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War World #4
Invasion
Escaping near destruction of their battle-demon species, the genetically engineered Saurons seek refuge on Haven, a dumping ground for the criminals of the CoDominium, whose population has been shaped by centuries of violence. Original.
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Jerry Pournelle
263 books548 followersDr 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. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.
Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.
Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.
“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”
Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.
From the beginning, Pournelle's work centered around strong military themes. Several books describe the fictional mercenary infantry force known as Falkenberg's Legion. There are strong parallels between these stories and the Childe Cycle mercenary stories by Gordon R. Dickson, as well as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, although Pournelle's work takes far fewer technological leaps than either of these.
Pournelle spent years working in the aerospace industry, including at Boeing, on projects including studying heat tolerance for astronauts and their spacesuits. This side of his career also found him working on projections related to military tactics and probabilities. One report in which he had a hand became a basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative, the missile defense system proposed by President Ronald Reagan. A study he edited in 1964 involved projecting Air Force missile technology needs for 1975.
Dr. Pournelle would always tell would-be writers seeking advice that the key to becoming an author was to write — a lot.
“And finish what you write,” he added in a 2003 interview. “Don’t join a writers’ club and sit around having coffee reading pieces of your manuscript to people. Write it. Finish it.”
Pournelle served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1973.
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February 19, 2024
This is the fourth of Jerry Pournelle's War World series, the first one published in 1988. This one was published in 1994 and it focuses on the Sauron invasion of the planet Haven. The Saurons are genetically-engineered "super-soldiers" whose world was destroyed by the Imperium, so Haven is their refuge. However, there are various groups of humans already on Haven and the stories of this book are about how they try to survive and resist the invaders. The best story is the one by one of my favorite science fiction authors, S.M. Stirling, titled "Kings Who Die." In this story, the Saurons realize they are stretched to the limit in their occupation of the planet. Eden Valley is a settlement of farmers who have made an alliance with an outlaw band and they refuse to submit to the super-soldiers. The Saurons have to do something they never had to do before--make a deal. But there is a fantastic showdown at the end...
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