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Princess Ryan's Star Marines
Overhead, the roil of clouds
The roar of thunder
The scream of attack shuttles hurtling downward
It's PRINCESS RYAN'S STAR MARINES!
So begins each official account of the exploits of the Imperial Fleet's Earth Auxiliary Legion, that rag-tag bunch of warriors in their dented armor who ride to battle in flying mini-vans, bear antiquated assault rifles and leap into the atmosphere in reconditioned jump packs that just might work.
Packed with epic space battles and thrilling planetary combats, Princess Ryan’s Star Marines is an exciting light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek sci-fi action adventure saga with a flavor and pace reminiscent of Saturday afternoon serials. Set in the Twenty-third-and-a-half Century where Earth is a remote tributary planet in the Holy, Universal and Galactic Empire, the novel is fresh, unique and above all entertaining. Based on the awarding-winning Princess Ryan's board games, this first book in the saga is suitable for ages young adult on up.
Based on the award-winning board games, Princess Ryan's Star Marines is a registered Trademark of Mark G. McLaughlin (US TM No. 2107567); All rights reserved
The roar of thunder
The scream of attack shuttles hurtling downward
It's PRINCESS RYAN'S STAR MARINES!
So begins each official account of the exploits of the Imperial Fleet's Earth Auxiliary Legion, that rag-tag bunch of warriors in their dented armor who ride to battle in flying mini-vans, bear antiquated assault rifles and leap into the atmosphere in reconditioned jump packs that just might work.
Packed with epic space battles and thrilling planetary combats, Princess Ryan’s Star Marines is an exciting light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek sci-fi action adventure saga with a flavor and pace reminiscent of Saturday afternoon serials. Set in the Twenty-third-and-a-half Century where Earth is a remote tributary planet in the Holy, Universal and Galactic Empire, the novel is fresh, unique and above all entertaining. Based on the awarding-winning Princess Ryan's board games, this first book in the saga is suitable for ages young adult on up.
Based on the award-winning board games, Princess Ryan's Star Marines is a registered Trademark of Mark G. McLaughlin (US TM No. 2107567); All rights reserved
444 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 21, 2013
Anyone who knows what FUBAR means (let’s euphemistically say, “Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition), the WWII equivalent of von Moltke’s assertion that no battleplan survives contact with the enemy, will recognize the driving force in Princess Ryan’s Star Marines. In manic pseudo-comic (or, perhaps, more accurately, that of “black comedy” (like M.A.S.H. and Catch-22, not minstrels or inner city rage )) style, the reader can identify with the characters in recognizing that things can always get worse. There is almost a “sadistic” funny in the way disaster and inconvenience after unpleasant surprise after miscommunication pile up within this FUBAR of a rescue mission. Things are often as out of control as in a Preston Sturges movie (and, indeed, I suspect that the Corporal Sturges in the novel may be a nod to the cinematic master of comedic confusion—even though there’s a lot more bloodshed in the present work than Sturges would have ever dreamed of). To me, as I will clarify later, Princess Ryan’s Star Marines is a parody of every military adventure ever written, albeit a rather bloody parody (and I’m not using British slang here).
The truth is that the background of the book led me to expect a young adult adventure. Indeed, a dark side of my personality sort of wanted it to be a poorly written young adult adventure. There’s a vicious side to me that wanted to write, “As a novelist, Mark McLlaughlin is a great game designer.” While the c.v. of McLaughlin as game designer is, indeed, impeccable, I have to confess that Princess Ryan’s Star Marines is neither poorly written nor a young adult adventure. Don’t let the understandable nepotism of the choice of cover artist fool you. It may lack realism, but the aspects of warfare in the novel don’t mince words or images. The vocabulary is far beyond most Y.A. literature and, as I will note later, getting the most out of this book requires (or at least deserves) a more sophisticated perspective than that to which the Y.A. genre is designed to play. You see, I didn’t have great expectations for Princess Ryan’s Star Marines, even though McLaughlin generously sent me a review copy. So, let me go back to my first encounter with this intellectual property.
