Star Marines

The Legacy Trilogy #3

by Ian Douglas

With the planet's fighting men and women deployed across the galaxy—battling in the noble cause of enslaved humanity—the insidious Xul have reached across space to devastate the unsuspecting Earth with asteroid fire. Without warning, a once majestic world is reduced to near-rubble—and the very future of humankind is in dire jeopardy.

Interplanetary leaders are on the brink of abandoning Earth and its colonies to an overwhelming enemy. But Brigadier General Garroway of the Marine Interstellar Expeditionary Unit is unwilling to concede defeat—not as long as there's a single marine willing to give his or her life in defense of their embattled homeworld. The ultimate battle is about to be waged—with breathtaking new attack technology, an ancient code of courage, and the help of an ally race that once inhabited the Earth—in a war that will alter the universe forever . . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Military Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Fantasy, Aliens

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 30, 2007

About the author

Ian Douglas is a pseudonym used by William H. Keith Jr..

Reviews

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

They were called the Hunters of the Dawn.
Their own name for themselves did not translate well into the language of lesser beings. It might have been rendered, very approximately, as “the Sentient Ones”, or even, more approximately, as “Living Ones”, or simply as “We Who Are”.
All who were not We Who Are were lesser life forms, scarcely worthy of notice save when they become threats.
When that happened, they became prey.

Solid stuff, this.

In fact, I would easily recommend the whole Legacy trilogy for readers who enjoy Military Science Fiction. The author paints a fairly comprehensive picture of combat, dealing with everything from logistics and planning, to chain of command and bureaucratic red tape. However, once the plasma cannons and the gauss guns come out, all bets are off.

As the title of the novel suggests, the action here is for the most part (but not exclusively) focused on marine action (that’s to say, infantry in combat armour). However, I can fairly guarantee it is not what you probably envision. The author comes up with some very innovative ideas as to how this kind of thing might be applied in space warfare.

As you would expect, there is some really cool tech depicted here (and loads of very big guns), but one of my favourites would have to be the nanodissasembler pack, which can be slapped on just about any barrier (or bulkhead) to, for lack of a better description, make an entry (or exit) hole. Neat.

Edge of Night. The poetic name was apt. Ahead, the vast sweep of the Galaxy, seen from a viewpoint just above one of the uncoiling spiral arms, stretched off into infinite vistas compressed and flattened by perspective, creating a misty blue horizon, of sorts, against the emptiness of Night Absolute. To the one side, the galactic core lay embedded within the spiral arms, swollen and red tinged, edged with dark tendrils of interstellar gas and dust that here reflected, there obscured the ruddy glow from the Galaxy’s central heart.

One thing that I really, really enjoyed about these books is the internal mythos that the author has created, tying ancient history and future history together. The notion of extra terrestrials being the gods referenced in ancient religion and history isn’t a new concept, but the way the author handles it here is really interesting, and the references to real (historical) findings and events, along with imagined (future-historical) findings and events, together in context, adds a rich layer to the overall story.

The author also pays attention to detail. For example: the differences between maneuvering in micro gravity as opposed to atmosphere (where pilots can bank and brake), and the relativistic effects of time (subjective vs objective), and, most importantly, the effects of relativistic speeds on kinetic energy (when it comes to Military Science Fiction, a genre that deals with destruction on a grand scale, this is where the metal meets the meat) et al.

This book also contains a good example of the Chekov’s gun principle, and in fact, only those who have read Star Marines will know just how apt this description is. There is some very clever foreshadowing here, and a nail-biting final act that had me holding my breath.

As a last word: all the while, reading this, I couldn’t help but think: back then when they were looking for writers for the Halo novels, this is one of the places they should have come knocking.

And nothing in that volume of space was safe from the incoming storm.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

very nice Military SiFi. Mr Douglas has a perfect feel for the military mind and the way soldiers think and feel. The science of the story is well done and explained. Recommended

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one gets a 4 star rating, but I must admit it would be a slightly lower 4 than the last book in the series. Where the first two novels revolve mostly around a John Garroway this one picks up some hundreds of years later.

We are still following members of the Garroway family (as we were in the Heritage Trilogy [a series I need to reread as I didn't get into it well the first time]). The story here is good. There is plenty of action and the term "space opera" fits it well. We are introduced to a "race" or "species" who have been mentioned in the series before.

