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The General #1
The Forge
Long after interstellar civilization collapsed, Battle Central, a sentient computer, selected a young military officer to restore its fallen glory by conquering a planet -- and then re-conquering the stars.
328 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
9 people are currently reading
1577 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Stirling
170 books1,639 followersStephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)
I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
August 16, 2014
This is a very old Stirling / Drake collab (first book ~91) following the attempts of Raj Whitehall, chosen of the great war computer, to reunite his world.
Compared to other books by these authors both individually and co-written, this one ranks near the bottom. While the story and the characters did hit their stride around the end of the first book, there is a distinct lack of truly likable characters, not to mention a cause that you can cheer for. Indeed, the core conflicts may be reasonably described a fights between the bad guys and the worse. Who do we want to win? The bad guys of course... but it's hard to get all that excited about it.
This series is regularly compared to another Drake colab, the Belisarius saga (beginning withAn Oblique Approach) because of the remarkable similarity in basic plot. Belisarius is by far the more enjoyable of the two, and for me it comes down to characters. In Belisarius, many of them are genuinely likable people with strong senses of honor, justice, and the like. They also get developed pretty nicely. Here no-one - not even Raj himself - gets more than broad strokes. The focus is almost entirely on the military side of things: logistics, tactics, politics thereof, and of course the fighting itself.
The thing is, I am willing to bet that this is the more Realistic of the two series.
I am sure that if I spend much time looking through the reviews on this volume I will see no end of complaints about Drake's "Misogynism," his objectifying of women, etc, etc, etc.
Bollocks.
He's not a misogynist, he's a realist. Are 95% of the female characters in this book either scheming wives of noblemen, whores, or (in several cases) both? Absolutely. Do most of the women encountered by the soldiers end up raped, enslaved, or worse? Yup. Does this indicate that the author hates women and believes they ought all be treated this way? Let's be serious. Honestly, what "The Hammer" and "The Forge" do is describe war between basically feudal societies in brutal, unflinching detail. People lose limbs, when they're not simply blown to bloody pulp. Women are raped. Everyone who loses is killed or enslaved. Soldiers steal from the army, pillage the landscape - even their "own" people, and are motivated largely by the potential for plunder. Politicians screw over their troops, distrust their generals, and calmly and civilly plunder their own districts even more thoroughly than the army on its worst day.
Sounds a lot like reality to me. It also isn't much fun to read: I am sure that this series didn't sell anywhere near as well as the Belisarius analog. We greatly prefer fantasy.
Compared to other books by these authors both individually and co-written, this one ranks near the bottom. While the story and the characters did hit their stride around the end of the first book, there is a distinct lack of truly likable characters, not to mention a cause that you can cheer for. Indeed, the core conflicts may be reasonably described a fights between the bad guys and the worse. Who do we want to win? The bad guys of course... but it's hard to get all that excited about it.
This series is regularly compared to another Drake colab, the Belisarius saga (beginning withAn Oblique Approach) because of the remarkable similarity in basic plot. Belisarius is by far the more enjoyable of the two, and for me it comes down to characters. In Belisarius, many of them are genuinely likable people with strong senses of honor, justice, and the like. They also get developed pretty nicely. Here no-one - not even Raj himself - gets more than broad strokes. The focus is almost entirely on the military side of things: logistics, tactics, politics thereof, and of course the fighting itself.
The thing is, I am willing to bet that this is the more Realistic of the two series.
I am sure that if I spend much time looking through the reviews on this volume I will see no end of complaints about Drake's "Misogynism," his objectifying of women, etc, etc, etc.
Bollocks.
He's not a misogynist, he's a realist. Are 95% of the female characters in this book either scheming wives of noblemen, whores, or (in several cases) both? Absolutely. Do most of the women encountered by the soldiers end up raped, enslaved, or worse? Yup. Does this indicate that the author hates women and believes they ought all be treated this way? Let's be serious. Honestly, what "The Hammer" and "The Forge" do is describe war between basically feudal societies in brutal, unflinching detail. People lose limbs, when they're not simply blown to bloody pulp. Women are raped. Everyone who loses is killed or enslaved. Soldiers steal from the army, pillage the landscape - even their "own" people, and are motivated largely by the potential for plunder. Politicians screw over their troops, distrust their generals, and calmly and civilly plunder their own districts even more thoroughly than the army on its worst day.
