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Carerra #3
The Lotus Eaters
The Sequel to A Desert Called Peace and Carnifex He thought He’d Won His War, and Destroyed Those Who Killed His Family, but Victory Brings a New Set of Problems . . .
Sometimes paranoia is just a heightened state of awareness.
Carrera's won his war, and inflicted a horrific revenge upon his enemies. But there are wars after wars. The Tauran Union is planning an attack. The criminals of neighboring states are already attacking, and threatening to embroil him in a war with the planet's premier power. His only living son is under fire among the windswept mountains of Pashtia. An enemy fleet is hunting his submarines. His organization has been infiltrated by spies. One of the two governments of his adopted country, Balboa, is trying to destroy everything he's built and reinstitute rule by a corrupt oligarchy. Worst of all, perhaps, he, himself, bearing a crushing burden of guilt, isn't quite the man he once was.
Fortunately, the man he once was, was lucky enough to marry the right woman....
Sometimes paranoia is just a heightened state of awareness.
Carrera's won his war, and inflicted a horrific revenge upon his enemies. But there are wars after wars. The Tauran Union is planning an attack. The criminals of neighboring states are already attacking, and threatening to embroil him in a war with the planet's premier power. His only living son is under fire among the windswept mountains of Pashtia. An enemy fleet is hunting his submarines. His organization has been infiltrated by spies. One of the two governments of his adopted country, Balboa, is trying to destroy everything he's built and reinstitute rule by a corrupt oligarchy. Worst of all, perhaps, he, himself, bearing a crushing burden of guilt, isn't quite the man he once was.
Fortunately, the man he once was, was lucky enough to marry the right woman....
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
November 13, 2021
The third installment of the Carrera saga basically loses the plot and it seems to serve primarily as a 'prep' for the next volume. Carrera returns home after his victory over Islamic terror, and after a year of basically navel gazing, he and the legion begin to prep for the next fight. Undoubtedly, the next war will be against the TU (e.g., proxy for the EU), the second most powerful bloc on Terra Nova. That, basically, is the plot here, interspersed with occasional (mis)adventures, such as taking out the narcotrafficers on the boarders of Balboa.
The most redeeming feature of the volume are the 'excepts' from the book History and Moral Philosophy, supposedly penned by one of Carrera's soldiers. These are interesting, constituting something like Heinlein's views on society as expressed in Starship Troopers. Various forms of government are considered, albeit largely rejected, and it also interrogates various moral philosophies and their problems. This would have been a better read than TLE in my opinion. Nonetheless, I might push on to the next volume as it looks like the big fight is about to kick off.
The most redeeming feature of the volume are the 'excepts' from the book History and Moral Philosophy, supposedly penned by one of Carrera's soldiers. These are interesting, constituting something like Heinlein's views on society as expressed in Starship Troopers. Various forms of government are considered, albeit largely rejected, and it also interrogates various moral philosophies and their problems. This would have been a better read than TLE in my opinion. Nonetheless, I might push on to the next volume as it looks like the big fight is about to kick off.
August 1, 2018
A bit shorter than the previous two books, and better for it. And better over all, the story was faster paced.
October 22, 2020
Note 1: Fiction though they may be, everything in these books are from the perspective of a US citizen, and a far right one at that.
Note 2: I am giving books 2, 3 and 4 the same review for a couple reasons. First, the story is slow to develop, so much so that it seems unnecessary to review each book individually. There is a lot of world-building in each book, but sensible world building related to the story. Still, world-building does not a story make and so ignoring the world-building leaves the reader with a straight-forward good guys vs. bad guys story. Second, I am pressed for time and have pretty much the same thing about each book to say.
In book 1 of the Carrara Series Mr. Kratman shows how a more militaristic approach would have won the 2003 Iraq war. He does this in a sci-fi setting where earth has sent its unwanted population to the one earth-like planet discovered, Terra Nova. On Terra Nova humans set up equivalents to the countries they knew on earth, the Federated States for the United States, the Republica de Balboa for Panama and Taurus for the European Union.
