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Veteran #1
Veteran
Three hundred years in our future, in a world of alien infiltrators, religious hackers, a vast convoying nation of Nomads, city sized orbital elevators, and a cyborg pirate king who believes himself to be a mythological demon Jakob is having a bad "Nothing gets in the way of a hangover like being reactivated by your old C.O and told to track down an alien killing machine. The same kind of killing machine that wiped out my entire squad. And now it's in my hometown. My name is Jakob Douglas, ex-special forces. I fought Them. Just like we've all been doing for 60 bloody years. But I thought my part in that was done with. My boss has other ideas. If I didn't find the infiltrator then he'd let the Grey Lady loose on me. And believe me; even They've got nothing on her. So I took the job. It went to shit even faster than normal. And now I'm on the run with this teenage hacker who's had enough of prostitution. The only people I can rely on want to turn the internet into God. And now it turns out that They aren't quite what we'd all thought. I've been to the bottom of the sea and the top of the sky and beyond trying to get to the truth. And I still can't get far enough away from the Grey Lady. All things considered I'd rather be back at home deep in a whiskey bottle." Veteran is a fast paced, intricately plotted violent SF Thriller set in a dark future against the backdrop of a seemingly never ending war against an unknowable and implacable alien enemy.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
17 people are currently reading
601 people want to read
About the author
Gavin G. Smith
23 books102 followersGavin Smith was born in Dundee in the same year that Iron Butterfly recorded Inna-Gadda-da-Vida. He has also lived in Camberley, Hayling Island, Portsmouth, Hull, Leamington Spa and is currently living a near feral existence in Leicester (if you see him in the streets he will write science fiction for sweeties). Anyone who has been to any of these places will understand why his fiction is like it is.
He has a degree in writing for film and a Masters in medieval history. Veteran is his first novel but he is patiently waiting for one of the 2.5 scripts that have been optioned to be turned into films.
He likes to travel and dive when he can afford it and in his free time he enjoys getting the s**t kicked out of him whilst practicing Silat. He is hoping that his books do well so he can buy a motorbike.
He has a degree in writing for film and a Masters in medieval history. Veteran is his first novel but he is patiently waiting for one of the 2.5 scripts that have been optioned to be turned into films.
He likes to travel and dive when he can afford it and in his free time he enjoys getting the s**t kicked out of him whilst practicing Silat. He is hoping that his books do well so he can buy a motorbike.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
September 4, 2025
С две думи - чутовна мъка...
Първият път я оставих след 60-70 страници, този път се напънах, но и попрескочих последните 40, за да видя поне края.
Искал е автора, но според мен никак не му се е получило.
Претрупано, на моменти и адска логорея, но като цяло отегчението ми се бореше неудържимо с желанието да захвърля книгата още по средата ѝ.
Нито бойните сцени ми бяха интересни, нито героите и тяхната съмнителна мотивация и развитие.
Гледам, даже и втора част е написал, но ще пропусна.
Първият път я оставих след 60-70 страници, този път се напънах, но и попрескочих последните 40, за да видя поне края.
Искал е автора, но според мен никак не му се е получило.
Претрупано, на моменти и адска логорея, но като цяло отегчението ми се бореше неудържимо с желанието да захвърля книгата още по средата ѝ.
Нито бойните сцени ми бяха интересни, нито героите и тяхната съмнителна мотивация и развитие.
Гледам, даже и втора част е написал, но ще пропусна.
October 24, 2013
Most of this book was pretty awful. The writing was sub-par. The formatting was atrocious. 'word' does not signify that someone is speaking "word" does. Get it right.
No, seriously, this book as pretty well filled with garbage. The author included characters without introducing them, they would enter and leave scenes without the reader being aware and then treated as if they should know they were already there. One of the main character (Morag) randomly switches names with no fanfare and no explanation and then goes back. Did this guy just learn how to write? How paid this guy to put together this stuff?
For about 150 pages the book became interesting. Despite all the crap littering this book there are some important concepts; transparency, valor, honor, potential, racism, fear mongering, corruption, and willful abuse of veterans that one can take away from this story. I will not be reading the sequel(s) and I would not recommend anyone read this one. I wish I could have the time I spent on this book back.
No, seriously, this book as pretty well filled with garbage. The author included characters without introducing them, they would enter and leave scenes without the reader being aware and then treated as if they should know they were already there. One of the main character (Morag) randomly switches names with no fanfare and no explanation and then goes back. Did this guy just learn how to write? How paid this guy to put together this stuff?
For about 150 pages the book became interesting. Despite all the crap littering this book there are some important concepts; transparency, valor, honor, potential, racism, fear mongering, corruption, and willful abuse of veterans that one can take away from this story. I will not be reading the sequel(s) and I would not recommend anyone read this one. I wish I could have the time I spent on this book back.
June 20, 2013
Ветеран предава човечеството, за да го спаси от самото него: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/v...
Пуцанье и тепаница до дупка, както биха казали хората от моя край. Това бих казал и аз, ако си бях там и трябваше да обясня с две думи за какво иде реч във “Ветеран” на Гавин Смит, една от най-чаканите (поне за мен) книги в последните месеци. И тя е най-сетне тук в камуфлажното си одеяние – мащабна и изпълнена с толкова много насилие, че се чудя как книгата не се самоунищожава след четене.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/v...
Пуцанье и тепаница до дупка, както биха казали хората от моя край. Това бих казал и аз, ако си бях там и трябваше да обясня с две думи за какво иде реч във “Ветеран” на Гавин Смит, една от най-чаканите (поне за мен) книги в последните месеци. И тя е най-сетне тук в камуфлажното си одеяние – мащабна и изпълнена с толкова много насилие, че се чудя как книгата не се самоунищожава след четене.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/v...
October 7, 2013
Той предава човечеството, за да го спаси от самото него - ревю от Христо Блажев, Книголандия
Пуцанье и тепаница до дупка, както биха казали хората от моя край. Това бих казал и аз, ако си бях там и трябваше да обясня с две думи за какво иде реч във “Ветеран” на Гавин Смит, една от най-чаканите (поне за мен) книги в последните месеци. И тя е най-сетне тук в камуфлажното си одеяние – мащабна и изпълнена с толкова много насилие, че се чудя как книгата не се самоунищожава след четене.
Не може да се каже, че имам ясен афинитет към милитаристичната фантастика, например “Звездни рейнджъри” на Хайнлайн адски ме разочарова, но пък “Вечната война” на Холдеман беше чудесна контра на нея. “Ветеран” клони именно към втората и точно в това е силата на книгата – под маската на бруталното действие и хвърчащите през цялото време куршуми, лазери, крайници и откъснати парчета броня и плът се прокарва силно внушение за гибелната посока, в която е поело човечеството. Както и в “Слепоглед” на Питър Уотс, така и тук на преден план е границите на човешкото и къде то започва да се размива – дали промяната на физическо ниво променя и менталността и дали е възможно еволюирали по различен начин организми изобщо да намерят начин да комуникират помежду си, без това да бъде прието като взаимна агресия.
Главният герой е от тези, които запомняш, искаш или не. Джейкъб Дъглас е корав ветеран от войната с Тях – странни и неразбираеми извънземни, които с вещина избиват хора навсякъде, където могат. Войната тече от години с променлив успех, но човечеството сякаш започва да губи под натиска на зловещите им военни технологии. Но извънземните не са важни, хората са – и тази война води само до страдание за (почти) всички на синята планета.
Земята от бъдещето във “Ветеран” е отвратително място – клоака, в която Ню Йорк е полунаводнен, цели области от планетата са радиоактивни, а голямата част от човечеството живее по законите на джунглата в оскотяваща мизерия. Ветераните също са в този кюп, особено такива като Джейкъб, който е бил водач на бунт срещу лицемерното политическо решение опасните ветерани от войните да бъдат затривани в космоса, за да не създават социално напрежение на родната планета.
Действието тече по две линии – едната в сегашно време през погледна на бившия военен, който е върнат на активна служба, след като извънземен агент преодолява планетарната отбрана и се инфилтрира; втората линия е описание на последната битка на Джейкъб, в който той и частта му са пратени на самоубийствена мисия с цел пленяване на извънземно. Двете действия постепенно се сумират в едно, след като ветеранът започва да открива очакваните мръсни ризи зад патетичните патриотични слова, а мисията му от откриване на извънземното и пречукването му се превръща в опазването и пренасянето на неговото съзнание в абсурдна компания – бивша проститутка, която претърпява шантава трансформация, Езичника – полудял хакер, който мечтае с помощта на чуждия разум да създаде нещо като електронен Бог, Балор – модифицирал тялото си като морско чудовище бивш военен, сега властник над контрабандистите в Ню Йорк, воина гуркха Рану, убиец от най-висока класа… и още такива типове за компания.
В книгата битките не спират от началото до края. Джейкъб го обстрелват, кълцат, бият, разчленяват, потрошават и всичко друго гадно, което се сетите – методично и брутално Гавин Смит стоварва ада върху него, позволявайки му милостиво да се позакърпи между битките само за да му причини нещо още по-болезнено. Бият го чуждите, бият го неговите, а пътем той пък изтрепва безброй типове, които се осмеляват да вдигнат оръжие срещу му. Не можеш да не му симпатизираш – той само иска да вегетира кротко до края на мизерния си, съсипан живот, вместо това трябва да бяга постоянно от преследващи го всемогъщи убийци в компания на хора, които в общи линии не харесва.
