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Freehold #7
When Diplomacy Fails
Alex Marlow and Ripple Creek Security's best personal security detail return to action. This time, they really don't like their principal, World Bureau Minister Joy Herman Highland–a highly-placed bureaucrat with aspirations to elected office. Even worse, Highland’s assistant wants to publicize every movement and action for his boss’s pending campaign, which is anathema to good security.With a person of this status, it's not a case of someone wanting her dead. The only question is how many people want her dead, and what are they bringing to the fight?The enemies are from without, within and all over. They have resources, funding and political cover. Ripple Creek needs to be cautious.But the enemy also needs to worry. They’re going to be getting in each others' way in the process of carrying out their plans. And Ripple Creek has no qualms about explosions on galactic news. In fact, they enjoy it.About Michael Z. Williamson:“A fast-paced, compulsive read…will appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.” – Kliatt“Williamson's military expertise is impressive.” – SFReviews
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2012
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203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 5, 2021
A group of bodyguards take the job of protecting a politician going to a dangerous area. Not only are they prevented from getting the gear they need, bureaucrats interfere in all areas of the job, and the politician herself engineers a false flag assassination attempt.
Fairly good. Maybe a little too true to life.
Fairly good. Maybe a little too true to life.
May 2, 2024
This is the third in the Ripple Creek subseries of the Freehold military sf 'verse. It takes place a few hundred years before the main series, when Grainne is still very much a backwater.
Although written over a decade ago, it seems like it could be hot off the presses -- there's so much that seems like it could very well be holding a mirror to contemporary society by spreading it out to various Worlds of Hats. The politician could be any of several, but since she's clearly a woman of her fictional world, nobody can sue for defamation of character. The messed-up society of the world she's visiting could be any of several places where refugees from several different places with vastly incompatible cultures got settled in too close of proximity.
It's a Baen book, so of course it ends happily, for some values of happy that are not every reader's, but certainly those of the intended audience.
NB: if I had not already read a number of books in this series and been invested in it, I might well have closed the book when I hit the sex scene in the second chapter. It's not super-explicit, but for me it was simply Too Much Information, and I was just as glad to get done with it. As it turned out, yes, it was important for a very ugly incident a couple of chapters later, but it may not be for everybody.
Although written over a decade ago, it seems like it could be hot off the presses -- there's so much that seems like it could very well be holding a mirror to contemporary society by spreading it out to various Worlds of Hats. The politician could be any of several, but since she's clearly a woman of her fictional world, nobody can sue for defamation of character. The messed-up society of the world she's visiting could be any of several places where refugees from several different places with vastly incompatible cultures got settled in too close of proximity.
It's a Baen book, so of course it ends happily, for some values of happy that are not every reader's, but certainly those of the intended audience.
NB: if I had not already read a number of books in this series and been invested in it, I might well have closed the book when I hit the sex scene in the second chapter. It's not super-explicit, but for me it was simply Too Much Information, and I was just as glad to get done with it. As it turned out, yes, it was important for a very ugly incident a couple of chapters later, but it may not be for everybody.
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November 22, 2020I'm sorry to say that When Diplomacy Fails is probably the least remarkable of all of Williamson's stories set in the Freehold universe. The only thing I can think of is that it's meant to be a transitional book, getting things ready for some new, politically twisty and explosively good action in his next novel.
Shortly after successfully protecting Caron Prescot from multiple assassination attempts, earning her gratitude and, in Aramis' case a bit more, Ripple Creek gets an assignment to protect Bureau of State Minister Joy Highland as she goes on a diplomatic tour on a very troubled planet. A willful bureacrat used to getting her own way turns out to be just as challenging to protect as a headstrong young heiress, and given the sheer number of political and religious factions on Mtali there are plenty of folks who would be happy to see her dead, including some factions within the UN who see her as a threat to their candidate for the top spot in a coming election.
There are plenty of gun battles, a kidnapping, and Elke gets to blow stuff up a lot, so the action doesn't drag at all, once the stage is set. I just don't feel as if the characters were developed more thoroughly, the plot had no major twists, and I just felt as if it wasn't up to Williamson's usual standards.
Shortly after successfully protecting Caron Prescot from multiple assassination attempts, earning her gratitude and, in Aramis' case a bit more, Ripple Creek gets an assignment to protect Bureau of State Minister Joy Highland as she goes on a diplomatic tour on a very troubled planet. A willful bureacrat used to getting her own way turns out to be just as challenging to protect as a headstrong young heiress, and given the sheer number of political and religious factions on Mtali there are plenty of folks who would be happy to see her dead, including some factions within the UN who see her as a threat to their candidate for the top spot in a coming election.
There are plenty of gun battles, a kidnapping, and Elke gets to blow stuff up a lot, so the action doesn't drag at all, once the stage is set. I just don't feel as if the characters were developed more thoroughly, the plot had no major twists, and I just felt as if it wasn't up to Williamson's usual standards.
October 11, 2017
This is the 7th book set in Michael Z. Williamson's Freehold universe and the 3rd book about Ripple Creek Security. In this one Alex Marlow and his Ripple Creek Security team have to protect a politician who they really don't like. Like or not it's their job to keep her alive even from people in her own political party. Their job is made much harder when she travels to a planet where the many religious factions all seem to want her dead and she has an aide who broadcasts her every move over the net making her an easy target. Add in that several factions also want the Ripple Creek team destroyed or at least discredited and the action is near nonstop. This is another great read in this series and I recommend it.
October 15, 2017
Not the best of the series. Good to see the band back together again but with a principal to protect who's about as endearing as Hillary Clinton, I can't be sympathetic to her plight. The reader's only hope is to see the Ripple Creek team get out with their asses intact. The conclusion is a less than satisfying resolution and a bit confusing to follow. We know the RC squad is well paid for their exploits. As a reader, I'm left $10 poorer.
August 6, 2017
Ok, this series has run its course. Nothing new here, lots of tedious detail and repeating the same scuffles over and over and over. In the end, it just sort of runs out of gas. It's not bad, it's just not particularly good. Or interesting. Or fun.
October 14, 2017
Another great book from Williamson. The action may be on another planet, but the people, dynamics and tactics are all very real.
June 28, 2019
Just as good as the other Ripple Creek stories. Really enjoying the entire Freehold universe.
August 6, 2019
Exactly what you expect from the Ripple Creek sub-series.
December 22, 2016
Good fun fluff.
June 11, 2014
In the third installment of the Ripple Creek series, the crack team of Ripple Creek bodyguards is tasked to protect a government official and election candidate while she tours a backwater planet riddled with factional violence.
While a solid entry in the series, I found this one to be slower moving than the others, at least for the first two thirds before the crap hits the fan. Williamson competently moves the action forward with plenty of battlescenes, weaponry details and tactical minutiae. The more interesting parts of the novel are about handling a distasteful protectee who detests her detail, and of the personal struggles of one team member. Unfortunately, the rest of the team are by now far too polished and perfect, leaving the ending not very much in doubt.
While a solid entry in the series, I found this one to be slower moving than the others, at least for the first two thirds before the crap hits the fan. Williamson competently moves the action forward with plenty of battlescenes, weaponry details and tactical minutiae. The more interesting parts of the novel are about handling a distasteful protectee who detests her detail, and of the personal struggles of one team member. Unfortunately, the rest of the team are by now far too polished and perfect, leaving the ending not very much in doubt.
February 12, 2013
This Freehold Universe book continues the (mis)adventures of the Ripple Creek executive protection team on yet another near-impossible mission. This book is a bit more formulaic than the previous ones, and while it's one heck of a roller coaster ride, the story stays on the rails, missing opportunities for a metaplot to develop for future books or even taking advantage of something more than superficial side plots.
I still liked it and if you're into action sci-fi, you probably will too.
I still liked it and if you're into action sci-fi, you probably will too.
October 17, 2012
Wasn't as good as the others. Not sure if its because I was tired of the semi-repeat of the plot (not many variants for the overall theme) or what. I still enjoyed it, just not to the extent of the others.
February 28, 2013
I'm never sure, while reading the books of the Freehold series, how good they are. But then I notice that I read them in about 24 hours, so I rate based on enjoyment/entertainment (which is, after all, what books are for - enjoying!)
July 14, 2013
If you haven't read the other, earlier, books in the series then start there or you will miss some of the background. Good SF with a little different idea, that of Executive Protection instead of your standard grunts.
August 24, 2013
michaels comes through with another fast paced action book yet again, but he also puts a lot of thought into plots to kill people. his books are fun to read and i very much like these characters. i hope he will continue to write about them.
February 14, 2013
Pretty good, I liked it- will read more.
September 11, 2016
Dialog, plot and settings were all just plain bad.
March 3, 2015
A long build-up with plenty of 'character building'.
December 1, 2014
You can never go wrong with Mike's work and this is no exception. The ending though seemed a little disjointed, and I kept checking to see if I had missed a page.
August 6, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews