4.5 stars - I'm very happy that I recently decided to read more German SFF, otherwise I'd have missed this gem. This is a space opera in the tradition of Star Wars (but with unique twists subverting your expectations, and more morally grey and adult characters) - beautiful poetic descriptions of planets and space mixed with magic (which could also be ancient alien psi-technology) and a swashbuckling adventure that keeps you turning the pages very quickly.

The book starts out with a young lady who - together with her guards - is flying towards their death due to having been chosen as a "bride" to the God-Empress, a position nobody has ever returned from. She's being transported on one of the old cathedral ships, which were built by aliens thousands of years ago using a technology that is now secret and reserved to the Witches, psionic servants of the empress. But a grizzled old legend shows up to kidnap her, saving her from her fate, but not necessarily for a better one. Here are some illustrations for the book to give you some idea of what it's like:




The main characters are a pretty diverse mix and include a middle-aged, bald woman who's an expert pilot and slow to trust, a grizzled war veteran who's actually kinder than he believes himself to be (and very sneaky), a young couple, a tinkerer who's lost his legs, and an enigmatic female android. There's lots of exciting action, amusing banter, and emotional drama, and the pacing remains fast throughout the whole book. The tension never lets up: there's always something at stake and our protagonists always need to find a solution quickly.

I really thoroughly enjoyed this and only had minor quibbles, such as the ridiculous invented swear words, and that sometimes character backstories became a little too dark for my personal taste. I think I would have loved it even more if it had maintained its light, adventurous tone without ever suddenly becoming very real, grey, and touching on painful serious subjects. But that's a matter of personal taste - I'm sure many people love it all the more for that. And despite these small points of criticism, this was just a blast to read, and I recommend it for anyone looking for an entertaining space opera. ( )