The novel “Heroes of Invisible Wars” (“Eroi di guerre invisibili”) by Claude Francis Dozière was published for the first time in 2021 and translated into English by Amanda Blee.
Jane Hattaway is in her first command of a spaceship on what is supposed to be a routine mission to perform some operational tests. However, when she discovers two wrecks in space, all traces of normality vanish, because one of the spaceships belonged to the human fleet and the other to the alien Hurack fleet.
The orders Captain Hattaway receives when she informs Admiral James Edwards of the discovery are to maintain absolute secrecy and destroy the recordings she recovered. She begins to suspect that something strange is going on and decides to disobey, attempting to decipher the recordings instead of destroying them.
Claude Francis Dozière didn’t reinvent the wheel in writing “Heroes of Invisible Wars,” but he did use narrative elements that have their roots in classic science fiction. He did so by creating a future in which humanity has expanded into space and is dealing with various alien species. These are foundations that are easily understandable with few details even for readers who have just a little familiarity with this type of story.
The novel begins a few years after an interstellar war that has left behind some repercussions and a consequently fragile peace. In this scenario, the author has developed a plot that features plenty of action, but intrigues are crucial and lead to hidden alliances and equally covert operations, which can be military or of espionage.
These situations lead to twists and revelations of secrets that change the way the protagonists, and the readers too, view various situations and events. A story that initially may feel familiar quickly becomes interesting due to these kinds of developments.
For example, at first I thought of Captain Jane Hattaway as Janeway, partly because of the similarity in their names, but she soon proves to be a completely different character from the USS Voyager’s captain. In short, readers may find a certain familiarity with some settings and situations, but that doesn’t mean the plot is predictable! Experienced readers can enjoy trying to predict certain developments and which characters belong to the various factions that are revealed throughout the novel.
These narrative elements form a plot in which the characters aren’t necessarily what they seem. For this reason, at first, it may seem as if the author simply used a few clichés to create some of them, but as you read further, you’ll see how they reveal new facets as their secrets are revealed.
Through the events experienced by Captain Hattaway and her crew, the reader learns the details of the fragile peace existing between the various species and the intrigues surrounding Space Station 85. The situations unfolding make it difficult for the protagonist to discern who are truly allies and who are enemies. This is certainly no small problem when the peace is fragile, and the discovered wreckage indicates there’s still the danger of armed clashes, even isolated ones.
Claude Francis Dozière’s use of familiar narrative elements allowed him to avoid long explanations that would have slowed the pace. For this reason, “Heroes of Invisible Wars” is a relatively short novel packed with action and also containing some food for thought connected to the intrigues unfolding during a fragile peace. For these reasons, I recommend it especially to readers who appreciate stories filled with secrets and mystery among the stars. You can find it on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