I vaguely remember being at the old Avalon Hill HQ in Baltimore and having one of the developers explain to me that it was a game created for the designer’s daughter. My initial reaction was that it had a lot of fighting for a game designed for a daughter. My next reaction was to remember how my own daughter loved to play Greg Costikyan’s The Creature Who Ate Sheboygan. That wasn’t exactly a game of tea parties and fashion shows, either. The truth is, no matter about the setting’s original purpose, McLaughlin didn’t hold back on the action in the game setting or in the novel.
Starting as a science-fiction miniatures game called Princess Ryan’s Space Marines, published by SimTac and loaded with gorgeous lead miniatures, the property became an elaborate boxed game from The Avalon Hill Game Company with the new name, Princess Ryan’s Star Marines. If you notice the difference, it would be my wager that a certain U.K. company which publishes a franchise that relies heavily on Space Marines ™ sent a “friendly” little “cease and desist” order. But all is not lost because there is a funny line alluding to the Space Marine/Star Marine nomenclature on p. 80 of the novel.
In fact, part of the charm of this novel is the humorous parody of corporations, bureaucracy and the genre. Princess Ryan’s Star Marines isn’t really the juvenile novel I expected (from knowing the history of the game and seeing the cover art—lovingly drawn by McGlaughlin’s son but not creating a sense of realism or plausibility for the universe. Rather, I would say that the novel’s parody elements remind you of those jokes for the adults which are often embedded in “children’s” cartoons. Certainly, lines like Grand Admiral Jellica’s musing, “Thank God my mother built up the public relations department instead of wasting money on battleships. Telling everyone how strong you are is much cheaper and easier than proving it.” (p. 96) And I doubt that too many young adults who haven’t yet entered their chosen careers would really appreciate the truth inherent in the following description: “She would bury them all in bound paper reports. … She measured the efficacy of her argument by the weight of the paper used to support her position.” (p. 102) Or even the very cynical, “A thousand years of history had taught the throne the danger of giving any commander a bigger fleet than the one kept at home. That would put forward unacceptable temptatons that even the most loyal and trusted confidant would be hard-pressed to resist.” (p. 238) Few people who haven’t studied history would understand, “Truth did not get a chance to be the first casualty in this war, it hadn’t even been drafted by either side.” (p. 260)
I liked the mixture of globalized economy and mega-corporations such that shuttles could be described as Ford-Mitsubishi, Dodge-Messerschmitt, Grumman-Porsche, Volkswagon-MiG, Chrysler-Lockheed, and Boeing-Saab (p. 46). Add to that a rather important ship in the story that is attributed to General Electric and you get the idea that the mega-corporations are running the store but no one is taking responsibility. I loved the idea that the crews had to form a “gunnery club” and fund their own ammunition in order to train on the guns. You can imagine how poorly stocked the ammo bay would be under such circumstances, can’t you? And, I was also amused at the hodge-podge of nationalities represented in many of the character names: Indira O’Malley, Patrick Luigi Giuseppi O’Brien, Julia Cacafuentes-St. Smythe, and Ivan Gregorivich Solistes. Dare I mention obvious parody names like Mr. Midshipman Horntooter? How about concluding the list of “I”-alliterated ships (Indefatigable, Indestructible, Invincible, and Indivisible) with Indecipherable (all we need is Inconceivable or Indisposed to fill this out)? I also liked some of the acronyms like WIMPs, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (p. 225) and INCC (Imperial Navy Corps of Correspondents—p. 240). In fact, I liked hmm ‘n haw, I mean, H.I.M.N.A.W. (Her Imperial Majesty Naval Auxiliary Warship) as an acronym, as well. In short, some of the book’s atmosphere is so “tossed against the wall” that it will jar some readers out of their suspension of disbelief. If that doesn’t put you off, read on.
