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A Hymn Before Battle (Posleen War #1)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 4,365 ratings · 115 reviews

With Earth in the path of the rapacious Posleen, the Galactic Federation offers help to the backward humans -- for a price. You can protect yourself from your enemies, but God save you from your allies

Mass Market Paperback, 467 pages

Published April 30th 2006 by Baen Books (first published 2000)

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Sep 15, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, galactic-civilizations, science-fiction, space-battles, 2000-2005, military-fiction, warriors, war-sff

MILITARY SF that hits the G-SPOT and causes a FULL ON HAPPY!! Interesting POLITICS, unique ALIEN CULTURES, intelligent PLOTTING, engaging CHARACTERS...oh yeah, and lots and lots of:

4.5 stars. I’ve said before that I like military SF, but it is not the sub-genre that I intend to settle down with and spend the rest of my life. Therefore, I am fairly prudish and selective about the books I engage with in this category. Well book bachelors and bachelorettes, this book is definitely ROSE WORTHY as...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of military pulp science fiction, most of whom have already read it

Shelves: science-fiction, war

In full disclosure, I've bumped into the author a couple of times online as we have certain interests in common. I hope he remains willing to talk to me after this review.

The biggest problem with the book is that it’s not really to my taste. Along with Jerry Pournelle, John Ringo is one of the main figures in the pulp military science fiction. You might think that's right up my alley, but really not so much. I just can't get into it. Whether it denounces the horrors of war or it glamorizes the g...more In full disclosure, I've bumped into the author a couple of times online as we have certain interests in common. I hope he remains willing to talk to me after this review.

The biggest problem with the book is that it’s not really to my taste. Along with Jerry Pournelle, John Ringo is one of the main figures in the pulp military science fiction. You might think that's right up my alley, but really not so much. I just can't get into it. Whether it denounces the horrors of war or it glamorizes the glory or war or even just promotes the necessity of martial virtue, I just have a hard time getting into war fiction. I can and sometimes do enjoy it, but never at the level of light reading that the 'pulp' style promotes.

I didn't have a lot of problem reading 'A Hymn Before Battle'. The prose is reasonably good and the story is fast moving and generally quickly paced. But on the other hand, while it wasn't painful to read neither could I really enjoy it or get excited by it. There were just too many problems in the way. Sure, the characterization was generally shallow, but that's to be expected of pulp fiction. The bigger problem I had was with the ultra-technology, which is both over the top and not at all well realized in my opinion. The actual implications of technology like hand held missile launchers that can reach a significant fraction of the speed of light, hand held surface to orbital weapons and so forth just didn't seem well considered. In particular, it is a well known dictum of military theory that the more lethal the weapon the further the units must be dispersed when in battle. But the tactics of the book seem more rooted in modern tactics at best and at worst table top ancient war gaming than in anything actually implied by consideration of the theoretical technology. It was like reading 'Ender's Game' where Ender never realized that "the enemies gate was down", and instead defeated his enemies by inventing formations.

There are large numbers of instances where the technology seems to possess the power of plot. We can tell the protagonist from the expendable red shirts because their ultratech battlesuits provide only a tiny fraction of the protection granted to main characters. Ordinary humans end up surviving things that would kill most superheroes outright, and I couldn't for a second believe the technology and not the writer was what saved the protagonist. At one point, a main character survives a 10 megaton explosion from a distance of 30 meters.

Additionally, the story has a bad case of the 'Humans are Special' trope which is exaggerated to such a degree it’s just about monkey ego porn. Now, in this Ringo is hardly the only science fiction author at fault, as we can site similar instances by Niven, Brin, and others (otherwise it wouldn’t be a trope). However, in 'A Hymn before Battle' the 'Humans are Special' trope is achieved by making all the other races in the galaxy fundamentally flawed to such an incredible degree it feels like humanity versus the galaxy's special ed. Students. In ‘A Hymn before Battle’, every other species in the galaxy is riding the short bus, and at best could be considered a sort of idiot savant. But even worse, the idiot savant warrior race isn't even particularly good at it.

