Two By Ringo

A couple of entries into the annual book-a-thon...

Note that I've hyperlinked to the "free samples" that Baen provides. I'll try to do this on an ongoing basis whenever a publisher offers such a service.

A Hymn Before Battle (John Ringo, Baen Books, ISBN 0-671-31841-1). The first in the Legacy of the Alldenata series, and Ringo's first (August 2000) novel. He's been busy since then, with twenty-two other books (including the other one reviewed here), either as solo author or co-author. All are part of a series (Into the Looking Glass, reviewed here, will have a sequel, this time officially co-authored by Travis S. Taylor in the near future; The Road to Damascus is part of Keith Laumer's long-running Bolo sequence.)

O.K., after that introduction...A Hymn Before Battle! Earth is contacted by a federation of aliens that are under attack by hordes of aliens called the Posleen. It seems that the federation is made up of races who decided that they ain't gonna study war no more, so they are essentially unable to do anything but line up for the Posleen to use as feedstock. Lucky for them, humanity hasn't gone that course, so they hire most of Earth's armies (and other armed forces) to stem the tide (in exchange for various galactic goods and services).

Is all as it seems? No. There are some back story and side story items that will probably be expanded on in the subsequent volumes. Even in the events of the novel you can see that there are wheels within wheels.

Not much in terms of characterization, but a lot in terms of action and technology. Some occasional slow bits where the author shows his love of technology (especially military technology), but not too many. I read the book in two days thanks to the action and the desire to see if the main characters could work their way out of various situations. Will I read the other books in the series? You bet! I find echoes of authors such as Andre Norton, Robert A. Heinlein and Jerry Pournelle in here, so, what's not to like?

(Note that the series order does not match the order of writing. For example, Watch on the Rhine takes place around the time of the first book. The Hero takes place about a 1,000 years after the first book!)

Ghost (John Ringo, Baen Books, ISBN 1-4165-0905-4). This one appears to have been a risk-taker for both Ringo and the publisher. Ringo could have continued to grind out SF books and done himself and his publisher well. But apparently he had an odd story in his head and convinced Baen Books to publish it. It's not science fiction. More of an odd cross between techno-thrillers and slightly harder porn than that found in romance novels (not that I read any; I'm working off what some co-workers gush about in the kitchen). The story sequence is something like this: military action, large explosions, sex sequence. Interlude, military action, more explosions, longer and more detailed sex sequence. Interlude, military action, bigger explosions, more sex! End of book!

Did it hold my interest? Apparently, as this was another one consumed in a relatively short time. Will I continue to read the other books in the series? More than likely, as despite the depiction of a "scene" that does not interest me, it is fun to watch Mike Harmon (the "Ghost") take on a seemingly endless supply of enemies and knock them all down. An utter hoot!