4.5 ★s
The Old Lie is the second novel by award-winning Australian author, Claire G. Coleman. A fighter pilot, a soldier, a fugitive, a prisoner, a mortally-infected man: the opening chapters introduce these five ostensibly-unconnected characters and detail their situations. The fighter pilot has been flying for the Federation since Conglomeration forces began attacking Earth. The soldier left a spouse and children to fight for the Federation, for her family, her Country. The fugitive is on the run from the Federation. The prisoner is held captive by the Federation. And the mortally-infected man is the victim of a Federation experiment.

Race and gender are not immediately apparent; this is almost certainly intentional as it forms part of the overall theme of the novel: how perspective and judgement alter when we know this about a person. The astute reader will begin to make the links between the characters and see the parallels with events in Australian Indigenous history as the story progresses. If the battle descriptions are a little tedious, and if the connections only very gradually become clear, they are worth persevering through for a powerful, heart-breaking and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Hachette Australia.