Book Review: Countdown: H Hour by Tom Kratman

Countdown: H Hour is the third installment in the Countdown series, hopefully there are plenty more still to come as this just built onto the already strong premise of the first two books.   This book happens at the same time as the events in M Day but in the Phillipines as part of the Regiment conducts a completely separate mission to rescue a rich Phillipino businessman who has been kidnapped by a group of Moro terrorists from the Basilan region.   The action is almost non-stop as the short battalion for the mission conducts operations in Somalia, Basilan, and around Manila in the course of the book.   Adam, … More after the Jump…

Book Review: A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo

A Hymn Before Battle is the first book in Ringo’s Posleen War Series. It is also Ringo’s first published book if I have my facts straight. Regardless, when I first read this book back in 2002 I thought then and have been subsequently proved right that there are authors out there that are just as good as Heinlein at catching the readers attention and keeping it and Ringo is one of them. Imagine horse-sized reptiloid centaurs that think you are lunch, use advanced weaponry, and think the massed wave attack is the height of tactical finesse. The book is the story of how humanity discovers that not only are we … More after the Jump…

Book Review: A Rising Thunder by David Weber

This is the latest installment in the Honor Harrington series of books that Davd Weber first started publishing in the 1990s with On Basilisk Station.  He is now on book Thirteen in the main series with another ten books based in the same universe that enlarge the main story-line.  Eventually I will get around to rereading them al and reviewing them.  The books in order are: On Basilisk Station The Honor of the Queen The Short Victorious War Field of Dishonor Flag in Exile Honor Among Enemies In Enemy Hands Echoes of Honor Ashes of Victory War of Honor At All Costs Mission of Honor A Rising Thunder The other ten … More after the Jump…

Book Review: Carnifex by Tom Kratman

This is the second installment in the Legio del Cid series of books. It is another hit out of the ballpark my Mr Kratman for fans of combat SF. Carnifex continues the story of the Legio del Cid and it’s ruthless commander Patrick Hennessy nee Carrerra in his battle to see the murderers of his wife and children brought to justice. The story line is developed more and does not rely as much on pure combat to move the story along. The part I like the best is the tale of the UN Peace Fleet’s intervention in the war and the cynical, self-serving logic behind their intervention. The UN realizes … More after the Jump…

Book Review: Kirov by John Schettler

[FULL DISCLOSURE: I received my copy of this book free from the author. I was not paid for this review and the opinion expressed is purely my own] Kirov by John Schettler is the Philadelphia Experiment in reverse.  It is the tale of a Russian cruiser that through some anomaly that is never fully explains finds itself catapulted eighty years backwards in time from 2021 to 1941 to just weeks prior to the meeting of Roosevelt and Churchill at Argentia Bay in Newfoundland.   The cruiser in the novel is the resurrected, upograde, and fully modernized guided missile cruiser Kirov that currently exists in the Russian Navy today.  Of course the cruiser used in the book is a fictionalized version but … More after the Jump…

Book Review: A Mighty Fortress by David Weber

This is the fourth book in the Safehold series by David Weber.   Weber is mainly famous for the Honor Harrington books and the original three Starfire books.   Personally I can’t think of any books of his that I have read that I did not like.   He has the gift of creating believable universes with characters that come to life.   I find myself easily losing track of time when I read Weber’s books.   As with any series, I recommend starting from the beginning, otherwise it is easy to get lost because there is so much back story that you just don’t know.   The Safehold books … More after the Jump…

Book Review: A Desert Called Peace by Tom Kratman

I have reviewed several of Mr Kratman’s books so far and this is another one. I have read all of his books before and find myself going back and rereading them while I wait for the next to come out. Kratman is one of those authors that makes me wish people could write as fast I can read so I would not have to wait so long in between books. Since they cannot, I settle for rereading what they have already published, Kratman’s work is well worth reading and A Desert Called Peace is no exception. The book is a thinly veiled recitation of what could happen to the earth. … More after the Jump…

