Review of Mecha Corps - A Novel of the Armor Wars

Mini-review #8
This is a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.
 
When I was publishing my own stories for Exocrisis I went browsing through the Amazon bookstore to see what other mecha fiction had been published.  One of the ones that popped up quickly was Mecha Corps: A Novel of the Armor Wars by Brett Patton.    Mecha Corps does a great deal of future world building and introduces the very powerful and amazing biomechs that are piloted by the Union against all enemies.

By Leondz / Flickr

The story is about  Matt Lowell who has qualified to join the elite Mecha Corp as a mecha pilot.  He arrives on Earth to begin his training and things take off from there.  There isn't much of a boot camp, but there is a brutal qualification to become a pilot. Pilots "mesh" with their mechas by plugging in and becoming integrated with them for sensation and control.  You can feel pain as a pilot when your incredibly tough, armoured body is hit.  Meshing itself isn't easy and has its own dangers as you get high on it from the sensations of incredible power.  The mechas are very agile with the ability to merge with other devices to fly or even other mecha to enhance their abilities.  Weapons capability seems to be extremely powerful as they can fight battleships in space and heavy armour on the ground.

The main enemy of the Union is the Corsairs, an elusive faction that preys on Union worlds.  They don't have biomecha, but they have plenty of other weapons.  Matt was orphaned by a Corsair raid and he has dedicated his life to killing a particular Corsair to avenge his father's death.  A new type of mecha called demons are introduced later and they become a central pivot for both character and plot development later.  This relatively recent book now has a sequel which doesn't seem to be available as an ebook at the time of writing for Canadians (go figure with these publishers).

This book is a good read for mecha fans as it is entertaining, but not deep on military tactics.  If you like the super robot genre you'll like it even more, but you might not like it so much if you're into serious military SF.

Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Small unit operations, but there are are some epic battles with swarms of ships and mechas involved.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes and no.  Matt is a character who has some unusual genetic modifications as he seems to be an unnaturally gifted mecha pilot (this is a pretty standard trope in Japanese mecha).  He is primarily driven by revenge and basically goes berserk at one point with the mesh high.  Of course he gets another chance.  I can't say I like this character as he felt stock to me and he does dumb things and gets away with it again and again.  Like another novel I read, I found the female love interest (something that doesn't seem to develop much despite a meshing of minds) more interesting.  Also has a mad scientist type character called Dr. Roth, the inventor of the biomecha.  I'm still wondering what motivates him, something that the sequel might answer.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes.  There is plenty of action.  Story line develops nicely as the Corsairs step up their raids on the Union.  Nice climactic battle.  Plenty of plot twists based on the protagonist's past.  Some of the twists and character development didn't seem to work quite right as they just seemed kind of forced to me.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
Yes. The world building is pretty good and contained to the displacement drive ships, the decayed remnants of Old Earth, and some cool set piece locations.   The mecha are well described and almost too powerful, but you can kill them with battleship or tons of firepower.  Mechas have a destructive contact fusion attack, an anti-matter zap gun, swarming missile attacks, etc.  The demon mechas later are extremely powerful, but this just means you have to ramp up the opposition.  Kind of reminds me of the super robot genre of anime and manga (I note Evangelion in the author's bio).  All of the cadet pilots become mecha captains without any real military training other than on piloting mechas, but Luke Skywalker becomes a rebel leader without any training either so it must be okay :) 

What cool bonus features are there?
Gigantic displacement drive ships to jump between the stars.  These ships carry powerful battleships and cruisers inside them (the battlerider concept from Traveller).  Demon mechas - the ultimate mecha that isn't anime?  Meshing to control the mechas is pretty cool too, but the addictive nature of it seems to be understated. There are some neat story locations to enjoy but I can't give those away.

Old Man's War Review (great military SF)

Mini-review #7
This is a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.
 