Some of my favorite lines appeared toward the end of the book (or maybe, I just remember them better as I’m typing this up). As one character supports a commanding officer after a particularly unwise tactical decision, she considers that her commander was “…probably insane, but insanity did not override the privileges of rank…” (pp. 489-90) Another clever phrase was, “Imperial Legionnaires do not simply take ground, they obliterate it.” (p. 499) Although the latter may sound like a recycled Chuck Norris joke, it really fit the situation being described.
At any rate, since the earlier Avalon Hill version of this universe had a hostage rescue as its centerpiece, you certainly can figure out what this novel has in common with the average video game. That’s right! The princess is being held hostage. But even as I share that tiny “spoiler,” let me just protest that she wasn’t “exactly” the hostage the bad guys were looking for and the rescue operation isn’t nearly as straightforward as it would be in a video game. In fact, the constant reality that kept me coming back to this novel was McLaughlin’s quick shifts in tropes and apparent plot devices—not to be confused with the style of using short chapters, quick shifts in point-of-view characters, and cliffhangers.
Lightning-fast camera cuts may be the most common editing style in modern cinema and it may be perfect for the current generation, but anyone who has read my reviews will remember that I even whine about how often George R. R. Martin jumps around between characters in his epic tales. I confess to being a cranky old man who likes to read at a leisurely pace and get involved deeply with characters. So, I have to confess that Princess Ryan’s Star Marines, as well-paced and fast-cutting as an episode of The A Team, Mission: Impossible, or the latest summer blockbuster of an action movie, gave me far too many opportunities to put the book down. Oh, it was good enough to pick back up and I had a lot of head-shaking chuckles and gave my share of admiring nods for clever phrasing, yet the short, choppy chapters gave my ADD too many opportunities for distractions to kick in.
I enjoyed the number of cliffhangers and times that McLaughlin used the tried and true humorous ploy of, “Just when you think matters can’t get worse, here comes that unexpected topper.” In spite of just disparaging the quick cinematic cuts, it’s pretty easy to imagine certain scenes through the lens of the camera (I’m thinking of O’Brien’s clever ploy at the base on Pluto and certain space battles with incredibly outclassed and ludicrously anachronistic equipment in play). I liked the cynical political jockeying behind the scenes—especially those involving the incredibly amoral and Objectivist (in the best Ayn Rand tradition) Senator Hyburium Slatburn. The use of poor and outdated equipment has consequences which prove, in the heat of the action, to be both positive and, as you would expect, negative. Toward the climax of the final land-based battle (I hope it doesn’t surprise anyone that there is a final space-based battle!), purloined (or should that be “borrowed”) advanced technology has quite a different “impact” than the eponymous protagonists were expecting (see especially p. 482).
I also enjoyed the humorous way certain characters quoted different verses from Isaiah (in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) in dueling matches with scripture verses (usually out of context) as their chosen weapons. This was a neat conceit that might have been offensive to some readers if it weren’t the obvious respect shown to the biblical book on p. 492: “’The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah are filled with the Lord’s judgment upon the people of Judah for their sins, but those last twenty-seven chapters,’ she sighed, ‘are pure gold they are, pure gold. They are filled with words of hope and comfort for a once proud people held captive, just as we are.” This observation is somewhat oversimplified (since there is hope in Isaiah 7, 11, and elsewhere, as well as in 40, 43, 50, 52), but it captures a lot of the flavor of the biblical book and demonstrates that McLaughlin wasn’t demeaning the Bible with his verse duels.
So, with all the positives I am offering up about this volume, why does it get a three star rating? Those who regularly read my reviews know that three stars is a solid rating from me, but you’ll wonder why I deducted those two stars. One star was reduced purely because of personal taste. The book is too choppy and jumps around too much for my taste. I know that’s cinematic and modern (post-modern?) in style, but it takes away from the experience for me (as noted earlier). The other is that the denouement of the book isn’t very satisfying—even (spoiler alert!) for a book with an anticipated sequel. It feels very much as if the story was chopped off at the end and this is further evidenced by apparent “rushing” toward the end.
