Elitist Book Reviews

I’ve been on the look-out for novels similar to those of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series and Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger novels. I love the mix of Military Thriller with SF/Fantasy/Whatever. It didn’t have to be magic, but I needed something that was contemporary, actiony, and with speculative elements in it.

Enter Weston Ochse’s GRUNT LIFE. Ochse is best known these days for SEAL TEAM 666, and because of the movie deal that was announced, his name was already in my head when GRUNT LIFE arrived, courtesy of Solaris. I was still waiting for my copy of SEAL TEAM 666 to arrive in the mail, so I figured I’d give GRUNT LIFE a chance in the meantime.

The novel is told using the First Person PoV in the head of Benjamin Mason. He’s career military, but has reached the point where he is about to take his own life. This is the opening scene of the novel. It’s not white-knuckle, but rather sobering. Instead of dying (spoiler!), he is recruited to be part of a special military task force—Task Force OMBRA. Why? Because aliens have already begin invading—a bug-like race dubbed the Cray. OMBRA has been quietly dealing with their advance scouts for a while, but they fear the main invasion is coming.

And it does.

The first half of the novel is about the members of the task force—all damaged in some way, shape and form—training and prepping. The second half is about the Cray invasion. It’s all very harsh and brutal.

Ochse has an excellent narrative voice. Line to line, paragraph to paragraph, page to page. It’s all extremely smooth. I never had to go back and reread a section for clarity—though I did reread sections because of how much I enjoyed a turn of phrase, or a character moment. The action—and there is a TON of it—is super clear and effortless to follow.

But what this novel really comes down to is the characters. The grunts. Without good characters, this novel would have failed utterly, no matter how well done the action was. Ochse does some very interesting things with his main character, Mason. Typically, the main character of a novel like this would be the good guy. The one that everyone likes. Everyone else has the real character flaws. Not so here. Mason is a bit of a jerk. He’s self-centered. He’s not the favorite of his squad. This gives huge opportunities to present the reader with character growth, and Ochse takes advantage of it.

The side characters are all interesting in their own ways, and it’s cool to have their backstories revealed as the book progresses. I’m not going to get into those detail much, since it’s best if you read them yourself in the novel. The main thing here is that all the characters have different politics and religious outlooks. It would have been real easy for Ochse to make these people one-note with respect to belief systems, but he didn’t. And I never felt like I was having the author’s personal views shoved onto me—something that has been a huge problem in fiction lately.

Honestly, I don’t have hardly anything negative to say. If there is one quibble, it’s that there are a few times where characters don’t quite react like they’ve been built up in the novel. You come to expect certain reactions, and then when those reactions don’t happen, it’s super jarring. But that’s it.

Weston Ochse is an awesome author. I put his stuff next to Correia and Maberry without hesitation. While I was curious about Ochse’s work before, now I’m excited to read it. All of it. It's pretty easy to see that Ochse is one of the better authors for action SF out there, and GRUNT LIFE was an absolute blast to read.

Recommended Age: 17+
Profanity: A bunch.
Violence: Tons. Extremely well described.
Sex: Conversations about it, one very brief—but undetailed—scene.

Go pick up GRUNT LIFE. You’ll love it. Here’s your link.

GRUNT LIFE

So pretty much everything I said about AN OFFICER'S DUTY (EBR review) I should just cut and paste into this review...because its sequel HELLFIRE is almost the exact same book. Save yourself some time, read that review, and come back and I'll try to be succinct.

Ia is now the captain of the Space Force ship Hellfire, which contains their ultra secret new weapon against the alien Salik enemy. The only problem? It's too powerful and only a precognitive can safely wield it, otherwise anyone caught downstream would die.

The ship and Ia's crew are ready just in time: the second Salik war has begun and Hellfire becomes Earth's secret weapon. Because she's a precog Ia knows exactly where to go in order to do the most good. Sometimes it means convincing the Space Force leaders, but Ia time and again proves that she can predict what's coming with chilling accuracy.