The title Old Man's War, by John Scalzi, first attracted my attention to this book years ago.  I devoured this book and then the next two books as they are just GOOD, with great characters and good military SF.  It is a favourite of mine up there with Starship Troopers so it lives in hallowed company.  The followup novel to this is titled The Ghost Brigades (what a great name too!) and concluded with The Last Colony.

xm25   Flickr / peo_soldier

The story is about John Perry, a 75 year old man who joins the Colonial Defense Forces to protect humanities interplanetary colonies.  After you sign up you cannot ever return to Earth.  The novel even plays up this very interesting point with some conspiracy theory-ish fun.   
John gets a new body, gets shipped off to boot camp, and begins the life of a super soldier.  BUT - you really aren't a super soldier by galactic standards as humans are pretty wimpy and being a super soldier just evens the odds a bit.  It turns out that humanity is deeply embroiled in a massive stellar war and things are desperate.  John and his buddies are shipped off to their first battle, survive it and then they get involved in a major operation.  At this point, I'll let you find out more as the story rolls on with lots of momentum.

This series of books is a highly recommended read.


Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Small unit operations, battalion level ops within much larger campaigns.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes.  I like John and a number of the other characters.  Even the spooky Ghost Brigade special forces have a face that introduce a major character who resembles John's beloved, but deceased wife of many years.  You really want to know what happens next with them. 

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes.  You are taken along for a great ride in learning about the universe off of Earth from the point of view of John who is learning for the first time about everything off of Earth.  Good boot camp scenes and scenes about becoming accustomed to their new bodies.  Great touch! Intricate, but not byzantine story, makes for interesting reading.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
Yes. No problems with the story or universe filled with hostile aliens.  It is just fun with excellent world building and tense combat scenes.  Brain to brain transfers from an aging 75 year old body into a product improved human body that is stronger, better, faster, and tougher is a very nice touch.  

What cool bonus features are there?
Lots of cool tech from the engineered soldier bodies, BrainPal implants to access computers, the Ghost Brigades, skip drives, and orbital elevators - oooh, who doesn't like space elevators.

Exocrisis Blue - Neo-Ace - Chapter 1 Draft Preview

This brief preview from the beginning of Exocrisis Blue - Neo-Ace introduces one of the key characters, mecha pilot cadet Mayumi Shimizu. I'm still aiming to complete Neo-Ace in the first half of 2013, so stay tuned for more.  Previous installments in Exocrisis Blue are HARM, followed by Raid on Kahamba (these are available on Amazon via this link).

Neo-Ace Scene 01 - Tokyo - Draft Preview
Shadows faded into twilight darkness.  It was the beginning of night in Tokyo.  The brilliant lights of the city and its famous holographic billboards and video displays repelled the darkness. Moving parades of giant fantastical beasts, anime heroes battling villains, and flashy advertisements were  suspended over the streets around its busy train stations and popular locations like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ginza.  Sounds of music and catchy advertising jingles filled the air with a cacophony of sound.  Up close, augmented reality glasses and mini holo-projectors could show specific ads to people who had enabled their personal location identifiers.

Overlooking the vibrant city was the recently constructed Tokyo World Tree that also had the nickname of Yggdrasil.  Yggdrasil was the tree that reached into the heavens and deep into the earth from Norse mythology.  It embodied the hopes of Tokyoites for the rebirth of their city onto the world scene after the destruction wrought by the Alien War and the subsequent Kanto earthquake that had capped it off.   World Tree was about half of the height of Mount Fuji, the tallest point in Japan.  At a height of 1600 metres it was built to be bigger and taller than any free standing tower built by man, including the previous record holder, the Tokyo Skytree.  Only the advanced materials technology developed during the Alien War allowed it to exist and withstand both massive earthquakes or typhoons.  It was so tall that it received both an earlier sunrise before the rest of the city and a delayed sunset at the top.  The only structures taller than it were the orbital elevators that reached into orbit from the mountains of Peru,  Mount Ararat in Turkey, and Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

An external elevator car rapidly rose out of the tower’s massive base footings and began ascending to the observation decks that were just below the canopy that crowned the tower.  The elevator was a silvery speck that on the brightly lit surface of the tower whose built-in lighting subtly shifted in color over time.   Twelve main struts fanning out in all directions comprised the main canopy structure at the top.  Each strut in turn had extendable micro-struts which would become the branches and leaves of the great World Tree.  In the day, it was a glittering silver and gold canopy.  At night, the built-in holo-projectors  turned the canopy into a brilliant lightshow that had played animations for everyone to see. 