Apparent evidence of rushing would include the confusion of the Witherspoon character in the vice-regal fleet with the Playgum character in the imperial fleet on p. 434. There is no way that Witherspoon would have or could have been on the imperial command ship in that scene. Add to that some typographical errors such as were not particularly noticeable in the first part of the book: “With one gun knocked out and an another ineffective…” (p. 440) or “I’m taking a platoon of your Guards with me. Kept the rest here, in reserve.” (p. 474) Finally, after all the loss of life and effort in getting to the princess (whether or not the rescue was successful), one would have thought that there would be more of a reaction than having a supporting character throw out a punch line (p. 510) which struck me as more petty than funny, anyway (True to the speaker’s character, but unfunny nonetheless!).
So, who would like this novel? Obviously, as with any literature based on another intellectual property, it would appeal to fans of the game. It should also appeal to those who consider The Dirty Dozen to be more than a comedy bit in Sleepless in Seattle. There is a combination between desperation and comedy that is balanced just right to some audiences. It should appeal to those who like to play role-playing games or miniatures games set in science-fiction or science-fantasy universes—even if they don’t play the intellectual property on which this novel is based. And, I think it will have some appeal to those who feel like Joseph Heller could have given us Catch-22 with a somewhat lighter hand. Who knows? Some of us might even try the game—either in its original SIMTAC form or Avalon Hill revision.
The truth is that the background of the book led me to expect a young adult adventure. Indeed, a dark side of my personality sort of wanted it to be a poorly written young adult adventure. There’s a vicious side to me that wanted to write, “As a novelist, Mark McLlaughlin is a great game designer.” While the c.v. of McLaughlin as game designer is, indeed, impeccable, I have to confess that Princess Ryan’s Star Marines is neither poorly written nor a young adult adventure. Don’t let the understandable nepotism of the choice of cover artist fool you. It may lack realism, but the aspects of warfare in the novel don’t mince words or images. The vocabulary is far beyond most Y.A. literature and, as I will note later, getting the most out of this book requires (or at least deserves) a more sophisticated perspective than that to which the Y.A. genre is designed to play. You see, I didn’t have great expectations for Princess Ryan’s Star Marines, even though McLaughlin generously sent me a review copy. So, let me go back to my first encounter with this intellectual property.
I vaguely remember being at the old Avalon Hill HQ in Baltimore and having one of the developers explain to me that it was a game created for the designer’s daughter. My initial reaction was that it had a lot of fighting for a game designed for a daughter. My next reaction was to remember how my own daughter loved to play Greg Costikyan’s The Creature Who Ate Sheboygan. That wasn’t exactly a game of tea parties and fashion shows, either. The truth is, no matter about the setting’s original purpose, McLaughlin didn’t hold back on the action in the game setting or in the novel.
Starting as a science-fiction miniatures game called Princess Ryan’s Space Marines, published by SimTac and loaded with gorgeous lead miniatures, the property became an elaborate boxed game from The Avalon Hill Game Company with the new name, Princess Ryan’s Star Marines. If you notice the difference, it would be my wager that a certain U.K. company which publishes a franchise that relies heavily on Space Marines ™ sent a “friendly” little “cease and desist” order. But all is not lost because there is a funny line alluding to the Space Marine/Star Marine nomenclature on p. 80 of the novel.
