A Small Colonial War

by Robert A. Frezza

In the 22d century, when the Japanese ruled an interstellar empire from the Earth, an imperial task group was dispatched to put down with minimum bloodshed the three-way colonial revolt on a factory world the rebels called Suid Afrika.
Interstellar warfare is expensive, so the task group was considerably undergunned, a mix of orbiting ground-attack craft, light infantry, and logistics units. And its quality varied, from the supersharp troops of Lieutenant Colonel Anton Vereshchagin's 1st Battalion, 35th Imperial Infantry (Rifle), to the inept senior officers of the task group staff.
At first, and as usual, the fighting all went the Impis' way. Then the crafty Boers found a way to take advantage of an admiral's stupidity. All too soon, the war came down to a single battalion against a world. . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Alternate History

289 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

An American writer who began publishing SF with "Max Weber's War" for Amazing, January 1987.

Reviews

[Howl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series. It has interesting characters, an un-glorified vision of war, and a sly sense of humor (check out the Table of Organization for the battalion at the front of the book, there's a couple of jokes in there). The attraction comes from the interplay of the characterization, the plot, and the bone-dry sense of humor.

It's a little dated in some respects. It mentions the Soviet Union as one of the reasons for the "crackup" on Earth and at this point in world history it's a little hard to imagine the Japanese Empire resurgent despite some of their current nationalist rhetoric. China would be a far more plausible choice.

Aside from the technology needed to get the Imperial soldiers to the planet the action is on, there's not a lot of gee-whiz tech. Mostly miniaturization of currently viable technology.

The inclusion of the Afrikaaners as the secondary antagonists makes me want to go touch up on my history of the Boers.

Despite having read this quite a while ago it still stood up.

[Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Frezza's A Small Colonial War and its follow-up books have become lasting favorites of mine, books among a very few that I re-read every year. They tell the story of an infantry rifle battalion in the service of an interstellar hegemony sent to put down a revolt in a distant, backwater colony.

The book is not conventional gear-porn or gung-ho military sci-fi fare. It is a milieu that abides by the reality of relativistic travel, material scarcity, and the economical unsuitability of transporting heavy, expensive military hardware out of one gravity well and dropping down into another. These factors weigh into the character of the battalion's conduct, attitudes, relationships, and philosophy, as they pursue their mission in the face of the intrigues and intransigence of competing thrones and powers.

The story is literate, in turns solemn and humorous, philosophical but not pretentious. The characters are distinctive and memorable, and I derive much value in the repeat readings in revisiting and reconsidering the personalities. With Frezza's enjoyably poised, occasionally elliptical writing style rounding off the package, A Small Colonial War is rare, sophisticated military science fiction.

[Benjamin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It sucks to start 2022 by not finishing a book I've waited for a long time to read but it would be even worse to prolong my suffering. Filled with impenetrable techno-babble and latter-day slang, too many characters to keep track of and an unclear plot with unclear motives. I first encountered this book in a second-hand bookstore about 20 years ago but lost my copy before I could read it and have been unable to find another copy available anywhere since. Military science-fiction is a favorite genre of mine so imagine my excitement when I uncovered my copy from all those years ago while helping clean out some storage space in my parents old house. Perhaps it should have remained hidden.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small colonial war is an under-appreciated gem of military scifi. In a genre characterized by right-wing rhetoric and planet destroying super-weapons, this is a story about an under-equipped light infantry battalion on the ass edge of space trying to eke out victory against an entire continent of Afrikaner through intelligence, the surgical application of brutality, and Clausewitz's adage that "war is fought by human beings."

That said, this book felt cramped, too many characters not enough characterization. The colonial economy and Japanese Empire that rules the backdrop is plausible-ish, but the part of me that wanted a straight digression on the strategy of space-based counterinsurgency forces was disappointed by how thin it was.

I feel bad giving this book 3 stars, but unless you really love David Drake, A Small Colonial War can probably be skipped.

[Steven Vaughan-Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not your usual military SF novel. It's the story of brilliant solders fighting for an empire and cause they don't believe in against increasingly poor odds. It's the characters, not the action, that make this novel. This book reads best for someone who knows history and isn't phased by Freeza's mix of Finnish, Japanese, and Afrikaans characters and language.

I think this is one of the best military SF novels I've ever read. For many, I know it's focus on difficult characters and the problems they face rather than action won't make it attractive. But, if you're ready for an excellent novel that calls for close reading rather than just an enjoyable read, you may just find that you too love it.

[Tim Clouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice variation in the SF-war genre. A Finnish battalion of the Japanese Army has to put down a revolt by former South African farmers. Not as much bloodshed as in other books of this type.

[Daniel Krouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Replacement grade milsf that means heavily on country of origin stereotypes to provide characterization for its large cast of characters. Less bloodthirsty and reactionary than most of the genre, but still pretending that the protagonists have all these virtues because virtue is instilled by fighting and war

[Trey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a slow start and kind of disjointed but it finished strong and has some very memorable parts

[kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my military books sci-fi favorite books of all time.
Frezza deftly portrays the human drama of warfare, from the battle-hardened veterans to the idealistic recruits, exploring the bonds of camaraderie forged in the heat of combat and the toll that violence exacts on the human soul. The characters on both sides of the war are complex and grapple with their own inner demons and moral dilemmas.
With vivid descriptions and immersive world-building, he brings to life the harsh realities of life on the colonial frontier, where rival factions vie for control and ordinary soldiers are thrust into battle based on geo-politics that span the universe.
A must read!

[William · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possible one of the worst Sci-Fi books I've ever bothered to finish reading. Unnecessarily large numbers of characters and references to events and places not presented in this book. It's as if this was the 10th book in a series referring to past stories, but this is the authors first book (as far a I can tell). Don't waste your time.

[Stephen Boiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it.