In book 1 an extremely wealthy Federated States retired officer living in Balboa at the time of the 9/11 equivalent attack manages to create a private army. Thanks to the stamp of approval given by Balboa the army isn’t technically a mercenary army but in practice it essentially is. The MC takes his private army and wins the Terra Nova equivalent of the 2003 Iraq War.
In book two the MC takes his private army and wins the Terra Nova equivalent of the 2001 Afghan war. In book three the MC takes his private army and wins the war on drugs and a Balboan civil war prompted by the interference of Taurus. In book four the MC is largely absent, the perspective switched to female members of the private army (now the Balboan army albeit with many foreign members). The point of book four is essentially to show how women and homosexuals fit into the author’s political philosophy which is (greatly simplified) that only military personnel should be allowed to vote.
Since book four is freshest in my mind a lot of this review is based on that book. Virtually the first 3/4ths of the book is a training montage which is little more than a vehicle for explaining the author’s political philosophy. In the last third combat with the evil Taurans commences. However, the focus is on one small unit involved in the fighting and so the larger events of the war are pretty much lost to the reader. I do plan on moving on to book five and, if that tells the full Tauran war story I will be wishing I had skipped book four altogether (in spite of its interesting characters).
So, this series is essentially far right American propaganda and, from what I’ve read of Mr. Kratman he is aware of that fact. I believe Mr. Kratman to be both intelligent and deserving of respect. So please don’t take anything in this review to contradict the foregoing. Nevertheless I feel compelled to address Mr. Kratman’s overall points: that socialism is evil and the US should combat this through increased militarism. While I don’t believe Mr. Kratman’s blanket condemnation of socialism is supportable I don’t disagree with the author about many of the advantages of a military life. (Note that Mr. Kratman is a retired US Army officer with combat experience whereas I am a civilian.)
Mr. Kratman and I come to a similar conclusion from very different perspectives. For example, I feel that my generation would have been greatly benefited by a more structured school experience, particularly one meant to instill a sense of self-discipline. As a result I actually favor a military high school approach to education. However for many decades improvements to education have left to liberals in America since all the conservatives are willing to do is cut taxes regardless of the long-term costs of such headline grabbing jingoism. Mr. Kratman, however, comes to this same position from a conservative pro-military position. What Mr. Kratman appears unwilling to credit is that the vast majority of American liberals actually value its military. Liberals tend to be more aware of the shortfalls of military force and value the lives of American soldiers more and so American liberals are less willing to actually send soldiers into combat. Mr. Kratman seems to see that as a negative while I see it as a positive.
Still, where Mr. Kratman and I seem to differ most is in the goals for a military high-school. I see such an education as a way to empower and motivate individuals but, reasoning by analogy from his fiction, Mr. Kratman seems to believe that such an education should be used to point out the flaws of socialism and any possible worldwide government. In other words, indoctrinate students into a conservative mind set.
It also seems to me that Mr. Kratman overlooks the two biggest problem with excessive militarization- the loss of innovation and a coup. Regarding innovation: I have heard it said by many current and former military men that one of the greatest weaknesses of the military mindset is its lack of innovation and even today virtually all innovations come from the private sector. In his fiction Mr. Kratman essentially just denies this by having his military continue to innovate. Likewise in his fiction Mr. Kratman has a character state that a coup won’t happen because anyone who wants power can just join the Balboan military. That is, of course just naïve as history is rife with people who want power without having to work for it or, given a small taste, want more.
That’s enough of debating Mr. Kratman’s political philosophy. I’m sure I’ve done a poor job of it but then it is spread out over multiple books and the amount of time it would take to truly analyze it is prohibitive. Bottom line is all the real world examples I have ever come across of military lead governments have failed and so it seems Mr. Kratman’s theory for one that would succeed is optimistic and the cost of Mr. Kratman being wrong would be excessive.
