Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Janissaries (Janissaries, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Janissaries

(Janissaries #1)

Jerry Pournelle

3.82 · Rating details · 1,753 ratings · 82 reviews

Some days it just didn't pay to be a soldier. Captain Rick Galloway and his men had been talked into volunteering for a dangerous mission—only to be ruthlessly abandoned when faceless CIA higher-ups pulled the plug on the operation. They were cut off in hostile territory, with local troops and their Cuban "advisors" rapidly closing in. And then the alien spaceship landed.. ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 245 pages

Published February 1st 1996 by Baen Books (first published January 1st 1979)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Janissaries, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Military Science Fiction Books

659 books — 815 voters

Military Science Fiction

761 books — 1,103 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.82 ·

Rating details

· 1,753 ratings · 82 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Janissaries (Janissaries, #1)

Jun 04, 2020 Charles van Buren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mercenaries for aliens

Captain Rick Galloway, serving as a mercenary in Africa under the auspices of the CIA, finds himself and his few surviving men abandoned by the CIA just as about a thousand Cubans are closing in. It looks like the end. Surrender is not an option but boarding a flying saucer is. Thus the adventure begins.

The general ideas behind this novel have been used several times in science fiction but few have written these themes as well as has Jerry Pournelle. A delightful fantasy to ...more

flag 20 likes · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2017 Glen rated it really liked it

Shelves: neo-pulp, men-s-adventure, science-fiction

This illustrated novel attempts to be a Burrough's type Mars series, updated for the seventies. Unfortunately, it succeeds.

Rick Galloway, leading a bunch of mercs in a backwater war in Africa is surrounded by Marxist troops, and their Cuba "advisors" when they are picked up by a flying saucer and taken to planet out in the cosmos.

Turns out the planet can, for a limited time, produce a narcotic the aliens want. The troops have to subdue the planet's population, and grow the crop, or be wiped ou ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2014 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: action, military-science-fiction, military-fantasy, military-fiction

I am a bit royally ticked about this book. See I like it. I've liked other books by the writers they have turned out some great science fiction (and science fantasy). Much of it with plenty of action, a lot of it with thought provoking ideas.

The book's great. I sort of stumbled over it after seeing it reviewed and recommended here. Went to the library web-sight and there it was. Hoopla had it in audio all I had to do was download it.

It's not a totally new idea human soldiers from earth get tra ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2011 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, science-fiction, fantasy

Well, this is quite far removed from the stuff Pournelle did with Larry Niven. I've enjoyed the books of the latter, as well as the collaborations between the two authors, so it was only a matter of time before getting around to one of Pournelle's solo outings. Janissaries appears to be quite popular, and I can see why, it does have a pulpy, old school charm interspersed with some darker elements that is somewhat appealing. The only problem that I had with this novel was that I thought it wasn't ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Jan 13, 2015 Rachel MacNaught rated it did not like it

Grand story, awesome premise and absolutely no substance. Not a single element of storytelling is implored here. It's a concept, a rough sketch. "They did this and then went here. Everyone now is fluent in Latin. Now it is two years later. Something occurs. It's now a week later."

I was bored to death. Which frankly sucks because the concept is awesome. Planets around the universe in which humans were transplanted centuries ago, taking the current culture at the time with them. The variables coul ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 23, 2020 Soo rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook

Notes:

Currently on Audible Plus, Books 1-3

I assumed that the series was finished. I'm wrong. Thanks to the reviewer of #3 that let people know the #3 ends on a cliffhanger and the series has not been completed.

I had read another book by the author and enjoyed it. When I saw that this series was also on Audible Plus, I added it to my audio TBR. Unfortunately, the pacing for the series is not as well done and overly ambitious in concept vs what's written down.