Признавам, по някое време битките ми дойдоха в повече, тоновете куршуми просто натежаваха прекомерно над самото действие. Може би ако бях ходил в казарма, щеше да ми е по-интересна тая част, но това е положението. Важното е, че Смит е вкарал и много повече от безкрайни битки между разнообразни по брой и вид военни, всички екипирани с мощни брони и още по-мощни оръжия.
“Ветеран” е една от най-антимилитаристичните книги, които съм чел, като нея е и “Герои” на Джо Абъркромби, сред калищата и кървавата сеч на която съм заседнал в момента. Описвайки войната без фалшивия блясък и лицемерния патос, тя е показана като най-ниската точка, до която стига човек – и до която неизбежно, винаги, човечеството стига, защото е в кръвта му. Дали помежду си, дали срещу извънземните – тези войници губят всичко човешко в себе си. Те не са променили само телата – те са променили мисленето си и същността си и това е добре показано през образа на злощастния ветеран, който, получавайки нечакания шанс за нещо красиво в живота си, усърдно го отблъсква.
Книгата има и продължение – War in Heaven, която се надявам да продължи приключенията на по-високо ниво, макар че краят на “Ветеран” си беше напълно удовлетворителен – рязко разширяване на действието до космически мащаби, очаквана врътка в това кои са лоши и кои – добри, абсурдна мисия в сърцето на врага и всичко друго, което ще си прочетете сами.
Категорично най-добрата книга досега в серията “Галактики” – и очакване за още по-яки неща.
Пуцанье и тепаница до дупка, както биха казали хората от моя край. Това бих казал и аз, ако си бях там и трябваше да обясня с две думи за какво иде реч във “Ветеран” на Гавин Смит, една от най-чаканите (поне за мен) книги в последните месеци. И тя е най-сетне тук в камуфлажното си одеяние – мащабна и изпълнена с толкова много насилие, че се чудя как книгата не се самоунищожава след четене.
Не може да се каже, че имам ясен афинитет към милитаристичната фантастика, например “Звездни рейнджъри” на Хайнлайн адски ме разочарова, но пък “Вечната война” на Холдеман беше чудесна контра на нея. “Ветеран” клони именно към втората и точно в това е силата на книгата – под маската на бруталното действие и хвърчащите през цялото време куршуми, лазери, крайници и откъснати парчета броня и плът се прокарва силно внушение за гибелната посока, в която е поело човечеството. Както и в “Слепоглед” на Питър Уотс, така и тук на преден план е границите на човешкото и къде то започва да се размива – дали промяната на физическо ниво променя и менталността и дали е възможно еволюирали по различен начин организми изобщо да намерят начин да комуникират помежду си, без това да бъде прието като взаимна агресия.
Главният герой е от тези, които запомняш, искаш или не. Джейкъб Дъглас е корав ветеран от войната с Тях – странни и неразбираеми извънземни, които с вещина избиват хора навсякъде, където могат. Войната тече от години с променлив успех, но човечеството сякаш започва да губи под натиска на зловещите им военни технологии. Но извънземните не са важни, хората са – и тази война води само до страдание за (почти) всички на синята планета.
Земята от бъдещето във “Ветеран” е отвратително място – клоака, в която Ню Йорк е полунаводнен, цели области от планетата са радиоактивни, а голямата част от човечеството живее по законите на джунглата в оскотяваща мизерия. Ветераните също са в този кюп, особено такива като Джейкъб, който е бил водач на бунт срещу лицемерното политическо решение опасните ветерани от войните да бъдат затривани в космоса, за да не създават социално напрежение на родната планета.
Действието тече по две линии – едната в сегашно време през погледна на бившия военен, който е върнат на активна служба, след като извънземен агент преодолява планетарната отбрана и се инфилтрира; втората линия е описание на последната битка на Джейкъб, в който той и частта му са пратени на самоубийствена мисия с цел пленяване на извънземно. Двете действия постепенно се сумират в едно, след като ветеранът започва да открива очакваните мръсни ризи зад патетичните патриотични слова, а мисията му от откриване на извънземното и пречукването му се превръща в опазването и пренасянето на неговото съзнание в абсурдна компания – бивша проститутка, която претърпява шантава трансформация, Езичника – полудял хакер, който мечтае с помощта на чуждия разум да създаде нещо като електронен Бог, Балор – модифицирал тялото си като морско чудовище бивш военен, сега властник над контрабандистите в Ню Йорк, воина гуркха Рану, убиец от най-висока класа… и още такива типове за компания.
В книгата битките не спират от началото до края. Джейкъб го обстрелват, кълцат, бият, разчленяват, потрошават и всичко друго гадно, което се сетите – методично и брутално Гавин Смит стоварва ада върху него, позволявайки му милостиво да се позакърпи между битките само за да му причини нещо още по-болезнено. Бият го чуждите, бият го неговите, а пътем той пък изтрепва безброй типове, които се осмеляват да вдигнат оръжие срещу му. Не можеш да не му симпатизираш – той само иска да вегетира кротко до края на мизерния си, съсипан живот, вместо това трябва да бяга постоянно от преследващи го всемогъщи убийци в компания на хора, които в общи линии не харесва.
Признавам, по някое време битките ми дойдоха в повече, тоновете куршуми просто натежаваха прекомерно над самото действие. Може би ако бях ходил в казарма, щеше да ми е по-интересна тая част, но това е положението. Важното е, че Смит е вкарал и много повече от безкрайни битки между разнообразни по брой и вид военни, всички екипирани с мощни брони и още по-мощни оръжия.
“Ветеран” е една от най-антимилитаристичните книги, които съм чел, като нея е и “Герои” на Джо Абъркромби, сред калищата и кървавата сеч на която съм заседнал в момента. Описвайки войната без фалшивия блясък и лицемерния патос, тя е показана като най-ниската точка, до която стига човек – и до която неизбежно, винаги, човечеството стига, защото е в кръвта му. Дали помежду си, дали срещу извънземните – тези войници губят всичко човешко в себе си. Те не са променили само телата – те са променили мисленето си и същността си и това е добре показано през образа на злощастния ветеран, който, получавайки нечакания шанс за нещо красиво в живота си, усърдно го отблъсква.
Книгата има и продължение – War in Heaven, която се надявам да продължи приключенията на по-високо ниво, макар че краят на “Ветеран” си беше напълно удовлетворителен – рязко разширяване на действието до космически мащаби, очаквана врътка в това кои са лоши и кои – добри, абсурдна мисия в сърцето на врага и всичко друго, което ще си прочетете сами.
Категорично най-добрата книга досега в серията “Галактики” – и очакване за още по-яки неща.
January 20, 2011
Gavin Smith's debut novel Veteran is a take on near-future military science fiction, where the world has been at war with Them for decades. Our "hero", Jakob Douglas, is the veteran of the title, an ex-soldier who spends his days trying to find oblivion through drink and drugs. One day he is told that a Them infiltrator has crashed to earth and must be retrieved. He is reactivated into service - but events do not proceed as planned. He finds himself on the run with a teenage prostitute, realising that everything he has been told about Them has been incorrect. His journey takes him to New York, as he and Morag pick up allies and enemies, and he attempts to bring peace between Them and Us.
This is a good book. It is entertaining and written very well, considering it is Smith's first novel. There are some flaws, which I shall detail, but on the whole I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The main strength of Veteran is the characters, and the relationship between Jakob and Morag. It is, at best, an uncomfortable relationship considering the relative ages of the characters and the fact Morag starts the novel as a whore, but Smith writes it well and introduces some discussion on morality to proceedings. Jakob himself is a dark and grim protagonist, with flashes of brutal humour, and carries the plot very well.
I've seen some remarks on the fact that the philosophical ramifications of the plot sit uneasily alongside the action sequences - but I actually enjoyed these. Although they were presented slightly clumsily at times, I thought they lifted the novel beyond just a shoot-'em-up presentation of war.
My main complaint comes from the treatment of women. Considering we've drifted into near future, it feels like a backward step to have the main female character be a prostitute. We're in an enlightened age right now, where women share the duties of being in the armed forces, and have lofty positions in industry and government - why would all that have changed thanks to an ongoing war with Them? I felt Smith missed a trick here, where he could have presented women in the same enlightened fashion.
I did really like Them though - they were suitably alien, with little progression made my humanity in sixty years with communicating with them and trying to understand them. The name of Them is inspired, in fact, and helps to push the idea that they are something Other.
Altogether, Gavin Smith has written an explosive debut, with memorable characters and breakneck pace. His prose is sleek and smooth, and his action set pieces are clean and fluid. Despite minor flaws, this is an accomplished start to Smith's writing career and I look forward to reading more.
This is a good book. It is entertaining and written very well, considering it is Smith's first novel. There are some flaws, which I shall detail, but on the whole I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The main strength of Veteran is the characters, and the relationship between Jakob and Morag. It is, at best, an uncomfortable relationship considering the relative ages of the characters and the fact Morag starts the novel as a whore, but Smith writes it well and introduces some discussion on morality to proceedings. Jakob himself is a dark and grim protagonist, with flashes of brutal humour, and carries the plot very well.