Johnson attempts to step up the tension a notch with the war. Now that everyone knows Ia is a precog it does change the dynamic--she openly uses and talks about her abilities to convince her crew, and to sway Alliance alien governments as well as her own superiors in the Space Force. The majority of the book is spent on the Hellfire as it flits from fight to fight in quick succession, making the plot feel circular. While I enjoyed the technical aspects of the ship, ship's life, and military life at war, it quickly grew stale because of infrequent change of scene.

The biggest problem with HELLFIRE is that Ia bugs me. I was able to get past her character 'flaws' in the previous books because there was still the question of whether she would be able to achieve her goals--not so, here. In HELLFIRE she becomes shrill and repeats over and over the same sanctimonious dialogue from the previous books. She always knows exactly what to do or what to say (which consists of contrived and clunky dialogue so there's a suspension of belief there for me). She's so powerful she's not only a precog, but she's a biokinetic (self healing), electrokinetic, pyrokinetic, postcognitive (can see the past), telekinetic, and even a little telepathic. She's risen through the ranks so quickly she's a ship's captain in her early 20s. Her crew idolizes her and her man loves her unconditionally. She's self-sacrificing to the point of unbelievability. The concept is cool, but the execution makes Ia unsympathetic.

Johnson also attempts a subtle underlying theme of chess with Ia as the grandmaster: pieces being placed, a little nudge here, a warning there, and then making sure she's always in the right place at the right time. Again, the concept is interesting, but I don't see where the plays are lining up in a recognizable strategy/plot, and at this point in the game it feels less like chess and more like bowling: with Ia as the bowling ball, knocking everyone flat who gets in her way.

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Made up words only
Violence: Mostly the spaceship variety (lasers and missiles blowing up things), very little blood
Sex: Innuendo

Find this book here:

HELLFIRE

I made the mistake of starting AN OFFICER'S DUTY before reading the book that came before: A SOLDIER'S DUTY. I was completely lost and from what I read, the PoV character Ia was an insufferable know-it-all so I stopped. It reminded me too much of the annoying Kris Longknife books, only with more infodumps. As a result I wasn't interested, but with Steve's prodding I tried again--from the beginning this time.

In SOLDIER we learn that Ia is a precognitive and when she was 15 years old saw the end of humanity itself. From that moment forward she dedicated her life to taking the steps necessary to prevent the coming apocalypse when an alien race would wipe out mankind.

So she joined the military. Because, really, it was the best way to get done what she wanted. Plus, a Marine precog? Yeah, imagine how those fights go.

Anyway. In OFFICER Ia continues her plans to manipulate future events, and during her leave she visits her family and prepares them for the future. Then, after her leave is over, because of her field commission she must attend officer academy. It's all a part of her long-range goal of captaining a ship on Border Patrol and setting herself up to where she can ruin the alien Salik race's plans to start a war with the Alliance. But when she gets to the academy she runs into a grey spot in her psychic predictions: her own roommate, the handsome and brilliant Meyun Harper.

The premise is actually kinda cool: a space prophet. That's basically what Ia is. She's predicting the end of humanity in three hundred years and the arrival of a savior. But in order to prevent the end of mankind certain events must take place, and the only one who can make sure they happen is her. But in order for her to do that she must first hone the necessary skills and place herself in positions of authority. This means joining the Marines, spending years on tours of duty, making a name for herself, strengthening some powers, manipulating people, etc. She has a Big Plan and Jean Johnson's Theirs Not To Reason Why series documents Ia's execution of that plan.

It's interesting, no question. The fights are cool and unique, especially those that take place on the space ships; the interactions between family, friends, and co-workers felt genuine; comments on different alien cultures and physiology are interesting; and it's easy to understand why Ia makes the choices she does. Johnson's prose is uncluttered and easy to read, Ia's PoV is straightforward and moves quickly (sometimes too quickly glossing over events, but there are years to cover in each book), and the tension is enough to pull readers along.

However, OFFICER is a frustrating book to read. Maybe it's me because there are people who do like (unlike me) the Kris Longknife books--those kind of people will love this series. Or maybe it's because of the excessive SciFi/military information (i.e., we had to learn all the ammo types in her Basic Training in SOLIDER--and that's only one example of the plethora of infodumps). Or maybe it was frustrating because Ia's abilities make her too perfect, and since she's perfect, her holier-than-thou attitude grates my nerves. We're talking some seriously melodramatic dialogue/monologues as a result--and she says this stuff over and over. It's hard to sympathize with a person like this.

