The interstellar array which links worlds together wakes to find it has enemies… recognizes the Emperor as its foe.
Danny Andela, once known as The Imperial Hammer, withdrew from the Imperial Rangers decades ago, her reputation in tatters. She lives on her family’s star barge, waiting to die of a rare disease: old age. She would be the array’s perfect weapon against the Emperor, except she no longer gives a damn–about anything.
Then Danny learns that the military disaster which essentially ended her life might possibly have been arranged by the Emperor himself…
Hammer and Crucible is the first book in the Imperial Hammer space opera science fiction series by award-winning SF author Cameron Cooper.
The Imperial Hammer series:
1.0: Hammer and Crucible
2.0: Star Forge
3.0: Long Live the Emperor
4.0: Severed
5.0: Destroyer of Worlds
Space Opera Science Fiction Novel
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Praise for Hammer and Crucible:
This was a fun, fast paced read full of action and humor.
I greedily read in this in one day. You will want to as well.
Lots of action and a boatload of twists and turns that grab your attention and won’t let go. It has kept me up way past bedtime!
He builds the scenes in a way that I feel as though I am actually walking long the ship’s corridors and I can totally relate to all of the characters.
I loved Hammer and Crucible! Couldn’t put it down.
The plot is fascinating; it is intricate as well as filled with surprises and action.
This is a read that really sucks you in!
Excellent characters, twists and turns throughout.
Written in such a natural hand that you can fully image the spectacular universe the author has created.
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Cameron Cooper is the author of the Imperial Hammer series, an Amazon best-selling space opera series, and other space opera novels and short stories.
Cameron tends to write space opera and military science fiction, but also roams across the science fiction landscape. Cameron was raised on a steady diet of Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert, McCaffrey, and others. Peter F. Hamilton and John Scalzi are contemporary heroes. An Australian Canadian, Cam lives near the Canadian Rockies.
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An amazing first book in this new sci-fi series. There is action, thrills, surprises, and a population in which a large majority need never know the aches and pains or show signs of aging. Space ships no longer need to take lifetimes to get from one area of space to another, they just use the”array”, but the building of this amazing technology is not shared but used for power and profit. There appears to be a secret surrounding the one in power that some family members believe led to the death of one of their own, the downfall of a hero, the desertion from the military of another. The AI’s are amazing in this fantastic world-building story, more than you’d ever suspect. With the help of a most unusual AI, family, and former military comrades, the heroine now knows she must find and uncover the truth. The journey is complex and filled with surprises and danger. You may think I’ve given you spoilers, think again cause there is sooo much happening between the lines. Start this new series and continue the journey, as I’m about to do with book 2; onward towards the stars, unknown dangers, and new discoveries.
Once known as the Imperial Hammer, Danny Andela left the Imperial Rangers with her reputation ruined and went to live on her family’s star barge, where she ended up just waiting to die of old age. When her granddaughter Juliyana arrives and asks for her help to clear her father Noam’s name, Danny reluctantly becomes embroiled in a plot that might involve not only the Emperor, but a sentient entity that has evolved from the array, which is where all travel and communications is done. Along the way Danny and Juliyana find Major Dalton and an extraordinary ship, a young engineer that accidentally comes along after a hasty exit at a space station, and finally, answers to the questions they all have regarding Danny’s son Noam, the Emperor and the array. I really enjoyed this world and the extraordinary characters in it. I look forward to reading more in this series.
Excellent sci-fi adventure. This is the start of a new series so there is well written character development and amazing world building. In a time when old age is almost unheard of, a former hero is ready to die of it. A series of events occur that bring her back to the fight. The story looks like it’s going in one direction but ends in a twist and we are well setup for the next book. I liked the characters. There were reasons for what they do but as more secrets are uncovered they manage to keep going and even get stronger. There wasn’t a ton of science, just a rip roaring adventure of might versus right and justice. Fast paced easy read with a multi-book overarc but this story is wrapped up nicely. Looking forward to the next book. (I voluntarily reviewed an ARC).
In many ways this reads like a mystery thriller as family members work hard to evade capture as they seek to exonerate their family name. Outside forces seem to be anticipating and manipulating their every move, but are these forces for or against them? The science is fun and consistent, it does not delve too far into the minutia and is very accessible for a wide audience.
This was a fun, fast paced read full of action and humor. As the first book in a new series, there was quite a bit of character development and world building. It is quite a likeable cast, and a couple characters in particular were rather intriguing but I won’t say more for fear of spoilers. There were a couple really good twists at the end that resolved this in a different way from what it seemed to be building towards, but still satisfying. The groundwork was laid with a lot of potential and I am excited to see where this series goes next.
This is an honest and voluntary review of an ARC.
I loved Hammer and Crucible! Couldn’t put it down. Danny (Colonel Andela, Retired) is an absolutely wonderful character – tough, smart, thoughtful, imaginative, empathetic – and her supporting characters are delightful. The plot is fascinating; it is intricate as well as filled with surprises and action. I’ll be eagerly awaiting more stories in this universe!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader copy of this book.
Cameron Cooper has just reminded me of how much I love a well-written science fiction story. He builds the scenes in a way that I feel as though I am actually walking long the ship’s corridors and I can totally relate to all of the characters. There is action, great world building, multi-dimensional characters and a well-written plot.
I cannot wait for the next book in this series. Thanks Cameron!
Fabulous Sci-fi Adventure!!
In a future where longevity the norm as people rejuvenate to keep themselves “young”, interstellar travel occurs through arrays, and you print most of what you need. An event negatively affects a family so a grandmother and her granddaughter undertake a journey to discover the truth behind what occurred.
You will be transported to another dimension. The attention to detail makes everything you read plausible and you’ll exist in this new world along with these characters in this incredible story.
**I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book**