Warrior: Riposte

Warrior: Riposte by Michael A. Stackpole, 1988, FASA Corporation

The second volume of Michael Stackpole's tale of the Fourth Succession War covers the events leading up to the marriage of Hanse Davion and Melissa Steiner, and the opening moves of the Federated Suns invasion of the Capellan Confederation. The war covers more than just the Federated Suns/Capellan Confederation front, but other books (notably, Wolves on the Border) cover the other fronts in that war, while this trilogy is all about the collapse of Maximillian Liao's nation and sanity.

The notable exception is the coverage of the Kell Hounds, which are involved in fighting against Draconis Combine forces. Early on, Morgan Kell returns from his self-imposed exile, and the Kell Hounds are built up to a full regiment. There is significant coverage of Morgan and Katrina Steiner's relationship and how they interact with their erstwhile allies in Heimdall, as well as the beginning of a romantic relationship involving Daniel Allard, another character that gets a fair amount of focus. Other than that, it is simply a continuation of the first book in the series. Which means, of course, that it rocks.