I've seen some remarks on the fact that the philosophical ramifications of the plot sit uneasily alongside the action sequences - but I actually enjoyed these. Although they were presented slightly clumsily at times, I thought they lifted the novel beyond just a shoot-'em-up presentation of war.
My main complaint comes from the treatment of women. Considering we've drifted into near future, it feels like a backward step to have the main female character be a prostitute. We're in an enlightened age right now, where women share the duties of being in the armed forces, and have lofty positions in industry and government - why would all that have changed thanks to an ongoing war with Them? I felt Smith missed a trick here, where he could have presented women in the same enlightened fashion.
I did really like Them though - they were suitably alien, with little progression made my humanity in sixty years with communicating with them and trying to understand them. The name of Them is inspired, in fact, and helps to push the idea that they are something Other.
Altogether, Gavin Smith has written an explosive debut, with memorable characters and breakneck pace. His prose is sleek and smooth, and his action set pieces are clean and fluid. Despite minor flaws, this is an accomplished start to Smith's writing career and I look forward to reading more.
July 11, 2025
Militaristic combat SF. OK, but, in my opinion, too much meaningless shoot 'em up and not enough SF or story. I was surprised to discover the author was Scottish as the book had a very American gung-ho, jingoistic feel to it (a bit in the manner of Starship Trooper), and nothing like the Scottish SF authors (Banks, MacLeod, Cobley, Stross, etc) I am used to.
Despite this, I largely enjoyed the book even though its not my usual cup of tea. Unfortunately the ending was extremely disappointing, obviously meant to be a 'nail biter' designed to get you to buy the sequel. For an author's first novel this is even more disappointing. I always think its part of the authors remit and responsibility to ensure a novel is properly structured and has an actual ending, even if it is a series. Just make the ending ambiguous, it shouldn't be difficult. There's nothing ambiguous here. Literally just leaves the story suspended and the characters hanging by a thread.
Having already bought the three books in the trilogy I was always going to go on and read the next, but I'm not happy about it and I don't think I would bother if I hadn't already bought them.
Also, another gripe, having set up the main character to have Wolverine like claws it's somewhat peculiar that these rarely feature again throughout the whole book. Also, while we're at it, for a highly trained ex-SAS, now turned unkillable cyborg who fights super aliens for a living, he also seems somewhat easy to damage by ordinary humans.
Hopefully the series will improve as a get through the next books.
Despite this, I largely enjoyed the book even though its not my usual cup of tea. Unfortunately the ending was extremely disappointing, obviously meant to be a 'nail biter' designed to get you to buy the sequel. For an author's first novel this is even more disappointing. I always think its part of the authors remit and responsibility to ensure a novel is properly structured and has an actual ending, even if it is a series. Just make the ending ambiguous, it shouldn't be difficult. There's nothing ambiguous here. Literally just leaves the story suspended and the characters hanging by a thread.
Having already bought the three books in the trilogy I was always going to go on and read the next, but I'm not happy about it and I don't think I would bother if I hadn't already bought them.
Also, another gripe, having set up the main character to have Wolverine like claws it's somewhat peculiar that these rarely feature again throughout the whole book. Also, while we're at it, for a highly trained ex-SAS, now turned unkillable cyborg who fights super aliens for a living, he also seems somewhat easy to damage by ordinary humans.
Hopefully the series will improve as a get through the next books.
March 4, 2018
Реших, че страшната тромавост на текста няма да ми понесе повече от това. Личи си, че е книга на писател в началото на кариерата си. Идеята на Гавин Смит за механизирано бъдеще - апокалипсис и безкрайна война - е страхотна и добре поставена, само че май не е трябвало да бъде от първо лице. Или някой е трябвало да поработи повече с този автор и да изчисти и излъска текста. Героят например можеше да е без грешка, но поне в тази книга е доста дървен.
Е, не отричам, че като военно фентъзи "Ветеран" е чудесна книга. Докосва се до онези идеи, които обикновено слагаме в графи като "Възможното бъдеще" и това я прави евентуално реалистична. Героите не са най-често срещаните мутанти или други същества, преживели ядрена война, а по-скоро се приближават до съществата от "пророчеството" на Дан Браун от "Произход" (правя тази аналогия само защото четох "Произход" съвсем наскоро, ама пък си се връзва!).
Е, не отричам, че като военно фентъзи "Ветеран" е чудесна книга. Докосва се до онези идеи, които обикновено слагаме в графи като "Възможното бъдеще" и това я прави евентуално реалистична. Героите не са най-често срещаните мутанти или други същества, преживели ядрена война, а по-скоро се приближават до съществата от "пророчеството" на Дан Браун от "Произход" (правя тази аналогия само защото четох "Произход" съвсем наскоро, ама пък си се връзва!).
November 9, 2019
Mixed emotions on this one. Characters were interesting, grim view on the destructiveness of war on the psyche. Sometimes a bit heavy on the big tech blowing things up. Pacing was a struggle in places as well
December 29, 2018
Fun read, nothing too groundbreaking. Some stuff on various types of AI was interesting (handwaving aside). Thought the last ~70 pages or so could have been cut down a bit but the character interaction was mostly worth the extra pages.
August 7, 2020
:(
I may or may not felt like screaming at an inanimate object (this book). Very good and the ending is also very good at making you want to read more by the measure of exactly nothing being resolved. It worked, I do want to read the second book now, but also, screaming feels like it should occur.
I may or may not felt like screaming at an inanimate object (this book). Very good and the ending is also very good at making you want to read more by the measure of exactly nothing being resolved. It worked, I do want to read the second book now, but also, screaming feels like it should occur.
September 10, 2017
Дебютния роман на Гавин Смит е интригуваща военна фантастика, разказваща ни за един анти-утопичен свят на бъдещето, водещ непрестанна война с извънземна цивилизация, и обединен покрай общия враг.
До тук добре. Само че книгата всъщност е силно анти-военна. Няма момент авторът да е имал възможност да опише колко кофти нещо е войната, и да не се е възползвал. Ама наистина. В началото това привлича, след даден момент обаче, почва малко да дразни.
Разказана в сегашно време, с кратки препратки към минали събития, историята се развива през очите на кибернетично усъвършенстван, пристрастен към всякакви видове наркотици и не особено умен ветеран от битките с инопланетяните, който не знае какво да прави със живота си без битки. Именно затова, главния герой сякаш постоянно си търси белята, и постоянно си я намира. Всъщност, не помня да съм чел друга книга, чиито главен герой да бива толкова бит, рязан, стрелян, давен, взривяван, тровен и облъчван с радиация, просто за да бъде по-късно закърпен на две, на три, и бит отново. До тук добре, но ето го проблема - нашият ветеран е доста тъп, разсъжденията и действията му често са нелогични, а последствията от тях - непредвидими (поне сам си признава че е тъп и то неведнъж).
Заедно с него ще се сблъскаме с няколко други колоритни персонажа, сред които курва-хакер, търсещ Бог в мрежата друг хакер и модифициал тялото си за да придобие вида на морско чудовище командос. Мда, прекалено много хакери и военни, а другото което дразни е че макар и колоритни като визия (поне ако се опитате да си ги представите) героите до един са плоски, нелогични и склонни към скучновати диалози.
И за финал - ами финалът. Толкова не разкрива и не обяснява нищо, че ако не прочетеш продължението няма как да разбереш какво се случа.
До тук добре. Само че книгата всъщност е силно анти-военна. Няма момент авторът да е имал възможност да опише колко кофти нещо е войната, и да не се е възползвал. Ама наистина. В началото това привлича, след даден момент обаче, почва малко да дразни.
Разказана в сегашно време, с кратки препратки към минали събития, историята се развива през очите на кибернетично усъвършенстван, пристрастен към всякакви видове наркотици и не особено умен ветеран от битките с инопланетяните, който не знае какво да прави със живота си без битки. Именно затова, главния герой сякаш постоянно си търси белята, и постоянно си я намира. Всъщност, не помня да съм чел друга книга, чиито главен герой да бива толкова бит, рязан, стрелян, давен, взривяван, тровен и облъчван с радиация, просто за да бъде по-късно закърпен на две, на три, и бит отново. До тук добре, но ето го проблема - нашият ветеран е доста тъп, разсъжденията и действията му често са нелогични, а последствията от тях - непредвидими (поне сам си признава че е тъп и то неведнъж).
Заедно с него ще се сблъскаме с няколко други колоритни персонажа, сред които курва-хакер, търсещ Бог в мрежата друг хакер и модифициал тялото си за да придобие вида на морско чудовище командос. Мда, прекалено много хакери и военни, а другото което дразни е че макар и колоритни като визия (поне ако се опитате да си ги представите) героите до един са плоски, нелогични и склонни към скучновати диалози.
И за финал - ами финалът. Толкова не разкрива и не обяснява нищо, че ако не прочетеш продължението няма как да разбереш какво се случа.
January 24, 2014
ЧУ-ТОВ-НА!!!
Лейдис ен джентълмен, простете телешкия ми възторг. Просто толкова отдавна не бях чел роман от такъв тип - военна екшън-фантастика, където екшънът преобладава, че просто бях забравил. Съвсем сериозно - припомних си доброто старо време, когато четях Дан Симънс, Л. Рон Хабърд и други такива. Гавин Смит ми е напълно непознато име, нов автор е, но останах просто ошашавен. Ето така обичам - екшън, стрелба и бой, бой, бой, до дупка.