The non-linear structure does nothing really to enhance the story. The backstory it provides isn't really interesting enough to serve as a story on it's own, and the non-linear structure seems little more than the author's recognition of that. The only reason to shuffle the story around is to parcel out the boring parts into smaller peices.

The story isn't all bad and there are some juicy hints of cleverly crafted interstellar intrigue that are likely to play out in the sequels, but there isn't enough here that is consistently good to make me want to slog through the sequels for the big payoff - especially when I have some pretty good ideas about what some of those big payoffs are going to be.

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Oct 01, 2007 Kelsey rated it 3 of 5 stars

A really good apocalyptic hard sci-fi series. Earth faces alien invasion without time to prepare adequately, and allies who may or may not be trustworthy. The series details the brutal struggle against an encroaching canninbalistic horde, on other planets, in space, and finally on Earth. The series predictably gets darker as it progresses, and it is definitely hard/military sci-fi. The books refer to the R&D, training, and brutal combat involved in the struggle, but also contain vivid charac...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

A bit jumpy, and mildly entertaining. Insufficient character development, excellent military empathy.

The deeper into the book I got, the more I empathized with the main characters. I found myself cursing under my breath at the politicians, the underhanded dealings, the insecure, power-mongering higher-ranked military personnel and the questionable motives of our new alien benefactors. The author does an excellent job in portraying the foolishness that costs lives, the greed that takes lives, and...more

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Aug 05, 2008 Jimmy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone over the age 15 who enjoys either sci-fi or military thrillers.

Recommended to Jimmy by: I actually found the 4th book on a free book shelf in Iraq and w

Shelves: john-ringo, military, sci-fi

This book is the beginning of the Legacy of the Aldenata. It lays out a very plausible different future for humanity than the path we are on now. Right about the time the global war on terror is starting in our universe, earth finds out that a cannabalistic, carniverous alien race known as the Posleen are on their way to make serve man. On rye with a side of bacon that is. These vicious aliens have advanced technology, a voracious appetite, and they breed like, well rabbits. It will take everyth...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-commercial, sci-fi, baen-free

An impressive middling-hard-sci-fi war novel. Earth gets good news and bad news on the same day. The galaxy is full of sentient life, most of it peaceful and friendly. But the nasty ones are headed our way and will arrive in a bare 5 years! Solution: become the "good guys'" mercenaries. Basically, the federation of peaceful species transfers a boat load of tech and some good interstellar cash to the humans, who use it to build a competitive fighting machine and the men to use it. The hope is tha...more

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Jun 09, 2012 David L rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a review of the kindle edition.

This is the third time I have read this book, which alone says something.

It is an excellent military SF book in its own right, with a large cast many of whom we get to meet again in later books. It also is the first book in a long series, and planned that way, so a degree of set-up occurs that leaves plot details hanging. But as it is made clear that there is going to be other books that is not a problem.

I like the book for many reasons. One of which is tha...more This is a review of the kindle edition.

This is the third time I have read this book, which alone says something.

It is an excellent military SF book in its own right, with a large cast many of whom we get to meet again in later books. It also is the first book in a long series, and planned that way, so a degree of set-up occurs that leaves plot details hanging. But as it is made clear that there is going to be other books that is not a problem.

I like the book for many reasons. One of which is that amongst the heroes, of which there are a number, there are also the rest. The cowards, the incompetents, the 'it will never happen here' types, the people so selfish they put others at risk for personal gain - monetary, political with a small and a big p, ego and desire for fame and promotion - in fact all the small and petty ways we humans have for putting ourselves, our own desires, our own beliefs, first and the rest of humanity a poor second. Unlike many writers John Ringo does not pretend that in the face of alien invasion the human race will miraculously improve. This is a recurring theme throughout the series, but the seeds are firmly planted here.

The situation is not helped by alien allies who are playing long games that hamper humanity as much as they help.

The narrative is much more complex than it appears, more complex than in other John Ringo books and series. If you expect Space Opera you will be disappointed as this contrary to many reviews is not Space Opera. It is far too complex for that.