Mayumi Shimizu and Hiro, her godfather, rode the glass walled elevator up with two dozen other excited people.  The passengers were a diverse lot that ranged from grandmothers in kimonos, families with children, dating couples to obvious tourists from other countries.  The World Tree had just been open for a year and a half, but it still drew large crowds of every day.  Ceiling mounted displays on the inner walls of the elevator showed their rising position and facts about the tower as they climbed.  Mayumi ignored the displays and had her face pressed against the glass to get the most of the breathtaking view while the less bold were well back from the glass.  She could almost imagine she was flying in the dimly lit elevator.   Next to her, Hiro just observed her happiness and was content with that fact as he contemplated the view himself.  Most of the landscape below had lights in it except where there were parks, but he knew that some of the dark patches were still rubble that had not been cleared.  Tokyo had been rebuilt again, for the third time in 200 years, but it would still be a few years before it was fully redeveloped. 

The elevator eventually arrived at the first observation deck.  A number of the passengers disembarked, a few new ones boarded, and the elevator did a brief rise to the second observation deck.  All of the passengers excitedly walked off onto a wide gallery that circled the tower.  The gallery was fully enclosed with large floor to ceiling windows that offered spectacular panoramic views of the city.   At this altitude a full enclosure was necessary to protect people from the weather as the  winds could be high, the temperature was cooler, and you could even be in the weather as you were in or above the rainclouds.

Tokyo at night from the Skytree.   Flickr / edocko777

“We are not due for our dinner reservations until 7:30.” Hiro spoke out.  “We have about 25 minutes to enjoy the sights.   I believe the holographic representation of the old skyline is about to light up in 10 minutes.  I have never been up here myself so I would like to see it.”  He then worked his jaw to pop his ears due to the lower air pressure at their height.

“You like history too much, ojisan!” Mayumi called back.  She was very fond of her godfather and called him ojisan, for uncle, a term of endearment that she used from before the death of her parents.  Running to the huge windows she looked out over the city again.  “The city lights are beautiful, it is like a sea of lights in all directions.  Look you can even see the grounds of the Imperial Palace there.  The entire castle is all lit up!” 

Mayumi lived with her aunt’s family, who was her mother’s sister, but had always felt a little like an outsider.  For twelve years they had taken care of her since the death of her parents in a terrible car accident, but they cared for their own three children more than her.  It wasn’t like they didn’t love her or neglected her, but she felt they just didn’t have enough love to spread around to the extra child they had never expected.   On the other hand, Hiro, had always managed to pop in every month to visit her  despite his busy schedule.  He was a senior sales executive who traveled the globe for Galáxia Japão Pharmaceuticals (GJP),  a large Brazillian and Japanese company that kept him on the move.  She had known him since she was three and he had played an even more important role in her life after the deaths of her parents.  However, she never called him ojisan when her actual aunt and uncle were around as it would have caused problems.

Mayumi returned back to Hiro when she realized that he had not come up to the window and was just staring out.  She stood against him and gently held onto his arm.  Mayumi was not tall and she easily put her head onto his chest for comfort.  Hiro was about 5' 10" and her head only came up to his shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Hiro murmured out.  "I'm ruining the day for you.  This was supposed to be your happy, belated birthday from me."

Mayumi snapped her head up.  "That's ridiculous.  You just being here makes me happy!  You came back early from Rio just for me."

Hiro smiled.  "I just have many things on my mind.  I cannot believe you have turned fifteen and have turned into a beautiful young woman.  It seems like yesterday that were still piggybacking on my shoulders at the zoo."

"That was a long time ago, ojisan."

"I know, but humour an old man and his memories.  I am very proud about how you turned out.  You would have made your mother and father very proud too."

"You are going to make me sad if you keep this up."

"I know.  I know, but bear with me just a little longer, then we will talk about happy things.  I just want to talk about your future."

Mayumi gave the slighted of frowns then nodded in agreement. 

"You have done well in school and scored at the top for the national mecha synchronization tests.  That is a remarkable achievement that gives you automatic entry into the Japanese Defence Forces Mecha Academy.  I'm glad you chose to attend the CAJUN Neo-Ace Academy instead when they offered you a spot.  But... I was a little surprised as it is a big move for you."

"I surprised myself, ojisan." Mayumi replied.  "I wasn't sure at first, but then I talked about it with my friends and they thought it could be a big opportunity.  How many chances like this does a person get in their life?  It would be a grand adventure." 