Interesting ideas but underdeveloped ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 16, 2017 Charles rated it it was amazing

In many ways, the best science fiction is that based on human history, and this story is one of the best. It opens with Captain Rick Galloway leading a group of mercenaries against a larger Cuban unit in a tropical African country. The situation is dire and they all know that their fate is to either be killed in action or executed after being captured. Officials of their sponsor, the American CIA, pulled all support for their operation, so they can expect no assistance.
Suddenly, a spaceship l In many ways, the best science fiction is that based on human history, and this story is one of the best. It opens with Captain Rick Galloway leading a group of mercenaries against a larger Cuban unit in a tropical African country. The situation is dire and they all know that their fate is to either be killed in action or executed after being captured. Officials of their sponsor, the American CIA, pulled all support for their operation, so they can expect no assistance.
Suddenly, a spaceship lands and the occupants offer them a simple choice. Stay on Earth and die or be transported to another planet to fight and have a chance at life. There is a complex interplanetary organization that allows for contacting Earthlings if they were to shortly be dead anyway. Taking advantage of their only real option, Rick and his men agree to be transported to a planet that is roughly in the technological state of the late Roman Empire.
The planet where the mercenary group is relocated goes through a complex cycle over hundreds of years where it warms up dramatically to a point where a very valuable narcotic can be grown, which is what the interstellar group is interested in. It is their hope that Rick and his band can learn how to produce the drug for interstellar commerce.
It turns out that bands of humans have been plucked from Earth during the cycles when the narcotic can be grown for thousands of years. Therefore, some of the functioning and feuding governments are a Roman Empire and a conglomeration of Scottish clans. As a consequence, the story is also a lesson in Earth’s history. The archives of the Roman Empire even contains parchments written by actual Roman Caesars.
Fundamentally, Galloway is trying to put in place the basics so that the societies of the planet can develop. Simple things like brushing teeth, other basic human hygiene, higher education and rudimentary health care are all unknown on the planet. He must do this within the context of nearly constant warfare between the various factions.
The story is very well written and after reading it I immediately looked online to determine if there is a sequel. They exist and I have a great desire to read them.
...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 25, 2008 Derek rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: SciFi, military, historical buffs

I love this book and just passed it along to my 12-year-old son, who read it in one sitting. The whole idea of aliens kidnapping military units from throughout history has been done before. In fact, I still enjoy watching my copy of Dr. Who's War Games. In this book, however, even with modern weapons and 20th Century tactics, the hero is forced to fight with proven methods of Roman legions. It doesn't have to make sense, but this book has always been in my top 25, no matter how many good ones I ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 26, 2017 Kevin Findley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, jerry-pournelle

This edition is lavishly illustrated and is described by many as either a trade paperback or an illustrated novel. I prefer the latter description, it seems more accurate.

Lavish is the correct word to use. It's an amazing attempt to enhance storytelling that we just don't see anymore. I picked up this copy and the sequel at a second-hand shop and am looking forward to the next book.

Even if you have already read another version, find this one and dive into the adventures of Rick Galloway once mo ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 28, 2018 Paul rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great old fashioned adventure. Combination of cold war era US military & medieval society works far better than it has any right to. Janissaries is a bit heavy on machismo but Pournelle's protagonist is an exemplar of martial virtue and continence in the face of licentious barbarism. The author also rather skillfully slips in an anti-eugenics message.
However, the best surprise in this title is the art work. The artist really does justice to the military aesthetic. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2010 Jim rated it liked it

Shelves: war, action, scifi, 3series, 1paper, 2fiction

A quick, but interesting group of ideas. Plenty of action with a neat balance between high & low technology. There were a lot of neat themes that played out quickly. My edition is a paperback with a lot of good drawings in it. I think I would have liked the book better if the ideas had been more fully developed, but that might have taken volumes.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 31, 2020 Ryk Stanton rated it it was ok

I have a bit of history with this book. When I first read it, I was maybe 13 years old. I had been reading and devouring Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators books at a rate of about three a day before my aunt found out how quickly i was reading them and told me I should get something more substantial. She was the one who always bought my books for me, from the mall, so she took me to Waldenbooks and let me choose.