Както казах, Гавин Смит е сравнително млад автор, 45 годишен, с 4 романа зад гърба си (единият е по компютърната игра Crysis). Роден в Шотландия, живее в Англия. Но, всъщност, какво чак такова голямо значение има личността на писателя? Нека да поговорим за героя му, за главния герой във "Ветеран". Джейкъб Дъглас е бивш сержант от специалните части, уволнен дисциплинарно от армията за подклаждане на бунт, който тихо и сладко гние в градчето Дънди, превърнато във вертеп. Единственото, което вече интересува Дъглас е да има пиене, цигари, дрога и някой кинт за кабинките, където може да се отнесе във виртуалната реалност, за да забрави всичко, през което е минал.
Да, ама не. Правителството има други планове за Дъглас. Войната с Тях - извънземните антагонисти продължава, макар да са изминали над 60 години. Затова спешно мобилизират сержанта, понеже... е един от най-добрите. Нищо, че дясната му ръка е киберпротеза - в рамото му има вграден лазер, а от кокалчетата му излизат остриета. Да, очите му са черни лещи, а в главата му има вграден дисплей - тъкмо не може да плаче и е по-добър убиец.
Екшънът и стрелбата нямат край, хората масово имат присадени всякакви киберприспособления, плюс задължителните куплунги в тила, където народа пъха жакове за щяло и нещяло (специално за феновете на Уилям Гибсън), има тънки препратки към любими фантастични филми, книги и компютърни игри, изобщо съм сигурен, че всеки ще открие в романа неща, които са близки до него.
Къде е интригата обаче? Първата задача на Дъглас от бившите му шефове, които мрази и в червата, е малко... хм, странна. Още по-кофти става, когато Джейк сговня нещата, ама така хубаво ги скапва, че по следите му хуква далеч не само цялото британско правителство. За щастие, в бясната надпревара той има и друга задача - да намери и спаси старите си бойни другари Мадж и Грегър. За целта ще му помогнат хакера-гуру Езичника, непалецът-гуркха Рану, пирата-киборг Балор и други.
Враговете му обаче са най-богатите кучи синове на планетата и тяхното вярно куче, бившият началник на Дъглас майор Ролистън. С него е и легендарната килърка Сивата Дама, която не оставя живи след себе си. Майорът разполага със свръхсили, як финансов гръб, връзки, армия и дори правомощията да стреля от Космоса с орбитално оръжие по наземни цели.
Определено книгата показва безумието на войната и начина, по който изкривява хората, които взимат участие в нея, дори да оцелеят - нещо, което е малко вероятно (цитат: "като се замисля, не познавам хора, навършили 40 години"). Дори да е срещу изродясали извънземни, чиито оръжия и методи на битка са отвратителни. Но това е и нещо повече - роман за приятелството, за дружбата между хора, които заедно са рискували живота си хиляди пъти и са си пазили гърбовете безчет. Роман за хората, които ще слязат и в ада, за да разковат оттам събратята си и да ги върнат обратно, за тези, които ги държат за ръката в последните им мигове.
За добро или за лошо... книгата не свършва, има и продължение - War In Heaven. Надявам се да го издадат колкото се може по-скоро на български. Дерзайте, Ветерани в четенето! Романът не е за изпускане.
Лейдис ен джентълмен, простете телешкия ми възторг. Просто толкова отдавна не бях чел роман от такъв тип - военна екшън-фантастика, където екшънът преобладава, че просто бях забравил. Съвсем сериозно - припомних си доброто старо време, когато четях Дан Симънс, Л. Рон Хабърд и други такива. Гавин Смит ми е напълно непознато име, нов автор е, но останах просто ошашавен. Ето така обичам - екшън, стрелба и бой, бой, бой, до дупка.
Както казах, Гавин Смит е сравнително млад автор, 45 годишен, с 4 романа зад гърба си (единият е по компютърната игра Crysis). Роден в Шотландия, живее в Англия. Но, всъщност, какво чак такова голямо значение има личността на писателя? Нека да поговорим за героя му, за главния герой във "Ветеран". Джейкъб Дъглас е бивш сержант от специалните части, уволнен дисциплинарно от армията за подклаждане на бунт, който тихо и сладко гние в градчето Дънди, превърнато във вертеп. Единственото, което вече интересува Дъглас е да има пиене, цигари, дрога и някой кинт за кабинките, където може да се отнесе във виртуалната реалност, за да забрави всичко, през което е минал.
Да, ама не. Правителството има други планове за Дъглас. Войната с Тях - извънземните антагонисти продължава, макар да са изминали над 60 години. Затова спешно мобилизират сержанта, понеже... е един от най-добрите. Нищо, че дясната му ръка е киберпротеза - в рамото му има вграден лазер, а от кокалчетата му излизат остриета. Да, очите му са черни лещи, а в главата му има вграден дисплей - тъкмо не може да плаче и е по-добър убиец.
Екшънът и стрелбата нямат край, хората масово имат присадени всякакви киберприспособления, плюс задължителните куплунги в тила, където народа пъха жакове за щяло и нещяло (специално за феновете на Уилям Гибсън), има тънки препратки към любими фантастични филми, книги и компютърни игри, изобщо съм сигурен, че всеки ще открие в романа неща, които са близки до него.
Къде е интригата обаче? Първата задача на Дъглас от бившите му шефове, които мрази и в червата, е малко... хм, странна. Още по-кофти става, когато Джейк сговня нещата, ама така хубаво ги скапва, че по следите му хуква далеч не само цялото британско правителство. За щастие, в бясната надпревара той има и друга задача - да намери и спаси старите си бойни другари Мадж и Грегър. За целта ще му помогнат хакера-гуру Езичника, непалецът-гуркха Рану, пирата-киборг Балор и други.
Враговете му обаче са най-богатите кучи синове на планетата и тяхното вярно куче, бившият началник на Дъглас майор Ролистън. С него е и легендарната килърка Сивата Дама, която не оставя живи след себе си. Майорът разполага със свръхсили, як финансов гръб, връзки, армия и дори правомощията да стреля от Космоса с орбитално оръжие по наземни цели.
Определено книгата показва безумието на войната и начина, по който изкривява хората, които взимат участие в нея, дори да оцелеят - нещо, което е малко вероятно (цитат: "като се замисля, не познавам хора, навършили 40 години"). Дори да е срещу изродясали извънземни, чиито оръжия и методи на битка са отвратителни. Но това е и нещо повече - роман за приятелството, за дружбата между хора, които заедно са рискували живота си хиляди пъти и са си пазили гърбовете безчет. Роман за хората, които ще слязат и в ада, за да разковат оттам събратята си и да ги върнат обратно, за тези, които ги държат за ръката в последните им мигове.
За добро или за лошо... книгата не свършва, има и продължение - War In Heaven. Надявам се да го издадат колкото се може по-скоро на български. Дерзайте, Ветерани в четенето! Романът не е за изпускане.
November 4, 2018
It's not my usual fare this, but Veteran was highly entertaining and a fun step away from the bulk of what sits on my shelves. It's big, bloody and violent no doubt - that's what you sign up for in military sf and it was done well. The pace charges on and keeps you reading, the narrator is nicely cynical but self-aware at the same time. Clearly the author knows how dick-swingingly twattish this type of novel can get and he's careful to drag himself back regularly to avoid the pitfall of the book and characters getting too full of themselves. I liked the characters and how they worked together, grew and affected each other without throwing off too many of the flaws that define them. By the end they’re still a patchwork mess of personality ticks, good intentions and mental scars – Jakob totters on through the book mentally and physically, somehow kept upright by adrenalin and determination. And it works – sometimes treading a fine line but overall it holds it together even for a cynic like me.
So if what you want is a blood-soaked charge through a wrecked future earth, fighting and teaming up with a range of weird and broken former special forces types and somehow ending up something akin to heroic, Veteran does it in spades.
There are things that bugged me however. First and absolutely least in importance is the gun porn. I know it’s expected from this sort of book, whether SF or not, but I’ll never stop finding it a bit sad. It leaves me cold at the best of times even if the core readers seem to demand it, but esp in SF the weapons aren’t even real (maybe some, but it’s far future so….) so I could have done with a lot less there.
Of the two bigger issues I had, the first was the ending. It felt like it had come – there was a big set piece but the novel continued pottering on after that and then we got almost a second end-scene. That was also good, but after so much craziness it didn't actually top the rest so it felt a bit flat as a finale, esp when the book then ended rather abruptly.
Secondly, Morag was 16 if I remember correctly, while most of the men were middle-aged, yet we had a lot of focus on her attractiveness, she ends up having sex with Jakob whose faint shame over his lust towards her doesn’t hold him back much. Morag grew up a lot during the book which was good, but not so much in terms of age and for me it didn’t work that there was so much focus on her attractiveness. The odd paternal vibe that also went on worked better, but the combination of the two didn’t help overall.
So if what you want is a blood-soaked charge through a wrecked future earth, fighting and teaming up with a range of weird and broken former special forces types and somehow ending up something akin to heroic, Veteran does it in spades.
There are things that bugged me however. First and absolutely least in importance is the gun porn. I know it’s expected from this sort of book, whether SF or not, but I’ll never stop finding it a bit sad. It leaves me cold at the best of times even if the core readers seem to demand it, but esp in SF the weapons aren’t even real (maybe some, but it’s far future so….) so I could have done with a lot less there.