This book will appeal most to the military SF aficionados, but will disappoint some of them as it deals more with what goes on behind the gun as what happens in front of it. It will disappoint others as there is no happy ending, just some costly victories in what will be a very long war.

"One more such victory will undo me!" (Greek: Ἂν ἔτι μίαν μάχην νικήσωμεν, ἀπολώλαμεν) - ascribed to Pyrrhus of Epirus after the Battle of Asculum in 279 BCE.

If you are willing to put the mental effort in to think about what this book is saying, I heartily recommend it. Along the way you will have a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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May 04, 2012 Tina rated it 2 of 5 stars

This, the first book in a series focusing on the character Michael O'Neal, is perhaps the best of them. It provided me with some hours of amusement, and for that alone it deserve its score.

The problem, as with the rest of the series, is that of Weberisms, so named in my mind after David Weber who - at his worst - tend to do the same. First, infodumps. These are frequent, and detailed; terribly, terribly detailed. So much detail is presented that one get the impression that a publishing agent has...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Andreas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Alien invasion stories have been done before, but to my knowledge never quite with this much desperation, lack of hope, or heroism on the part of the defenders. This is rich military SF with a keen eye for the strategic dimension and human psychology as well as kick-ass fun. The “original” series consists of the following.

* A Hymn Before Battle
* Gust Front
* When the Devil Dances
* Hell’s Faire

The first novel is a sort of “eve of the war” story. I was put off by the cover for quite a while but...more Alien invasion stories have been done before, but to my knowledge never quite with this much desperation, lack of hope, or heroism on the part of the defenders. This is rich military SF with a keen eye for the strategic dimension and human psychology as well as kick-ass fun. The “original” series consists of the following.

* A Hymn Before Battle
* Gust Front
* When the Devil Dances
* Hell’s Faire

The first novel is a sort of “eve of the war” story. I was put off by the cover for quite a while but eventually decided to give it a shot. Good thing too. Aliens have contacted Earth and told them of an ongoing war, and that the Posleen, a very powerful race with a behavior like a cannibalistic Mongol horde, is only five years out from Earth. The Galactics will help, if humans help them fight. The other races are pacifistic in the extreme. There is action (of course) in the form of skirmishes and the defence of an allied planet, and we are introduced to Mike O’Neal, later leader of an elite Armed Combat Suit unit and the main hero of the story.

The second novel covers the assault on Earth. As before, Ringo has a knack for describing the political and strategic dimensions, and is not afraid of throwing disastrous screwups, unexpected developments and plain old bad luck into the mix. The United States is hunkering down, but the question is: Will the line hold for the defenders to marshal their forces?

The third novel of the series is a middle book to bridge the gap between the first Posleen assault on Earth (covered in “Gust Front”) and the climactic conclusion to the war (covered in “Hell’s Faire”). Characters are developed and the stage is set for a whopping showdown. The action scenes are great, as in all Ringo’s work, and the humor just keeps getting better. It’s quite ironic that a story about alien invasion and massive destruction, suffering and pain can make me laugh out loud so much. Ringo is good at capturing the inner essence of characters. This three-dimensionality is welcome, and few authors pull it off so well. He is also very good at developing his characters as they go through events in their lives. Masterful.

The fourth novel picks up exactly where When the Devil Dances left off. In the afterword, Ringo says that the last two should only have been one, but 9/11 gave him serious writer’s block and plans had to change. He even suggests gluing them together. The conclusion is very exciting and satisfying. While many loose ends are tied up, other fundamental questions about the various aliens, which were only hinted at in the earlier books, are now dredged up and given new focus. Why didn’t the Galactics warn Earth earlier? Why did they give intelligence to the Posleen? To answer these questions the Universe is already much expanded, with several more novels written solo and in collaboration.

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Oct 29, 2012 M. J. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story was definitely compelling, moving from one tense situation to the next on several stages. It does good work with defining futuristic combat equipment and making it work, and shows that a core of Ironman-equipped soldiers are not invincible but are potent, and the more so if they understand their equipment. It also handled the notion of resistance to new technology and ideas extremely well, with seasoned commanders unwilling to give any credence to young experts in the new equipment.