The earth is again different than it was...the politicians and high brass are still as frustrating as ever...oh yeah and the Earth may soon be completely wiped out.

The story here does quite a bit of time collapsing as we rush from plot point to plot. On the other hand there's no slow down or lack of action. That's what this one primarily is, an action military science fiction read.

Light read but pretty good. The years fly by and the climax sets us up for the next series. These are still the "United States Marines" and they know it.

Semper Fi, enjoy.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Legacy Trilogy by Ian Douglas. In this one the Hunter's of the Dawn also known as the Xul have sent a ship to attack Earth by sending several asteroids to smash into the Earth's surface thus destroying all traces of mankind. The Marines manage to board the Xul spaceship and destroy it but not before it has managed to send several asteroids hurtling toward the Earth. The High Guard manages to deflect or destroy all but one. It smashes into the Earth and kills billions of people and starts another ice age. The survivors know that the Xul will send another ship to finish the job the first one started so a desperate plan is devised to sent the Marines and Navy to Sirius to do the one thing no race has ever done to the Xul. Attack them and destroy them! Even though the Xul have vastly superior technology the Marines hope that a surprise attack with make the difference between victory and defeat. This is another great example of Military Science Fiction. I recommend it to all fans of Military Science Fiction and fans of Ian Douglas.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both trilogies are a good read...lots of action and interesting speculation on how technology will affect humanity.

[Gilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star marines, le dernier livre de la trilogie "The Legacy trilogy", une série de science-fiction militaire, par le talentueux Ian Douglas, pseudonyme de William H. Keith.

Suite à l'expédition vers Sirius, les terriens ont pris contact avec les N'Mah qui sont devenus leurs alliés et ont obtenu confirmation, qu'en plus de la porte des étoiles à Sirius, un nombre innombrable de portes, construites par de très anciens extraterrestres, parsèment la galaxie. Les N'Mah leur ont aussi donnée l'identité des "chasseurs de l'aube", qui s'appellent en réalité Les Xul, et qui exterminent, sans pitié, toute espèce, usant de technologie, qui pourrait entrer en compétition avec eux. Sans compter que les Xul existent depuis au moins un million d'années et leur technologie est extrêmement avancée.
Le temps présent, plus de 140 ans plus tard. Les terriens, grâce à l'aide des N'Mah ont amélioré leur technologie et renforcé les défenses du système solaire.
Soudain, on signale un vaisseau Xul qui se met à expédier des astéroïdes, de la ceinture des astéroïdes, sur une trajectoire de collision avec la planète Terre.
On prépare une contre-attaque suicide, avec l'aide de marines sur le vaisseau Xul. Le vaisseau Xul est détruit, mais le mal est fait; la terre est pilonnée : des milliards de morts, des tempêtes gigantesques, des famines et un nouvelle glaciation. Mais les Xul ne vont pas en rester là; ils vont revenir et vont transformer le soleil en nova pour être certains de tout exterminer. Les I'Mah proposent de transformer quelques astéroïdes en vaisseaux et de sauver quelques centaines ou milliers de chanceux, sur une planète éloignée comme dans la galaxie d'Andromède, et qui pourrait peut-être, en faisant le mort, échapper à l'extermination par les Xul, mais en condamnant des milliards de personnes. Un général de marine propose, comme alternative, un plan audacieux : porter le combat chez les Xul qui ont envoyé le vaisseau et les exterminer pour s'assurer que les autres Xul ne soient pas au courant, ce qui devrait accorder quelques siècles pour améliorer sa technologie et ses défenses.
Wow ! un mélange de space opera, de science-fiction militaire et de Hard science. Ça n'arrête pas, de l'imagination, des idées plausibles et de l'action à revendre sans compter un avenir qui semble presque sans espoir, au début. Il n'y a pas à dire, Ian Douglas (William H. Keith jr.) est maintenant un de mes auteurs préférés
Pour les amateurs de hard science, space opera et de science-fiction militaire.
J'ai tout simplement adoré.

