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skybalon's review against another edition
2.0
This the other used book that I bought before going on a long plane trip and looking for some light page-turning action reading. (The other was
[b:Dreamland: Whiplash|6980597|Dreamland Whiplash (Dreamland, #11)|Dale Brown|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348448087s/6980597.jpg|7222366])
On the edition that I got, there was no indication that this was the first novel of a series or I never would have bought it. My guess is that the series was given the go-ahead after this book sold enough copies. The reason why this is significant is that this novel does not stand alone very well.
The main plot is pretty well finished, but there are so many threads that are left hanging that the book is real unsatisfying. And ultimately now that I know that it is part of a series, it still fails because I'm not interested enough pulling together the hanging threads to read the others.
The actual battle sequences are well enough written that this is worth a second star but that's all.
[b:Dreamland: Whiplash|6980597|Dreamland Whiplash (Dreamland, #11)|Dale Brown|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348448087s/6980597.jpg|7222366])
On the edition that I got, there was no indication that this was the first novel of a series or I never would have bought it. My guess is that the series was given the go-ahead after this book sold enough copies. The reason why this is significant is that this novel does not stand alone very well.
The main plot is pretty well finished, but there are so many threads that are left hanging that the book is real unsatisfying. And ultimately now that I know that it is part of a series, it still fails because I'm not interested enough pulling together the hanging threads to read the others.
The actual battle sequences are well enough written that this is worth a second star but that's all.
severinus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ldasoqi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Oh Man, this was a toughy to rate. This book might just be the most niche thing I've read all year, it's pulp military sci-fi and it's turned to 11. It's like a Rambo sequel but John Rambo is the Iron Giant and there are a million of him. But that's making it sound more exciting than it actually is, It's more like Iron Rambo Giant contemplates the logistical hurdles of mobilizing a military-industrial complex for interplanetary war. There's more than a little military fetishization but that's not all this book is about.
What this book is actually about is Earth as it was in 2000 and contact with a federation of neighboring alien races. The Federation is composed of non-violent species, some so non-violent that it would basically kill them to harm another person. As the book phrases it "at the time of our nation's founding the Federation was at war with the Posleen". The Federation has been getting its ass kicked by a warrior race called the Posleen, and things are so grim that they've had to reach out to the real ass-kickers for help. That's us, humanity, we're the ass-kickers. More specifically it's the special forces. Which one? oh, all of them silly.
It's an absolutely goofy premise that's adhered to with serious, stone-faced conviction. This book takes itself seriously and honestly, it's such a strange juxtaposition. I really do buy that the military functions exactly as described in this book. It's a Tom Clancey novel set like Armmegedon (1998) with big Willy. It should be a popcorn/pulp book but it cares so much that we know about the command structure, the acronyms of all the various units, the tolerances of the weapons, the lethality, the brutality, and the honor in battle. There's Kipling all over this thing by the way, can you tell that it's a conservative military man's wet dream yet? You didn't? Well, this book is also obsessed with tactics and modern military combined arms warfare, it's this insane bizarro meld of legitimate/authentic military tactics and jargon and tabletop (warhammer 40K) strategy game vibes. I don't actually think the theory of war as it is applied in this is on sound footing, but it's in here to sell us on the universe, not for us to dissect al la Sun Tzu.
If you're still reading this I bet you've decided to skip this one, but I also bet you're wondering why I liked it. Because it's got flaws aplenty, and this book can be D R Y and dusty when it wants to be.
I think that this was scratching a part of my brain that wanted a heady action movie, something that was explosively entertaining but fleshed out its world and the politics and reasons and probabilities. There is a really interesting political landscape being painted in this story, and the politics of the 2000s are similar enough to those of today that the scenario is plausible. Honestly, this is so gratuitous that it provides enough separation such that it invites its reader to question the message. The politics are different enough to give this enough contextual distance from reality, it's all imagined so who's to say? I'm not saying it isn't dated, but it's dated to a time I am nostalgic for and it's definitely of a type of book that I am nostalgic for. This is a kind of cool that exists in action movies, it's a little all over the place but it's authentic, interesting, and just as complex as anything else I've read this year.
It's a preposterous premise and the messaging is yuck, but the joy is in accepting it and marveling at the depth of detail we have been given. This book reminded me of Starship Troopers (in both of its incarnations) and to a lesser degree Red Storm Rising and a host of other Tom Clancy books from the 80s. What this book is doing is aping Starship Troopers but with even less nuance, this is Starship Troopers the Movie the Novelization with a treatment by Tom Clancy. It's dated, it's derivative, it's conservative in a way that borders on (probably is) alienating, but damn if it isn't cool. It's like someone watched Starship Troopers and missed all the satire, better yet it's like someone watched Starship Troopers and disagreed, they decided to amp it up past what even the Heinlein novel was at. It works for me, I can see the flaws and in looking past them I see a cool story, a cool concept, and just a solid classic pulpy SF novel in the modern mil-fic style.
TL;DR: This could have been a 3/5. It's Starship Troopers (1998) + Tom Clancy without any of the satire of the film, and from 2000. It's dated, but entertaining and complex and detailed.
What this book is actually about is Earth as it was in 2000 and contact with a federation of neighboring alien races. The Federation is composed of non-violent species, some so non-violent that it would basically kill them to harm another person. As the book phrases it "at the time of our nation's founding the Federation was at war with the Posleen". The Federation has been getting its ass kicked by a warrior race called the Posleen, and things are so grim that they've had to reach out to the real ass-kickers for help. That's us, humanity, we're the ass-kickers. More specifically it's the special forces. Which one? oh, all of them silly.