I h...more The story was definitely compelling, moving from one tense situation to the next on several stages. It does good work with defining futuristic combat equipment and making it work, and shows that a core of Ironman-equipped soldiers are not invincible but are potent, and the more so if they understand their equipment. It also handled the notion of resistance to new technology and ideas extremely well, with seasoned commanders unwilling to give any credence to young experts in the new equipment.

I had heard John Ringo's name before, and new (despite the instant association my mind makes with westerns) that he wrote combat stories, but I was pleasantly surprised by the range of military units and settings.

I realize that the book is the first of a series, but if it has a shortfall it is that there are several characters who vanish, whose fate I would like to know. Chief among these are the wife and daughters of the technology expert who is probably the main character, but there are a number of military officers and enlisted men whose fate is never resolved who simply drop out of sight. If I thought they reappeared in later books it would increase my interest in pursuing the series (I'm one of those who always want to know what happens next in the lives of individual characters), but the nature of the book and the titles of subsequent entries suggests that it probably picks a new cast with each volume. On the other hand, one of the later books in the series has the name of one of his daughters in the title, so either he likes the name or the war will last long enough for a four year old to become a soldier.

Overall it was well done, and my reluctance to rate it higher is largely that it is a one-note symphony: we have many different aspects of military preparations for the war and military actions in the war, but the entire story is focused on the military; even when we see the enemy, we see the enemy military. As what it is, it is excellent; I only wish it were broader, covering more of the civilian world or the alien cultures and activities, all of which are so peripheral they barely give a taste.

I also found it barely credible that none of the races in the galactic alliance were at all capable in warfare, which seemed more like a plot device to make human soldiers necessary than a likely view of survival of the fittest-based intelligent beings. Ringo doesn't have the advantage of recent studies suggesting that it was the omnivorous diet of humans, and particularly the meat portion, that gave us the ability to evolve intelligence, but the notion of intelligent creatures rising to dominance on other worlds as docile creatures seems to fly in the face of what it means to be dominant. They also seemed to be overly pigeonholed, almost as if each supposed race was actually a genetic engineered class in society created for a niche.

I would probably recommend it to someone interested in interplanetary warfare, within these narrow parameters.

I will say that I was never certain whether the main character would survive, and the author did not play favorites with protecting characters the readers liked. It does give a feeling for what war is like, in that sense. If you want the feeling of fighting(less)

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Mar 04, 2009 CeAire rated it 3 of 5 stars

This person definitely has a military background with minute detail included about military organizations and strategies. However, the otherwise very action-packed novel gets lost in that very detail. He not only describes an action (such as lots of liquid traveled through some large plumbing pipes which the characters had to navigate through), but he describes everything from the circumference of pipes (in specific meters) to the volume of liquid (in liters or gallons) that can be passed throug...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, science-fiction, sf-road-trip-2012

”War! What is it good for?”

Military Science Fiction does come to mind…

A Hymn Before Battle is the first in the Posleen War saga. The series is also referred to as the Legacy of the Aldenata, which has a nice ring to it. In essence, it’s all about war. The aliens are coming! This theme, of course, isn’t new. Not by a long shot. There are different aliens involved too, some are nicer than others. Some are treacherous. Some are just plain evil. Not having much of a choice (with Earth being next on...more ”War! What is it good for?”

Military Science Fiction does come to mind…

A Hymn Before Battle is the first in the Posleen War saga. The series is also referred to as the Legacy of the Aldenata, which has a nice ring to it. In essence, it’s all about war. The aliens are coming! This theme, of course, isn’t new. Not by a long shot. There are different aliens involved too, some are nicer than others. Some are treacherous. Some are just plain evil. Not having much of a choice (with Earth being next on the menu), humans are pulled into the war on the side of the Galactic Federation, who are being owned by the Posleen in a war of rather extreme proportions. Thankfully, the bad guys in this instance are not bugs. Wow!