"You have become strong," Hiro spoke affirmatively.  "I would have told you to go too."  He then paused for a moment.  "Your adopted parents were very concerned about you moving to Canada on your own, but I convinced them that it would be fine, as it was very prestigious.  After all, you would be going to school and training with the best student pilots from Japan, Canada, and Pacifica.  The Union would not want their best to come to harm."

"I knew I could count on you, ojisan."  Mayumi had guessed her uncle had something to do with the sudden change of mind from her uncle and aunt. "They really respect you, and I'm glad you changed their minds." Mayumi was positively radiant with the news of her uncle's support.  "You have always been the best for me!"

Hiro looked her in the eyes.  “It was not easy, “ he added in a serious tone.  “Your aunt was really worried about you.  Remember when you use to have the terrible dreams about the world ending.  I know you think they don’t love you as much as their own children, but I remember how desperate they were when their own doctors could not help you.  Their doctors said it was just the trauma from the loss of your parents.  I finally put them in contact with the right specialist who helped the dreams stop.  I hope you appreciate them.  I know I do.”

Mayumi’s exuberance calmed down.  “I know, ojisan.  I’m going to miss my family here, my friends, and Japan.  This is going to be serious training as I will be a soldier.”

“I’m glad you understand.  They have done a fine job of raising you.  And I think you will do just fine in Canada.  Your English is good and you will make new friends.”

She gave him a great big hug.  Hiro affectionately returned an equally big hug, but a part of his heart was heavy with doubt.  Only his real love for Mayumi showed on the surface though.  He had watched over the child for a long time and hoped he was doing the right thing.  The academy would be good for her talents, but it would put her on a path to danger.

Both of them enjoyed the long hug before Hiro finally spoke out.  "Let's get a good view for the illuminations.  It will probably be very crowded.  Remember, I still have a birthday present for you too! I think you will really like it!"

Mayumi was just all smiles.  It was something that Hiro wanted to remember forever.

*****

As usual, all of this work is copyrighted, all rights reserved.

The Combat Mechas of HARM

For more information about the Exocrisis Blue books and HARM click here.

HARM is short for Humanoid Assault and Reconnaissance Machine

These are giant bipedal robots that vaguely resemble a medieval knight with its thick torso, massive joints, blocky armour plates, and a squat helmet with a horizontal slit on top.  HARM units have been developed in a range of sizes for different purposes and range from 3 to 15 metres in height.  The main combat HARM units are on the large end of the scale since they need to carry a chemical fusion plant to generate the massive amounts of power for required for their coilgun primary armament and to energize their molecular armour plating.

HARM units are far more nimble than their appearance would dictate as they are powered by synthetic muscles that generate massive amounts of physical force with an almost instantaneous response.  However, effective use of this agility and strength derived from the advanced cybernetic control and full motion capture interfaces for the human pilot of the robot.  These systems are composed of a cybernetic 3D display helmet and the motion capture suit worn by the pilot.  The tight-fitting suit is plugged into a skeletal support frame that provides both physical support for the human operator and force-feedback to show how the machine is responding to commands.  The cybernetic interfaces read the pilot’s mind to enhance the motion capture control of the robot to a new level.

The cockpits for the machines are typically 8 to 10 metres off the ground, but human control is enabled via VR and augmented reality displays shown from the perspective of the robot’s head. When you first pilot a HARM you have to adjust to the disorienting size perspective and the actual capabilities and limitations of the machine. Pilots have indicated they felt like they were wearing the giant machines in a manner similar to how battlesuit infantry felt when they were wearing their powered exoskeletons.

Manual backups to operate the machine also exist but these could just make it walk and work its arms in the simplest manner.  Every HARM unit has an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to act as a co-pilot, weapons and engineering officer.  A pilot could actually verbally command an AI to move a HARM unit, however, safety mechanisms have been built into HARM units to prevent the AI from operating on its own without human supervision.

General Automata Corporation Developed HARM Units

GAC is the world leader in military HARM development and commercial construction mechas. Under the leadership of Dr. Janet Chan it continues to excel in R & D.

X Series HARM Unit

X Series Experimental HARM Unit

The first operational HARM unit that entered combat was the X-14 numbered version of the X series.  This series of HARM units was not intended for production use as it was intended to be a functional prototyping only.

