Service for the Dead brings The Proving Grounds Trilogy to a close, if not a conclusion.

The novel breaks from the loose format of the previous two books; rather than spending time further exploring the character of Tara Campbell (who, truth be told, was quite well fleshed out in the earlier books), it picks the plot up right where Truth and Shadows left off and runs with it.

Northwind is no longer the battlefield; this time, Anastasia Kerensky is headed for Terra. And with The Republic's force reductions, Terra's defense forces alone won't be enough to stop the Steel Wolves. The battered Northwind Highlanders must rise to the challenge once more, defending not their own world, but the capital of the Republic.

While the basic premise seems plausible, the book relies on a chain of coincidences to drive the plot forward; characters make dumb mistakes, and do things they probably shouldn't have done, with little or no thought put into them. Tara Campbell is the main victim of this; she doesn't think to bring an extra copy of the evidence against Crow with her, and when challenged by him she accepts the duel rather than focusing on the Steel Wolf threat.

In the end, Service for the Dead is a middling conclusion to the trilogy at best. It ties up the immediate invasion-of-Terra plotline, but stops there; it doesn't tie The Proving Grounds together. So while the first two books were quite good, Service for the Dead is unfortunately something of a letdown. ( )