Sounds a lot like reality to me. It also isn't much fun to read: I am sure that this series didn't sell anywhere near as well as the Belisarius analog. We greatly prefer fantasy.
January 3, 2015
Somehow I've managed not to come across this series before - probably largely because I've never much enjoyed any of Drake's works I've tried. And I've always been conflicted about Stirling: I like a lot of his concepts, and the emphasis on battle descriptions is right up my street, but they are almost universally spoiled for me by his taste for nauseating levels of sadism - not to mention the black and white good vs evil he specializes in, though that's less of a concern in this book, where it's difficult to describe any of the parties as "good". I violated my "no more Stirling" rule when I ordered this from the library.
Anyway, as others have pointed out, this series is heavily based on Belisarius' historic campaigns, at least as far as I've reached. This first book represents the campaigns in Persia, and taking purely the description of the military campaigning it's interesting. I did find it difficult to enjoy though because of the (admittedly most likely realistic) depiction of the atrocities associated with warfare in a corrupt slave-owning feudal society.
Others have also pointed out the similarities with the (later, I think) Drake/Flint Belisarius series; at a high level they are extremely close, but tone (and the fantasy vs. SF tinge) differentiates them. For my money, though neither is stellar stuff (not sure I ever got all the way through the series), if you were only going to read one I'd go for the later one and skip this one. Though that does require tolerance of Flint's often melodramatic prose, at least there's no explicit child rape that I recall.
Anyway, as others have pointed out, this series is heavily based on Belisarius' historic campaigns, at least as far as I've reached. This first book represents the campaigns in Persia, and taking purely the description of the military campaigning it's interesting. I did find it difficult to enjoy though because of the (admittedly most likely realistic) depiction of the atrocities associated with warfare in a corrupt slave-owning feudal society.
Others have also pointed out the similarities with the (later, I think) Drake/Flint Belisarius series; at a high level they are extremely close, but tone (and the fantasy vs. SF tinge) differentiates them. For my money, though neither is stellar stuff (not sure I ever got all the way through the series), if you were only going to read one I'd go for the later one and skip this one. Though that does require tolerance of Flint's often melodramatic prose, at least there's no explicit child rape that I recall.
February 28, 2016
Awesome setting and concept, cool pseudo-19th-century military porn, absolute shit characters. More to come.
December 16, 2023
Trash, but short and fun trash to listen to in the gym and in the car. Will listen to the rest. Will pirate all the books, as the main writer is an islamophobe fuck, and I don't give money to Islamophobe fucks ;)
March 27, 2011
The human galactic federation is in ruins, and the worlds have devolved to various levels of barbarism. On the planet Bellevue, which is at about the early nineteenth century in development, a young officer named Raj Whitehall and his friend venture into the catacombs under the capital. There, they find an ancient battlecomputer named Center. With Center’s help, Raj must unite the planet and enable humanity to retake the stars. The story is at least somewhat based on that of the Byzatine general Belisarius.
The first seven novels are written by Drake and Stirling. The last one by Drake and Flint. David Drake writes very detailed outlines, while his collaborators write the actual text.
The first five novels are a set and deal with the conquest/unification of Bellevue. They are nowadays published in two volumes, known as Warlord and Conqueror:
* The Forge
* The Hammer
* The Anvil
* The Steel
* The Sword
After finishing the conquest of Bellevue, the personalities of Center and Raj are imbued in computers that are sent to other worlds with launched asteroids. Basically this scenario has infinite permutations as human worlds at various levels of development can be written about. The first of these follow-up novels is:
* The Chosen
It is a great singleton set on a world with early twentieth century technology. Finally there is the two volume story consisting of:
* The Reformer
* The Tyrant
Here, we take a serious step “back in time”, as the planet Hafardine is at about Roman Empire level in it’s technology. The Tyrant is rather different in style from the others due to being penned by Flint. However, his trademark dry humor meshes well with the overall thrust of the series.