In fact, part of the charm of this novel is the humorous parody of corporations, bureaucracy and the genre. Princess Ryan’s Star Marines isn’t really the juvenile novel I expected (from knowing the history of the game and seeing the cover art—lovingly drawn by McGlaughlin’s son but not creating a sense of realism or plausibility for the universe. Rather, I would say that the novel’s parody elements remind you of those jokes for the adults which are often embedded in “children’s” cartoons. Certainly, lines like Grand Admiral Jellica’s musing, “Thank God my mother built up the public relations department instead of wasting money on battleships. Telling everyone how strong you are is much cheaper and easier than proving it.” (p. 96) And I doubt that too many young adults who haven’t yet entered their chosen careers would really appreciate the truth inherent in the following description: “She would bury them all in bound paper reports. … She measured the efficacy of her argument by the weight of the paper used to support her position.” (p. 102) Or even the very cynical, “A thousand years of history had taught the throne the danger of giving any commander a bigger fleet than the one kept at home. That would put forward unacceptable temptatons that even the most loyal and trusted confidant would be hard-pressed to resist.” (p. 238) Few people who haven’t studied history would understand, “Truth did not get a chance to be the first casualty in this war, it hadn’t even been drafted by either side.” (p. 260)
I liked the mixture of globalized economy and mega-corporations such that shuttles could be described as Ford-Mitsubishi, Dodge-Messerschmitt, Grumman-Porsche, Volkswagon-MiG, Chrysler-Lockheed, and Boeing-Saab (p. 46). Add to that a rather important ship in the story that is attributed to General Electric and you get the idea that the mega-corporations are running the store but no one is taking responsibility. I loved the idea that the crews had to form a “gunnery club” and fund their own ammunition in order to train on the guns. You can imagine how poorly stocked the ammo bay would be under such circumstances, can’t you? And, I was also amused at the hodge-podge of nationalities represented in many of the character names: Indira O’Malley, Patrick Luigi Giuseppi O’Brien, Julia Cacafuentes-St. Smythe, and Ivan Gregorivich Solistes. Dare I mention obvious parody names like Mr. Midshipman Horntooter? How about concluding the list of “I”-alliterated ships (Indefatigable, Indestructible, Invincible, and Indivisible) with Indecipherable (all we need is Inconceivable or Indisposed to fill this out)? I also liked some of the acronyms like WIMPs, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (p. 225) and INCC (Imperial Navy Corps of Correspondents—p. 240). In fact, I liked hmm ‘n haw, I mean, H.I.M.N.A.W. (Her Imperial Majesty Naval Auxiliary Warship) as an acronym, as well. In short, some of the book’s atmosphere is so “tossed against the wall” that it will jar some readers out of their suspension of disbelief. If that doesn’t put you off, read on.
Some of my favorite lines appeared toward the end of the book (or maybe, I just remember them better as I’m typing this up). As one character supports a commanding officer after a particularly unwise tactical decision, she considers that her commander was “…probably insane, but insanity did not override the privileges of rank…” (pp. 489-90) Another clever phrase was, “Imperial Legionnaires do not simply take ground, they obliterate it.” (p. 499) Although the latter may sound like a recycled Chuck Norris joke, it really fit the situation being described.
At any rate, since the earlier Avalon Hill version of this universe had a hostage rescue as its centerpiece, you certainly can figure out what this novel has in common with the average video game. That’s right! The princess is being held hostage. But even as I share that tiny “spoiler,” let me just protest that she wasn’t “exactly” the hostage the bad guys were looking for and the rescue operation isn’t nearly as straightforward as it would be in a video game. In fact, the constant reality that kept me coming back to this novel was McLaughlin’s quick shifts in tropes and apparent plot devices—not to be confused with the style of using short chapters, quick shifts in point-of-view characters, and cliffhangers.
Lightning-fast camera cuts may be the most common editing style in modern cinema and it may be perfect for the current generation, but anyone who has read my reviews will remember that I even whine about how often George R. R. Martin jumps around between characters in his epic tales. I confess to being a cranky old man who likes to read at a leisurely pace and get involved deeply with characters. So, I have to confess that Princess Ryan’s Star Marines, as well-paced and fast-cutting as an episode of The A Team, Mission: Impossible, or the latest summer blockbuster of an action movie, gave me far too many opportunities to put the book down. Oh, it was good enough to pick back up and I had a lot of head-shaking chuckles and gave my share of admiring nods for clever phrasing, yet the short, choppy chapters gave my ADD too many opportunities for distractions to kick in.
