This is a huge story that is done well. The worldbuilding is thorough and the characters are many, well-developed, and engaging. Some of the more memorable characters are Captain Hevlar and Admiral Jendarm, and their relationship, both professional and personal, move the reader, which is exemplified in their interaction during a critical closing scene. My favorite characters make up, what I like to call, the away-team: Tarl, Dane, Gala, and my absolute favorite, Niler. The battle scenes are epic, well written, and leave you on the edge of your seat, especially the away-team's confrontation with a formidable villain. Lance Williams does an exceptional job of not just introducing supernatural powers, but logically explaining them, their evolution, and how they have impacted society in this futuristic world without bogging the story down. He addresses infrastructure, political, cultural, religious considerations and the story has a strong sense of place.

Something else that stood out for me were the many strong women characters at every level of the fleet. My favorite ladies of Hyperfleet were General Yavir: very strong and capable, the statuesque and stern, Commander Teize, the charismatic Commander Carrow, and my favorite badass, Triss. The author even infuses character in the fleet's massive ships, the Raze, Scourge, and Hyperion. Include a few, more than capable villains, a mysterious antagonist, the intimidating Major Barris, and the zany Corporal Cole, and you have it all. The writing rocks as well with passages like "The howling wind raged like the desert itself was angry at something, and the lightning crashed like a god throwing a tantrum. When it finally abated, the lack of incessant vibrations from the scraping sand made the silence more pronounced then it really was." If you liked Star Wars, then you will love Hyperfleet: The Path to Valor, a must read. Definitely looking forward to a sequel.