Janissaries was slightly bigger than other books (trade paperback sized, ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2020 Ryan rated it liked it · review of another edition

I wanted to like this book — mercenaries fighting Cubans in Africa and abandoned by CIA, rescued by aliens and then serving as Space Mercenaries to alien cultures. However, just couldn’t get into it at all — I like military sci-fi, alt-history, anti communism, and mercenaries, but it 1) didn’t come together 2) ended as a cliffhanger for no reason. No interest in the rest of the series.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2020 Benjamin Espen rated it it was amazing

I reviewed Janissaries by Jerry Pournelle in 2011, but I am going to do so again in preparation for the fourth posthumously published volume in the series. This is another book that made a big impression on me, and I want to do it justice.

First, the physical volume itself is one of my favorites. The cover of my Ace paperback from 1979 is credited to Enrich, and the interior really is massively illustrated by Luis Bermejo. Bermejo’s illustrations make the story come alive, even though as Ken Lizz I reviewed Janissaries by Jerry Pournelle in 2011, but I am going to do so again in preparation for the fourth posthumously published volume in the series. This is another book that made a big impression on me, and I want to do it justice.

First, the physical volume itself is one of my favorites. The cover of my Ace paperback from 1979 is credited to Enrich, and the interior really is massively illustrated by Luis Bermejo. Bermejo’s illustrations make the story come alive, even though as Ken Lizzi notes that often technical details are off. Ken points out that the CIA mercenaries in the book look to be carrying Ruger Mini-14s, even though the text refers to the men as using the H&K G3. I also the men are depicted wearing a shirt and trousers, but they are described as wearing one-piece coveralls.

Don’t let that keep you from enjoying this volume. Bermejo expertly captured the feel of Janissaries with its intrigue and romance. That the book itself feels sturdy in the hand only enhances this.

Jerry Pournelle pretty clearly followed in H. Beam Piper’s steps with Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen when he wrote Janissaries, but Jerry’s interest in cyclical history is visible here, along with the intersection of myth and archaeology. When Calvin Morrison ended up in an alternate version of Pennsylvania, it was a one in a million accident.

Here, Rick Galloway and his men aren’t the first set of mercenaries dumped on Tran by shady business aliens [again, the obvious bad guys in a Pournelle book are businessmen], but it happens infrequently enough that only half-believed legends portent what that really means.

We learn about all this at the same pace as Rick does, which is mostly after it might have influenced his decisions. Much of the key knowledge of what is really going on with Tran and the mercenaries resides with Gwen, a pregnant college student from Earth that Rick finds himself escorting after they are both left on Tran.

I enjoy the miniature intrigues and conflicts between Rick and Gwen, a microcosm of what Rick finds himself involved in with both local and galactic politics. Jerry also introduces a plot element he used several times in the Colonel Falkenberg books, of a woman stubbornly refusing to abort her child, no matter how inconvenient the child might be.

The Catholic themes really ramp up in later volumes, but since this is an event Jerry used frequently in his books, it sets the tone for his moral universe. His heroes are not always men of firm faith or explicit piety, but they usually follow a chivalric code that enables them to fit in well in societies bound by a code of honor. And Rick is a man of honor.

As Rick travels through Tran with Gwen and Tylara, a noblewoman on the run from her enemies, he turns to the second oldest profession, soldier of fortune. This is what he was doing anyway in Africa before he was abducted by aliens, but at least back home he had an institutional sponsor of a sort. This is purely freelance work. Rick of course has an unfair advantage, possessing both mid-twentieth century infantry weapons, as well as a good memory of historical tactics. But his position is precarious, his men few, and his time short, so it still isn’t easy to be Rick Galloway.

The strangely fractured cultures and technologies of Tran do make some sense in the world that Jerry created, but I suspect the ultimate reason is so we can get to see Jerry use his knowledge of military history to put together opponents who could never have met in the real world due to distance or time or both, like English longbowmen versus Roman heavy cavalry. That is much of the fun of Janissaries.