•                    Date of Introduction Into Service: 2050

•                    Height: 13 metres

•                    Weight: 30 metric tons

•                    Max Running Speed: 70 kph loaded, 80 kph unloaded.

•                    Rocket Jump: 20 metres up.

•                    Armament:

o   50 mm coilgun integrated into the right arm.  Cannon fires hypersonic, fin stabilized, depleted uranium penetrators. Single shot mode is the most powerful mode for the gun, but it takes 10 seconds before the capacitors can recharge for the next shot. A great deal of power is required for the superconducting magnetic coils to propel their projectiles at 3 km/second. Because of the power requirement only heavy tanks and HARM units are equipped with them.

o   30 mm automatic cannon integrated into left arm.

o   Unit can engaged in hand to hand combat by picking up objects or by punching.

•                    Defences: Active molecular armour plating, and duralloy composite plating.

•                    Electronics:

o   Full electronics suite including military comnet, EW, Radar, Infrared Vision, and advanced datalink.

o   Prototype Delphi series AI.

o   Reconnaissance drone

Mark I Series Avenger HARM Unit
First mass produced HARM unit that is still found in service in a few places on the globe.  The Mark I series was a universal frame that has been modified and extended by other nations since the design was shared so that every nation could construct HARM units to counter the Blue Newt invasion.  Performance characteristics and armament are similar to the X Series.  These units are no longer in service with Canada, Pacifica, and Japan.

Mark II Series Thor HARM Unit
This is the first General Automata Corporation specific HARM unit.  These Mark II series HARM units are a reengineered design that extends the Mark I series.  Mark II HARM units are only found in service with reserve units for Canada, Pacifica, and Japan now.  Other nations have HARM units similar in capability to the Thor series units.

Mark III Series Fenrir HARM Unit
The first completely reengineered HARM unit from the ground up.  The design from GAC was far superior to all other HARM designs that it seemed to leap a generation ahead of all other nations.  The units first entered service with CAJUN rapid deployment forces, then with the armed forces of  Canada, Pacifica, and Japan.

•                    Date of Introduction Into Service: 2060

•                    Height: 12 metres

•                    Weight: 30 metric tons, 34 metric tons with full combat load.

•                    Max Running Speed: 70 kph loaded, 80 kph unloaded.

•                    Rocket Jump: 20 metres up.

•                    Armament:

·                     The primary armament is now interchangeable.  The unit can carry either a 50 mm coilgun for anti-armour use or a 160 mm assault cannon that can fire a variety of rounds.  The coilgun can be clipped onto the HARM’s back if missile pods are not mounted.  The coilgun has been improved for both rate of fire (one full power shot every 4 seconds) and to fire projectiles at a maximum of 3.5 km/s or mach 10+.

·                     Typhoon missile pods.  Two disposable missile pods can be mounted per HARM, with 16 heavy missiles per pod.

·                     Mono-steel molecular combat knife in a mounted in a horizontal sheath at the base of the HARM units back.

·                     30 mm chain gun integrated into left arm with a switchable mix of 200 rounds of HE and 200 rounds of AP.

·                     20 Helldart anti-armour missiles in a shoulder-mounted vertical launch system.

•                    Defences: Active molecular armour plating and improved duralloy composite plating, active camouflage system, smoke canisters, and Hedgehog point defence system.

•                    Electronics:

·                     Full electronics suite including military comnet, EW, Radar, Infrared Vision, enhanced optics, and advanced datalink.

·                     Oracle series AI that is three times more capable than the old Delphi series.

·                     Reconnaissance drone

Mark IV Series Odin HARM Unit.
Classified and currently under development at the GAC development and test facility in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  According to GlobalMechWatchers.org there are rumours of a flight mode and advanced beam weaponry being developed.

Date Under Development: 2067

Read about the HARM units in action in the ebooks HARM, and Raid on Kahamba available at Amazon in most regions. Coming in 2013 is the main story arc for Exocrisis Blue that integrates HARM units into a story of mecha academy recruits and veteran pilots in a backdrop of global intrigue and war.

Mecha Action Excerpt From HARM (Military SF)

Check out my publication page if you like this excerpt from HARM.
http://peterlok.blogspot.ca/p/my-publications.html

...