This is great military SciFi, with excellent battlescenes and great characters, not to mention a dose of dry humor. Very highly recommended.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=145
The first seven novels are written by Drake and Stirling. The last one by Drake and Flint. David Drake writes very detailed outlines, while his collaborators write the actual text.
The first five novels are a set and deal with the conquest/unification of Bellevue. They are nowadays published in two volumes, known as Warlord and Conqueror:
* The Forge
* The Hammer
* The Anvil
* The Steel
* The Sword
After finishing the conquest of Bellevue, the personalities of Center and Raj are imbued in computers that are sent to other worlds with launched asteroids. Basically this scenario has infinite permutations as human worlds at various levels of development can be written about. The first of these follow-up novels is:
* The Chosen
It is a great singleton set on a world with early twentieth century technology. Finally there is the two volume story consisting of:
* The Reformer
* The Tyrant
Here, we take a serious step “back in time”, as the planet Hafardine is at about Roman Empire level in it’s technology. The Tyrant is rather different in style from the others due to being penned by Flint. However, his trademark dry humor meshes well with the overall thrust of the series.
This is great military SciFi, with excellent battlescenes and great characters, not to mention a dose of dry humor. Very highly recommended.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=145
November 2, 2020
I first read this 25 or so years ago when it was released in paperback. I enjoyed it with its big dog cavalry and 'Brits in Space' aura. Now, not so much.
The battles and campaign is fine, but the constant use of almost unreadable dialect at times is impenetrable. Plus we've come through a summer of intense anti-racism and the constant use of 'wog' (still hilarious from the mouth of the Major in Fawlty Towers) is wearying. I do look forward to re-learning how this world came about because there isn't enough of it in the first volume.
Here's hoping volume 2 improves or my six books are headed for the used book shop.
The battles and campaign is fine, but the constant use of almost unreadable dialect at times is impenetrable. Plus we've come through a summer of intense anti-racism and the constant use of 'wog' (still hilarious from the mouth of the Major in Fawlty Towers) is wearying. I do look forward to re-learning how this world came about because there isn't enough of it in the first volume.
Here's hoping volume 2 improves or my six books are headed for the used book shop.
December 3, 2016
Two reasons for the low rating.
1. Author writes in snapshots (like a picture). He begins telling a portion of the story and halfway through stops and picks up at somewhere completely different. That is irritating and inhibits a good plot development b/c it leaves the reader with two many unanswered questions.
2. Women were objectified and were treated like property. This is not a mindset that should be promoted, even in fiction.
1. Author writes in snapshots (like a picture). He begins telling a portion of the story and halfway through stops and picks up at somewhere completely different. That is irritating and inhibits a good plot development b/c it leaves the reader with two many unanswered questions.
2. Women were objectified and were treated like property. This is not a mindset that should be promoted, even in fiction.
September 11, 2025
4/5: This was my first book I read in well over 10-15 years. Very enjoyable military themed science fiction book that does not get too carried away with fantasy descriptors. Easy to follow story. Great characters and world building in the book.
July 21, 2017
Great book, interesting premise and believable characters, good start to one of the best series out there on SCI-FI universe.
July 5, 2024
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
I'm finally going through my physical library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
I'm finally going through my physical library owned book list, to add more older basic reviews. If I liked a book enough to keep then they are at the least a 3 star.
I'm only adding one book per author and I'm not going to re-read every book to be more accurate, not when I have 1000s of new to me authors to try (I can't say no to free books....)
First time read the author's work?: Yes
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------
How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author)
4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author).
3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series)
or
3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them!
-
2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.)
1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
October 12, 2018
Gripping and grim and thrilling in the classical sense of the word. I recommend the baenebooks.com site for the plot synopsis - I couldn't do better than they have, for that.
Sympathetic heroes, villains ranging from brilliantly evil to dedicated-but-on-the-other-side to stupid-but-powerful. Limited growth by the heroic figure (but there is some, yes). Pounding action and tense confrontations. Lots, and lots, of gunfire and blood and un-pretty warfare, logistics and tactics and strategy and betrayal in an era of black powder and bayonets.