Why, you may ask, do I continue to read Mr. Kratman’s books? Two reasons: First, he is a good writer. I found his suggestion of indoctrinating high school age students disturbing to the extreme- that is, after all, the sort of thing that happened in Nazi Germany, but Mr. Kratman is an American and I am certain he does not draw that comparison. Further, given his experience in military education (where I have none) I suspect he is aware of many valid distinctions that can be made to disqualify the comparison. Still, a disquieting suggestion, which brings me to point two: Mr. Kratman has a set of experiences to draw from that I don’t and frankly I am interested in those experiences. I considered joining the army when I graduated high school but, obviously, decided against it. By the time 9/11 came around I was too old for induction, although not too old to have still been in service if I had joined out of high school. My inability to contribute meaningfully at that time disappointed and troubled me and leads me to value the insights of those who did. I believe Mr. Kratman to be one such.
Bottom line: Too political for my tastes and a lot of world building but still above average writing by a man with knowledge. Still, should only be read by fully developed individuals capable of evaluating Mr. Kratman’s underlying arguments for themselves.
Note 2: I am giving books 2, 3 and 4 the same review for a couple reasons. First, the story is slow to develop, so much so that it seems unnecessary to review each book individually. There is a lot of world-building in each book, but sensible world building related to the story. Still, world-building does not a story make and so ignoring the world-building leaves the reader with a straight-forward good guys vs. bad guys story. Second, I am pressed for time and have pretty much the same thing about each book to say.
In book 1 of the Carrara Series Mr. Kratman shows how a more militaristic approach would have won the 2003 Iraq war. He does this in a sci-fi setting where earth has sent its unwanted population to the one earth-like planet discovered, Terra Nova. On Terra Nova humans set up equivalents to the countries they knew on earth, the Federated States for the United States, the Republica de Balboa for Panama and Taurus for the European Union.
In book 1 an extremely wealthy Federated States retired officer living in Balboa at the time of the 9/11 equivalent attack manages to create a private army. Thanks to the stamp of approval given by Balboa the army isn’t technically a mercenary army but in practice it essentially is. The MC takes his private army and wins the Terra Nova equivalent of the 2003 Iraq War.
In book two the MC takes his private army and wins the Terra Nova equivalent of the 2001 Afghan war. In book three the MC takes his private army and wins the war on drugs and a Balboan civil war prompted by the interference of Taurus. In book four the MC is largely absent, the perspective switched to female members of the private army (now the Balboan army albeit with many foreign members). The point of book four is essentially to show how women and homosexuals fit into the author’s political philosophy which is (greatly simplified) that only military personnel should be allowed to vote.
Since book four is freshest in my mind a lot of this review is based on that book. Virtually the first 3/4ths of the book is a training montage which is little more than a vehicle for explaining the author’s political philosophy. In the last third combat with the evil Taurans commences. However, the focus is on one small unit involved in the fighting and so the larger events of the war are pretty much lost to the reader. I do plan on moving on to book five and, if that tells the full Tauran war story I will be wishing I had skipped book four altogether (in spite of its interesting characters).
So, this series is essentially far right American propaganda and, from what I’ve read of Mr. Kratman he is aware of that fact. I believe Mr. Kratman to be both intelligent and deserving of respect. So please don’t take anything in this review to contradict the foregoing. Nevertheless I feel compelled to address Mr. Kratman’s overall points: that socialism is evil and the US should combat this through increased militarism. While I don’t believe Mr. Kratman’s blanket condemnation of socialism is supportable I don’t disagree with the author about many of the advantages of a military life. (Note that Mr. Kratman is a retired US Army officer with combat experience whereas I am a civilian.)