[Harmen de Jong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze is leuk! De 'Hunters of the Dawn, de 'Xul', trekken op tegen de aarde. Ze beginnen asteroïden naar de aarde te gooien. De meeste daarvan kunnen worden verpulverd, maar wat er uiteindelijk toch op aarde terechtkomt, is voldoende om de hele beschaving plat te leggen. Het Xul schip kan echter na ouderwets enteren worden vernietigd met een aantal bommen die binnen in het schip geplaatst worden...
De asteroïden vernietigen vrijwel de hele beschaving op aarde. Alleen Australië blijft als sociaal-politieke eenheid herkenbaar. De mensheid bestaat eigenlijk alleen nog elders in het zonnestelsel. De Xul blijken toch enige zwakke plekken te hebben. Omdat de enige keus is te wachten op en nieuwe aanval of zelf actie te ondernemen, wordt gekozen voor het laatste. Uiteraard gaat dit goed en is het gevaar in ieder geval voor honderd jaar afgewend.
Wat opvalt is dat de schrijver goed heeft nagedacht over alle problemen die ruimtevaart met zich meebrengt, en ook over oorlogvoering in de ruimte. Ik kan haast niet wachten om met de volgende serie te beginnen.

[BobA707 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Hard core military SF, the marines vs aliens with space flight thrown in, politics and corporate greed etc. All good stuff with the good guys coming through. Friendly aliens and nasty aliens

Plotline: Pretty straight forward plot with the marines doing what they are supposed to

Premise: Lots of interesting concepts, with a major technology imbalance (humans being the wrong side)

Writing: Not bad the reader is right their in the action

Ending: All good

Pace: Never a dull moment!

[Riley Rabuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just boo. This, in my opinion, is a perfect example of how to mess up Sci-fi. Uses half the book to explain soft sudoscience and the other half to present us with bland action scenes that feel very repetitive because even though the stakes ramp up, the mission objective stays the same. Read the first two, maybe skip the third and just assume everything turns out fine from there.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting end.

[Whiskeyjack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part 3 in the series. I like the ending, but I'm glad I'm done with it.

[Ricardo F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid sci-fi trilogy. Takes place roughly 150? years since the last book so the characters have changed which took some adjusting but it was worth it. A few great action scenes along with the ingenious space combat techniques of plucky humanity against a much more advanced alien race.

[Chidi Okonkwo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this item from Borders Bookstore some time ago. This book was epic in its scale, and the author has a way of drawing you into his scenarios via his vivid descriptions. This Trilogy story follows a lineage, tracing the male ancestry of the Garroways, a military family; and it shows how a writer can create a very interesting legacy, while showing cool technological advancements from one book to the next. Gunnery Sergeant Travis Garroway is the main hero and his uncle, General Garroway, is also part of the Star Marines.

I enjoyed the story, yet the global devastation that took place on Earth [due to the Xul alien's bombarding the planet with giant asteroids] was something that I found rather disheartening. But as survivors, the human race survives that strike and start mounting an offensive against their diabolical foes.

Eventually the Star Marines [hailing from the futuristic US Navy / the Military] head out on a mission to infiltrate the home world of the aliens, utilizing gigantic warp-gates created by another alien race that actually precedes the evil ancient Xul [octopus-like beings that appear to be highly evolved machine minds, whose origins are unknown]. There are some peculiar aquatic aliens called the N'mah that do help the humans, sharing technology with them, which helps them with the warp-gate tuning, advanced propulsion systems [via inertia dampeners], and things of that nature.

As in most of his books, Ian Douglas has a way of creating scenarios that involve high-level politics, which go on behind the scenes at times of war. These deliberations between national officials and military brass occur prior to the Navy space expedition, and the writer knows how to showcase immense contention, as people of authority argue on whether the ends justify the means; and they debate on the necessity of expensive war vs. attempting diplomacy. Yet the discussions are not tied to the USA invading another nation like China. Instead the discussions are centered around war in space against the Xul, and how wise or viable/doable it is.

The Xuls are definitely an advanced race. They create gigantic needle-shaped ships that are larger than cities, engineer them with internal black holes, and utilize those black holes an infinite "energy wells". Then they harvest that energy via quantum methodologies as a power source for conducting movements across millions of miles in space at near light-speed.

In this tale, the Moon and Mars have been colonized quite a bit, so the people of Earth have settlements there. But due to the initial alien attacks that caused the global tsunami, no one wants to stay in the Milky Way. In fact, some interplanetary leaders end up abandoning Earth via giant cruisers for fear of total annihilation by the Xul. These rich bureaucrats do leave the planet in their giant ship, and embark on a journey to Andromeda System, which will take them many years at near-light-speed. They sleep in special capsules for the long journey [yet their shocking fates are presented in the next Trilogy written by the same author].