Hero Raj Whitehall, a young noble of the Civil Givernment, is captured by a sentient computer and given an epic quest - bring interstellar technical civilization back to Humanity. His life task is to unite his planet and bring an end to the wars which are, by each clash, each burning city, each regional government fallen into corruption and decay, pushing everything closer to total collapse and state-of-nature savagery. In order to accomplish this, every - every --- opposing government must be brought under the roof of the Civil Government, united under central authority. None of these will happen by diplomacy, or in any way peaceably.
Brilliant plotting, credible, gritty, bloody action. Five stars.
Sympathetic heroes, villains ranging from brilliantly evil to dedicated-but-on-the-other-side to stupid-but-powerful. Limited growth by the heroic figure (but there is some, yes). Pounding action and tense confrontations. Lots, and lots, of gunfire and blood and un-pretty warfare, logistics and tactics and strategy and betrayal in an era of black powder and bayonets.
Hero Raj Whitehall, a young noble of the Civil Givernment, is captured by a sentient computer and given an epic quest - bring interstellar technical civilization back to Humanity. His life task is to unite his planet and bring an end to the wars which are, by each clash, each burning city, each regional government fallen into corruption and decay, pushing everything closer to total collapse and state-of-nature savagery. In order to accomplish this, every - every --- opposing government must be brought under the roof of the Civil Government, united under central authority. None of these will happen by diplomacy, or in any way peaceably.
Brilliant plotting, credible, gritty, bloody action. Five stars.
March 4, 2022
Choosing a shelf to put this one on was tough. In the end, I went with Sci-Fi because there are some elements there, and it MIGHT trend more that way in the later volumes. But this one is more... I don't know, Conan-esque. Though none of the characters are particularly like Conan. It was a little rough to get into because the authors just kind of throw you in without any real world building and let you sink or swim. After the first couple of chapters you have a pretty good grasp of the setting, Which is that of a colony on a distant world that, through a series of wars and attacks, has devolved into a more-or-less feudal level with slightly better guns. And it's either been lost, or the same of thing has happened to spacefaring society in general. That point isn't clear. It was a decent book, and I'll proceed to the next in due time since I already have it.
February 9, 2021
I don't quite know what to make of The Forge. The book is 30 years old, but not in the golden age of fix ups, but that is how it reads. There are 3 "stories", which could be stand alone, however they do all have a number of common threads which could mean they are a novel.
The plot could be set in Earth history, but is set on a planet cut off the the rest if the universe and has reverted to a less technological way of life. It is the story of an up and coming army officer. It reminded me of the Honor Harrington stories.
Overall not bad and I will probably read the next book, but I would like a little more from the story.
The plot could be set in Earth history, but is set on a planet cut off the the rest if the universe and has reverted to a less technological way of life. It is the story of an up and coming army officer. It reminded me of the Honor Harrington stories.
Overall not bad and I will probably read the next book, but I would like a little more from the story.
February 13, 2022
Fast easy read, with lots of action. Good escapist read.
Lots of similarities to the Drake/Flint Bellisarius series written 10-15 years later. But I enjoyed the overall story-telling more in the Drake/Flint collaboration.
Second Stirling book I have read, and in both, I observed minimal character development and a commitment to fast paced action. Not sure how I feel about that in volume, but okay in limited doses.
I will keep my eyes open for a used copy of the second book in the series, but not go out of my way.
Lots of similarities to the Drake/Flint Bellisarius series written 10-15 years later. But I enjoyed the overall story-telling more in the Drake/Flint collaboration.
Second Stirling book I have read, and in both, I observed minimal character development and a commitment to fast paced action. Not sure how I feel about that in volume, but okay in limited doses.
I will keep my eyes open for a used copy of the second book in the series, but not go out of my way.
