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Hammer's Slammers #7, 10
The Complete Hammer's Slammers: Volume 3
This three volume set presents for the first time the genre-defining Slammers series in a uniform hardcover set. This volume features the final two Slammers novels, The Sharp End and Paying the Piper, as well as an original novelette, The Darkness. This volume will feature an introduction by Barry Malzberg.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).
878 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2007
56 people are currently reading
239 people want to read
About the author
David Drake
307 books887 followersDavid Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 19, 2010
Simply some of the best military fiction I've ever read. I first read the stories as a teenager, and later re-read them in this collection as an adult.
A lot of military fiction comes across with the attitude that only soldiers know how to get things done, and that if the civilians would just get out of the way and let them do their jobs then everything would be a lot better.
I used to read that attitude into the Slammers, but it's not really there. What's there is the attitude that good soldiers know how to do their job, and their job is to kill and destroy. What's also there, although mostly implied rather than stated, is that unless you specifically want people killed and things destroyed, then maybe you should come up with a way of doing things that doesn't involve soldiers. In other words, war is a last resort, and will either not get you what you wanted, or get it with consequences that aren't acceptable to you.
A lot of military fiction comes across with the attitude that only soldiers know how to get things done, and that if the civilians would just get out of the way and let them do their jobs then everything would be a lot better.
I used to read that attitude into the Slammers, but it's not really there. What's there is the attitude that good soldiers know how to do their job, and their job is to kill and destroy. What's also there, although mostly implied rather than stated, is that unless you specifically want people killed and things destroyed, then maybe you should come up with a way of doing things that doesn't involve soldiers. In other words, war is a last resort, and will either not get you what you wanted, or get it with consequences that aren't acceptable to you.
December 15, 2018
Perfect ending to a set of gripping Slammers tales.
Best of the collection so far, Vol 1 was somewhat fragmented but a solid intro to the tech and worlds of the Slammer's universe. Vol 2 was flowing and attention grabbing. Vol 3 is gripping and poetic, and as graphic an echo of war as you are likely to find. Great stuff.
Best of the collection so far, Vol 1 was somewhat fragmented but a solid intro to the tech and worlds of the Slammer's universe. Vol 2 was flowing and attention grabbing. Vol 3 is gripping and poetic, and as graphic an echo of war as you are likely to find. Great stuff.
February 20, 2017
Sorry it is over
Vol III of the Slammers did not disappoint, except in that it was the last one. Drake has been the master of military SF for a long time and this last volume only helped seal that title.
Vol III of the Slammers did not disappoint, except in that it was the last one. Drake has been the master of military SF for a long time and this last volume only helped seal that title.
January 16, 2022
Three stories of Colonel Hammer's galactic mercenaries.
In the first story, individual troopers with particular issues are taken out of the line and formed into a new survey unit. They are sent to a backwater planet where the local drug trade is controlled by the Crips and the Bloods. The survey unit's job is to drum up business with one side or the other, whoever pays the most. This sets up a Yojimbo situation with the two groups facing each other and the Slammers in the middle. The Slammers cleverly play one side against the other and the outcome is not as predictable as I'd expected.
The second novel length section is a group of shorts concerning Lt. Arne Huber. Huber just wants to fight from a combat car but somehow keeps getting involved in the politics of the situation. He has a true soldier's opinion of the corruption and backstabbing he witnesses; it's none of his business. He's just there to shoot whoever they point him at, the why of it all is for HQ to worry about.
The final short piece is about a soldier in the hospital after a particularly bad mission. It's a psychological study of a man facing a life changing decision.
As always, Drake excels at the war porn. The splosions and body parts are rampant and exciting. Drake's treatment of the soldiers is good. Their reaction to the locals they encounter is mostly negative, the way they act between themselves is more revealing. The Slammer's don't concern themselves with morality, but they don't take jobs to terrorize civilians. Especially in the Huber story, neither side in the conflict exactly showers themselves with honor. Good stories all about the soldiers, the war itself is just a convenient setting.
In the first story, individual troopers with particular issues are taken out of the line and formed into a new survey unit. They are sent to a backwater planet where the local drug trade is controlled by the Crips and the Bloods. The survey unit's job is to drum up business with one side or the other, whoever pays the most. This sets up a Yojimbo situation with the two groups facing each other and the Slammers in the middle. The Slammers cleverly play one side against the other and the outcome is not as predictable as I'd expected.
The second novel length section is a group of shorts concerning Lt. Arne Huber. Huber just wants to fight from a combat car but somehow keeps getting involved in the politics of the situation. He has a true soldier's opinion of the corruption and backstabbing he witnesses; it's none of his business. He's just there to shoot whoever they point him at, the why of it all is for HQ to worry about.
The final short piece is about a soldier in the hospital after a particularly bad mission. It's a psychological study of a man facing a life changing decision.
As always, Drake excels at the war porn. The splosions and body parts are rampant and exciting. Drake's treatment of the soldiers is good. Their reaction to the locals they encounter is mostly negative, the way they act between themselves is more revealing. The Slammer's don't concern themselves with morality, but they don't take jobs to terrorize civilians. Especially in the Huber story, neither side in the conflict exactly showers themselves with honor. Good stories all about the soldiers, the war itself is just a convenient setting.