Of the two bigger issues I had, the first was the ending. It felt like it had come – there was a big set piece but the novel continued pottering on after that and then we got almost a second end-scene. That was also good, but after so much craziness it didn't actually top the rest so it felt a bit flat as a finale, esp when the book then ended rather abruptly.
Secondly, Morag was 16 if I remember correctly, while most of the men were middle-aged, yet we had a lot of focus on her attractiveness, she ends up having sex with Jakob whose faint shame over his lust towards her doesn’t hold him back much. Morag grew up a lot during the book which was good, but not so much in terms of age and for me it didn’t work that there was so much focus on her attractiveness. The odd paternal vibe that also went on worked better, but the combination of the two didn’t help overall.
July 26, 2016
First of all, I am relieved to discover there is a sequel to Veteran. More so because the ending was, to my mind, disappointing, rather than through any excitement to read on.
Do not get me wrong; I did enjoy Veteran, and there were sections of it where I found myself unable to put it down, but overall it let itself down in a couple of areas.
Parts of it were repetitive, and repetitive in an annoyingly small way as such that being repetitive could have been avoided altogether if certain repetitive words had been changed to decrease how repetitive it was. This may be a personal thing, but I find it jarring if the same word is used several times in a very short sentence. For example, the word "hit" was used three times in the space of about six words. A minor thing, and not something worthy of complaint I'm sure.
I turned the last page expecting one final chapter, or, at the very least, an epilogue. It was an ambiguous ending to say the least, and perhaps could have been handled a little better.
All in all, the ideas within Veteran were magnificent. Starting off in a post apocalyptic Britain, which, given the state of the country these days, is less futuristic than Smith perhaps could have predicted, the story winds away well, and a handful of twists and consistent dark humour keep it interesting. A high three stars without a doubt, only falling short of four because, in all honesty, I didn't enjoy it as much as other books I have read. I will, however, eagerly search for the sequel.
Do not get me wrong; I did enjoy Veteran, and there were sections of it where I found myself unable to put it down, but overall it let itself down in a couple of areas.
Parts of it were repetitive, and repetitive in an annoyingly small way as such that being repetitive could have been avoided altogether if certain repetitive words had been changed to decrease how repetitive it was. This may be a personal thing, but I find it jarring if the same word is used several times in a very short sentence. For example, the word "hit" was used three times in the space of about six words. A minor thing, and not something worthy of complaint I'm sure.
I turned the last page expecting one final chapter, or, at the very least, an epilogue. It was an ambiguous ending to say the least, and perhaps could have been handled a little better.
All in all, the ideas within Veteran were magnificent. Starting off in a post apocalyptic Britain, which, given the state of the country these days, is less futuristic than Smith perhaps could have predicted, the story winds away well, and a handful of twists and consistent dark humour keep it interesting. A high three stars without a doubt, only falling short of four because, in all honesty, I didn't enjoy it as much as other books I have read. I will, however, eagerly search for the sequel.
November 5, 2016
Четох я с интерес. Обрисува много интересен постапокалиптичен свят.
Но в един момент авторът се забавлява повече да описва все нови и ниво нива на света, а действието е сведено до FPS (first person shooter).
Има интересни разсъждения за Бог, за изкуствения интелект и някои други важни теми, но това преминава някак си между другото.
Да не говорим, че книгата свърша в нищото... не с отворен край, ами направо с надпис - Купете продължението.
Идеална за хлапета влюбени в компютърните игри.
Скучна за фенове на фантастиката.
Но в един момент авторът се забавлява повече да описва все нови и ниво нива на света, а действието е сведено до FPS (first person shooter).
Има интересни разсъждения за Бог, за изкуствения интелект и някои други важни теми, но това преминава някак си между другото.
Да не говорим, че книгата свърша в нищото... не с отворен край, ами направо с надпис - Купете продължението.
Идеална за хлапета влюбени в компютърните игри.
Скучна за фенове на фантастиката.
August 30, 2016
British, post-cyberpunk military-driven sf. Interstellar war, lots of blokes with implants, firefights, a bleak future and a properly disillusioned hero who may or may not be Wolverine. Some cliché but fun to be had...
February 7, 2017
Доста дълга книга, която започва с доста екшън и доста бързо затъва и става абсолютно безинтересна, тегаво мудна и безцелна. Нямах нерви да я прочета цялата, стигнах до половината и екшънът в началото беше единственият до тогава.
December 12, 2017
Three centuries from now, the human race has survived a nuclear war and expanded into space, colonising several nearby star systems. During their colonising efforts, humanity has come into contact with 'Them', a powerful and apparently ruthless alien race. War has raged ever since between the two races, a sixty-year cycle of blood and deadlock.
Jakob Douglas is a former British special forces operative dishonourably discharged from the service for organising a mutiny, but still held on the reserve list (thanks to politics). When it appears that an elite alien infiltration unit has breached Earth's defenses and crash-landed near Jakob's home town of Dundee, Jakob's commission is reactivated and he is sent after the creature, triggering a series of events that will have far-reaching consequences for humanity.
Veteran is the debut novel by British author Gavin Smith, and potentially the first in a series (the ending could go either way). This is a fast-paced, action-oriented but sociologically-aware post-apocalyptic, quasi-cyberpunk war story, strongly in the vein of Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books (Kovacs and Douglas could almost be old war buddies). Veteran, impressively, withstands the Morgan comparison quite well, even if Smith's infectious enthusiasm sometimes overrides his storytelling logic (Earth is simultaneously a technologically-advanced spacefaring world and also a Mad Max-style nuclear wasteland, which seems a bit contradictory). But the book is just so much fun that you don't really end up caring too much that the worldbuilding is a bit shaky in places.
Character-wise, this is a first-person story from Douglas' perspective, and he is a reasonable protagonist, even if the cynical, addictive-personality, ex-soldier with impressive resources is fairly cliche by this point. Douglas has some interesting psychological issues stemming from his background experiences, which are gradually revealed through strategically-placed flashbacks throughout the book, making him a more interesting lead. Some of the other characters are likewise fascinating, such as the psychotically angry embedded combat journalist Mudge; Balor, the egotistical pirate king of New York with a disturbing affinity for sharks; and Rannu, a badass but also ultra-cool elite Gurkha trooper. The female lead, Morag, is also intriguing, although Douglas' feelings of condescending protectiveness towards her does reduce her to something of a cypher in his eyes. This is at least deliberate, and resentment of this fuels Morag's later character development in the book.
On the weaker side, as well as the somewhat inconsistent worldbuilding there is a bit of a Joss Whedon thing going on with the cast of characters getting bigger and bigger as the book proceeds (Smith is ruthless enough to kill a few off, but not as many as you might think) and the focus occasionally dissipates, with some characters vanishing or being present but not contributing anything worthwhile for long periods. There are also a lot of scenes in the second half where the characters sit around debating the plot for long periods rather than getting on with things or giving the reader a bit more credit for being able to figure things out themselves. With another 100 pages or so shaved off the book, it would be much tighter and leaner.
That said, whilst the overall picture of the worldbuilding is confusing, the individual elements such as the Rigs (a city built out of abandoned oil rigs), Crawling Town (a mobile city of motorhomes, caravans and trucks) and the flooded, abandoned New York City are all vividly described, and there's a constant stream of exciting, well-choreographed battles (in the air, on the ground, inside space elevators, underwater, on the surface of asteroids and more) as well as effective reflections on human nature, the military complex and other issues. Smith, in probably his biggest deviation from the Morgan template, also has a wicked sense of humour and some sequences in the book are genuinely hilarious, whilst he has also nailed the team's snappy dialogue and banter quite well.
Veteran (****) is an accomplished and enjoyable debut SF novel. With some better pacing, Smith could easily rise to the big leagues of modern SF authors quite quickly, and I look forward to his next book. The novel will be published in the UK on 17 June and should be available on import from Amazon.com at the same time.
Jakob Douglas is a former British special forces operative dishonourably discharged from the service for organising a mutiny, but still held on the reserve list (thanks to politics). When it appears that an elite alien infiltration unit has breached Earth's defenses and crash-landed near Jakob's home town of Dundee, Jakob's commission is reactivated and he is sent after the creature, triggering a series of events that will have far-reaching consequences for humanity.
Veteran is the debut novel by British author Gavin Smith, and potentially the first in a series (the ending could go either way). This is a fast-paced, action-oriented but sociologically-aware post-apocalyptic, quasi-cyberpunk war story, strongly in the vein of Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books (Kovacs and Douglas could almost be old war buddies). Veteran, impressively, withstands the Morgan comparison quite well, even if Smith's infectious enthusiasm sometimes overrides his storytelling logic (Earth is simultaneously a technologically-advanced spacefaring world and also a Mad Max-style nuclear wasteland, which seems a bit contradictory). But the book is just so much fun that you don't really end up caring too much that the worldbuilding is a bit shaky in places.