Or perhaps I'm too much of a stickler for a recognizable plot. Ia doesn't broadcast her plans more than the bare minimum and it's frustrating because I don't know where the story is headed, except a string of events that eventually lead up to an exciting and over-the-top crazy ridiculous climax (can anyone say deus ex machina?). How could one person have all of these abilities? The woman is super human, there's no way she can lose. Where's the tension in that?

I'm currently 50 pages into the sequel, HELLFIRE, and it's high time this girl ran into real problems, because no one is this perfect. But then again, she is a space prophet, so what do I know?

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Made-up words only
Violence: It's military SF, so guns and blood and severed limbs
Sex: Innuendo and implied (in case you're worried this is a romance because of the author's previous works, I'm here to tell you that it most emphatically is not a romance novel)

Find this series here:

A SOLDIER'S DUTY

AN OFFICER'S DUTY

My review of book three, HELLFIRE, will be forthcoming.

Happy New Year all! I hope you're having a good one so far. I humbly present you James Lovegrove's THE AGE OF VOODOO, the latest installment in the legendary godpunk series. This time around readers get to delve into the lesser known world of voodoo or vodou. And you know what they say, "Where there's voodoo there are sure to be voodoo zombies!" Somebody says that...right?

Lex Dove was a specialist, an assassin, a ghost. He is living out his hard earned retirement on a beautiful island in the Caribbean. Retirement is short lived. A call comes, a request from his old employer. Just like that he is back in the game, chosen as a local guide for a very special group of special forces soldiers. Lex is a professional but no amount of experience could prepare him for what he will face beneath the surface of Anger Reef.

Do you know why I get so excited about a new Pantheon novel? You can always expect a few things when Lovegrove sets to it. You can expect interesting characters. You can expect thorough research. You can expect big ideas. And you can expect explosive action. You can expect the unexpected. Each Pantheon novel is a contemporary myth of man against god(s). Despite this underlying theme Lovegrove never tells the same story twice. THE AGE OF VOODOO, like previous entries to the series, is a standalone adventure that plays on legend. The diversity of the Pantheon series is its greatest strength.

With THE AGE OF VOODOO Lovegrove exposes some of the fundamentals of voodoo (duh). In a lot of ways that makes this the riskiest novel in the series to date. The previous novels all dealt with better known deities and religions. One of the best things though, about reading one of these, is learning about exotic belief systems. Granted this is fiction, but I always get the sense that Lovegrove has done his research. The subject of THE AGE OF VOODOO is the distant and unknowable creator god Bondye, and the subservient spirits called loa. The most popular loa outside of voodoo is Baron Samedi, the devilish rogue featured on the cover and my next Halloween costume. It's not all that complicated but I'll leave the rest for readers to parcel out.

Lex Dove is a British ex-operative. He has a talent for violence but no real desire to act on it any longer. Or so he says. He hangs around his friends bar, playing bouncer. The memories of his victims plague him. The fact that their deaths protected the civilized world are little remedy. Surprisingly enough, the main protagonist isn't the headlining performance this go around. Instead, that honor goes to the voodoo practitioner, Albertine, and the Navy SEALs of Team Thirteen. Albertine plays guide into the occult world of voodoo, explaining the ins and outs in digestible chunks. I rather appreciate that she doesn't fit the stereotypical voodoo mambo. She is, in fact, a respectable woman with a decent IT job that happens to have access to hidden knowledge.

Then there is Team Thirteen, the "janitors of the uncanny." The SEALs put the special in special forces. These are the boys the government calls when things go bump in the night. They deal with the supernatural - with extreme prejudice. Vampires are real. As are werewolves and ghosts and other nasty baddies besides. This is the "Stephen-King-meets-James-Bond world of Team Thirteen." The Team doesn't get loads of development, though Lieutenant Buckler is a one tough mo-fo and Tartaglione is good for a chuckle or five. Still, they are definitely interesting and I'd like to see how one member comes to terms with their new...capabilities after the novel.