So, long story short, humans get handed some nice tech and are sent into the far reaches of space to bite some heel and… guess what? It seems we are better at making war than other aliens in general. Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Mild sarcasm aside, the book is actually pretty darn cool. It has all the tropes, of course. Such as: the top brass in the military are criminally incompetent and short sighted. Sigh. This really does make one wonder about the state of the US military. There is power armour of course. The ACS suits, as they’re called, are really cool, so if you’re a Halo (or other mil-SF with heavy suits) fan you might want to feast your intellect on these.

In the end, the story is far from over. The main arc plays out over four novels. The novel takes some time setting up the back story and introducing the players, but when the action starts is as compelling as you would expect from cutting edge military SF.

Now: I didn’t want to make a comment about the cover design of this novel. Who wants to be a nasty bastard all the time? However, since I know that some people will be giving this a skip based on the cover (to say nothing about the sequel: Gust Front) I should probably just, at the very least, say the following: don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s not that the art is bad, or anything, it just doesn’t seem to suit the epic-ness of the novel at all.
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Dec 15, 2011 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 04, 2012 Jeremy Preacher rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: military, scifi

This was one of the Baen Free Library books that I read a long time ago and was sort of surprised to really like. A lot of it is inside-baseball military jargon that I find surprisingly fascinating, and the rest is pure jingoistic shoot-'em-up fun. The setup is sort of perfect - the aliens are almost completely unrelatable and therefore cause no one shooting them any moral qualms (they eat everything, including their own children!) they're tough enough to require a great deal of blowing up, and...more

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Feb 26, 2010 Shaun Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shaun by: Jeff Cousens

I'm not usually a fan of military fiction in general. I do enjoy Peter F. Hamilton and his space operas, but they're much different animals. But the universe presented here is an intriguing one. Apparently the universe is only "peaceful" because all of the sentient races are cripplingly unwavering pacifists. And as expected, someone waltzed in and started beating the crap out of them. So naturally, even though we're not ready, they turn to us for aid while acknowledging our aggressive nature.

The...more I'm not usually a fan of military fiction in general. I do enjoy Peter F. Hamilton and his space operas, but they're much different animals. But the universe presented here is an intriguing one. Apparently the universe is only "peaceful" because all of the sentient races are cripplingly unwavering pacifists. And as expected, someone waltzed in and started beating the crap out of them. So naturally, even though we're not ready, they turn to us for aid while acknowledging our aggressive nature.

There's a lot to like, here. The characters must struggle against typical military and government bureaucracy, a highly suspicious galactic hierarchy, manufacturing difficulties . . . the list is endless. It's a lot of conflict and a good choice to spur the reader to desire resolution.

Unfortunately Ringo bites off too much. I kept getting bogged down in the military jargon, and even skimmed entire pages that just went on and on about formations, troop movements, or other concepts I was unfamiliar. Either he really knows his stuff, or he's regurgitating his research, and I found it distracting. He also introduced several plot threads, one of which is started very early in the book and never heard from again. I now have several theories concerning the plans for humanity in the overall structure once the Posleen (the alien antagonists, here) are defeated. None of them are good, and we're clearly being manipulated into being some kind of oppressive force by the sneaky Darheel, who basically own the entire galaxy.

You'd never know this except in the back of your mind, as the remainder of the book concentrates almost exclusively on the military action. It's good action, but I kept wondering when the 400 pages of war would move aside for the machinations. I also don't know why an recognizance team was dispatched only to waste the entire trip, considering a major military action took place before they ever returned. I'm sure the next book explains this, but maybe not. It's hard to say at this point.

Either way, it's a very strong work with great dialog, compelling situations, and enthralling descriptions. There were just too many particulars that prevent me from giving this my highest rating.

What I found most amusing about this book was that the cover had almost nothing to do with the content. I know T&A sells, but the character I presume is on the cover appears rarely compared to O'Neil, the main protagonist through our journey.(less)

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Aug 24, 2010 Michael Barnette rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished 'A Hymn Before Battle' and I have to say I greatly enjoyed the book.