Character-wise, this is a first-person story from Douglas' perspective, and he is a reasonable protagonist, even if the cynical, addictive-personality, ex-soldier with impressive resources is fairly cliche by this point. Douglas has some interesting psychological issues stemming from his background experiences, which are gradually revealed through strategically-placed flashbacks throughout the book, making him a more interesting lead. Some of the other characters are likewise fascinating, such as the psychotically angry embedded combat journalist Mudge; Balor, the egotistical pirate king of New York with a disturbing affinity for sharks; and Rannu, a badass but also ultra-cool elite Gurkha trooper. The female lead, Morag, is also intriguing, although Douglas' feelings of condescending protectiveness towards her does reduce her to something of a cypher in his eyes. This is at least deliberate, and resentment of this fuels Morag's later character development in the book.
On the weaker side, as well as the somewhat inconsistent worldbuilding there is a bit of a Joss Whedon thing going on with the cast of characters getting bigger and bigger as the book proceeds (Smith is ruthless enough to kill a few off, but not as many as you might think) and the focus occasionally dissipates, with some characters vanishing or being present but not contributing anything worthwhile for long periods. There are also a lot of scenes in the second half where the characters sit around debating the plot for long periods rather than getting on with things or giving the reader a bit more credit for being able to figure things out themselves. With another 100 pages or so shaved off the book, it would be much tighter and leaner.
That said, whilst the overall picture of the worldbuilding is confusing, the individual elements such as the Rigs (a city built out of abandoned oil rigs), Crawling Town (a mobile city of motorhomes, caravans and trucks) and the flooded, abandoned New York City are all vividly described, and there's a constant stream of exciting, well-choreographed battles (in the air, on the ground, inside space elevators, underwater, on the surface of asteroids and more) as well as effective reflections on human nature, the military complex and other issues. Smith, in probably his biggest deviation from the Morgan template, also has a wicked sense of humour and some sequences in the book are genuinely hilarious, whilst he has also nailed the team's snappy dialogue and banter quite well.
Veteran (****) is an accomplished and enjoyable debut SF novel. With some better pacing, Smith could easily rise to the big leagues of modern SF authors quite quickly, and I look forward to his next book. The novel will be published in the UK on 17 June and should be available on import from Amazon.com at the same time.
August 21, 2018
4.6 Stars!
Finally, a novel that brings a lot of sci-fi action without compromising story or character development! It's not perfect, but it's the best book I've yet read in my continuing quest for "action-packed" sci-fi.
I'm happy to report that despite the fact that this story takes place after THE war between humanity and a powerful alien race, the events taking place here are a war all its own. Not only do flashbacks help flesh out the battles of the past, but the events in the present are a catalyst for renewed conflict between human factions, and eventually once more against the aliens. Yay!
This is how this book manages to pack in so many action scenes. This post-war Earth is grim and broken, but the main character Jakob and the people he meets along the way are a hair-breadth away from starting a fight, and they often do, futuristic weapons at the ready. Action scenes are broad and well described, and they definitely are futuristic which is always a plus.
Grim and dark is the order of the day. The lowest members of society are in the spotlight here, and they must face against higher echelons of humanity, who have dark intentions of their own. Jakob is pessimistic to the extreme, often thinking he will die, many a time. This sense of fatalism does fit this world, but it can get tiring at times.
By the third act a rag tag gang is formed, and their interactions are quite enjoyable to read since each one has a unique voice and perspective of the situation. The conversations they have may end up being too long because of this, and situations where people strongly disagreed simply gave up and just took out guns to threaten each other happened too many times over. But in general the dialogue scenes contributed to the plot more than stopping it on its tracks.
The nature of the alien race is pretty unique and in fact becomes an evolving plot point. Definitely a plus, but the true focus on the aliens is not that important until the end like it would have you believe.
Like I said, it does have its flaws. The main character soon gets terribly hurt in the story, but being the gruff war veteran he just brushes it off, then it happens again and he does the same, over and over. This can get a grating since there is little consequence to getting horribly injured. Also, some of the characters, in particular Rannu, end up becoming main characters although we were barely familiar with them, which makes them feel a bit out of place.
There is also the presence of cyberspace, which in this world is a representation of the real world but in a fantasy setting. The problem with this is that EVERYTHING has a silly medieval fantasy representation down to the most mundane things, and I kept wondering why. The hacking done in cyberspace is required in the plot, but having to describe every little thing's D&D version was unnecessary. In addition, there is an attempt at a romantic relationship, but it gets muddled not only by the bizarre situation it occurs in but by the grim atmosphere prevailing the book. Finally, the book suddenly ends on a cliffhanger, which may be disappointing for some or not.
Despite all this, it's still one of the best action sci-fi books I've read yet. The grim and dark tone pervading the book is certainly a downer (perhaps intentionally) and can get tiring, but the action and the sci-fi elements make up for it for the most part. I don't say this often, but I am looking forward to the sequel, find out how the story concludes.
Finally, a novel that brings a lot of sci-fi action without compromising story or character development! It's not perfect, but it's the best book I've yet read in my continuing quest for "action-packed" sci-fi.
I'm happy to report that despite the fact that this story takes place after THE war between humanity and a powerful alien race, the events taking place here are a war all its own. Not only do flashbacks help flesh out the battles of the past, but the events in the present are a catalyst for renewed conflict between human factions, and eventually once more against the aliens. Yay!
This is how this book manages to pack in so many action scenes. This post-war Earth is grim and broken, but the main character Jakob and the people he meets along the way are a hair-breadth away from starting a fight, and they often do, futuristic weapons at the ready. Action scenes are broad and well described, and they definitely are futuristic which is always a plus.
Grim and dark is the order of the day. The lowest members of society are in the spotlight here, and they must face against higher echelons of humanity, who have dark intentions of their own. Jakob is pessimistic to the extreme, often thinking he will die, many a time. This sense of fatalism does fit this world, but it can get tiring at times.
By the third act a rag tag gang is formed, and their interactions are quite enjoyable to read since each one has a unique voice and perspective of the situation. The conversations they have may end up being too long because of this, and situations where people strongly disagreed simply gave up and just took out guns to threaten each other happened too many times over. But in general the dialogue scenes contributed to the plot more than stopping it on its tracks.
The nature of the alien race is pretty unique and in fact becomes an evolving plot point. Definitely a plus, but the true focus on the aliens is not that important until the end like it would have you believe.
Like I said, it does have its flaws. The main character soon gets terribly hurt in the story, but being the gruff war veteran he just brushes it off, then it happens again and he does the same, over and over. This can get a grating since there is little consequence to getting horribly injured. Also, some of the characters, in particular Rannu, end up becoming main characters although we were barely familiar with them, which makes them feel a bit out of place.
There is also the presence of cyberspace, which in this world is a representation of the real world but in a fantasy setting. The problem with this is that EVERYTHING has a silly medieval fantasy representation down to the most mundane things, and I kept wondering why. The hacking done in cyberspace is required in the plot, but having to describe every little thing's D&D version was unnecessary. In addition, there is an attempt at a romantic relationship, but it gets muddled not only by the bizarre situation it occurs in but by the grim atmosphere prevailing the book. Finally, the book suddenly ends on a cliffhanger, which may be disappointing for some or not.
Despite all this, it's still one of the best action sci-fi books I've read yet. The grim and dark tone pervading the book is certainly a downer (perhaps intentionally) and can get tiring, but the action and the sci-fi elements make up for it for the most part. I don't say this often, but I am looking forward to the sequel, find out how the story concludes.
August 28, 2010
A Gollancz Debut again. You'd think they were paying me (well, they are, I guess, in books and occasional free drinks). Plus the consistency of their output is such that they're one of the few imprints with real name recognition amongst customers, and I like a lot of their stuff as well, so what the hell. My next book is a Gollancz one as well...
Anyway, Veteran. Proper, hard SF. There's no doubt about that. Elements of lots of previous hard SF books fight for supremacy here. The nameless, insectile, Them who are fighting an endless interstellar war with humanity. Post-apocalyptic Earth, full of nano-technology and barren wastes, moving cities and orbital elevators. Flashbacks to desperate battles on other planets. A protagonist who is pretty much indestructible and totally bad-ass, hides from the world with drink, drugs and virtual worlds, wants to do the right thing, but mostly doesn't do that well. Powerful establishment figures who mean our hero ill, and have the world-wide conspiracy to prove it. A severe lack of female characters who aren't either whores or ruthless killers. Even some mystical cyberpunk 'hacking the net' gubbins. There really isn't much here that we haven't seen before but, to my surprise, Smith just about manages to meld it together into something approximating new. It's certainly fun, although a couple of things left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
So, the good things first. The book is pacey - really, really pacey - for about 430 pages. Sadly, it runs to about 480 pages. There are a couple of interludes, especially towards the end of the book, where the main characters sit around and talk through the (quite) complex theological and moral problems that the plot has thrown up. I'm not saying that these sections are bad, far from it - they're actually quite interesting, and I would have enjoyed more of them if this had been a different book. But they do throw a wrench into the narrative, and I'm not entirely sure I'd have kept them in. Having said that, they probably do raise the book above a purely whizz-bang level of enjoyment - but they could have been tidied up a bit. Much of the prose is pure adrenalin, shouty, fighty writing, and works brilliantly on that level (every boy who reads this will want a shoulder-mounted laser) - the more intellectual bits sometimes read like they're there just to prove that the author isn't only a shouty fighty boy.