The plot is noticeably weaker than previous Pantheon novels. Setting the pins takes half the novel and knocking them down seems to breeze by. Once on the island the pace ratchets up considerably, leaving less time for exposition. The deity aspect of THE AGE OF VOODOO also feels lighter. There are some really cool things brought up but it's not as intricate with the lore. I suppose the best way to describe it is "understated." There are some really great moments, specifically the hilarious Chapter 9: A Reasoned, Gentlemanly Exchange of Views. I respect that Lovegrove utilizes zombies without dawdling on them. Plus these are voodoo zombies, zuvembies, they retain primitive cognition. They aren't set on consuming flesh, they are capable of basic survival responses. They are meat robots at the command of their maker. This makes them much better foes than the traditional American zombie.

All in all, THE AGE OF VOODOO isn't the strongest of Lovegrove's Pantheon novels. It lacks the characterization of AGE OF AZTEC and the explosive action of AGE OF ZEUS. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining novel dealing with lesser known subject matter. As always, Lovegrove remains the king of godpunk.

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: Frequent.
Violence: You betcha!
Sex: Nothing explicit.

Get the series!
AGE OF RA
AGE OF ZEUS
AGE OF ODIN
AGE OF AZTEC
AGE OF ANANSI
AGE OF VOODOO
AGE OF GODPUNK

Military Science Fiction, oh how I've missed you. In the never ending journey to expand my interests I find that I have neglected my favorite of all genres. The recent release of Halo 4 had me jonesing for a military sci-fi fix. Fortunately, around that time the notorious William C. Dietz asked if I would be interested in reviewing ANDROMEDA'S FALL, the latest Legion of the Damned novel.

This marks my first Legion of the Damned novel, and it tells the story of Catherine Carletto, a wealthy socialite. In the blink of an eye Catherine's life is turned upside down when the Emperor's sister makes a bold power grab. In order to consolidate power and excise the threat of rebellion the newly crowned Empress has the dead Emperor's friends and supporters assassinated. Catherine's and her family fall under this category. Orphaned and on the run, Catherine enlists with the Legion under the alias Andromeda McKee.

ANDROMEDA'S FALL is the tenth book in the Legion of the Damned series, though as I understand it is also the beginning of its own mini-arc. A prequel of sorts. I've always wanted to get into the Legion of the Damned series but I just never got around to it. The more books that have been published the more daunting it seems to begin. ANDROMEDA'S FALL strikes me as a middle ground - a good starting point for beginners and a glimpse into the background lore for the fans.

ANDROMEDA'S FALL is very accessible. Though largely military oriented the hardcore jargon is kept to a minimum. I was looking forward to learning about the Legion but ANDROMEDA'S FALL is primarily focused on McKee. Not that I'm complaining. I mostly like McKee as a character. She's a strong woman, a dedicated soldier, and a quick thinker. The transition period between celebrity Carletto and soldier McKee might be a little too smooth. For someone who has lived such a privileged life Catherine Carletto adjusts to life on the run and then life in the military rather well. McKee does express moments of self doubt and sadness however, and these scenes help to flesh out her character.

The supporting cast could use some development. Trooper Larkin is a lovable rogue and I find his relationship with McKee to be interesting. I like the way it is handled and I appreciate the fact that Larkin lives in a moral grey area. I do want to see more from the rest of the cast, especially some of the cyborgs. I find the Legion's use of cyborgs fascinating and I would love to learn more about them and catch some more from their perspective.

I like Andromeda McKee and Trooper Larkin well enough but I will be sticking around because of the Legion. I've read about future Marines, future Navy, and future Army plenty. ANDROMEDA'S FALL is the first I have ever read about the future of the French Foreign Legion (Legion etrangere). What a fascinating organization! From the bits and pieces I picked up from this novel I am now hooked on the history of the Legion. I just want to read more. Both the Legion's past and future are highly interesting. I love the use of cyborgs alongside standard infantry. I've seen mechs and power armor in Military Sci-Fi but I like this approach.

