Rex Regis, by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

I continue to enjoy Modesitt's Imager series. With the war for the continent largely completed in Antiagon Fire the plot in Rex Regis largely revolves around trying to hold the conquered lands together and reduce the military footing—a policy not popular with the generals. The author spends a lot of time here dissecting the architecture of a stable government and the politics it takes to establish one. Looking at the shambles our Congress has become—where staying in power and "beating" the opposing party is more important that actually governing—one quote really stood out to me: "Take comfort in doing what is right, and not in what brings power, for power is fleeting, and seeking power for its own sake brings only grief..." I both love reading an inspiring quote like that and hate that applying it to virtually any elected official in the real world is laughable. Modesitt continues to excel at both creating interesting plots and characters while making the reader think about what it would truly take to change the world. Good stuff.

First Sentence:

In the cool air of early spring, on the second Solayi in Maris, the man who wore the uniform of a Telaryn commander stood at the foot of the long stone pier that dominated the south end of the harbor at Kephria.