What the author is, however, is a man who knows how to put together a picaresque SF plot and deliver it, with some brilliant set pieces and some fantastic ideas. OK, maybe not everything is wholly original, but a lot was new to me - for every homage I could spot, there was some image or passing comment or invention that surprised me. Apart from anything else the book starts in Dundee, of all places, before heading off to a drowned New York, an undersea base, other planets (mostly in flashback) and half a dozen other places. There's no lack of ingenuity here, and the solid structure of the plot means that none of the excursions feel too superfluous. The lead character is, for all of his flaws, surprisingly engaging, and there's an interesting selection of people for him to interact with/shout at/be beaten up by/kill. There's a nifty explanation for the hero's combat skills which also allows him to go through some horrible experiences and be up and kicking again a couple of pages later, but still lets the reader feel that things are slowly drawing to an potentially unhappy conclusion. Actually, the ending is one of the best things about the book - ambiguous enough to allow for a sequel, but with enough sense of closure that there doesn't need to be one.
I did, however, have two major problems with the book. One, I think, can be put down to my personal taste, but the other feels much more problematic. Personally, I don't need that much technology-porn in my fiction. Oh, a bit of it is fine, but Veteran sometimes goes too far. Yes, it is important to explain quite how everybody can perform such amazing feats of endurance/reasoning/shooting things, but I don't feel that a detailed description of every gun/mode of transport/thing adds much to the book. Good world-building, fine, but just because the author has spent time working it out to the last detail doesn't mean that the reader needs to know. Sometimes a big gun just needs to be a big gun.
The real problem for me was the treatment/portrayal of women in the book. The main female character is a sixteen year old whore who, to be fair, does do quite a lot of the heavy narrative lifting towards the end, tends to be the voice of reason, and gives the protagonist a reason to keep on fighting (yes, they have sex a bit, until she starts flirting with other bad-ass killers). Oh, hold on, the first two are OK, but the last is a bit rubbish, isn't it? Not to mention the fact that she's, at best a sixteen year old whore - I couldn't shake the feeling that she was meant to be younger, but that there'd been a failure of nerve. Oh, to be fair (again), characters we don't like are cruel to her about the whole prostitute thing, and she manages to achieve more than anybody expects her to, but still. If there was a bit more balance elsewhere I wouldn't mind so much, but what else do we have? A silent killer called the Grey Lady, who's possibly been sleeping with the evil bad guy who's been manipulating everything, loves killing people, has "had herself surgically altered to look as uninteresting as possible", and is totally scary either way. Then there's a couple of really good soldiers/police, who I have no complaints about, and, umm, that's about it.
Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but overall this was such a testosterone fuelled read that I can't help but feel that there was a dimension missing. If anyone reads this, and has read the book, feel free to let me know I'm wrong - this certainly isn't the first book in which the portrayal of women has worried me, and perhaps I'm being unfair on it. Anyway, apart from that it was an entertaining read, and I certainly got caught up in the excitement of the plot. Most of the time, that was all I was thinking about - it was only afterwards that I started to question the feel of the book a bit more.
I read a proof, and the book is out in June, ISBN: 9780575094093.
Anyway, Veteran. Proper, hard SF. There's no doubt about that. Elements of lots of previous hard SF books fight for supremacy here. The nameless, insectile, Them who are fighting an endless interstellar war with humanity. Post-apocalyptic Earth, full of nano-technology and barren wastes, moving cities and orbital elevators. Flashbacks to desperate battles on other planets. A protagonist who is pretty much indestructible and totally bad-ass, hides from the world with drink, drugs and virtual worlds, wants to do the right thing, but mostly doesn't do that well. Powerful establishment figures who mean our hero ill, and have the world-wide conspiracy to prove it. A severe lack of female characters who aren't either whores or ruthless killers. Even some mystical cyberpunk 'hacking the net' gubbins. There really isn't much here that we haven't seen before but, to my surprise, Smith just about manages to meld it together into something approximating new. It's certainly fun, although a couple of things left me with an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
So, the good things first. The book is pacey - really, really pacey - for about 430 pages. Sadly, it runs to about 480 pages. There are a couple of interludes, especially towards the end of the book, where the main characters sit around and talk through the (quite) complex theological and moral problems that the plot has thrown up. I'm not saying that these sections are bad, far from it - they're actually quite interesting, and I would have enjoyed more of them if this had been a different book. But they do throw a wrench into the narrative, and I'm not entirely sure I'd have kept them in. Having said that, they probably do raise the book above a purely whizz-bang level of enjoyment - but they could have been tidied up a bit. Much of the prose is pure adrenalin, shouty, fighty writing, and works brilliantly on that level (every boy who reads this will want a shoulder-mounted laser) - the more intellectual bits sometimes read like they're there just to prove that the author isn't only a shouty fighty boy.
What the author is, however, is a man who knows how to put together a picaresque SF plot and deliver it, with some brilliant set pieces and some fantastic ideas. OK, maybe not everything is wholly original, but a lot was new to me - for every homage I could spot, there was some image or passing comment or invention that surprised me. Apart from anything else the book starts in Dundee, of all places, before heading off to a drowned New York, an undersea base, other planets (mostly in flashback) and half a dozen other places. There's no lack of ingenuity here, and the solid structure of the plot means that none of the excursions feel too superfluous. The lead character is, for all of his flaws, surprisingly engaging, and there's an interesting selection of people for him to interact with/shout at/be beaten up by/kill. There's a nifty explanation for the hero's combat skills which also allows him to go through some horrible experiences and be up and kicking again a couple of pages later, but still lets the reader feel that things are slowly drawing to an potentially unhappy conclusion. Actually, the ending is one of the best things about the book - ambiguous enough to allow for a sequel, but with enough sense of closure that there doesn't need to be one.
I did, however, have two major problems with the book. One, I think, can be put down to my personal taste, but the other feels much more problematic. Personally, I don't need that much technology-porn in my fiction. Oh, a bit of it is fine, but Veteran sometimes goes too far. Yes, it is important to explain quite how everybody can perform such amazing feats of endurance/reasoning/shooting things, but I don't feel that a detailed description of every gun/mode of transport/thing adds much to the book. Good world-building, fine, but just because the author has spent time working it out to the last detail doesn't mean that the reader needs to know. Sometimes a big gun just needs to be a big gun.
The real problem for me was the treatment/portrayal of women in the book. The main female character is a sixteen year old whore who, to be fair, does do quite a lot of the heavy narrative lifting towards the end, tends to be the voice of reason, and gives the protagonist a reason to keep on fighting (yes, they have sex a bit, until she starts flirting with other bad-ass killers). Oh, hold on, the first two are OK, but the last is a bit rubbish, isn't it? Not to mention the fact that she's, at best a sixteen year old whore - I couldn't shake the feeling that she was meant to be younger, but that there'd been a failure of nerve. Oh, to be fair (again), characters we don't like are cruel to her about the whole prostitute thing, and she manages to achieve more than anybody expects her to, but still. If there was a bit more balance elsewhere I wouldn't mind so much, but what else do we have? A silent killer called the Grey Lady, who's possibly been sleeping with the evil bad guy who's been manipulating everything, loves killing people, has "had herself surgically altered to look as uninteresting as possible", and is totally scary either way. Then there's a couple of really good soldiers/police, who I have no complaints about, and, umm, that's about it.
Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but overall this was such a testosterone fuelled read that I can't help but feel that there was a dimension missing. If anyone reads this, and has read the book, feel free to let me know I'm wrong - this certainly isn't the first book in which the portrayal of women has worried me, and perhaps I'm being unfair on it. Anyway, apart from that it was an entertaining read, and I certainly got caught up in the excitement of the plot. Most of the time, that was all I was thinking about - it was only afterwards that I started to question the feel of the book a bit more.
I read a proof, and the book is out in June, ISBN: 9780575094093.
April 10, 2022
Fantastic debut!
Humour, action, fully realised characters, plot-twisting in believable, unpredictable and subtle ways. Whatever short-comings in the writing there, I found I just didn’t care because the story is moving forward, the characters are never superficial, even when they are at times (presumably on purpose) quite silly, and the whole premise of the novel works from beginning to end. OK, the weapon-fetishism does get a little out of hand sometimes, but at least it does so in interesting and imaginative ways. I generally stay away from military SF, but this is more than that in many ways, all of them good.
As I write this review, I’ve almost finished the second volume, with equally pleasurable feelings. And lest you didn’t know, these are two chunky books:-)
Humour, action, fully realised characters, plot-twisting in believable, unpredictable and subtle ways. Whatever short-comings in the writing there, I found I just didn’t care because the story is moving forward, the characters are never superficial, even when they are at times (presumably on purpose) quite silly, and the whole premise of the novel works from beginning to end. OK, the weapon-fetishism does get a little out of hand sometimes, but at least it does so in interesting and imaginative ways. I generally stay away from military SF, but this is more than that in many ways, all of them good.
As I write this review, I’ve almost finished the second volume, with equally pleasurable feelings. And lest you didn’t know, these are two chunky books:-)
July 4, 2025
Would have been a 5 but for me it ended unresolved, like "where's the rest of the chapter?" kind of unresolved.
Otherwise a great read, with some top notch military sci-fi and very cool and, to my mind, unique aliens.
The pace is unrelenting, the characters are wild and snarky, with all sorts of scenes reminiscent of everything from Mad Max to climate change landscapes, to underwater facilities and outer space habitats.
Great fun, but took some concentration to keep it all in order in my head, and not sure I want to delve back into it very quickly.