ANDROMEDA'S FALL is full of action and suspense. I usually rate one of these novels by how memorable the battles are and two from ANDROMEDA'S FALL are emblazoned in my brain. I can't wait to continue the story of Andromeda McKee (there are definitely sequels on the way) and in the meantime I'll try and grab a few copies of the earlier books.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Some, what do you expect from soldiers?
Violence: Lots, what do you expect from soldiers?
Sex: Suggested but nothing vivid.

Want it? Get it here. While you're at it you may want to check out the LEGION OF THE DAMNED video game on iPhone and iPad. I bought it a couple days ago and it's a really cool way to round out the ANDROMEDA'S FALL experience. If you enjoy strategy games it will be right up your alley.

AGE OF AZTEC is the fourth entry in James Lovegrove's excellent Pantheon series. Don't worry if you have yet to read any of the other Pantheon novels because each book is a standalone adventure. Lovegrove has successfully carved out his own unique niche, a fusion of near-future Military Science Fiction and Alternate Historical Fiction based around the pantheons of the ancient world.

It is 2012 and the Aztec Empire rules the entire world. Dissent is eliminated with extreme and uncompromising prejudice. The Aztecan theocracy practices gruesome rituals of human sacrifice and the downtrodden masses line up voluntarily for the honor. In the midst of the cruelest regime in human history a masked vigilante rises to fight the totalitarian system and free the people. He is called a terrorist. He goes by the title, the Conquistador and Chief Inspector Mal Vaughn is hot on his trail.

The Conquistador, Stuart Reston, has much in common with other well known fictional champions of justice. Reading AGE OF AZTEC I couldn't help but make comparisons to Zorro, V from V for Vendetta, and of course Batman. That said the Conquistador has quite enough to differentiate himself from other infamous masked vigilantes. The Stuart Reston is ever so slightly unstable. He is arrogant and foolhardy, brash and attention seeking. Reston is addicted to empowerment he feels from his alter-ego and the pain it allows him to veil through blood shed. I took a while to warm to Reston but once I had embraced his nemesis relationship with Mal Vaughn I was hooked.

And of course if I am going to pay credit to the Conquistador I also have to tip my hat to Chief Inspector Mal Vaughn. Mal is an implacable copper working for a system she doesn't quite believe in any longer. Personal doubts aside she is a driven individual whose career--and very life--depend on catching Public Enemy Number One. Mal is every bit as engaging as the Conquistador, if not more so. The real chemistry of the book is when both characters clash verbally, resulting in brutal exchanges of dialogue that are rife with parry and riposte.

The gods are the foundation of the entire Pantheon series and in each entry Lovegrove has managed to deliver variety. The explanation behind the gods in AGE OF AZTEC is utterly different than any of his previous novels. What aspect does remain the same is how intricate and complex the relationships are between the gods themselves. In mythology the gods are often just amplified representations of humanity and Lovegrove uses this to create characters that are simultaneously alien and yet still relatable. The Aztec pantheon is fascinating and refreshing, and it is clear that despite the fictional nature of the story Lovegrove has done his research.

If the gods are foundation upon which the Pantheon series is built than the influence exerted by the presence of the gods is the brick and mortar. AGE OF AZTEC presents a world where the Aztec Empire was not wiped out by the Spanish, but instead gifted with super advanced technology by the gods. The Aztecs then use this technology to subjugate the entirety of human civilization. In a way AGE OF AZTEC is a sort of reverse-steampunk. Lovegrove doesn't waste time on info-dumps, instead allowing readers to piece the puzzle together with a bare minimum guidance. Life under the Empire's rule is altered but still recognizable. Everything from beverages to sports and even names, reflect the Aztec dominion.

AGE OF AZTEC channels many genres. The novel starts out with as a swashbuckling, man against the regime sort of affair. With Inspector Vaughn's PoV comes a police procedural flavor. Finally the novel climaxes in a military assault of cataclysmic proportions. Though comprised of various influences, Lovegrove creates something that is surely his own sub-genre, godpunk as I noticed it being coined in other reviews of the Pantheon series.