I enjoyed the number of cliffhangers and times that McLaughlin used the tried and true humorous ploy of, “Just when you think matters can’t get worse, here comes that unexpected topper.” In spite of just disparaging the quick cinematic cuts, it’s pretty easy to imagine certain scenes through the lens of the camera (I’m thinking of O’Brien’s clever ploy at the base on Pluto and certain space battles with incredibly outclassed and ludicrously anachronistic equipment in play). I liked the cynical political jockeying behind the scenes—especially those involving the incredibly amoral and Objectivist (in the best Ayn Rand tradition) Senator Hyburium Slatburn. The use of poor and outdated equipment has consequences which prove, in the heat of the action, to be both positive and, as you would expect, negative. Toward the climax of the final land-based battle (I hope it doesn’t surprise anyone that there is a final space-based battle!), purloined (or should that be “borrowed”) advanced technology has quite a different “impact” than the eponymous protagonists were expecting (see especially p. 482).
I also enjoyed the humorous way certain characters quoted different verses from Isaiah (in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) in dueling matches with scripture verses (usually out of context) as their chosen weapons. This was a neat conceit that might have been offensive to some readers if it weren’t the obvious respect shown to the biblical book on p. 492: “’The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah are filled with the Lord’s judgment upon the people of Judah for their sins, but those last twenty-seven chapters,’ she sighed, ‘are pure gold they are, pure gold. They are filled with words of hope and comfort for a once proud people held captive, just as we are.” This observation is somewhat oversimplified (since there is hope in Isaiah 7, 11, and elsewhere, as well as in 40, 43, 50, 52), but it captures a lot of the flavor of the biblical book and demonstrates that McLaughlin wasn’t demeaning the Bible with his verse duels.
So, with all the positives I am offering up about this volume, why does it get a three star rating? Those who regularly read my reviews know that three stars is a solid rating from me, but you’ll wonder why I deducted those two stars. One star was reduced purely because of personal taste. The book is too choppy and jumps around too much for my taste. I know that’s cinematic and modern (post-modern?) in style, but it takes away from the experience for me (as noted earlier). The other is that the denouement of the book isn’t very satisfying—even (spoiler alert!) for a book with an anticipated sequel. It feels very much as if the story was chopped off at the end and this is further evidenced by apparent “rushing” toward the end.
Apparent evidence of rushing would include the confusion of the Witherspoon character in the vice-regal fleet with the Playgum character in the imperial fleet on p. 434. There is no way that Witherspoon would have or could have been on the imperial command ship in that scene. Add to that some typographical errors such as were not particularly noticeable in the first part of the book: “With one gun knocked out and an another ineffective…” (p. 440) or “I’m taking a platoon of your Guards with me. Kept the rest here, in reserve.” (p. 474) Finally, after all the loss of life and effort in getting to the princess (whether or not the rescue was successful), one would have thought that there would be more of a reaction than having a supporting character throw out a punch line (p. 510) which struck me as more petty than funny, anyway (True to the speaker’s character, but unfunny nonetheless!).
So, who would like this novel? Obviously, as with any literature based on another intellectual property, it would appeal to fans of the game. It should also appeal to those who consider The Dirty Dozen to be more than a comedy bit in Sleepless in Seattle. There is a combination between desperation and comedy that is balanced just right to some audiences. It should appeal to those who like to play role-playing games or miniatures games set in science-fiction or science-fantasy universes—even if they don’t play the intellectual property on which this novel is based. And, I think it will have some appeal to those who feel like Joseph Heller could have given us Catch-22 with a somewhat lighter hand. Who knows? Some of us might even try the game—either in its original SIMTAC form or Avalon Hill revision.
March 11, 2013
Shamelessly, this is of course my book...and of course will not offer my own review, but here instead is what the reviewer from Clarion Foreword said (from my Amazon page):
Review
"...packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story."
-J. D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generally salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue ..McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence..."
- J.D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Game designer and freelance writer Mark McLaughlin's first novel is packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story.... Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generously salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue, as well as the depth to which science fiction has permeated popular culture in movies and television programs, should make Princess Ryan's Star Marines easily comprehensible....