Mr. Kratman and I come to a similar conclusion from very different perspectives. For example, I feel that my generation would have been greatly benefited by a more structured school experience, particularly one meant to instill a sense of self-discipline. As a result I actually favor a military high school approach to education. However for many decades improvements to education have left to liberals in America since all the conservatives are willing to do is cut taxes regardless of the long-term costs of such headline grabbing jingoism. Mr. Kratman, however, comes to this same position from a conservative pro-military position. What Mr. Kratman appears unwilling to credit is that the vast majority of American liberals actually value its military. Liberals tend to be more aware of the shortfalls of military force and value the lives of American soldiers more and so American liberals are less willing to actually send soldiers into combat. Mr. Kratman seems to see that as a negative while I see it as a positive.
Still, where Mr. Kratman and I seem to differ most is in the goals for a military high-school. I see such an education as a way to empower and motivate individuals but, reasoning by analogy from his fiction, Mr. Kratman seems to believe that such an education should be used to point out the flaws of socialism and any possible worldwide government. In other words, indoctrinate students into a conservative mind set.
It also seems to me that Mr. Kratman overlooks the two biggest problem with excessive militarization- the loss of innovation and a coup. Regarding innovation: I have heard it said by many current and former military men that one of the greatest weaknesses of the military mindset is its lack of innovation and even today virtually all innovations come from the private sector. In his fiction Mr. Kratman essentially just denies this by having his military continue to innovate. Likewise in his fiction Mr. Kratman has a character state that a coup won’t happen because anyone who wants power can just join the Balboan military. That is, of course just naïve as history is rife with people who want power without having to work for it or, given a small taste, want more.
That’s enough of debating Mr. Kratman’s political philosophy. I’m sure I’ve done a poor job of it but then it is spread out over multiple books and the amount of time it would take to truly analyze it is prohibitive. Bottom line is all the real world examples I have ever come across of military lead governments have failed and so it seems Mr. Kratman’s theory for one that would succeed is optimistic and the cost of Mr. Kratman being wrong would be excessive.
Why, you may ask, do I continue to read Mr. Kratman’s books? Two reasons: First, he is a good writer. I found his suggestion of indoctrinating high school age students disturbing to the extreme- that is, after all, the sort of thing that happened in Nazi Germany, but Mr. Kratman is an American and I am certain he does not draw that comparison. Further, given his experience in military education (where I have none) I suspect he is aware of many valid distinctions that can be made to disqualify the comparison. Still, a disquieting suggestion, which brings me to point two: Mr. Kratman has a set of experiences to draw from that I don’t and frankly I am interested in those experiences. I considered joining the army when I graduated high school but, obviously, decided against it. By the time 9/11 came around I was too old for induction, although not too old to have still been in service if I had joined out of high school. My inability to contribute meaningfully at that time disappointed and troubled me and leads me to value the insights of those who did. I believe Mr. Kratman to be one such.
Bottom line: Too political for my tastes and a lot of world building but still above average writing by a man with knowledge. Still, should only be read by fully developed individuals capable of evaluating Mr. Kratman’s underlying arguments for themselves.
March 6, 2012
A bit of an homage to the philosophy of Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, which isn't a bad thing. Kratman shows how a more military minded but smaller country prepares for war against a larger stronger power that is weakened by progressive ideas and transglobalism. His hero, Carrera admits he is too cruel to decide his country's fate and begins building a ruling class based on military service. This book is the build up towards a war between Balboa and the Tauran Union.
Also as a secondary storyline, we see Captain Wallenstein a great deal and Kratman may be positioning her as an antagonist against Old Earth and its corrupt caste oriented system.
Quite enjoyable for a bridge book in a series. I don't always agree with Kratman's philosophies but I do find them to be interesting and well thought out. Good job!
Also as a secondary storyline, we see Captain Wallenstein a great deal and Kratman may be positioning her as an antagonist against Old Earth and its corrupt caste oriented system.
Quite enjoyable for a bridge book in a series. I don't always agree with Kratman's philosophies but I do find them to be interesting and well thought out. Good job!
July 29, 2014
I think having served on active duty and now as a reservist/contractor helped me understand the author's perspective. He provides a sci-fi twist to what is currently in place here in our reality. It is interesting to see the correlations between his made up ethnicities/countries and our current world snapshot as well.
The writing is very fluid and I really enjoyed envisioning this book's characters as they played out the storyline. Some people who don't care for the military may find this book disturbing. But, if you've ever served you will at least be able to identify with some aspects of this saga.
Overall I gave it a 5 and would recomend this to almost everyone~
The writing is very fluid and I really enjoyed envisioning this book's characters as they played out the storyline. Some people who don't care for the military may find this book disturbing. But, if you've ever served you will at least be able to identify with some aspects of this saga.
Overall I gave it a 5 and would recomend this to almost everyone~
Read
December 25, 2020The Lotus Eaters picks up the story of Patrick Carrera on Terra Nova not long after the events of Carnifex. Carrera has lapsed into a drunken, depressed state after the war in Pashtia, where one of his final acts was to detonate a nuclear weapon in a city of a million people, killing many innocents along with the terrorists he was targeting. No one seems to be able to break him out of his funk, until Jimenez and McNamara convince him that he must return to command to rid their country of its foreign occupiers. Of course, Carrera has a plan, and he begins to gather his forces to achieve his objectives.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, acting Admiral Wallenstein is expecting to be either prosecuted and cashiered for her role in the UN forces' debacle on Terra Nova, or be promoted to full Admiral and made a Class 1 citizen. It turns out to be the latter, and Wallenstein also has a plan, which will restore the space navy forces around Terra Nova to full functionality and allow her to keep the Terra Novans from ever posing a threat to Earth. Despite her determination to do the right thing for the UN, she displays a kinder, gentler side at times, and we are left to hope that maybe she and Carrera need not butt heads, but can cooperate again at some point in time, for the betterment of the human race's future.
Kratman does some neat things with transitions in this book, where he linguistically links the end of one chapter with the beginning of the next.
For example:
"The two guards, joined immediately by two others who had stood alert at the boy's door, followed.
Caridad Crus followed her husband..."
and:
"Martin was, perhaps, overly ambitious.
The program is ambitious..."
These types of transitions occur fairly frequently and soften the effects of the large number of "jumps" between points of view in the novel. I'm sure there's a technical term for them, but Literature 101 was 35 years ago for me, and I've long forgotten it.
Another great thing is the interludes between major sections of the book, which are ostensibly written by Jorge y Marqueli Mendoza, in the Historia y Filosofia Moral. Is this a tribute of sorts to the course labled History and Moral Philosophy that citizens in Heinlein's Starship Troopers are required to take in high school? We never really get to see the contents of that course, except in dialogs between teacher and students, so I think Kratman does a pretty good job of putting together a consistent moral philosophy that fulfills our long-awaited dreams here.
An excerpt,
"...there are things that are real, things that are true. A mother's love for her child, or a husband's for his child and his wife; these are almost always real. That honor, integrity, and courage are the only things one truly owns is true. The penalty a people ultimately pays for submitting to fraud is real. That political power grows from the barrel of a gun is true. The concrete of a bunker and the steel of a cannon; those are real."
And,
"Reason cannot tell the typical voter that he should not grant himself X largesse from the fisc when the penalty will not be paid until Y generation, a century down the road. That necessary restraint comes from an emotional commitment to future generations, and to the culture, values, and traditions of the society of which the voter is a part. Indeed, once the practice of robbing the fisc is well established, reason must lead the voter to 'get mine, before it's all gone.'"
Crap, this is just too timely, in the midst of the debt ceiling debate in the U.S. Congress.
Kratman has included an enormous amount of detail in this one about the recruiting, equipping and mobilizing of an effective fighting force. There's not as much actual combat as in previous installments, but just enough to whet our appetites for the next book in the series.