If I have a complaint about this book, it is that Jerry spends the first half just getting all the pieces set up. This was pretty clearly made to be a series, but Jerry died before he finished it, so that may not have been the best model to follow. It is a great book though, and a popular series of his. Given how deep I like to go on a book, I do kind of like this much backstory, but I also think it isn’t the best way to do a book, especially one of this style. That this book works at all is a testament to the inherent interest of the setting and characters.

And the characters are great. Rick is a very different man than Colonel Falkenberg, more of a Cincinnatus eager to get back to his plow than a man only comfortable in war. Tylara and Gwen are very different women, but well realized, strong but still feminine. I suspect that Jerry, like Timothy Zahn, was influenced by his wife in how he characterized women. I think so even more after hearing Roberta Pournelle’s eulogy, how bold and adventurous she was. After learning that Jerry was married to another woman who left him after the death of his second child, before he met his long-time second wife Roberta, gives me something of a clue as to why his male protagonists so often seem to be trapped in situations involving multiple women.

The setting, the characters, the implausible but fun ahistorical matchups, all this makes this book work, and I’m pleased to see I enjoyed it just as much this time through. Things will of course only get crazier as the series goes on, but this one could stand alone if you wanted to see a man go on the adventure of a lifetime. Highly recommended. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Ron rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

The first of these earth warrior adbucted to fight aliens low-tech wars I read. Not the best. That's probably be Poul Anderson's The High Crusade.

Still, a good read ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2009 Charles rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

Probably my favorite book by Pournelle. And my copy is nicely illustrated. A really good book.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 21, 2014 Fantasy Literature rated it liked it

http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2017 Benn Allen rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The late Jerry Pournelle's "Janissaries" is possibly one of his more famous works. While it's ostensibly a novel geared for adults, it reads, in spite of a rape of one character (that happens off screen) and implied sexual encounters with two other characters, the book reads more like a Young Adult novel. And there's nothing wrong with Young Adult books (I read some from time to time), it's a bit disorienting expecting the book to be one thing, but finding out it's something else. Much of why I The late Jerry Pournelle's "Janissaries" is possibly one of his more famous works. While it's ostensibly a novel geared for adults, it reads, in spite of a rape of one character (that happens off screen) and implied sexual encounters with two other characters, the book reads more like a Young Adult novel. And there's nothing wrong with Young Adult books (I read some from time to time), it's a bit disorienting expecting the book to be one thing, but finding out it's something else. Much of why I felt like "Janissaries" was YA book is due to Pournelle's writing style. It felt a little too simplistic, as did the story itself.

It doesn't help that Pournelle's come across as one-dimensional and flavor-less. They just aren't that interesting. Or in the cases of the two characters - Les and Gwen - who know more than they allegedly can say, downright annoying.

Pournelle's plot involves an alien race, the Shlanuksis, needing to shanghai a group of Earth soldiers to fight on another world. This despite the Shalnuksis being not only more advanced than Earth technologically, but the aliens are also a part of an interstellar Confederacy. Surely they could've recruited the soldiers from one of the Confederated planets? They can't because Reasons. Pournelle jumps through a lot of hoops to explain it has to Earth soldiers, but the rationale really feels half-assed and not very convincing.

It should be noted that along with fighting the natives of the alien world (Tran), the soldiers also have to insure the harvest of a specialized plant (it's basically extraterrestrial marijuana). The reasons why the Earth soldier have to insure this harvest and why Tran is the best planet to grow the star pot is equally convoluted and unconvincing.

Honestly, "Janissaries" seems like Jerry Pournelle had some cool ideas like Earth soldiers fighting on another planet, the planet has several ancient Earth cultures on it, etc., but had to jump through a lot of mental hoops and over-explain things just to make the story work.