It's an absolutely goofy premise that's adhered to with serious, stone-faced conviction. This book takes itself seriously and honestly, it's such a strange juxtaposition. I really do buy that the military functions exactly as described in this book. It's a Tom Clancey novel set like Armmegedon (1998) with big Willy. It should be a popcorn/pulp book but it cares so much that we know about the command structure, the acronyms of all the various units, the tolerances of the weapons, the lethality, the brutality, and the honor in battle. There's Kipling all over this thing by the way, can you tell that it's a conservative military man's wet dream yet? You didn't? Well, this book is also obsessed with tactics and modern military combined arms warfare, it's this insane bizarro meld of legitimate/authentic military tactics and jargon and tabletop (warhammer 40K) strategy game vibes. I don't actually think the theory of war as it is applied in this is on sound footing, but it's in here to sell us on the universe, not for us to dissect al la Sun Tzu.
If you're still reading this I bet you've decided to skip this one, but I also bet you're wondering why I liked it. Because it's got flaws aplenty, and this book can be D R Y and dusty when it wants to be.
I think that this was scratching a part of my brain that wanted a heady action movie, something that was explosively entertaining but fleshed out its world and the politics and reasons and probabilities. There is a really interesting political landscape being painted in this story, and the politics of the 2000s are similar enough to those of today that the scenario is plausible. Honestly, this is so gratuitous that it provides enough separation such that it invites its reader to question the message. The politics are different enough to give this enough contextual distance from reality, it's all imagined so who's to say? I'm not saying it isn't dated, but it's dated to a time I am nostalgic for and it's definitely of a type of book that I am nostalgic for. This is a kind of cool that exists in action movies, it's a little all over the place but it's authentic, interesting, and just as complex as anything else I've read this year.
It's a preposterous premise and the messaging is yuck, but the joy is in accepting it and marveling at the depth of detail we have been given. This book reminded me of Starship Troopers (in both of its incarnations) and to a lesser degree Red Storm Rising and a host of other Tom Clancy books from the 80s. What this book is doing is aping Starship Troopers but with even less nuance, this is Starship Troopers the Movie the Novelization with a treatment by Tom Clancy. It's dated, it's derivative, it's conservative in a way that borders on (probably is) alienating, but damn if it isn't cool. It's like someone watched Starship Troopers and missed all the satire, better yet it's like someone watched Starship Troopers and disagreed, they decided to amp it up past what even the Heinlein novel was at. It works for me, I can see the flaws and in looking past them I see a cool story, a cool concept, and just a solid classic pulpy SF novel in the modern mil-fic style.
TL;DR: This could have been a 3/5. It's Starship Troopers (1998) + Tom Clancy without any of the satire of the film, and from 2000. It's dated, but entertaining and complex and detailed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Genocide, and Gore
coniferus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Delivered exactly what I expected and wanted from a pulpy military sci-fi novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
pjonsson's review against another edition
2.0
I have generally liked the works of John Ringo so far. This one I didn’t really like. The story seemed quite interesting. First contact, Earth is enlisted to help defend the peaceful races of the galaxy, lots to learn, design new weapons etc. Sounded good to me.
Well it all slowly turns into a bloody mess. [Minimal spoiler ahead] It turns out that one of the alien races holds all the decision making power over the other ones. These are political vendetta makers which would make the political bullshitters in EC and UN put together green of envy. Despite their part of the galaxy being threatened the literally sabotage the entire war effort to prevent the humans from being “too powerful”.
The entire book as just one incompetent officer appointed by equally incompetent politicians, sabotage, fuck-ups, and anything else infuriating and annoying that you can think of after another. And of course a few good men suffering and trying to pick up the shit spreading from more places than the fan.
I was arguing with myself whether or not I should give it a single star rating and move it to my rubbish shelf but there were a few chapters in there that made the book worth reading. I am still arguing with myself if I should have a go at the next one in the series. On one hand I didn’t like this one very much but on the other hand I want to see if this obnoxious alien race gets the spanking it deserves and of course if the alien invaders get their butts kicked.
Well it all slowly turns into a bloody mess. [Minimal spoiler ahead] It turns out that one of the alien races holds all the decision making power over the other ones. These are political vendetta makers which would make the political bullshitters in EC and UN put together green of envy. Despite their part of the galaxy being threatened the literally sabotage the entire war effort to prevent the humans from being “too powerful”.
The entire book as just one incompetent officer appointed by equally incompetent politicians, sabotage, fuck-ups, and anything else infuriating and annoying that you can think of after another. And of course a few good men suffering and trying to pick up the shit spreading from more places than the fan.
I was arguing with myself whether or not I should give it a single star rating and move it to my rubbish shelf but there were a few chapters in there that made the book worth reading. I am still arguing with myself if I should have a go at the next one in the series. On one hand I didn’t like this one very much but on the other hand I want to see if this obnoxious alien race gets the spanking it deserves and of course if the alien invaders get their butts kicked.
wetdryvac's review against another edition
4.0
I have a soft spot for battle armor, and for this book in particular.
ryanjamesburt's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a while to get into this book but when I finally did I really enjoyed it. Alien invasion on the way to destroy the world. Other aliens asking for help from the human race. Humans making battle suits to fight against the overwhelming numbers. Whats not to like.
lava77's review against another edition
4.0
Intelligent, imaginative hard military SF. Ringo knows army life, from private to general, and portrays it vividly. Great for military SF readers!
dray's review against another edition
4.0
Took a while to get going, and almost submerged me in military procedures, but became very engaging. A little cliched but good character development, imaginative scenarios, good combat sequences and imaginative weaponry. A good read.