Review: Three Unbroken by Chris Roberson

Roberson's Celestial Empire novels are set in a future dominated by the Chinese and opposed by the implacable forces of the Mexica Dominion. Three Unbroken follows the fortunes of a trio of new recruits as they sign up to the Dragon Throne's armed forces and are shipped out to Mars. Carter is a farm-boy from the US - called Vinland in this future - Amonkar an Indian Hindu who dreams of flying warplanes, and Niohuru a high-born Chinese sickened by the complacency of his fellow aristocrats. The novel alternates between these three viewpoints, with occasional chapters detailing the salient points of the future history, as the Chinese forces slog across the airless wastes of the red planet and engage the Mexic army in set-piece battles. The problem is that, for a war story set on Mars, the novel lacks impetus and colour, while battle scenes are minimal and told at a remove. That said, it's refreshing that an American writer is charting a future free from Wasp-types and western cultural values.

• Eric Brown's latest novel is Necropath (Solaris).