The Myriad: Tour of the Merrimack #1.(Brief Article)(Book Review)

THE MYRIAD: Tour of the Merrimack #1 R.M. MELUCH. DAW, $23.95 (320p) ISBN 0-7564-0279-4

* Most military SF emphasizes the military, but while Meluch depicts combat and warrior culture as well as any writer in the subgenre, the true joy of this outstanding effort, her first novel since 1992's The Queen's Squadron and the first of a new series, lies in its inspired use of current speculation on the origins of the universe, quantum singularities and even the old chestnut of time travel. In the 25th century, an encounter with a voracious space-faring life-form called the Hive forces declared enemies, the United States and a breakaway colony that styles itself as a reborn …