April 5, 2021
I am cheating with this volume. Know ye this: this is part one of all the published Hammers Slammers series written by David Drake. My favorite story in this collection? The Story "But loyal to his own". It could represent the original thrust of why Alois hammer formed the Interplanetary mercenary group "Hammers Slammers" and introduces the most important characters of his stories. reading that story alone is worth the book, if you are a true "Slammer". this is my opinion, and I am sticking to it.
Mark "Danny Pritchard" Conley
Mark "Danny Pritchard" Conley
September 24, 2020
This book has previously published stories, including an expanded version of Paying the Piper which was a short story expanded to novella length. Of course this book is eminently readable and a bit hard to put down. It just might not be to everyone's taste, being very hard military SF. It also includes a bit of an obituary of Jim Baen by David Drake. Drake tells war like it is. Read him.
April 13, 2021
Overall it was a pretty good collection. I've written separate reviews for the two novels contained in this collection. The final short story was OK, it mainly was the reflections of a veteran who realizes that he can't go back to normal life, a common thing among veterans I believe.
August 13, 2025
Excellent books
This series has excellent books all throughout. The books are so true to what I Frontline Soldier feels and sees. I could barely put the books down even to eat or sleep. All I want I give it a high recommendation.
This series has excellent books all throughout. The books are so true to what I Frontline Soldier feels and sees. I could barely put the books down even to eat or sleep. All I want I give it a high recommendation.
July 16, 2018
Good military sci fi.
May 16, 2020
Joachim Von Steuben lives!
Entertained again. Never in doubt when I buy a David Drake book and I always want to read them again.
Entertained again. Never in doubt when I buy a David Drake book and I always want to read them again.
June 2, 2020
Simply the best!
I have read Hammer's Slammers several times now and each time I cannot put the book, in this case electronic book, down! A great read!!!
I have read Hammer's Slammers several times now and each time I cannot put the book, in this case electronic book, down! A great read!!!
November 14, 2022
Nice finish to the compilation. Not great literature, but good escapism.
December 2, 2023
A lot of material.
As always good stories, but a depressing subject matter. The action and violence of the military without the boring parts. Includes a farewell to Jim baen.
As always good stories, but a depressing subject matter. The action and violence of the military without the boring parts. Includes a farewell to Jim baen.
March 7, 2025
This final volume of the Hammer's Slammers series ends off the trilogy with an ionized copper bang. The Sharp End begins the volume with a story of military teamwork and camaraderie on a planet that sorely lacks social cooperation or political order. If you liked any of the Spaghetti Westerns you will enjoy reading this novel. Paying The Piper, written almost a decade after The Sharp End, continues the breakneck-speed and crisp prose of Drake's writing with a story revolving around a single lieutenant trying to work around events and politics out of his control. Finally, The Darkness concludes the volume with a story about an infantry lieutenant that must decide whether to leave or reenter the life that is war. The stories are only as great as they are because Drake uses common sense writing, fascinating settings, and hard-hitting themes. David Drake's writing is of the highest caliber and stands as a column of science fiction literature alongside the likes of Heinlein and Asimov. He will be remembered.
The three-volume trilogy is a great read for anyone interested in military science fiction or military fiction in general.
The three-volume trilogy is a great read for anyone interested in military science fiction or military fiction in general.
May 12, 2012
As a child of the 90s, when military scifi hit an all-time low, I'm unable to explain the appeal of this series (or the genre) to me - I never served in the military, I never was caught in a combat zone, I don't fantasize about the heroic things I could do as a soldier....
But part of the appeal of Drake is that he doesn't fantasize it either. As an armored vet, he knows the details that help the stories ring true, and he isn't writing stories about how glorious war is. He's writing about what a crapfest it is, and what happens to humans caught in it. He's writing about the human condition.
He's also writing some damn fine fiction. And usually explaining his inspiration - he was a history (and latin) major in college - which has caused me to go reading some history I may not have actually known about otherwise. Or, he's lifting the plot (and admitting it openly) from Hammett - causing me to start checking out those stories. And making me think about how to put my own spin on stories....
But part of the appeal of Drake is that he doesn't fantasize it either. As an armored vet, he knows the details that help the stories ring true, and he isn't writing stories about how glorious war is. He's writing about what a crapfest it is, and what happens to humans caught in it. He's writing about the human condition.
He's also writing some damn fine fiction. And usually explaining his inspiration - he was a history (and latin) major in college - which has caused me to go reading some history I may not have actually known about otherwise. Or, he's lifting the plot (and admitting it openly) from Hammett - causing me to start checking out those stories. And making me think about how to put my own spin on stories....
July 10, 2013
Good pacing, a little shallow when it comes to character tropes.
February 26, 2015
An amazingly good read, with some of the best military characterization, action, and themes I've found.
February 4, 2021
Rereading an old favorite. Love the Hammer's Slammers series. Effective portrayal of the military in the far off future!. A good read always!
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February 5, 2019I wish Drake would write more about the Slammers experiences.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews