What Rough Beast

Praise for The Widening Gyre and Blood-Dimmed Tide (Books #1 and #2 in the Remembrance War series)

"The Widening Gyre is the best Space Opera I've read in years." -- Cemetery Dance Online

"Johnston's debut will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the heroes get themselves into one scrape after another. It has a hint of Battlestar Galactica, but with giant reptilian aliens. Johnston, with skillful plotting and impeccable world building, takes the tale of Tajen and his crew searching for home and shapes it into an unforgettable journey." - ALA Booklist

"Readers will feel invested in Tajen's team of affable human rebels and their futures" -- Publishers Weekly

"Tajen Hunt [and] the rest of the crew from the first book of The Remembrance War series are back and determined to protect and maintain control of their ancestral home, Earth, [in] a narrative that will resonate with readers." -- Booklist

"Fans of David Weber or Elizabeth Moon will enjoy this debut, and experienced sf readers will catch some winks at other series." -- Library Journal

"Fine thrillers with many resonances for today's world, both The Blood-Dimmed Tide and its precursor are rewarding reads." -- Analog SF

"Johnston proves that he has a deft hand at world building and is giving us a new take on Earth's future [...] A thrilling ride full of mystery and mayhem." -- ScienceFiction.com

"What makes the book work is the characters. They all have interesting flaws, strengths, short-sightedness, and wisdom: they're well rounded enough that I really came away liking them, even some of the villains." -- Locus Magazine

"Johnston has taken the best elements from the old masters of space opera and created a fresh and fun story." -- scintilla.info

"The energetic second space opera in Johnston's Remembrance War series (after the Widening Gyre) offers big, bombastic set pieces [...] Curious differences between the various alien races, futuristic tech that's flashy without being overbearing, and the complexities of interstellar politics all entertain while rounding out the worldbuilding as Johnston pushes his characters toward an inevitable interspecies war." -- Publishers Weekly