Eventually the Marine Interstellar Forces are sent to hunt down the aliens, blow up their alien world in the distant Night's Edge Star System, destroy one of their mother-ships, steal advanced technology from one of their vessels via an infiltrating military AI drone, and destroy the ancient warp-gate that leads back to the Milky Way System.

There is a lot of action in this one and it is well paced, in my opinion. Character development isn't the strong point in this book, and some may feel that the development of the main theme is dragged on. Yet that is merely another opinion, since the author sequentially builds his case, showing human life and survival before and after major catastrophes. Remember, the human race on Earth almost gets destroyed and 1/3rd of the population is terminated, due to the giant asteroid and the global tsunami; and that sets the solemn tone for roughly the first half of the book. It's about 370 pages, but it still feels a lot longer and heavier - in terms of its well-written and technical content.

As a sci fi artist/writer, I found this book inspiring. And I recommend it for sci fi fans who enjoy military science fiction stories.

[Zachary Wagoner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Marines brings us the finale to the Legacy Trilogy by Ian Douglas. Though the third in a trilogy, Star Marines can be seen as the 6th book in series that includes the Heritage, Legacy, and Inheritance trilogies.

The story here concludes a lot of the build up from the previous five books. Over the previous books we are slowly told of the threat of the Hunters of the Dawn, an alien species that mercilessly destroys any perceived threat to it's existence. The fear of Earth and Humanity being found by these beings is steadily built up throughout the series. Now, in Star Marines, the dreaded moment arrives.

With so much build up, the first third of the book really packs a punch. The pages kept turning so I could see the results of this long anticipated event. I felt hope for the characters; descendants of characters found in the previous books.

The last third of the book was also of page turning quality. Humanity taking the fight to the enemy despite the odds. Again, some great writing to get me rooting for the characters and Humanity.

As always, there were more things to discover about this setting Douglas has created. We learn more about the various aliens that were hinted at and then discovered in previous books. We get a look at a Xul world and a look at how they think. It was a joy to delve further into this universe he has created.

We also get to continue looking at events through the eyes of a line of Marines, stretching back to the first book. Familiar names like Garroway. We also meet interesting new characters. One of my favorite new characters was Nal il-En Shra-dach. Nal is a human from Ishtar, a place previously visited in Star Corps. I found his take on things to be a breath of fresh air in the series.

However, I did have some issues with this book. Particularly during the middle section of the book there were too many instances of exposition. There were also frequent history lessons sprinkled through the book. Though this is common in military sci-fi, I felt the amount in this book to be a little overboard. Not only were there so many, but there was instances of a lesson being repeated. The best example is the Doolittle raid, which we are told about midway through the book as exposition. Later, towards the end of the books, the characters have a conversation about the Doolittle raid, explaining in detail what we the read had already read through previously in the book.

Despite that complaint, I still found the book to be enjoyable. As with the previous books, I think it would be best to read the previous books, not only in this trilogy but also those in the Heritage trilogy as well. If you're into military sci-fi, then the series should be a good fit for you.

[elidemelnibone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je vais prendre le temps de faire un commentaire parce qu’à la fin de la 2ème trilogie, cette série m’accroche de plus en plus . Star Marines est peut-être mon préféré des 6. Est-ce parce que je deviens petit à petit citoyenne (de lecture) de cet univers et m’y sens de plus en plus confortable en anglais avec le vocabulaire, les armes, les batailles … C’est un univers qui s’étend dans toute la galaxie avec des distorsions vitesse / temps (si j’ai bien compris), de nouvelles technologies très bluffantes (je ne suis pas scientifique mais je suis curieuse du futur), des Ais dont le rôle est de plus en plus important jusqu’à être décisif (j’aime la présence des Ais aux réunions des chefs..) des Alien amicaux, des Alien ennemis impitoyablement destructeurs de civilisations. Les Marines s’inspirent de leur expérience militaire passée pour leurs plans de bataille et j’aime bien aussi ces rappels historiques. Enfin LA terre est en très grave danger et les humains décident un affrontement en territoire ennemi. Je ne veux pas chercher si tout se tient vraiment et l’ennemi est peut-être un peu endormi dans sa toute puissance.. Je suis juste embarquée avec les Marines, Ooh Rah ! j’aime l’excès des batailles, et s’en sortir in extrémis. C’est un livre tourne page !