His mecha crouched behind the weathered and rust streaked wall of a raw materials silo. From his concealed location, he launched a small drone or RPV to hover within a grove of trees in the area to monitor the approach of the of the two spider-mechs. The spider machines were huge with flattened and segmented bodies that were twelve metres long. They stood nine metres high on six legs, three per side, a few short for an arachnid, but the name had stuck anyhow. They scuttled up to 70 kph, and could jump over low obstacles. They were almost black in color with dots of red light covering their armoured shells. A vertically elongated, weapons blister on their back contained their primary beam weapon. This particular spider type had been code-named Black Widow as they were a very lethal, heavy combat mech.

This was the second time Joshua had seen one up close, even if it was through his RPV's sensors. The first time had been as a close air support pilot who had run out of missiles. He had pulled a crazy, aerial maneuver to close in and kill an alien mech with a long, sustained burst of tank-killing cannon rounds, but had been shot down in the process. While recovering in the hospital, Dr. Chan had dragooned him into the HARM program as extra medical tests indicated he had a high synchronization rate with the experimental mental cybernetics she was developing. He had resisted at first, as he was a pilot, not some robot jockey, but potential of the HARM series mechas grew on him over time.

"Drone has been detected, beginning evasive manoeuvres." After issuing the notice, the HARM's AI immediately began retreating and jinking the RPV. Laser flashes from the spider-mech's secondary lasers indicated multiple shots against the RPV. Several seconds later, the feed from the drone went dead. "Drone destroyed," reported the AI.

That blew it. The Newts knew someone was around and he was blind now. He extended a tiny camera on his mecha’s head above the silo to see again. He could see the spider-mechs were advancing more slowly and had their primary guns pointed in the direction of the factory, but the wrong part of the factory. Readying his coilgun he aimed past the silo to where the first spider-mech would appear. Safety off. Coilgun in single mode, he thought. “Safety off. Single mode, acknowledged,” replied the AI. Single shot mode was the most powerful mode for the gun, but it would take 10 seconds before the capacitors would recharge for the next shot.

He was nervous, his hands felt a little damp, but he remained steady. The front of the first mech appeared and he waited until a third of it entered his line of sight. He sighted on the center of mass in front and below it’s primary gun, the targeting programs automatically adjusting for range and other parameters. A squeeze of the virtual trigger in his right hand caused the coilgun to kick back. One hypersonic, depleted uranium penetrator fired out of the coilgun with a loud bang. A moment later, the slug hit with devastating power. The full power shot punched clean through the side of the spider-mech in a small explosion, with most of the kinetic energy from the projectile focused on a tiny surface of armour that was blasted apart. Inside the mech, the penetrator and spalled pieces of armour ricocheted through machinery, interior walls, bodies, and the main power plant. All the stored energy inside the power plant instantaneously burst out and the resulting explosion tore the mech in two.

“Target destroyed,” the AI called out.

The coilgun was highly effective – a vast reversal from the early encounters where 120 mm sabot rounds from the M3A1 battle tanks had proven less than effective against the alien’s molecular armour. Better weapons like the coilgun had been developed since, but they required a great deal of power for their superconducting magnetic coils to propel their projectiles at 3 km/second. Because of this only heavy tanks and the new HARMs were equipped with them.

The second spider-mech’s sensors had noted the source of the shot and targeted the old silos. The powerful beam weapon on the mech flashed and beams punched four holes clean through the steel silos. However, Joshua wasn’t there anymore. He had already rolled and was shifting to a new position.
 
 ...

END EXCERPT

Review of A Soldier's Duty (Theirs Not to Reason Why)

Mini-review #6
This is the sixth of a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.
 
Is prophetic military SF a genre?   Jean Johnson has written a pretty good military SF novel in A Soldier's Duty.  I'm actually working my way through the sequel right now (and finding it a slower read at the beginning), but the first book was fairly gripping all the way through.  After reading it I actually wondered what else Jean has written.  When I went through her catalog afterwards I found she writes paranormal romances and such, but this particular work isn't a romance and I'm glad I didn't know that beforehand as it is a good military SF story!