April 21, 2024
I have just started this series. It shows great promise. While the writing is not always terribly clear, and some of the characters boast an almost indecipherable brogue, the plot and characters are well done, and I look forward to reading more. Like Azimov's Foundation Trilogy, this series promises to span a vast amount of time, involving new characters and situations within each volume. The series consists of the following volumes:
- The Forge
- The Hammer
- The Anvil
- The Steel
- The Sword
- The Chosen
- The Reformer
- The Tyrant
- The Heretic
- The Savior
- The Forge
- The Hammer
- The Anvil
- The Steel
- The Sword
- The Chosen
- The Reformer
- The Tyrant
- The Heretic
- The Savior
January 2, 2023
I enjoyed the majority of this series but stopped at book 3, I just couldn't overcome the relationship Raj and his Wife. Why she cheats and he let's her?! The Intel she gathers never seems to very impactful. Certainly never seems to sway anything. And both characters appear to love one another...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2024
To the dear friend who recommended this to me, I’m sorry, but I didn’t like it. Hard to pin down exactly what it was, story just didn’t sink it’s hooks into me. I think maybe if I knew the history the plot is based on that might have made it more enjoyable.
January 7, 2018
Really enjoyed the whole 'The General' series. One, if not the first delve into military science fiction.
April 2, 2018
Solid post-apocalypse sci-fi with a very clear Byzantine Influence.
July 20, 2021
It's true what others have said in these reviews. This is not a subtle book. The bad guys are the bad guys and the good guys have to make the bad guys more civilized.
September 12, 2024
5 This was a little more science fiction than I normally like. Tried hard but I failed.
July 2, 2025
Was going to give this book 02 out of 05 but I became intrigued, and the storyline improved
April 9, 2023
My dad loved this series and I remember reading it in high school. Now I know the history it is based on and I like it even more.
March 6, 2016
The book is quite weird. While the narration is not bad per se, it has scores of problems that made me difficult to enjoy it, and assured that I won't be reading the following books in the series.
Problems in the worldbuilding: social. How do they support an industrial powerbase and a professional army, with a tech level approximately 1870-1914, with masses of illiterate peasants and outright slavery? How do they train the mass of hapless serfs to use time-delayed airburts shells or internal combustion engine armored cars?
Technological: they have electricity, they adore semi-funcional technology as relics, they use and understand basic electrical circuitry (we see people executed with electric discharges, and traps triggered by electric circuits). They have no telegraphs, not even for military use. And they have armored trains that are ostensibly better than the tanks used at Cambrai. Let that sink in for a moment.
Powers as the plot demand. The idea of the General of a decaying empire collaborating with an ancient AI to unify the plant and take to the stars sounds amazing on paper. You'll find none of it in the book. It's a straightforward dieselpunk military novel, where sometimes the protagonist has visions, and they are all of the kind "if you do this, everybody you love will die and civilization will collapse, but, hey, it's totally your choice". The first chapter has inklings about the computer capacities, and some frankly humorous moments regarding the interaction of the two characters: General Raj thinks of Battle Central as an Angel of his cargo-cult religion, while Battle Central views Raj as a purely expendable asset and is downright patronizing. All of that is forgotten for the rest of the book. It was unsettling and disappointing.
Problems in the worldbuilding: social. How do they support an industrial powerbase and a professional army, with a tech level approximately 1870-1914, with masses of illiterate peasants and outright slavery? How do they train the mass of hapless serfs to use time-delayed airburts shells or internal combustion engine armored cars?
Technological: they have electricity, they adore semi-funcional technology as relics, they use and understand basic electrical circuitry (we see people executed with electric discharges, and traps triggered by electric circuits). They have no telegraphs, not even for military use. And they have armored trains that are ostensibly better than the tanks used at Cambrai. Let that sink in for a moment.
Powers as the plot demand. The idea of the General of a decaying empire collaborating with an ancient AI to unify the plant and take to the stars sounds amazing on paper. You'll find none of it in the book. It's a straightforward dieselpunk military novel, where sometimes the protagonist has visions, and they are all of the kind "if you do this, everybody you love will die and civilization will collapse, but, hey, it's totally your choice". The first chapter has inklings about the computer capacities, and some frankly humorous moments regarding the interaction of the two characters: General Raj thinks of Battle Central as an Angel of his cargo-cult religion, while Battle Central views Raj as a purely expendable asset and is downright patronizing. All of that is forgotten for the rest of the book. It was unsettling and disappointing.
March 25, 2010
The Raj Whitehall series, by S.M. Stirling and David Drake, is worthy of comparison to the Belisarius series by Eric Flint and David Drake. An interview with Drake notes that he drafts lengthy outlines, then hands them off on other writers to flesh out with characterization, dialogue, and so forth, and that he is uncomfortable with a co-author credit on the books.
