You’ll Be Sor-ree! By Sid Phillips

Sid Phillips tried to enlist in the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor. He ended up shortly thereafter in the Marines. These are his recollection of his days in the Pacific in World War II.

I’m not much for non-fiction. I find that daily events often provide more grim reality than I really care to experience. My Dad was only slightly older than Sid Phillips. Even though Sid was in the Pacific theater and the Marines and my Dad was in Europe and the Army, I heard parallels in his tales.

Phillips points out several times that our bulwark against aggression was a group of very young and very inexperienced kids. Those kids had horrific experiences that turned them quickly into men. I was struck by the fact that there wasn’t one single instance of “poor me” in his homey rendition. He made no excuses for is behavior or complaints about treatment. Quite frequently he made mention of events or instances where you could not expect sympathy or compassion from your compatriots. You were expected at all times to “man” up.

Regardless of your feelings about the military, you have to admire the courage and the resiliency of the “greatest” generation. In 1939 my Dad was in a mule brigade and by the end of the war there jets in the air. The astounding changes these young guys went through are hard to imagine.

Sid Phillips, I salute you and your generation for an amazing job!

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Sid Philllips

The Clone Elite by Steven L. Kent

The implacable foe is absorbing the galaxy and mankind is on the ropes. Clone Wayson Harris continues to annoy the natural born with his irreverence regarding their supposed superiority. The symbolism of repression and intolerance is more obvious than symbolic. Harris and Freeman, his 7’ freebooting companion are deeply in the fray. The aliens seem unstoppable and it appears that civilization is over. Harris, Freeman and a cast of thousands throw themselves into the breach. The story is action filled, laden with symbolism and very entertaining. I enjoyed the series and was delighted when the author made note that he has accepted a contract to do three more books about Wayson Harris. A good series, I recommend it.

Body of work of Steven Kent

Review: http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/510.html

Web Site: http://www.sadsamspalace.com/

March To the Sea by David Weber and John Ringo

A sequel to “March Up Country”, this book is as entertaining as it’s predecessor. Prince Roger as the main character is continuing to mature. Wading through the blood of his friends, foes and assorted wild life has given him a different perspective that his pampered life in the palace. Working with civilized natives combating barbarism seems to be the only way the force can continue to their goal of reaching the star port. The marines need to reserve, at least, a portion of their technological superiority for a final confrontation with their modern foes at the star port. This reservation requires them to implement a minor industrial revolution and introduce, to the marines eyes, antique weapons to the locals. The same antiques are a marvel of technology to the industrially challenged natives. Battling through seemingly limitless barbarians, Prince Roger develops into a “true” prince and leader. Again a book I couldn’t put down, Ringo and Weber truly tell a great story.

Body of work of David Weber
Body of work of John Ringo

Review: http://en.risingshadow.net/index.php?option=com_library&Itemid=67&action=book&book_id=7229


Web Site http://www.davidweber.net/
David Weber’s web site is under construction.

Web Site: http://www.johnringo.com/

The Myriad by R. M. Meluch

I like military scifi. I enjoy Ing,Weber, Drake and Ringo. Meluch isn’t up to Weber’s standards but I enjoyed the book. The setting is the battleship Merrimack, a multipurpose, interstellar behemoth. The story line is the Merimack’s stand against an implacable foe. The ship’s captain is a much larger than life thoughtful berserker. The characters are a bit too stereotypical of their genre. I know pilots and marines and the majority of them do not fit the stereotype. The action sequences were well done and the political aspects seemed altogether too realistic. The main characters are likeable but not lovable. Elizabeth Moon and David Weber create characters that you really care about, Meluch not so much. With that said, I will be buying the rest of the books in the series, Tour of the Merrimack. It was interesting, kept my attention and well worth reading.

Body of work of R. M. Meluch

Review of the book:
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/rm-meluch~the-myriad~130493~b.htm

Site:
http://www.rmmeluch.com/

Starfist First To Fight by David Sherman And Dan Cragg

I have mixed feelings about the book. I have three more in the series aand I will see how they work out. I’m enamored with David Weber, Dean Ing, David Drake, Stirling and frankly they grab you earlier and engender more emotion. However Sherman and Cragg do lay a very thorough and realistic foundation. Marine Corp fans should find their prose realistic. The story line focuses on a detachment of Marines, recognizable and related to current day Marines. Not a lot of techy gadgetry and a focus on the brotherhood of warriors. Good action when it finally started to pop but a long time to get there. Granted that is more realistic than the constant action featured in some military fiction. I recommend it with reservations, I am going to read more of the series before I make my final decision. The series does have enough die hard fans to have several sites devoted to fandom activities so it’s appeal may not be evident to me.

Body of work of Dan Cragg

Body of work of David Sherman

Review of the book: http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/eBookDetails.asp?BookID=9630

Site: http://www.novelier.com/