Flickr / Defence Images

Hundreds of years in the future, mankind has spread out to the stars.  Our heroine, Ia, is from a heavy gravity world which gives her strength benefits, but she also has the gift of precognition and can see different future world lines.  Unfortunately she has foreseen a great disaster happening that cannot be stopped unless she manipulates events in a particular manner.  In fact most of the possible futures are bad.  Kind of like the Foundation foreseeing the collapse of the empire with psychohistory.  So Ia joins the marines and needs to gather allies and gain influence to alter things.

The first novel basically establishes her character and she uses her abilities to rise in the ranks and successfully complete missions with impossible odds.  Precognition definitely helps out here in combat.  How not to get shot!  You would think that battles would be anticlimactic because of her abilities, but they are still entertaining even though some of the tension is gone sometimes.  If you are looking for something entertaining with a different spin on things this book is worth a read.


Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Small unit operations, raids.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes.  Ia is pretty single-minded in her drive to save the galaxy.  Plenty of supporting characters and family members to boot.  You wonder who is going to live and become part of the cause.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes. There is enough hidden as to how Ia is going to succeed.  Obviously she can also fail, but can she pull off the rescue of the future?  I think it was written pretty good in this regard.  If people complain about predetermination, I'd disagree as most novels have heroes that succeed so that by itself is kind of like predetermination.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
Yes. No problems with the story.  This is a long novel in a good way.  As a writer I'm jealous, I'm more terse.  In terms of the battles scenes I would only have my standard complaint which is that the soldiers hundreds of years from now are equipped with weaponry that is roughly at our current technology level (I'd guess it would look antiquated in 20 years).  In fact, weaponry, technology, and tactics should be radically different that far in the future.  Book series like the Kris Longknife books by Mike Shephard also have this same problem, but I'm still reading that series too. Even with this complaint it is okay as I'm in it for the story first.

What cool bonus features are there?
Hey, Ia, is a precog who will gain additional abilities.  Interesting world building about the source of her powers (influenced by the paranormal romance angle? But I liked it.)

Review of Germline (The Subterrene War)

Mini-review #5
This is the fifth of a series of short reviews for military SF and mecha SF.  You will not see a review of something I don't like as it isn't worth writing about in that case, but I will tell you what works for me and what doesn't about the stories I did like.  When I was writing my Exocrisis Blue stories and trying to find places to post about it or reviews of other mecha SF I was unable to find any, so I'm creating my own hub. Now onto the review.  For the master list of reviews, click here.

 Germline is the first of three novels in the Subterrene War universe by T.C. McCarthy.  I have to say the writer managed to capture a very gritty picture about future combat both underground and above ground.  The below ground war scenes were quite interesting as there is some pretty advanced tunneling technology where trench warfare is taken under the earth.  In addition, I really like the way he incorporated clones or the genetics into the story.  

Flickr / dee_gee

Most of the story is centered around Oscar Wendall, a report who sees going to the front lines as his ticket to success.  Instead, he becomes involved in a brutal war that changes him when it goes on and on, an everlasting battle over rare resources buried underground in Kazakhstan.  The USA uses genetics, female super soldiers, to fight the Russians who throw men away by the thousands it seems.  Why female super soldiers? - That is well explained too!  The genetics are also powerful disposable tools and the war seems to be one of attrition.  The series is centered around Oscar's relationship with these genetic soldiers, their goals and religion, how they have been programmed, and I found that this is kept my attention all the way through. This book was well worth reading.

Does it have a cast of characters listing? 
No.  

What is the scope / scale of the story? 
Small unit and battalion level operations.  There is a grand campaign but it is more back story.

Does it have likeable characters?
Yes.  Oscar has an interesting journey of discovery and pulls out of the pits of despair.

Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Yes.  Combat, female super soldiers, drugs, and a war that doesn't end.

How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
The technology used includes electromagnetic assault rifles called Maxwells that fire thousands of rounds (where do I get one?), plasma cannon and artillery, supersonic drones, and it was nicely done.  Soldiers are suited up in battle armour but you half wonder why they wear it as it seems to not be resistant to most weapons. The world described is that of the battlefield and the writer does a good job of it.  Later on, the story expands out into the rest of the world and I don't think it works quite as well, but I'm reading the third novel now so it can't be that bad!

What cool bonus features are there? 
The genetics are cool and I found myself rooting for them.