General Harrugh Gefhara, the self-exiled leader of the Hacan people, has experienced a terrifying vision of the future after a visit from a mysterious entity. His fears that this future will come true, coupled with his sharp instincts, lead him to put together a diverse (and misfit) crew to follow the clues across the galaxy to help him understand that vision and try to put a stop to it. So begins Thunder's Edge: Echoes of Memory by Sarah Cawkwell, a standalone adventure set in the universe of the Twilight Imperium board game.

As this is a standalone novel, familiarity with the TI franchise isn't strictly necessary. All you really need to know is that there are a wide range of alien factions vying for control of the galaxy. Diplomacy and technological might are critical for any of them to survive.

Part thriller and part mystery, this novel is fast-paced and filled with light-hearted humor courtesy of a trio of Gefhara's hires. This was my first foray into the Twilight Imperium novels and I doubt it will be my last. Similarly, Sarah Cawkwell is now on my radar as a talented writer worth keeping an eye on.

4 stars

My housemate is more of a board game expert than I am. And the first time I read a Twilight Imperium tie-in book, they described the base game as something that "takes half the day to set up and half the day to play." At first flush, it looks like one heck of a wargaming experience... but not really my thing personally. However, I've found that I like the books, even independent of much knowledge about the games themselves. It's a sprawling sci-fi setting with a massive and ever-changing history, and that appeals.

What I've found I like most about Twilight Imperium novels, and indeed any story based in a sandbox setting, is digging out the human (or personal) stories happening amidst the backdrop of historic events. It's why Honor Among Thieves worked so well as a Dungeons & Dragons movie; and it's why Thunder's Edge: Echoes of Memory works so well as a Twilight Imperium novel.

Our central character is Harrugh Gefhara, a retired leader of the lion-like Hacan race. While trying to escape his war-torn past, he is confronted by a strange being who presents him with a rare artifact. Now, a patchy prophecy leads him to take on a heavy duty that could mean the literal end of the universe should he fail. With help from a variegated crew made up of beings from across the setting's many societies, Harrugh travels to the strange world of Thunder's Edge, where he discovers what the Nekro have in store for the universe — and what he can do to stop it.

Like just about any Twilight Imperium media, Thunder's Edge: Echoes of Memory is heavy with detail; but it's not nearly as dense as previous installments that sought to outline the primary history of the game setting. This volume serves as a prequel to the upcoming Thunder's Edge expansion, which drops on October 24. But even if you don't plan to play, this is still a fun read. This story shines because of its core characters, especially the weary Harrugh and the naive and friendly Titan known as "Junior." We care about these characters, who would otherwise be tiny pieces against a vast backdrop. That zoom-in is what makes this story, and others in the Twilight Imperium series, extra special.