There are tons more of these.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, acting Admiral Wallenstein is expecting to be either prosecuted and cashiered for her role in the UN forces' debacle on Terra Nova, or be promoted to full Admiral and made a Class 1 citizen. It turns out to be the latter, and Wallenstein also has a plan, which will restore the space navy forces around Terra Nova to full functionality and allow her to keep the Terra Novans from ever posing a threat to Earth. Despite her determination to do the right thing for the UN, she displays a kinder, gentler side at times, and we are left to hope that maybe she and Carrera need not butt heads, but can cooperate again at some point in time, for the betterment of the human race's future.
Kratman does some neat things with transitions in this book, where he linguistically links the end of one chapter with the beginning of the next.
For example:
"The two guards, joined immediately by two others who had stood alert at the boy's door, followed.
Caridad Crus followed her husband..."
and:
"Martin was, perhaps, overly ambitious.
The program is ambitious..."
These types of transitions occur fairly frequently and soften the effects of the large number of "jumps" between points of view in the novel. I'm sure there's a technical term for them, but Literature 101 was 35 years ago for me, and I've long forgotten it.
Another great thing is the interludes between major sections of the book, which are ostensibly written by Jorge y Marqueli Mendoza, in the Historia y Filosofia Moral. Is this a tribute of sorts to the course labled History and Moral Philosophy that citizens in Heinlein's Starship Troopers are required to take in high school? We never really get to see the contents of that course, except in dialogs between teacher and students, so I think Kratman does a pretty good job of putting together a consistent moral philosophy that fulfills our long-awaited dreams here.
An excerpt,
"...there are things that are real, things that are true. A mother's love for her child, or a husband's for his child and his wife; these are almost always real. That honor, integrity, and courage are the only things one truly owns is true. The penalty a people ultimately pays for submitting to fraud is real. That political power grows from the barrel of a gun is true. The concrete of a bunker and the steel of a cannon; those are real."
And,
"Reason cannot tell the typical voter that he should not grant himself X largesse from the fisc when the penalty will not be paid until Y generation, a century down the road. That necessary restraint comes from an emotional commitment to future generations, and to the culture, values, and traditions of the society of which the voter is a part. Indeed, once the practice of robbing the fisc is well established, reason must lead the voter to 'get mine, before it's all gone.'"
Crap, this is just too timely, in the midst of the debt ceiling debate in the U.S. Congress.
Kratman has included an enormous amount of detail in this one about the recruiting, equipping and mobilizing of an effective fighting force. There's not as much actual combat as in previous installments, but just enough to whet our appetites for the next book in the series.
There are tons more of these.
July 17, 2019
Pleased
Even though the 1st and 2nd books were better in my opinion. Book 3 is a solid continuation of the series. The continuing development of the characters is very well done. Good solid military sci-fi.
Even though the 1st and 2nd books were better in my opinion. Book 3 is a solid continuation of the series. The continuing development of the characters is very well done. Good solid military sci-fi.
November 26, 2017
Had to read this for an article I was working on. After a page, the prose began to grate on me. After thirty pages, I decided not to write the article simply to avoid reading it.
December 12, 2017
It's good book, Long and dark sometimes but good, I got confused and found it hard to follow so many POVs.
March 25, 2018
This series is staying interesting so far
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
April 23, 2014
Hmmmm
Hard to decide whether the author's story is getting better or if I've lowered my expectations enough after wading through A Desert Called Peace and Carnifex.
Either way friends we find ourselves at the end of the third of this series and the jihad baddies are now vanquished and our man in Mexico...errr Balboa even has decided to stick one on the Taurian Union because...weeeeell come on they're bloody Frenchies right?
Well...actually he then throws a bit of a curve ball by telling us all about the war on drugs instead, with a Froggy with delusions of being one of Napolean's marshalls (has the dress up outfit to match so we are told....repeatedly) taking the place for the now largely forgotten Grand Lord uber Admiral of Earth's fleet.
Anyway, as you might expect lots more baddies having their asses handed to them (though oddly it seems a single drug lord might be tougher than entire battalians of muslim troops...but that might be me not remembering correctly) lots of odd set piece scenes to make Carrera out to be hard as nails but civilised with his subtle "enjoy your meal" pseudo threats.....not exactly riviting but hey ho.