Still- recommended reading for sci-fi fans.
Otherwise a great read, with some top notch military sci-fi and very cool and, to my mind, unique aliens.
The pace is unrelenting, the characters are wild and snarky, with all sorts of scenes reminiscent of everything from Mad Max to climate change landscapes, to underwater facilities and outer space habitats.
Great fun, but took some concentration to keep it all in order in my head, and not sure I want to delve back into it very quickly.
Still- recommended reading for sci-fi fans.
October 11, 2011
Veteran is the debut novel from Gavin Smith and a book that I heard of earlier in the year, one that quickly made its way on to my list of books that I must read in 2010. What I liked about the blurb was that is had a no-nonsense, straight to the point feel and was laced with hints of what lies within. It's told in the first person and takes no prisoners with its story and characters, but does both aspects very well indeed. Veteran is a novel that could very easily be up in the top few sci-fi debuts this year and one I see making my overall top ten.
Jakob Douglas is our main protagonist, a former special forces soldier that fought Them during the war and is now retired after being dishonorably discharge for his role in a mutiny. He's reactivated by his old CO, a man he despises, and must track down an alien infiltrator that has managed to make its way to Earth. With the apparent landing near his hometown of Dundee he's the best, and closest, chance of removing the problem. Armed with his newly reactivated weapons and cyber systems, Jakob is no man to mess with, a fact that becomes apparent very quickly indeed. With certain facts coming to light during his mission, Jakob defies his orders and goes on the run, helping what he swore he would fight against and doing so with the help of a few other ex-comrades and soldiers.
The above is a very brief introduction to what Veteran is about, but suffice to say that it isn't just a normal run of the mill action novel. Jakob is great as the protagonist, and as the story is told in the first person we see him for what he is and how he views the world and others. He's a good character to read, an easy one to like, but he has a deeper personality that slowly reveals itself throughout the novel through events in the here and now and some great flash backs to the time when he was a serving soldier on the front line. Morag, the former whore-turning-hacker, is in her late teens and finds herself part of the group that Jakob essentially leads. This allows a relationship to develop between Jakob and Morag, one that often has Jakob trying to relegate her to a helpless female that is tagging along. While this is far from the case it does show an interesting aspect of Jakob, of Morag in how she deals with it, and the way that situations are affected because of his view. It's not always a comfortable relationship and Morag is a character that doesn't initially come off as being suited to the story, but Smith is able to use difficult characters and difficult relationships well and by the end I wondered why I had even questioned it.
One of Veteran's strong points is the sheer pace of the novel. From early on we go from scene to scene in an all out action packed rush. The fight scenes are suitably realistic, or as realistic as cyber enhanced super soldiers can be, with the hero never having too easy a time of it. This adds to feeling of unease and showing us that not everything always goes right, making us wonder whether or not things will actually work out the way Jakob wants them to. It also means that while the fast paced sections work really well, the slower paced sections stand out because of it. They need to be there and work well to progress the story, to take it above the bog-standard action adventure it could have been and put it up with some of the better sci-fi novels out on the market. There is a story here and it's told well, but I just wondered if the pace could have been a little more even throughout.
To compliment the story there is the backdrop, an Earth 300 years into the future and 60 years into a conflict with Them. What we see is a rough and degenerate world, the set pieces presenting a dire look at life at the bottom of society: a future Dundee where the poor live on the rigs, a flooded New York city that is home to gangs, and Crawling Town, a place that is constantly on the move and made up thousands of individual vehicles. What strikes me is that despite humanity having the ability to reach the stars and colonise planets, we just don't see much of the higher technological society on Earth. It's there, in glimpses and at times later on in the plot, but most of what we see is the bad side of life on Earth. I suppose that is what happens when the story and characters come from such places, and the first person perspective is never usually a strong point for deep and complicated world building, but I would have liked to have seen a little more present.
One of the real pluses about Veteran is the aliens, Them. Humanity have been fighting them for 60 years, but they're still as mysterious now as the day they were first encountered, still fighting to the bitter end against humanity. The story does focus on this and it's a plot thread that is extremely interesting, culminating in some very interesting events and laying the ground work for what is surely going to be a superb sequel.
Veteran is a very good debut indeed, it has characters that are well fleshed out, a story that makes you want to know the outcome and action scenes galore - enough to satisfy any sci-fi action fan. I was reminded very much of Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books and the Death's Head books of David Gunn, and Smith should be proud to present such an interesting take on a sci-fi action adventure. The ground work laid here is going to go a long way to make its sequel a must read, one that I will be making sure I pick up upon its release.
Jakob Douglas is our main protagonist, a former special forces soldier that fought Them during the war and is now retired after being dishonorably discharge for his role in a mutiny. He's reactivated by his old CO, a man he despises, and must track down an alien infiltrator that has managed to make its way to Earth. With the apparent landing near his hometown of Dundee he's the best, and closest, chance of removing the problem. Armed with his newly reactivated weapons and cyber systems, Jakob is no man to mess with, a fact that becomes apparent very quickly indeed. With certain facts coming to light during his mission, Jakob defies his orders and goes on the run, helping what he swore he would fight against and doing so with the help of a few other ex-comrades and soldiers.
The above is a very brief introduction to what Veteran is about, but suffice to say that it isn't just a normal run of the mill action novel. Jakob is great as the protagonist, and as the story is told in the first person we see him for what he is and how he views the world and others. He's a good character to read, an easy one to like, but he has a deeper personality that slowly reveals itself throughout the novel through events in the here and now and some great flash backs to the time when he was a serving soldier on the front line. Morag, the former whore-turning-hacker, is in her late teens and finds herself part of the group that Jakob essentially leads. This allows a relationship to develop between Jakob and Morag, one that often has Jakob trying to relegate her to a helpless female that is tagging along. While this is far from the case it does show an interesting aspect of Jakob, of Morag in how she deals with it, and the way that situations are affected because of his view. It's not always a comfortable relationship and Morag is a character that doesn't initially come off as being suited to the story, but Smith is able to use difficult characters and difficult relationships well and by the end I wondered why I had even questioned it.
One of Veteran's strong points is the sheer pace of the novel. From early on we go from scene to scene in an all out action packed rush. The fight scenes are suitably realistic, or as realistic as cyber enhanced super soldiers can be, with the hero never having too easy a time of it. This adds to feeling of unease and showing us that not everything always goes right, making us wonder whether or not things will actually work out the way Jakob wants them to. It also means that while the fast paced sections work really well, the slower paced sections stand out because of it. They need to be there and work well to progress the story, to take it above the bog-standard action adventure it could have been and put it up with some of the better sci-fi novels out on the market. There is a story here and it's told well, but I just wondered if the pace could have been a little more even throughout.
To compliment the story there is the backdrop, an Earth 300 years into the future and 60 years into a conflict with Them. What we see is a rough and degenerate world, the set pieces presenting a dire look at life at the bottom of society: a future Dundee where the poor live on the rigs, a flooded New York city that is home to gangs, and Crawling Town, a place that is constantly on the move and made up thousands of individual vehicles. What strikes me is that despite humanity having the ability to reach the stars and colonise planets, we just don't see much of the higher technological society on Earth. It's there, in glimpses and at times later on in the plot, but most of what we see is the bad side of life on Earth. I suppose that is what happens when the story and characters come from such places, and the first person perspective is never usually a strong point for deep and complicated world building, but I would have liked to have seen a little more present.
One of the real pluses about Veteran is the aliens, Them. Humanity have been fighting them for 60 years, but they're still as mysterious now as the day they were first encountered, still fighting to the bitter end against humanity. The story does focus on this and it's a plot thread that is extremely interesting, culminating in some very interesting events and laying the ground work for what is surely going to be a superb sequel.
Veteran is a very good debut indeed, it has characters that are well fleshed out, a story that makes you want to know the outcome and action scenes galore - enough to satisfy any sci-fi action fan. I was reminded very much of Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books and the Death's Head books of David Gunn, and Smith should be proud to present such an interesting take on a sci-fi action adventure. The ground work laid here is going to go a long way to make its sequel a must read, one that I will be making sure I pick up upon its release.
March 23, 2018
What a great novel. Military sci-fi at its best. Cool tech, white knuckle action, cyborg special forces, mech walkers, the list goes on and on. A rich story full of intrigue cool locales and a wild ride with characters that made me laugh and cheer on. The aliens that are at war with the humans are very original and a interesting concept. I look forward to the next book.
June 2, 2020
A real struggle to get to the end of this. Brave to set the story in northern England to start with, and all cudos.
Characters are unfortunately unlikable and two dimensional. Story ends sharply, followed by sigh of relief from reader.
Characters are unfortunately unlikable and two dimensional. Story ends sharply, followed by sigh of relief from reader.
June 15, 2017
Interesting, unique battle and shooting descriptions, especially for fps fans, but too long for what it gives, I felt sometimes a little bored while reading it.
December 28, 2018
it's about a guy that takes more combat damage than the entire russian army in wwii. pretty ridiculous.
November 30, 2022
Excellent
Excellent read. Great characters, flawed and relatable. Great action and story line. Fantastic future setting. Definitely recommend. Read it now.
Excellent read. Great characters, flawed and relatable. Great action and story line. Fantastic future setting. Definitely recommend. Read it now.
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February 8, 2024Книга или first person shooter...
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