The Belisarius series is clearly modeled on the Byzantine general and historical figure of Belisarius, while the Raj Whitehall series takes the same historical motifs and characters and translates them into a vaguely science fiction setting. Both series focus on the tension between successful generals and their civilian command (a recurring theme in military fiction on the whole), and both have grand adventures and battles.
The comparison comes in the differing styles of Stirling and Flint, the authors designated to flesh out the outlines. Stirling has more gender and sexuality issues, as is typical of his work, and Flint spends a bit more time on hardware and strategy. Both series are fun, light reads in military fiction, and neither, I would suggest, strictly deserves a science fiction tag, but more of an alternate history.
The Belisarius series is clearly modeled on the Byzantine general and historical figure of Belisarius, while the Raj Whitehall series takes the same historical motifs and characters and translates them into a vaguely science fiction setting. Both series focus on the tension between successful generals and their civilian command (a recurring theme in military fiction on the whole), and both have grand adventures and battles.
The comparison comes in the differing styles of Stirling and Flint, the authors designated to flesh out the outlines. Stirling has more gender and sexuality issues, as is typical of his work, and Flint spends a bit more time on hardware and strategy. Both series are fun, light reads in military fiction, and neither, I would suggest, strictly deserves a science fiction tag, but more of an alternate history.
March 25, 2012
Like the "Belisarius series" by David Drake and Eric Flint, "The General" series is inspired by the life of the late Roman (Byzantine) general, Flavius Belisarius. However, the series are very different in plot, tone and character. In both series the main character, based on Belisarius, gains an advanced entity which provides advice and information aiding in the mission. And both series share two or three events which were based on dramatic real-life achievements of Belisarius, but those few similarities are it. Otherwise the series are very different, and if you enjoy military sci-fi, especially with more primitive weapons, then you'll probably find it worthwhile to read both series.
The Forge: The tone is darker, the characters are better developed and it lacks the humor of the "Belisarius series". Many of the characters have more complex motivations and there are more undercurrents between characters.
One one real criticism? "The General" series needed a better copy-editor. There are a number of dropped words, repeated words, and wrong words which should have been caught and corrected by a good editor.
I enjoyed the "Belisarius series" by David Drake and Eric Flint. But I think "The General" series by Drake and S. M. Stirling is the better series.
The Forge: The tone is darker, the characters are better developed and it lacks the humor of the "Belisarius series". Many of the characters have more complex motivations and there are more undercurrents between characters.
One one real criticism? "The General" series needed a better copy-editor. There are a number of dropped words, repeated words, and wrong words which should have been caught and corrected by a good editor.
I enjoyed the "Belisarius series" by David Drake and Eric Flint. But I think "The General" series by Drake and S. M. Stirling is the better series.
November 30, 2009
Deze boekenreeks bestaat uit: The Forge(1991)The Hammer(1992)The Anvil(1993)The Steel(1993)The Sword(1995). Int kort, planeten federatie zegt boem, de afzonderlijke planeten verliezen de ruimtevaarttechniek, de planeet Bellvue gaat enkele honderden jaren na de val meer en meer naar barbarisme. Maaar "Raj" het hoofdpersonage wordt bezeten door een nog actieve superpc "center" de welke hem opdraagt en helpt de verdeelde planeet te veroveren, btw de technologische ontwikkeling zit rond 1800 dus musketten en kanonnen... Een van de betere militaire SF, doet me denken aan de "Sharpe reeks" van Bernard Cornwell maar dan SF.
December 12, 2019
I really enjoyed this book and series. I've read both several times. Takes place in the far future where there is a break down in space travel and civilization regresses. It follows the main character Raj Whitehall on one planet as he tries to pull the planet together and start the climb back. It starts with Raj moving up the military ranking.
January 9, 2016
The flow of the book was terrible, really badly written, accents of the character speech was far too much and at times very confusing and the main characters had very little charisma. But the idea itself is not that bad and I'm hoping with the next book the author would have improved his writing style and polished the characters a bit more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews