Book Review: Myke Cole’s “Sixteenth Watch”
The future, the moon, and the threat of a lunar war
Not long ago, I finished Myke Cole’s Sixteenth Watch, which came out last fall. It’s a really good book that I enjoyed a lot, so I want to share my thoughts. Below, you’ll find a quick summary (spoiler-free) of the plot and my thoughts on the book’s strengths.
Quick Summary
Sixteenth Watch is a science fiction novel set in the future. It’s set on and around the moon, the site of a new cold war between the United States and China over Helium-3 mining rights. However, this book isn’t about armed conflict — it’s about a complex path to stopping it by managing tensions in the armed forces.
Jane Oliver, the protagonist, is an admiral in the Coast Guard, the agency nominally in charge of catching quarantine runners or smugglers. As one might expect, there’s a healthy black market for contraband on the moon and small ships will often try to flee instead of submitting their cargo for inspection. Often they’ll fly straight into Chinese-controlled space, betting that increasingly-rising tensions between the U.S. and China will make their pursuers at least think twice before following.
Even though the Coast Guard is supposed to be in charge of chasing smugglers, the Navy increasingly steps on their toes and marginalizes their duty. In this context, that’s more than just an interdepartmental rivalry: it risks pushing the U.S. and China toward war as heavily-armed Naval vessels push into hostile territory. Desperately, the Coast Guard is searching for some way to revive their agency’s public image and convince the the government to restore their duties.
The strategy they come up with is to win the Boarding Action contest, a regular competition between different branches of the armed forces and government. Teams from the Marines, the Coast Guard, the Air Force, and other organizations are pitted against one another, and the Coast Guard hopes that by devoting enough resources to this contest, they can prove their ability to do their jobs. Victory could bring increased prestige and accolades, and help the Coast Guard step into its rightful role to de-escalate lunar tensions.
This is where Oliver’s role comes into focus. She’s called to oversee the Coast Guard team in the contest, an already elite crew. However, the jump from elite to best-of-the-best is a difficult one. The Boarding Action contest serves as a window into the real plot of the novel, which is the Coast Guard fighting for its rightful place on the moon, a place that will help serve the interests of people on earth as well by (potentially) preventing war.
Review
Writing this summary, I realize that the plot is actually pretty complicated. But its to Cole’s credit that I never felt this way while I was actually reading. The prose is quick and snappy, and the dialog helps unfold the story in a way that makes sense without being overly complicated. Dialog as exposition can be a slog to get through when it doesn’t work, but here it’s executed near-perfectly.
I’ve also left out a decent chunk of Oliver’s personal story: background information that veers into spoiler territory, but makes her choices and decisions much more meaningful to readers. I’ll say this, though: the elements of tragedy, family bonds, and camaraderie that emerge through the book’s 400-odd pages give the story an impressive amount of depth. This is a story about saving the world on one level, but it’s also the story of a veteran admiral making peace with her past.
The supporting cast is also worth mentioning. Oliver’s Executive Officer (XO) Wen Ho is well written and engaging, his light-hearted personality serving as a useful foil to Oliver’s more serious disposition. The rest of the named characters are mostly the Coast Guard crew themselves, who are at least mildly interesting (though none of them stood out to me, particularly). The story’s emotional impact depends on Oliver’s likability and believability as a character though, qualities that are thankfully evident from the start.
What I enjoyed most about this book is how the characters approached each situation with resolve and empathy for those around them. Given that this is a military science fiction novel, their steadfastness and focus are probably to be expected. The care for others came as a little more of a surprise, though certainly a welcome one. I’m drawn to fiction where the characters seem to genuinely want to help each other out. That’s definitely true of the people in Sixteenth Watch.
Closing Thoughts
More than anything else, this book makes me want to check out more military sci-fi and fantasy books. I really enjoyed the writing style and getting to see inside a fictional, futuristic version of the armed services. I know Cole has a pretty extensive back catalog, so I’ll probably be checking Reddit and some other sites to see where I should go next.
The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.
