Book Review: Old Soldiers by David Weber

Old Soldiers is an older book but one I just got around to reading.  It is another foray by David Weber into the Concordiat universe created by Keith Laumer and populated by the sentient AI tanks known as BOLOs.

I you have read Weber’s earlier book Bolo! then you will understand the back story of the two main characters.  Menaka Trevor and the BOLO Lazarus.  Both were featured in a novella in that anthology.  This book picks up after the events in BOLO! with what the Concordiat does with Trevor and Lazarus after they are the only survivors f their battalion following the defense of the planet Chartres against a Melconian attack.

Spoilers below!

In this book Trevor, Lazarus and another BOLO are assigned to help provide the defense of a human expedition that is part of Operation Seed Corn that seeks to plant secret Human Colonies to ensure the survival of humanity of the Concordiat loses the current genocidal war against the Melconians that has become known as the Final War.

The book opens with a bang as the human convoy is attacked by a Melconian task forces and the human naval escort sacrifices itself to save the colony fleet leaving only a Melconian assault transport to tail the human ships to their ultimate destination and new homeworld.

he humans do find a world to colonize and begin to set up shop when the Melconians attack the fledgling colony.  The most exciting start of the book is Trevor’s defense of the human colony in concert with Lazarus.

Old Soldiers is an excellent book and is space drama told as it should be told.  The story moves right along and there are no parts that really drag.  I would even go so far as to say that this book is a good example of Weber at his best as a storyteller.

I highly recommend this book to sci fi fans in general and fans of military sci fi in particular.