McLaughlin pokes gentle fun at such science fiction cliches as extensive character numbers requiring a Dramatis Personae (to keep track of who's who and where), the naval structure of spaceship terminology and operation, a distinct lack of democratic government, and text additions to chapter headings. ... McLaughlin has made these quotable quotes part and parcel of the humorous atmosphere he's created, which may send the genre's cognoscenti into fits of chuckling. Humor in fiction demands that the author maintain the tone that's established on the first page right through to the end. McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence to give readers a tale that will likely cause more than a few grins and chuckles. Recommended." --ForeWord Clarion Reviews
Review
"...packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story."
-J. D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generally salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue ..McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence..."
- J.D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Game designer and freelance writer Mark McLaughlin's first novel is packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story.... Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generously salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue, as well as the depth to which science fiction has permeated popular culture in movies and television programs, should make Princess Ryan's Star Marines easily comprehensible....
McLaughlin pokes gentle fun at such science fiction cliches as extensive character numbers requiring a Dramatis Personae (to keep track of who's who and where), the naval structure of spaceship terminology and operation, a distinct lack of democratic government, and text additions to chapter headings. ... McLaughlin has made these quotable quotes part and parcel of the humorous atmosphere he's created, which may send the genre's cognoscenti into fits of chuckling. Humor in fiction demands that the author maintain the tone that's established on the first page right through to the end. McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence to give readers a tale that will likely cause more than a few grins and chuckles. Recommended." --ForeWord Clarion Reviews
August 23, 2013
This quality space opera sneaks in a whole lot of humor and attempts to be a parody without seeming like a parody. What I mean is that this is more a nod at something like Star Wars than an out and out parody like Spaceballs.
There are action scenes that are reminiscent of David Weber or John Ringo's writing. An alternate title could have been "Suppose They Gave a War, but nobody really cared?"
Viceroy Yamaguchi tries to provoke a war by sneak attacking an Imperial Governor's ship. His plan is to capture a governor, interrogate and brainwash him. If that fails, he just wants to provoke a war between the Imperial Regime and the Republic. However, instead, he manages to kidnap Princess Ryan, an heir to the throne that nobody really seems to care about, and her Nanny, a Scripture quoting old bird. This STILL isn't enough to provoke an all out war, but what he doesn't know is that Princess Ryan is a member of an auxiliary group of Star Marines, that don't take kindly to one of their own being kidnapped.
Meanwhile, the author manages to mock bureaucracy as both sides really do their best to avoid going to war while the Star Marines begin to stage a rescue operation. Eventually, they decide to SORT of fight, with Yamaguchi being given some "unofficial" assistance, and the Queens' advisor taking command of a fleet. All of this, with the rescue operation going on.
The best part of this novel was the inside jokes that the author wanted us to visualize. Starting a shuttle with a set of keys? Hand-me-done armor and rocket packs that don't work half the time? The names of the ships and the manufacturers names. The subtle nods to Hollywood actors and films. (John Wayne in space? riding a reptile?)
About the time that the reader begins to think the author is taking himself too seriously, a jetpack fails, or a humorous character name brings a smile, or someone throws a super powerful flare into an oxygen rich environment. The author wants us to smile along with him. It is as if he is nudging us with his elbow and winking and saying "Do you get it?" and most of the time I think I do.
In fact, the major flaw, if there really is any, is that the author could not decide whether he was writing a straight military space opera or a parody. If this was written straight it might not have succeeded. The short chapters and cutting back and forth works to a certain extent, but I would have preferred for him to stick with the action a bit longer before making the cut.
Still, this one was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed it, the humor kept me interested whenever I would get bogged down with the political manuevering. It was worth the time I invested in it.
There are action scenes that are reminiscent of David Weber or John Ringo's writing. An alternate title could have been "Suppose They Gave a War, but nobody really cared?"