We also now see a new player enter the books in the form of a slightly older Paul Atreides...errr no sorry I meant Leto's son Hamilcar...oh well you get the point I'm trying to make. As well as being mistaken for a God (Alexander the Great I think) he has his own trusty tribe of Fremen who seemed to end up on Terra Nova pretending to be Pashtians...odd as I was fairly sure these guys were meant to be the Mujahaddin - complete with Rambo 3 stand in Cano.
Anyway, despite my rather tongue in cheek and no doubt badly spelt tirade above I did find myself actually enjoying some aspects of this book - hell, I even found myself trying to take Kratman's political rants seriously. These are delivered in the form of book quotes from the chap who got all blown up in the first book.
So the scene is now set for the Amazon Legion...which is thankfully the last of these books I got so the last I will have to read...I look forward to the Carrera/Kratman/Leto gestalt mobilising the Hitler Youth of Balboa along with lots of women and perhaps gays too. It will be genuinely interesting to see how he handles these groups given his less than favourable portrayals of gays and women thus far.
Overall, don't bother reading it if you want a proper read, but if a little mindless action and military fetishism is enough for you then you'll probably enjoy it.
Hard to decide whether the author's story is getting better or if I've lowered my expectations enough after wading through A Desert Called Peace and Carnifex.
Either way friends we find ourselves at the end of the third of this series and the jihad baddies are now vanquished and our man in Mexico...errr Balboa even has decided to stick one on the Taurian Union because...weeeeell come on they're bloody Frenchies right?
Well...actually he then throws a bit of a curve ball by telling us all about the war on drugs instead, with a Froggy with delusions of being one of Napolean's marshalls (has the dress up outfit to match so we are told....repeatedly) taking the place for the now largely forgotten Grand Lord uber Admiral of Earth's fleet.
Anyway, as you might expect lots more baddies having their asses handed to them (though oddly it seems a single drug lord might be tougher than entire battalians of muslim troops...but that might be me not remembering correctly) lots of odd set piece scenes to make Carrera out to be hard as nails but civilised with his subtle "enjoy your meal" pseudo threats.....not exactly riviting but hey ho.
We also now see a new player enter the books in the form of a slightly older Paul Atreides...errr no sorry I meant Leto's son Hamilcar...oh well you get the point I'm trying to make. As well as being mistaken for a God (Alexander the Great I think) he has his own trusty tribe of Fremen who seemed to end up on Terra Nova pretending to be Pashtians...odd as I was fairly sure these guys were meant to be the Mujahaddin - complete with Rambo 3 stand in Cano.
Anyway, despite my rather tongue in cheek and no doubt badly spelt tirade above I did find myself actually enjoying some aspects of this book - hell, I even found myself trying to take Kratman's political rants seriously. These are delivered in the form of book quotes from the chap who got all blown up in the first book.
So the scene is now set for the Amazon Legion...which is thankfully the last of these books I got so the last I will have to read...I look forward to the Carrera/Kratman/Leto gestalt mobilising the Hitler Youth of Balboa along with lots of women and perhaps gays too. It will be genuinely interesting to see how he handles these groups given his less than favourable portrayals of gays and women thus far.
Overall, don't bother reading it if you want a proper read, but if a little mindless action and military fetishism is enough for you then you'll probably enjoy it.
July 15, 2016
Tom Kratman is always something of a guilty pleasure. Totally, extremely un-PC "carnography" as my father likes to call it, but also an supremely rich and detailed exercise in world building, from the technology and geography, to the philosophy and geo-politics. If you've gotten this far into the series, then you know that Kratman definitely likes to be pretty blunt in what (Im assuming) are his world views and politics, and this book is no exception. Sometimes it can provide some light food for thought, other times its an exercise in eyeball rolling.