Book Review: Out of the Dark by David Weber

The first book I ever remember reading about an alien invasion of the Earth was Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s Footfall in the late 80’s. Since then, several others have come out that I have read, Weber has added this to the list and as with anything Weber writes, it is in general outstanding. The basic plot is that earth is invaded by an alien species that got its first scout reports from our 15th century. The invasion fleet arrives in the 21st century and is astonished to see how fast and how far humanity has developed technologically. They proceed with the invasion and initiate it with kinetic strikes against … More after the Jump…

Book Review: Countdown: M Day by Tom Kratman


This is the second installment in the countdown series, hopefully there are plenty more still to come as this just built onto the already strong premise of the first book. The premise of this book is that after the completion of the mission in the first book the company Stauer created found a home in Guyana and incorporated as M-Day Inc., now the company must defend Guyana and itself from an invasion by Venezuela. Hugo Chavez wants the invasion to distract his people from their deteriorating situation at home. There is a lot more action in this book than the first of the series. This book continues Kratman’s thinly veiled attacks on liberalism and post-modern thought.
This is still a great read though and I recommend it highly. There are also some really great parts but they are included in the Spoiler below the fold:


More after the Jump…

Book Review: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

I figured this was an appropriate topic for a book review I am posting on Halloween.  Happy Halloween to all my readers Bloggers who would like more time to celebrate or read the following book can find time by letting Article Writing Services write for them. Image from: http://www.yourcommentcodes.com/funny-halloween-2.html I was not sure if I was going to like this book at first, I somewhat expected it to be like the vampire garbage that has gotten so popular in the last few years (yes, I mean Twilight). To my surprise, Max Brooks has written an outstanding book, I could not put it down until I finished it. The tale is … More after the Jump…

Book Review: What Distant Deeps by David Drake

This is the eighth book in the RCN series by David Drake and it continues the story of the adventures of Daniel Leary, an extremely competent and lucky starship captain in the Republic of Cinnabar Navy. This book finds CAPT Leary escorting a Cinnabar Commissioner to a world allied with the alliance of Free Stars shortly after the end of the recent war between the Alliance and Cinnabar. Once he gets there he discovers a plot that could drag the two exhausted star nations back into war and with the able assistance of his crew sets about to derail it. Along the way there is plenty of intrigue and adventure. … More after the Jump…

Book Review: Countdown: The Liberators by Tom Kratman

Tom Kratman published his first book, A State of Disobedience, in 2005. This is the first book in a new series by Kratman, I am currently in the middle of reading the second book, which just hit my mailbox last week. The series starts another of Kratman’s “fiction as commentary on the contemporary world” series somewhat similar to his “A Desert Called Peace” series. This does not mean that it is a bad book, it is not. It is somewhat predictable though. I especially like Kratman’s style, he has a gritty down to earth writing style that I love. He does not pull punches. The book is the story of … More after the Jump…

Book Review: Live Free or Die by John Ringo

The first John Ringo book I ever read was A Hymn Before Battle, the first book in the Posleen War series. He immediately entered my list of authors that I will read anything they write. This book starts another series by Ringo that so far runs to 3 books and looks like it will continue. It is the story of earth gaining freedom from alien domination. The thing I like the most about this book and all of Ringo’s work is that while the end is clear(humans win), the way they do it is endlessly surprising. You may think you know what the next plot twist is or should be, … More after the Jump…

Book Review: The Stars at War

The Stars at War is actually three books in one volume; Insurrection, Crusade, and In Death Ground. I first read these about 10 years ago and loved them then. I have since reread them several times and they are well worth it. The story is exciting and never goes where you think it will. It is space opera on a grand scale. Essentially what happens is that the human race has expanded to the stars through a series of warp points and they have discovered that not only is the universe not empty, it is not full of peace loving aliens singing kumbaya either.   In fact, the opposite is … More after the Jump…