''Sheva's War'' is a five-issue fully painted

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

published in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

. It was the final title to be released under the short-lived

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imprint

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. Created, written and painted by

Christopher Moeller Christopher Moeller (born May 1, 1963) is an American writer and painter, specializing in fully painted graphic novels. Moeller's signature creation is the '' Iron Empires'' science-fiction universe, comprising three fully painted graphic novels ' ...

, the story is the second to be set in Moeller's futuristic '' Iron Empires'' universe following publication of the ''Faith Conquers'' limited series by

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Plot synopsis

The Iron Empires comprise eight nations of peoples scattered across the

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

galaxy, being representative of the remains of a decaying human civilization which was once immeasurably vast. For millennia, the alien Vaylen, a parasitic worm-like race, have rolled back the frontiers of inhabited human space, invading the minds of their conquered hosts and gradually eroding human control throughout the galaxy. Ahmi Sheva is the once-young, beautiful and restless baroness of Taramai, a planet located within the boundaries of the Karsan League. She is also a soldier by training and holds the rank of captain in the planetary Landwehr. Frustrated with life in the company of her much older husband and bored by dalliances with a string of younger lovers, Sheva assumes command of local forces when the Ganasch, the deformed ape-like minions of the Vaylen, first infiltrate and then invade her planet. As the narrative unfolds, Sheva is courted by the visiting Philippe of Artois, Count of Karishun, her former mentor and commander and also initiates a new romance with Hardi Degas, a farm-boy turned soldier. She must lead the resistance of her vastly outnumbered Taramai forces against the incursions of the Vaylen in a series of conflicts ranging up and down the deep forested valleys of her planet. Both the Vaylen and the human nobility employ mind-control techniques to optimise the performance of their forces. Indeed, the Vaylen share an acknowledged parasitic relationship with their hosts and as the series progresses treachery rises to the surface of the human defence initiative:

Themes

Moeller's novel has been variously described as addressing the theme of loyalty from a variety of angles, the issues that confront as one grows older as well as identifying the best role in the society when being chosen.

Other media

In 2006, Burning Wheel released the award-winning '' Burning Empires''

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

. Background material contained in the manual drew heavily upon Moeller's plot and literary devices featured in ''Sheva's War''.

Collected editions

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

re-released ''Sheva's War'' in a collected edition trade paperback: * ''Iron Empires vol. 2: Sheva's War'', by

, Dark Horse Comics (2004), 160 pp,

References

{{reflist

External links

Burning Empires website

Christopher Moeller's website
1998 comics debuts Helix (comics) titles Science fiction comics Comics set on fictional planets