The first half was beyond slow. Not much happened other than character introductions and a lot of people talking, which bugged the crap out of me since it rode along on the rule about never doing 'info dumps' in fiction. The action in the last half more than made up for the slow start/info dumping. Granted it wasn't done like a new author's info dumps, but still... On the other hand, I can understand why Ringo di...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Per Gunnar rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military, science-fiction, alien-invasion

I have generally liked the works of John Ringo so far. This one I didn’t really like. The story seemed quite interesting. First contact, Earth is enlisted to help defend the peaceful races of the galaxy, lots to learn, design new weapons etc. Sounded good to me.

Well it all slowly turns into a bloody mess. [Minimal spoiler ahead] It turns out that one of the alien races holds all the decision making power over the other ones. These are political vendetta makers which would make the political bull...more

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May 28, 2013 Olethros rated it 3 of 5 stars

-Literatura bélica con la Ciencia-Ficción como vehículo, no al revés.-

Género. Ciencia-Ficción.

Lo que nos cuenta. Una federación de civilizaciones extraterrestres está sufriendo los embates de la guerra contra una raza conocida como los Posleen y las perspectivas son muy negativas. Esa es la razón por la que vencen sus reticencias previas a contactar con la civilización humana, que parece encontrarse en la ruta de avance de las fuerzas Posleen, buscando ayuda para enfrentar al enemigo común inte...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars

The opening salvo in Johh Ringo's Posleen War series is as strong an entry as I've ever seen. It's solid throughout with strong characterizations, well written three dimensional characters, action, intrigue, and sub-plots galore. In fact it's that last item that keeps this book from garnering a full five stars - JR likes his sub-plots and give the detailed level of his writing they have a tendency to bog the book down. That's okay, though, because once he gets you into a battle scene against the...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Harry Lane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Think of Michael O'Neal as Jack Ryan dealing with E.T.s and you have a pretty good idea how the book is going to go. The premise gives Ringo plenty of room to maneuver, and he takes full advantage of the scope that a sudden appearance of extraterrestrial beings (note the plural) and an existential threat gives him to plot what seems to be the start of a well-crafted series. I especially like that there is a full range of types, at least among the humans. It remains to be seen if he is able to cr...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Jay Javier rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-list, military-fiction, science-fiction

The first 3/4 was SLOW... I like the premise but unlike other books I've read in this genre, the ensemble cast of characters here failed to capture my interest and empathy. I also felt that the pacing was disjointed and staggered through a few immensely drab scenes. Heinlein's Starship Troopers had fewer action scenes but I got a better handle of the character's motivations. Harold Coyle's Team Yankee did an even better job of shifting POVs from person to person waging the same battle, some with...more

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Jun 03, 2013 Scott Rachui rated it 5 of 5 stars

Several years ago I discovered the sub-genre known as military science fiction. I have found that I love books in which the military is featured prominently against the backdrop of some future storyline (one of my favorite books of all time, for example, is Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein). With his 'Legacy of Aldenata' saga, John Ringo has added a major new contribution to this genre.

The story is about an earth in the early 21st century that is contacted by several alien species and inform...more Several years ago I discovered the sub-genre known as military science fiction. I have found that I love books in which the military is featured prominently against the backdrop of some future storyline (one of my favorite books of all time, for example, is Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein). With his 'Legacy of Aldenata' saga, John Ringo has added a major new contribution to this genre.

The story is about an earth in the early 21st century that is contacted by several alien species and informed that we are in the path of an intergalactic horde that is headed right for us. The choices are simple. Do nothing and be destroyed, or work with our new Galactic partners to conquer the Posleen race that is due within several years. And, of course, to make things more interesting (and infuriating), the alien Darhel (who pretend to be our friends) are really working behind the scenes to inhibit our efforts just enough to ensure that the Posleen almost defeat us before we finally win. This, in theory, will allow the Darhel to enslave mankind once the Posleen threat is dealt with.

The first book deals primarily with the beginning efforts of mankind to develop the new technologies (in the form of some really cool armored battle suits) and rebuild our global militaries in preparation for the coming threat. The book speeds toward a first engagement with the Posleen on the planet Diess. We get to see the Posleen firsthand, and read some great battle scenes.

