Hero

Metsada Mercenary Corps #4

by Joel Rosenberg

Metzada is an inhospitable planet of Epsilon Indi whose inhabitants, most descendants from refugees forced to leave Israel, can survive only because its men are highly skilled mercenaries...Metzada’s one export that brings in revenue. When young Ari Hanavi freezes in combat twice, he has one last chance to survive and even become a "hero". Battle, military command and operations...and a young man who must overcome his terror while dealing with his fellow soldiers and fighting an enemy force in a guerilla war on the planet Neuva Terra, that tests the mettle and the reputation of the galaxy's finest soldiers-for-hire.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

259 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Note: This is a different person than the political/thriller author, Joel C. Rosenberg

Joel Rosenberg was the author of the bestselling Guardians of the Flame books as well as the D'Shai and Keepers of the Hidden Ways series. He made his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this 2 stars because this is not really science fiction, even though part of Rosenberg's Thousand Worlds series. Simply put, this is a violent military scenario that could have been set in almost any historical military conflict. A "green" soldier from a distinguished military family has frozen twice in combat. Any other soldier would be cast-out by Metsada, but Ari's uncle, the famous Shimon Bar El of Not for Glory, and his brothers engineer one last chance: a desperate assault on an enemy-held town that will likely result in Ari's death. Given the title of the novel, there is no real surprise in the outcome. I've read quite a few of Rosenberg's novels, and his best might still be his first, Ties of Blood and Silver. The early novels in the Guardians of the Flame series were also quite good. While Rosenberg's books were always tinged with graphic violence, this book is obsessed with it. I will likely continue to read Rosenberg, but I will be more careful in the books that I select. I have nothing against the depiction of violence, but when that is all that is there, I don't see the point.

[ARIEL DE LA VEGA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fast-paced, military sci-fi. 2nd book is good also. Re-read a dozen times over th years.

[Michael Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got me.

A well told military tale, from multiple POVs. Real soldiers & officers voices throughout. Surprising twists.
Sometimes a hero is a coward who had no choice but to act.

[IMHO · Rating 5 out of 5]

RECOMMENDED

[Joel Flank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This military science fiction book by Joel Rosenberg is loosely connected to his other books set in the "Thousand Worlds". In Hero, he tells a story of the Metazadan Mercenary Corps. Ari Hanavi is a young scion of one of the leading families of Metazada, with a family full of military heroes, from combat veterans to generals. He's had the best training from the best military force in the galaxy, and ready for his first mission. Unfortunately, his secret cannot stay hidden once he's deployed...he's a coward. He's fine in training, but as soon as he's in an actual combat situation, he freezes up. After he almost is found out in his first engagement, his family takes matters into their own hands, and ensures that Ari will come home a hero...or not at all.

Rosenberg does an exemplary job of capturing the military mindset of the Corps, dealing not only with combat, but supply and logistics, command structures, and the intricacies of integrating with their employers, and all of the trickery needed to ensure they can do the job they were hired for, without interference from their employers or their secret police.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I'm not usually a fan of military sci-fi, but for me the characterization of the protagonist is amazing. This is definitely in my top ten most favorite books ever.