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pjonsson's review
3.0
This book in the Starfist series is a bit different from the rest that I have read so far in that it does not really involve an official deployment of the 34th FIST. Not even a small detachment of marines. Instead it tells a story that plays out on the Kingdom planet after the aliens have been forced to retreat from the planet and the 34th FIST have left to deal with their losses. Okay, slight spoiler, at least one of the marine manages to get himself involved in the story but not really in any official capacity.
I have to say that I was a bit suspicious of this book since I am generally not too keen about these “aftermath” stories but again, David Sherman & Dan Cragg managed to produce a well written book that was fun enough to read that I enjoyed it all the way. Okay, it is not one of my favorite one in the series but given the subject for the story it did surprisingly well for me.
For obvious reasons this book do not contain any of the major fighting and military campaigns, with the exception of a little bit at the end, that the other books have contained. It is more focused on character interaction and basic survival on one hand and Dominic de Tomas deprived regime on the other. No sooner than de Tomas have overturned the fanatic religious regime of Kingdom he installs his Socialist Party of Kingdom. Great, treading one evil for another one. Actually, there are not that much actual socialism in the way this guy “manages” his planet. It is more like the authors needed an evil tag to put on this nutjob and picked socialism. In any case, everything goes to hell of course and the good guys have to sort it out.
One part of the book which plays itself out in a prison is damned hard to read. Not because it is badly written but because all the prisoners are referred to by number only. Heck, I have enough difficulties remembering names! No way I can remember who was prisoner 9368 and how was 9004 and so on. I had to do quite a bit of flipping back and forth in those chapters.
In the last few pages of the book we actually get back to the 34th FIST which was quite fun. A few people pull some, not so few, strings to get their combat losses replaced. There are also a bit of a reunion happening and if you cannot figure out what that is about after having read the previous book and the fairly obvious book blurb, well, I am not going to tell you. Buy and read the book!
I have to say that I was a bit suspicious of this book since I am generally not too keen about these “aftermath” stories but again, David Sherman & Dan Cragg managed to produce a well written book that was fun enough to read that I enjoyed it all the way. Okay, it is not one of my favorite one in the series but given the subject for the story it did surprisingly well for me.
For obvious reasons this book do not contain any of the major fighting and military campaigns, with the exception of a little bit at the end, that the other books have contained. It is more focused on character interaction and basic survival on one hand and Dominic de Tomas deprived regime on the other. No sooner than de Tomas have overturned the fanatic religious regime of Kingdom he installs his Socialist Party of Kingdom. Great, treading one evil for another one. Actually, there are not that much actual socialism in the way this guy “manages” his planet. It is more like the authors needed an evil tag to put on this nutjob and picked socialism. In any case, everything goes to hell of course and the good guys have to sort it out.
One part of the book which plays itself out in a prison is damned hard to read. Not because it is badly written but because all the prisoners are referred to by number only. Heck, I have enough difficulties remembering names! No way I can remember who was prisoner 9368 and how was 9004 and so on. I had to do quite a bit of flipping back and forth in those chapters.
In the last few pages of the book we actually get back to the 34th FIST which was quite fun. A few people pull some, not so few, strings to get their combat losses replaced. There are also a bit of a reunion happening and if you cannot figure out what that is about after having read the previous book and the fairly obvious book blurb, well, I am not going to tell you. Buy and read the book!
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