Ringo shines when he's describing events as they occur on military bases, as well as when he's describing our training for war. But his best work is when he actually puts us into the battles themselves. This is an excellent book and a very promising beginning to a multi-part series that, to date, has a number of side stories along the way.

Read the whole series in order if you want to get the full picture of the war between humanity and he Posleen. Pick up the side stories (some of which take place chronologically between the major books of the series, and should probably be read in order) and enjoy the ride.(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Mike Klein rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This the other used book that I bought before going on a long plane trip and looking for some light page-turning action reading. (The other was
Dreamland: Whiplash)

On the edition that I got, there was no indication that this was the first novel of a series or I never would have bought it. My guess is that the series was given the go-ahead after this book sold enough copies. The reason why this is significant is that this novel does not stand alone very well.

The main plot is pretty well finished,...more

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Nov 17, 2010 Ed Stapleton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent military sci-fi book. This is the first in an incredibly good series entitled "Legacy of the Aldenata" and is well worth the time to read. Good story line, tactics, and interesting ideas about needing to watch what your "friends" are doing as much as your enemies in any geo-political situation. Good action scenes, desperate battles to save humanity, all the great stuff expected in a good quality action sci-fi sereis. If you liked David Drake and David Weber novels then you will love Jo...more

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Jul 20, 2009 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Similar to Huff's Confederation series.
All previous military personnel are being recalled to duty. Micheal O'Neal is one of the first, and one of the privilaged to know why. The planet Earth has been contacted by an alien race, who needs their help to fight an intergalactic war before the enemy wipes out all the planets in our solar system. Now humans must figure out how to interface alien technology with their own and mess ideas and tactics to win an ongoing war we have no hope of surviving.

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Oct 22, 2011 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a first novel in a genre that I did not even know existed. Author John Ringo employs the military fiction adventure genre of writers such as W.E.B Griffin, and crafts space opera type tales of the early science fiction scene. I prefer the more psychedelic/psychological types of science fiction by writers like Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. LeGuin, and John Brunner, and I have never been a fan of Military Fiction.

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May 18, 2012 AndrewP rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, e-book

Needed a bit of light relief after reading a high percentage of not so enjoyable books so far this year.
John Ringo doesn't disappoint if you like some gung-ho military science fiction action. The evil Posleen are overrunning the galaxy because most of the other races are pacifists. Then the humans get involved and it's time to kick some serious alien butt! If you have ever read anything else by John Ringo you know how it goes.
A fun read although the first part was a little slow and there were a...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Jon rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first hundred pages were an atrocious author-insert fantasy. Then it developed into a reasonable sci-fi military romp, if you can deal with the jingoism. (If you think Starship Troopers is "fascist", stay far away.) The thick coating of Sluggy Freelance fandom illustrates the basic idea: nothing happens because it's good for the plot or fleshes out the characters, but because it's cool.

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Dec 06, 2010 Omar Alani rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent book. The military jargon got me at first. The buildup was a bit slow at the beginning, but when the action started it doesn't let go.
The story is brutal but not gory. It gives the reader the perspective of a man off the military, a man that doesn't brood on his losses, pushes forward and is ready to sacrifice everything to achieve victory.

I have not read anything like these books

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Jul 15, 2010 Chompa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read that this was John Ringo's first book and that kind of surprised me. It was fairly well written, but not up to some of his later work. It's a good story and while it is an ensemble cast of characters, it isn't too hard to keep track of the players. Some of the characters are more interesting than others and the main character - Mike O'Neal is one of the most interesting. At times the descriptions of technology and/or processes gets a little heavy. I'm continuing with the second book.

If y...more

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About John Ringo

John Ringo is a prolific author who has written in a wide variety of genres. His early life included a great deal of travel. He visited 23 foreign countries, and attended fourteen different schools. After graduation Ringo enlisted in the US military for four years, after which he studied marine biology.

In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful....more

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A Hymn Before Battle (Posleen War #1)

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