The last time I had this much fun reading a book it was Larry Correia's SPELLBOUND. That alone should tell you something. I read AGE OF AZTEC in three extended sittings, staying up late into the night. Rarely ever does a novel surprise me in terms of plot direction (call me jaded) but this book got me with not one twist, but two. I had no idea how the book would finish until the fantastic ending. Fans of Alternate Historical Fiction, Military SF, and even Fantasy can all find something to love in James Lovegrove's AGE OF AZTEC.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: Frequent and colorful.
Violence: Human sacrifices and pitched combat, there is some bloody stuff to behold.
Sex: Mentioned and alluded to, sometimes explicitly

Here are your links to all the Pantheon novels:
AGE OF RA
AGE OF ZEUS
AGE OF ODIN
AGE OF AZTEC

KNOW NO FEAR marks the 19th book of the Horus Heresy series. For those of you who are unaware, Warhammer 40,000 is a table top game set in the 41st millennia: in the grim darkness of the future there is only war. Anyway Warhammer 40,000 is epic in the truest sense of the word, a science fiction universe with a slathering of dark fantasy thrown in for good measure. For a table top game it has a surprisingly rich and detailed history due to contributions from some great fiction authors. The greatest of those authors is without a doubt, Dan Abnett and the greatest event in the history of the game's whole shared-world fiction is the Horus Heresy.

All the above was written for the benefit of those unfortunate enough never to have heard of WH40K. That said, KNOW NO FEAR is NOT a good starting place for the uninitiated. If you have an interest in genetically enhanced superhuman warriors battling against all manner of vicious foes then I suggest you start with HORUS RISING, the first book in the Horus Heresy and a wonderful way to test the waters and see if this is a series for you.

KNOW NO FEAR takes place shortly after the initial hostilities of the Heresy have kicked off. The XIII space marine legion, the Ultramarines, are caught unaware by a supposed ally-turned- traitor during muster for a campaign against the orks in another sector. The betrayal is so complete that within hours a majority of the loyalist fleet has been destroyed and the planet of Calth is wreathed in flames with casualties accumulating at an alarming rate. KNOW NO FEAR is all about one of the greatest battles of the Horus Heresy, a fight to the death between the stalwart Ultramarines and the fanatical Word Bearers.

To date the Horus Heresy books have fallen into three categories. There are the plot and character development pieces, sparse with action and focused primarily on displaying the character of the players of this galaxy spanning high speed chess match. Then of course there are the novels that bask in hyper violence as only space marines can deliver. These books are so affectionately described as bolter-porn. Last there are the truly great pieces of fiction that transcend the "shared-world" stigma, novels with deep characters, engaging plots, and furious action sequences. Unfortunately KNOW NO FEAR does not fall into this final category, rather it would probably best be described as bolter-porn.

Don't get me wrong though, this does not have to be a bad thing, especially if you've been keeping up with the series. The last few Horus Heresy novels have been lackluster character pieces. I love the new focus on storytelling inherent in the series but it seems as though great action has taken a backseat to overbearing attempts at "literary" writing. KNOW NO FEAR is a much needed change of pace, delivering on the action with one of the highest body counts since the earliest days of the series as the two largest space marine legions duke it out. Abnett writes battle scenes with real talent, showing all the levels of a military engagement from high command strategy to small unit tactical. There is a little something for every adrenaline junkie, from cold void boarding action to siege warfare and even some space marine on daemon melee.

The reason why this is a good book instead of a great one is simple. It lacks character depth. The book starts out great, Abnett's prose is beautiful and striking from the get go and his unique approach to writing this specific novel was awesome. The pacing is brutal and chapters fly by. The POV is split up amongst a rather large cast of characters whose perspectives start just before the tragedy and tie up just after. This method is highly successful in portraying the awful series of events that take place and while I was reading I got a disaster movie vibe. Readers get a unique view of these superhuman warrior elite as spectators, victims of an insidious plot...at least until they get their bearings and fight back.

