[rsynnott]

The issues with believability in the first book are mostly just around the backstory; the history of the Draka makes no sense at all.

> My impression of the early books was broadly on the evilness level of "Nazi Germany, but less incompetent".

I mean, that's up there in the evil stakes. But also, the Draka were a lot more... messed up. Both had deeply alien (and arguably rather Spartan, to go back on topic for a second) value systems, but by the time Nazi Germany fell, the vast majority of the population had only had Nazi values inflicted on them for about 15 years; the Draka social system was _centuries_ old.