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.
This is a review of Armored, an anthology of stories about powered armour, which is not to be confused with the older military SF book Armor. I happen to have both the Kindle version of it and the paperback. Baen Books has their own sales site which sells ebooks without DRM, which is nice. John Joseph Adams has assembled a nice assortment of 23 short stories that range anywhere from steam punk to gritty miltary SF. There's even a zombie type story in here too, but pretty much skimmed that as I don't like zombie / undead type stories of any kind other than the original Dracula. Some of the stories I really liked were Hell's Half Acre, Jungle Walkers, Power Armor: A Love Story, Field Test, and Trauma Pod. It was a nice mix of stories from direct engagements, a bit of horror, to a spy/romance plot.
Worth a read for the fan of powered armour or military SF.
Does it have a cast of characters listing?
Nope. But there are tons of characters as there are 23 different stories. The suits themselves are characters in a few of them!
What is the scope / scale of the story?
Varies, but mainly it is small unit, or commando raid type missions. Nothing too epic, but these are short stories.
Does it have likeable characters?
There are quite a few memorable characters that range from Frost a Drone operator to a tough Gunnery Sergeant named Schaeffer.
Does it have an entertaining storyline?
Many interesting storylines. Stories range from historical steampunk to far future in a variety of settings. If you like powered armour, you will be entertained.
How is the internal consistency / plausibility?
The stories hold together pretty good. No complaints.
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