The problem with this, as successful as it is, is the lack of characterization. Unless you've been following the series very closely you are unlikely to be able to tell who most of these characters are or why they matter. There is no clear main protagonist because the cast is spread so far to get a wide glimpse of the carnage. Readers will be hard pressed to maintain tabs on each of the Ultramarines and as excited as I was to see Ventanus, Captain of the Troublesome Fourth he never shined as brightly as I'd hoped for.

One final complaint. Because of the analytical nature of the Ultramarines they use the terms "practical" and "theoretical" in conversation quite heavily. At first this seems like a neat quirk that can be attributed to their combat effective minds. Eventually though the dialogue does get a little grating. This is nowhere near as bad as Abnett's use of the phrase "wet-leopard-growl" in PROSPERO BURNS, but it can be irritating.

KNOW NO FEAR is a fun read, a must have for WH40K fans. There are some great cameos and even a little foreshadowing to the future of the series. Anyone interested can order the book now at the Black Library website where it has been released a whole month early.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Some, including fictional curse words
Violence: To the extreme. These are superhuman warriors created solely for the purpose of winning wars against the most despicable foes imaginable. And now they're having a go at each other.
Sex: None

Start from the beginning here:
HORUS RISING

Or, get the new one:
KNOW NO FEAR

We noticed something the other day when browsing over our history of reviews (all of them awesome, of course). We didn't have hardly any reviews of books published by Baen. We attribute part of this to us not reading a lot of their novels. Now, this isn't because Baen books are bad (as one misguided soul insinuated in a comment to one of our earlier reviews), we just have a lot of books on our plate, many of which are Fantasy (which we prefer over SF). The few Baen novels we have read have actually been pretty solid (looking at you Larry Correia). One of the main Baen authors is David Weber. He practically has his own section at bookstores. His main series follows one Honor Harrington, and the latest book in that series, MISSION OF HONOR, was just released.

Here's the thing with David Weber: you either like his books, or you don't. There isn't a whole lot of middle ground. Luckily with us, we like him despite his flaws. Upon typing this, we have to wonder why we cut Weber slack. If a fantasy author did the things we are about to mention, we would be put off. But not with Weber. Oh we notice them, but they don't bug us near as much. Maybe it's because we have different expectations about SF vs. Fantasy. Perhaps we'll make a blog entry about this later...

Anyways...

Weber is either writing about Honor Harrington being a military genius (the Honor Harrington series, obviously), or he's writing about humanity struggling to survive (basically all of his other series). When you read his stuff, especially lately, it gets wordy, and conversations are twice as long as they need to be. Descriptions go on for pages. Segments are repeated from different points of view. Yup, it sounds like a SF version of Robert Jordan.

MISSION OF HONOR has all of the above issues, but somehow we still enjoyed this first main-line Honorverse story in several years (since 2006's AT ALL COSTS). MISSION OF HONOR picks up in the aftermath of the Battle of Manticore. If you've read the series (MISSION OF HONOR is the 12th main-line book), you know how crazy that battle was. What we have now is the diplomatic and political intrigue that comes following that major conflict. This is also where the overly long and repetitive conversations come into play. It seems like the first half of the novel is all meetings where the conversations loop. Honor Harrington is sent to Haven to initiate peace talks under the threat of "Let's get this done, or we will systematically wipe out your entire Republic."

Going much more into the plot will majorly spoil the last half of the novel, so we are going to be fairly vague. Let's just say that the first half of the novel, as slow as it is, suddenly goes into "everyone is screwed" mode. When devastation happens, Weber pulls no punches. We couldn't help but mutter, "Holy crap..." every chapter in the latter half of this novel. The tension of the political situations are handled very well, and then the tension in the space battles is excellent. Weber's success, in our opinions, is inherent with his ability to make conflict palpable. You feel the fear people have. You feel power behind people's threats. Stand-offs (whether political or in battle) make your heart pound.

But really, what made this novel good was the consequences. Bad stuff happens. The body count is very high. This happens in pretty much every Military SF novel. But in MISSION OF HONOR we see how it effects those who survive. This is how you handle mass-scale death. So. Well. Done.