And for me, it doesn't. ...more

flag Like · see review

Aug 16, 2020 Kim Hoag rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

I haven't read Pournelle in a long time (he died three years ago), and then only one of his books, so it was time. This book would not have been my first choice—a mercenary group gets sent by aliens to an earth-like planet where there are past cultures already present (every 600 years worth, or so). I'm usually not crazy about mixing time periods, but Pournelle makes it work so well that the book becomes a quick read. He has a story that seems mismatched at the edges—trust me, it's not. There ar ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 17, 2020 Nick rated it really liked it

Shelves: military-science-fiction

While not my favorite book by Jerry Pournelle, I give this one four stars because the setup is extremely interesting, and I kept wanting to see where things would go next. My only actual complaint with this book and its sequels is that several times I lost track of the amount of time that passed, because of the way the story is told.
There is a weakness in the way the two main female characters are portrayed, and I think that this was an attempt to display the radical differences between the cul ...more

flag Like · see review

May 18, 2017 Sean Helms rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A good adventurous book. Has some of the best of both worlds from Sci-Fi and fantasy.
CIA mercs fighting in Africa against Cubans are getting overrun...in swoops a UFO and whisks them to safety on the moon! One little catch: they can't go home, but they can go far far away and grow drugs for the ETs. I'm not kidding. The world they're left on is a mish-mash of earlier civilizations that the ETs have planted there before (every 600 years). There are Romans, Celts, and Greeks... and now American me ...more

flag Like · see review

Dec 13, 2018 Degan rated it it was ok

This book was very interesting and sometimes confusing. Personally i thought that the book was okay, I didn't hate it but I didn't like it. The captain of their military was convinced into volunteering to do a very dangerous mission. They ended up getting abandoned and the CIA ended the mission. They were left in enemy territory. They had to figure out a way to get out and survive. Did they die or did they survive? Read the rest of the book to find out. ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 15, 2018 ARIEL DE LA VEGA rated it it was amazing

Great book. Military sci-fi with a twist. Have re-read it over a dozen times over the past 20 years. I just wished he would finish the final (4th book).

Otherwise, fast-paced story telling with well-developed story + characters.

flag Like · see review

May 23, 2020 Dan Hyer rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

Okay, but feels a little dated reading today, some it causing mental cringing. I'd call this classic 1980s sci-fi. Also the author refers to some weapons in ways that I've never heard before, and isn't common usage. ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 17, 2017 Pedro L. Fragoso rated it really liked it

Jo Walton is right, great adventure and universe.

flag Like · see review

Dec 08, 2017 Joe Susnick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Good old-fashioned sometimes incidentally sexist Military Sci-fi. Really fun weird book. The definition of a guilty pleasure.

flag Like · see review

Sep 14, 2018 DOUGLAS J BERRY rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Some duplication

Be careful of how you buy this series, some of it is duplicated in other works. I do like this The history gets easier by the second book.

flag Like · see review

Aug 26, 2019 Graham rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book. It is well written and fun with science fiction and a touch of medieval fantasy in there. I look forward to the second book.

flag Like · see review

Jan 12, 2020 George Slade rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

I'm on a search for awesome science fiction. This was not that.

It was okay, but I won't be reading the rest of the series.

It started well, but it faded away quickly. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 18, 2020 AnalogKid rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Good beginning

Well crafted, but a quick read. Pournelle layers in his research, except erience, and worldview in a compelling story. Worth your time.

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Science Fiction

134 users

Fiction

21 users

War > Military Fiction

17 users

Science Fiction > Military Science Fiction

10 users

Fantasy

8 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

6 users

Space > Space Opera

3 users

Action

3 users

Politics

2 users

Science Fiction > Time Travel

2 users

See top shelves…

About Jerry Pournelle

Jerry Pournelle

450 followers

Dr Jerry Eugene Pournelle was an American science fiction writer, engineer, essayist, and journalist, who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte, and from 1998 until his death maintained his own website and blog.

From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. T ...more