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book three of the sequel trilogy to the exciting Heritage Trilogy. Set a hundred years further in the future, the books flesh out the backstory significantly and satisfyingly. The Marine Corps focused action remains, improved if anything. Douglas (a pen name for William H. Keith) writes about battles, troops and equipment with a gritty and realistic tone.

Star Marines

The action now jumps forward a century and a half, but the main characters are still Garroways. The Hunters of the Dawn, alerted by the destruction of their ship and gate in “Battlespace”, have decided that humans are a threat. A Hunter ship appears in Sol system and attacks. Earth is devastatated. The Marines launch a Doolittle Raid on the enemy, trying to buy the humans time. By the end of the Legacy Trilogy things are still very much up in the air about the future survival of humanity.

While the “Marines rule” theme in these books can sometimes be a bit heavy handed, this is quality military SciFi. The back story, only hinted at in the Heritage Trilogy, is fully fleshed out and well imagined.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=650

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this has been the most enjoyable of the six books in this series so far. It was nicely paced with plenty of momentous sequences but not just an action slug fest. There was good plot development and the background material felt a lot more solid and original then some of the previous books that have tended to be repetitive in this regard. I really enjoyed how the in system space engagements played out.
The final strike on the Xul base was starting to seem way to far fetched but did come back to some semblance of believability and I was quite pleased with it as well. Although there are some glaring omissions in defense capacity for such a technologically advanced and paranoid enemy that would have made such a result unlikely. It still read very well and definitely kept the pages turning.

[Dominc Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GREAT end to the Legacy Trilogy buying much needed time for Earth in preparation for the return of the Xul race also known as the Hunters of the Dawn. The last visit of the Xul culminated in the destruction of interstellar allies and the human race being sent backwards in racial/societal ascendance of technology and existence. The next trilogy The Inheritance Trilogy will cover the repercussions of this book and bring out the end of the story arc either giving mankind the ascendance it has earned or proving the Xul the GREAT DESTROYERS of histories long past maintaing their hold on the universe.

[Marty Ponnech]

With the ending of Star Marines, the Legacy trilogy came to a most satisfying conclusion. The action sequences throughout the entire series was taut and frightening. The book personified what hard science fiction is all about. High tech weaponry and law bending physics were more than a meal to satisfy the hunger for knowing what the future may hold. Looking forward to reading the "Inheritance" trilogy to see where the Corps and humankind end up in the survival of the fittest galaxy. Semper Fi Ian Douglas

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Straight up, Douglas engages in some cool world-building and scientific concepts. This book especially takes the story in a fascinating direction. If I took out all the sections where Douglas raves about the Marines or their history though, these books would only be about 150 pages long. A lot of room is devoted to recounting the previous installments too. Still, I’ve read worse military science-fiction.

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent conclusion to this series. I will not keep the books as I do not believe they are worth a reread, but I did enjoy the reading. Good escapist literature that you do not have to pay too much attention to. I like how the author let the readers know what happened to earlier characters, without bogging the story down with the new cast of characters.

[Grant Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend intro'd the witter and the series and I was hooked in I know this is going to be fun and have some cool military deployments, weapons and strategies. It fun and look I grew up dreaming about powered armour, space battles and pretending to be a space marine. Lot's of honour and respect for civilians and their democratic giving choices the the way an army should always behave.

[Tom Folsom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the last two books in the series, this is candy, but nice candy. Aside from one part where the writer confuses which of the two characters whose last name is Galloway he is writing about (or rather, which experiences each had had), it was decently written. Just... nothing special at all.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. This was I think even better than the previous 5 books. There was more background and then the final part of the book was a true page turner.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. This was I think even better than the previous 5 books. There was more background and then the final part of the book was a true page turner.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the idea that humans go out into the Universe and kick ass on galactic bullies.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a complaint, really. The detail of the disaster on Earth is overkill, and its not holding my attention.

[Micha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first 2 in the series. Overall, I really enjoyed this trilogy and enjoy the universe that is being created. I look forward to reading the next trilogy.

[James Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good story in this series. Great action and great sci fi.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have immensely enjoyed this series, but alas fatigue is setting in. Six books so far...that is a lot to consume and still yet retain interest.