A review by david_agranoff
Orphanage by Robert Buettner
3.0
This is not an insult to this book when I say that this book is basically Guns of Navarone meets 2010. It sums it up well and it’s not an insult to me. Buettner has created another entry into military science Fiction that fans of the sub-genre can’t afford to miss.
I am a fan of this sub-genre of Science fiction. Military Science Fiction kinda of started off with Heinlien’s Starship Troopers and certainly it is it’s most famous book. The king daddy is Joe Handleman’s Forever War. For me Barry Longyear’s Enemy Mine can’t be over looked. Like the best in genre, Buettner is a vet. It shows in the details.
The book opens after the destruction of Indianapolis by bombs sent to earth from the moon of Jupiter. The human race is facing a nuclear winter and slow destruction from an enemy it has never seen, one that sits back throwing bombs at our planet from 300 million miles away. Humanity has one hope a suicide mission led by a team of war orphans to try and take out the enemy stronghold on Jupiter’s moon.
This book follows the standard men on mission war movie structure, which I think it should. If anything is a weakness in this book is how it bogs down a bit during the training, and first Mission our hero goes on. I liked the beginning of the book, and thought the last third was amazing.
Once mission is under way, Buettner does a great job of moving the action along and keeping the stakes high. It’s not a pleasant environment to be in but an exciting story for sure. Thankfully the characters are strong and interesting thus making the book fire on all clynders down the stretch.
There is a lot to like here, and three more books in the series I’m sure I’ll read them in time. Fans of Science Fiction action should not miss this one.
I am a fan of this sub-genre of Science fiction. Military Science Fiction kinda of started off with Heinlien’s Starship Troopers and certainly it is it’s most famous book. The king daddy is Joe Handleman’s Forever War. For me Barry Longyear’s Enemy Mine can’t be over looked. Like the best in genre, Buettner is a vet. It shows in the details.
The book opens after the destruction of Indianapolis by bombs sent to earth from the moon of Jupiter. The human race is facing a nuclear winter and slow destruction from an enemy it has never seen, one that sits back throwing bombs at our planet from 300 million miles away. Humanity has one hope a suicide mission led by a team of war orphans to try and take out the enemy stronghold on Jupiter’s moon.
This book follows the standard men on mission war movie structure, which I think it should. If anything is a weakness in this book is how it bogs down a bit during the training, and first Mission our hero goes on. I liked the beginning of the book, and thought the last third was amazing.
Once mission is under way, Buettner does a great job of moving the action along and keeping the stakes high. It’s not a pleasant environment to be in but an exciting story for sure. Thankfully the characters are strong and interesting thus making the book fire on all clynders down the stretch.
There is a lot to like here, and three more books in the series I’m sure I’ll read them in time. Fans of Science Fiction action should not miss this one.