This story is continuing the "Carrera" saga, growing his mercenary army and generally kicking ass and not even bothering to take names. The naval combat portions were particularly entertaining, but I found much of the fighting portions to have been a bit stale, but still greatly enjoy the posturing, politics and intrigue in the world he's developed.
This story is continuing the "Carrera" saga, growing his mercenary army and generally kicking ass and not even bothering to take names. The naval combat portions were particularly entertaining, but I found much of the fighting portions to have been a bit stale, but still greatly enjoy the posturing, politics and intrigue in the world he's developed.
July 27, 2015
3rd in an excellent series of what most would call military sci-fi, but in reality is also an insightful commentary on many of today's social, cultural and political issues. Mr. Kratman demonstrates an actual understanding of military technologies and capabilities not always found in the genre, a problem which always causes me to lose interest in an author when poorly executed. The characters, despite being placed in the future, on another planet or in space are still human beings with all of our traits and behaviors, good and bad. Kratman doesn't pull punches, and no doubt many readers will object to his positions, but I for one think he hit another home run. The 4th has already been downloaded and ready to go.
March 28, 2013
I very much enjoyed the continuing saga of the Legion and Balboa, as they ramp up to the inevitable war with the Tauran Union. This book could almost have been broken into a series of novelettes and short stories, with a section on their drug war, a section very much like The Hunt for Red October, and a section with an attempted coup by The Bad Guys. At this point I am fascinated and just waiting for the release of the fifth book, which will I hope take us further into some of the plot points teased (like that glider flight over Atlantis) so far. Great stuff!
August 1, 2015
Great blend of military & philosophy of a word in transition. How to free yourself and your society from oppressors internal & external without descending to barbarism ? How to end terror threats & the drug trade with it pervasive corruption in a way that doesn't end your society? Kratman's approach & treatment of the situations does it well & keeps you reading, then looking for the next book.
January 11, 2012
Third book in the Legion El Cid series, takes the characters and plot beyond its original boundaries, opening up new opportunities to expand the horizons. It shows the vulnerable side of the major character and develops his relationships with others. The ending leave masses of opportunity for a follow up.
March 11, 2014
Not as good as the first two books, a lot of political philosophy and not so much action. That said, still want to read more in series, so not bad. Fun thing to do if you want to mess with your head, and I did for some strange reason - Read Robert Fisk whilst reading this series - the juxtapositions in political thought are really good for the brain. Keep them coming Tom, I'll keep buying
April 14, 2010
Somewhat to my surprise I did not like this one that much though the ending is great but almost nothing happens until then except in the lateral threads on Earth and in the Pasthun lands; hopefully the next volume gets to more action and large scale stuff
July 5, 2011
I did not rate this book as high as the first two in the series because the pace is slowed way down as Tom lays the groundwork for the next war. Transition books are needed, but just not as fun a read. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
August 8, 2012
Enjoyed this a little more than the earlier ones I think, I am now picking up the next one. Nice change to the earlier books with the characters filling out more and more happening in differenet places.
January 26, 2011
Balboa battles drug cartels and traitors in the ranks while preparing for war with the Tauran Union.
Third in a series.
Third in a series.
May 3, 2011
Should have just kept the story threads as shorts instead of very loosely tying them together. Would have stood up much better.
June 3, 2012
I kind of have to give this one five stars, since I'm more-or-less quoted in it at one point.
March 19, 2013
A good wrap up of the first set in this series. Again a very "right" book and series, but still for my tastes a good book and read, one that was hard to put down...
February 3, 2014
continuous action and a real page turner ! the story continues in this 3rd book in the series !
June 5, 2014
I had greatly enjoyed previous books in this series but this one failed to compel me to complete reading it.
December 10, 2014
I didn't like this one as much as the first 2. I'm not sure why. I think it was the transition between book 2 and 3. It was *really* incredibly jarring. Still decent though.
August 17, 2015
Fast & brutal - muck like today's world news.....
January 3, 2016
Same as my review for books 1 and 2, no changes.
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