For someone who skim reads fights, I read a lot of military SF. I like John Ringo, and this was his first novel (available free on the internet), which I haven't read before. I noted a few first novel type faults, which he doesn't have in later books; except for his strange way of referring to a planet as having mostly one type of terrain and climate all over - a mostly swampy planet? I don't think so. The utterly unrealistic cover picture is not his fault however, and not like anything he describes either.
The peace-loving aliens have arrived - peace loving in a no physical violence sense, as they are commercially rapacious, aristocratic (with serfs), and not all that truthful. Unfortunately, the war loving aliens are on the way, so they are all that is available in the way of allies.
I find it hard to believe the USA military is as stupidly hidebound as portrayed in this book, though not that the Chinese were better at working out more about the aliens. As for dumping lots of privates and NCO's in a camp without a command structure (ie officers and administrators) in place, surely no army has ever been so stupid. Still, you can't have a war novel without a few mistakes to give chances for heroes.
There are a few quiet military history jokes about which nation does best at fighting aliens, and I enjoyed it overall - Ringo is good at making you care about his characters. I am looking forward to reading the next, Gust Front, which is also on the net.
A Hymn Before Battle first published 2001
The peace-loving aliens have arrived - peace loving in a no physical violence sense, as they are commercially rapacious, aristocratic (with serfs), and not all that truthful. Unfortunately, the war loving aliens are on the way, so they are all that is available in the way of allies.
I find it hard to believe the USA military is as stupidly hidebound as portrayed in this book, though not that the Chinese were better at working out more about the aliens. As for dumping lots of privates and NCO's in a camp without a command structure (ie officers and administrators) in place, surely no army has ever been so stupid. Still, you can't have a war novel without a few mistakes to give chances for heroes.
There are a few quiet military history jokes about which nation does best at fighting aliens, and I enjoyed it overall - Ringo is good at making you care about his characters. I am looking forward to reading the next, Gust Front, which is also on the net.
A Hymn Before Battle first published 2001
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