There are a few little quibbles we have. The passage of time goes by so unevenly. Between chapters you could have months pass, or only a few seconds. But there is never really any time anchor at the start of a chapter. The progression of the novel, with regards to the plot, is pretty straightforward. If you can't figure out what is going to happen at the very end, you must not be paying attention while reading. The first half of the novel is recap of the whole series (at least that's how it seems), then the last half is in a completely different gear; almost as if it is two books put together. The ending is a cliffhanger with all sorts of doom on the horizon. Most of this stuff won't bother a fan of Weber's work, but it won't win over new fans either.

It's pretty essential that you don't read this book if you haven't read the series. You'll be totally lost, and none of the tension will come across. We know what you are thinking (Hellllooooo? Psychics here), "Ah man, I have to read 11 other books before I can read this one? Do you know how expensive that is?" Actually you have to read more than 11 books, and yeah we know how expensive it is to buy into an existing series.

[sales pitch]However, what if we told you that you could have EVERY book written by Weber for Baen (28 in all) for the price of one hardback? Hopefully that got your attention. Included with MISSION OF HONOR is a CD. This CD has every Baen published novel written by David Weber (including MISSION OF HONOR) in various ebook formats. So, let's say you go to Amazon.com and buy MISSION OF HONOR for $15 like we did. That's $15 for 28 novels. Unfrakkingbelievable. No other companies do this sort of thing. You should already be online buying a copy of this book to support Baen and their awesomeness. [/sales pitch]

MISSION OF HONOR, despite its flaws, is a terrific novel. We don't read a ton of SF, but Weber is always on our list of favored authors. He brings amazingly clear and complex battles and politics, and gives readers tangible emotion in a genre that typically lacks it. When we want good, new Military SF, we go to Weber, and we go to Baen.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: It comes and goes. Sometimes very heavy, sometimes none at all.
Violence: We wouldn't say this novel is violent, but more that it is absolutely filled with destruction. There's a big difference.
Sex: Nope.

We often wondered if the reason Scalzi was nominated for various Hugo awards was due to his insane amount of blogging (why do you think we started this site, eh?). Last year, his novel THE LAST COLONY was nominated for the prestigious 2008 Hugo Award. He didn't win, and initially we thought, "Guess we were right, as always."

The thing is, we read THE LAST COLONY, and realized that he should have won in that field of competition.

Scalzi will be the first one to tell you that he was more than happy to even be nominated, and that the other authors were very deserving of their nominations. Sure, we thought the other 2008 Hugo nominated novels were great, but THE LAST COLONY should have won.

This is the 3rd book in the OLD MAN'S WAR universe (OMW, or as Nick calls it...Steve's life), and it is refreshingly different from the prior two entries. OLD MAN'S WAR won the Campbell award back in 2006, and was a great romp through space and war. GHOST BRIGADES, to us, was a disappointment. THE LAST COLONY gives us a look into the colonization process in the OMWU, and gives us back our hero from OMW, John Perry. The political intrigue and interactions in this novel are a welcome addition, and yes, there is violence, and it is great.

One of the great things about this series is that the books are accessible to both die hard fans of Science Fiction and those, like Nick, who don't particularly care for it. The mix of science, plot, action, and intrigue were a sort of alchemy that ended up with both of us wanting more at the end of the Trilogy.

Scalzi gives us fast-paced Military SF, and it makes a fun, fast read. As he once told Steve at a convention, if you can't gobble popcorn down with glee while reading his novels, he hasn't done his job. With THE LAST COLONY, that mission was a success.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: Ever known anyone in the military that doesn't swear? This is Military SF. Of course there is language.
Violence: Oh yes. Get your popcorn ready...
Sex: Not in this one. In the previous two novels, yes, quite a bit.

Scalzi doesn't really need our help, but we feel duty bound to point you to his well managed blog, Whatever (yes, that is what it is called). It is a fantastic blog, and you get to see how crazy he is. That's a good thing. Tell him creator's of the Scalzi Award sent you (you'll have to ask him about it).

http://whatever.scalzi.com/

Also, if you liked THE LAST COLONY (and you should), go check out Scalzi's YA novel ZOE'S TALE. It is essentially the story from THE LAST COLONY told from Zoe's perspective. It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award.