Viceroy Yamaguchi tries to provoke a war by sneak attacking an Imperial Governor's ship. His plan is to capture a governor, interrogate and brainwash him. If that fails, he just wants to provoke a war between the Imperial Regime and the Republic. However, instead, he manages to kidnap Princess Ryan, an heir to the throne that nobody really seems to care about, and her Nanny, a Scripture quoting old bird. This STILL isn't enough to provoke an all out war, but what he doesn't know is that Princess Ryan is a member of an auxiliary group of Star Marines, that don't take kindly to one of their own being kidnapped.
Meanwhile, the author manages to mock bureaucracy as both sides really do their best to avoid going to war while the Star Marines begin to stage a rescue operation. Eventually, they decide to SORT of fight, with Yamaguchi being given some "unofficial" assistance, and the Queens' advisor taking command of a fleet. All of this, with the rescue operation going on.
The best part of this novel was the inside jokes that the author wanted us to visualize. Starting a shuttle with a set of keys? Hand-me-done armor and rocket packs that don't work half the time? The names of the ships and the manufacturers names. The subtle nods to Hollywood actors and films. (John Wayne in space? riding a reptile?)
About the time that the reader begins to think the author is taking himself too seriously, a jetpack fails, or a humorous character name brings a smile, or someone throws a super powerful flare into an oxygen rich environment. The author wants us to smile along with him. It is as if he is nudging us with his elbow and winking and saying "Do you get it?" and most of the time I think I do.
In fact, the major flaw, if there really is any, is that the author could not decide whether he was writing a straight military space opera or a parody. If this was written straight it might not have succeeded. The short chapters and cutting back and forth works to a certain extent, but I would have preferred for him to stick with the action a bit longer before making the cut.
Still, this one was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed it, the humor kept me interested whenever I would get bogged down with the political manuevering. It was worth the time I invested in it.
August 28, 2013
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story."
-J. D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generally salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue ..McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence..."
- J.D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Game designer and freelance writer Mark McLaughlin's first novel is packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story....
Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generously salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue, as well as the depth to which science fiction has permeated popular culture in movies and television programs, should make Princess Ryan's Star Marines easily comprehensible....
McLaughlin pokes gentle fun at such science fiction cliches as extensive character numbers requiring a Dramatis Personae (to keep track of who's who and where), the naval structure of spaceship terminology and operation, a distinct lack of democratic government, and text additions to chapter headings. ...
McLaughlin has made these quotable quotes part and parcel of the humorous atmosphere he's created, which may send the genre's cognoscenti into fits of chuckling. Humor in fiction demands that the author maintain the tone that's established on the first page right through to the end. McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence to give readers a tale that will likely cause more than a few grins and chuckles. Recommended." --ForeWord Clarion Reviews
Review
"...packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story."
-J. D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generally salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue ..McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence..."
- J.D. Stinson, ForeWord Clarion Reviews
"Game designer and freelance writer Mark McLaughlin's first novel is packed to the rafters with old-fashioned space opera (and lots of new bits) that throws caution to the wind and replaces it with very amusing prose, without losing the reins of the story....
Science fiction readers will certainly recognize the intended humor that's generously salted throughout the book. General readers can also enjoy the novel; its Austenesque noncombat scenes and dialogue, as well as the depth to which science fiction has permeated popular culture in movies and television programs, should make Princess Ryan's Star Marines easily comprehensible....
McLaughlin pokes gentle fun at such science fiction cliches as extensive character numbers requiring a Dramatis Personae (to keep track of who's who and where), the naval structure of spaceship terminology and operation, a distinct lack of democratic government, and text additions to chapter headings. ...
McLaughlin has made these quotable quotes part and parcel of the humorous atmosphere he's created, which may send the genre's cognoscenti into fits of chuckling. Humor in fiction demands that the author maintain the tone that's established on the first page right through to the end. McLaughlin hits all the right buttons in the correct sequence to give readers a tale that will likely cause more than a few grins and chuckles. Recommended." --ForeWord Clarion Reviews
March 17, 2013
A droll creativity informs this space opera. It's kid-friendly, but not just for kids. SciFi and fantasy buffs will enjoy the romp -- without having to slog through the verbiage of George R. R. Martin.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews