealing once and for all with Rafe, whatever the cost.

Originally published in 1988, A Matter of Oaths is a space opera with heart, intergalactic intrigue and epic space battles.

With a new introduction by Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

'Fast paced and inventive ... it held my attention to the end' - C. J. Cherryh

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1448216974
• ISBN13: 9781448216970
• Release Date: November 2017
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Unusual and very clever science fiction story

Set three thousand years in the future, at a time when spaceships travel between the worlds with the help of "webbers." Human worlds are organised in two empires - the "Old Empire" and the "New Empire" - and each of the two emperors is immortal. The two emperors have each signed an oath to respect the interests of the guild of Webbers which is seen as central to keeping the peace between the worlds. In place of a single commanding officer, ships are run by a trirumvirate or "Three." At the start of the book, the patrol ship Bhattya needs a new first officer. Commanda Rallya and her two colleages who make up Bhattya's "Three" decide to offer the post to Rafe, a brilliant webber who looks twenty five, and believes himself to be thirty, but has had his memory erased on defecting from the New Empire to the old one. As the Bhattya gets caught up in events which appear to threaten the stability of the galaxy it becomes very clear that there is something very unusual about Rafe. He is every bit as talented as Rallaya and her colleages had hoped, but his background seems to be very mysterious - and hint at an age rather greater than the 25 which his physical condition suggests or the 30 which he admits to. And whatever his past is, both of the two emperors are taking a close personal interest in him. Who or what is Rafe - and why is he so important ? I really liked this book and am surprised that it didn't become a bestseller. Good for a try if you want to read a science fiction book which is a bit different from the usual run.

one man caught between 2 immortal empires

Rafe is a member of the Guild of Webbers, the individuals who make space travel possible by using an implanted web to directly interface their minds to the ship's systems.Webbers must work in teams and trust is important. Unfortunately for Rafe, he's been identity-wiped (a fate usually reserved for criminals,but he has no apparant record) and no one wants to risk trusting him. Commander Rallya needs another qualified webber and takes Rafe on with some reservations. These reservations soon turn to concern --not over Rafe's competency,because he knows more tricks than he should for his rank--but Rafe apparantly has unremembered enemies from both empires who think nothing of arranging to get rid of Rallya's ship! Why do highly placed officials on both sides of the unofficial "cold" war want Rafe and anyone next to him dead? What does he know but can't remember? Who is he? Rallya and her crew must unlock a conspiracy in Rafe that involves both empires.