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A Private Little War
The pilots of Flyboy, Inc., landed on the alien planet of Iaxo with a mission: In one year, quash an insurrection; exploit the ancient enmities of an indigenous, tribal society; and kill the hell out of one group of natives to facilitate negotiations with the surviving group — all over 110 million acres of mixed terrain.
At first, the double-hush, back-burner project went well. With a ten-century technological lead on the locals, the logistical support of a powerful private military company, and aid from other outfits on the ground, it was supposed to be an easy-in, easy-out mission that would make the pilots of Flyboy, Inc., very, very rich.
But the natives of Iaxo had another plan — and what was once a strategic slam-dunk has become a quagmire, leaving the pilots of Flyboy, Inc., on an embattled distant planet, waiting for support and a ride home that may never come…
This dark debut novel tells the tale of a secret war — and the struggle to stay sane in a world that makes no sense.
At first, the double-hush, back-burner project went well. With a ten-century technological lead on the locals, the logistical support of a powerful private military company, and aid from other outfits on the ground, it was supposed to be an easy-in, easy-out mission that would make the pilots of Flyboy, Inc., very, very rich.
But the natives of Iaxo had another plan — and what was once a strategic slam-dunk has become a quagmire, leaving the pilots of Flyboy, Inc., on an embattled distant planet, waiting for support and a ride home that may never come…
This dark debut novel tells the tale of a secret war — and the struggle to stay sane in a world that makes no sense.
374 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 18, 2013
We've all read the stories of the colonial marines that swoop in and blow up or take out the bad guys. Ever wonder what it's like to be the bad guys?
This book is wonderfully narrative -- it actually brings you into the alien world, and at the same time it brings you in to the minds and bodies of the pilots. The writing and richness of description is some of the best that I've read in the science fiction genere in years; this reads more like an early Neal Stephenson or William Gibson book than it does a current genere title.
This book is wonderfully narrative -- it actually brings you into the alien world, and at the same time it brings you in to the minds and bodies of the pilots. The writing and richness of description is some of the best that I've read in the science fiction genere in years; this reads more like an early Neal Stephenson or William Gibson book than it does a current genere title.
November 1, 2013
One of my books at 47North. Biased, but love it. I'll admit, I don't quite get why people aren't as excited by this book as I am, but to each their own. All I'll say is that when I read this, I truly thought (and think): this is up there with the best of science fiction I've read. It's dark, it's ugly, but it's real. I think it's well-written and a stark reminder that war isn't all excitement and action. I honestly think this is a brilliant novel, and will continue to say so to anyone who asks!
December 29, 2023
Flyboy Inc. is one of the paramount Mercenary companies. Invading worlds on the cheap and getting whopping rewards of land and minerals. The problem is a much bigger organization is helping the indigenous, NRI. Now I really wanted the Colonial Marines to come out and beat them up bad.
The story is way to slow and it was hard keeping it going. But with all the end of year events and parties kept it going slowly.
The story is way to slow and it was hard keeping it going. But with all the end of year events and parties kept it going slowly.
February 7, 2014
Some people, maybe a lot of people, like books that copiously detail the negative side of the human experience, combining unhappy, if not unpleasant, characters, a horrid, if not hopeless, situation, and a depressing, if not downright ugly, environment.
“A Private Little War” (47North, $14.95, 496 pages) is all of that, and a bit more, but I won’t spoil the final pages by revealing whether the misery continues or not. Jason Sheehan’s novel is set on a faraway planet where a mercenary company is fighting an illegal war on the side of one group of “indigs,” as they’re called. The weather is awful, the food horrible, and the war stalled in a pointless stalemate.
The mercenaries themselves are a broken, wounded lot, and they treat the indigs with outright contempt (no one bothers to learn the language) and slaughter as many as they can (with as close to joy as Sheehan allows his characters to experience). Then, of course, things get worse. The protagonists are flying World War I planes (it’s easier to smuggle wooden parts than metal ones) which gives them a huge advantage, but like anything positive in “A Private Little War,” that advantage soon disappears.
If you like these kinds of books – and many people must – “A Private Little War” is for you. But if, like me, you enjoy at least an occasional ray of sunshine, spend your money elsewhere.
“A Private Little War” (47North, $14.95, 496 pages) is all of that, and a bit more, but I won’t spoil the final pages by revealing whether the misery continues or not. Jason Sheehan’s novel is set on a faraway planet where a mercenary company is fighting an illegal war on the side of one group of “indigs,” as they’re called. The weather is awful, the food horrible, and the war stalled in a pointless stalemate.
The mercenaries themselves are a broken, wounded lot, and they treat the indigs with outright contempt (no one bothers to learn the language) and slaughter as many as they can (with as close to joy as Sheehan allows his characters to experience). Then, of course, things get worse. The protagonists are flying World War I planes (it’s easier to smuggle wooden parts than metal ones) which gives them a huge advantage, but like anything positive in “A Private Little War,” that advantage soon disappears.
If you like these kinds of books – and many people must – “A Private Little War” is for you. But if, like me, you enjoy at least an occasional ray of sunshine, spend your money elsewhere.
January 13, 2014
This seemed like precisely the sort of book I would like: anachronistic technology, the evils of colonialism, counter-insurgency tactics, etc. Unfortunately, I found the questions raised by book more interesting than the actual writing. Thought provoking, at least. Ended up rereading Thud Ridge instead.
August 11, 2014
Awful, awful, awful in an amazing way. I really liked this book, the way it was written and because it was about kind of awful people doing horrible things in a rotten situation. It certainly wasn't a happy book, but I did find it oddly satisfying with its cutting realism and total lack of idealism.
April 3, 2020
This review originally published in < a href="http://www.lookingforagoodbook.com&qu... For a Good Book. Rated 1.0 of 5
A group of aviators have formed their own company, known as Flyboy, Inc. They've landed on an alien planet and have completely devastated everything natural to the world. They've exploited and killed the natives as the tried to rebel against these alien invaders, and they've ravished hundreds of millions of terrain.
It was supposed to be an easy mission for the mercenaries - with support from the ground and a private military organization - and it was going to make the Flyboys extremely rich. But the indigenous people had other plans. They weren't going to roll over as easily as the Flyboys expected and the easy mission became a long, drawn out affair that might not ever have an ending.
Unless you are a fan of WWI-era dogfight fiction in a science fiction setting, this is a book to ignore.
First, this is full of warrior machismo. It's slap-on-the-back buddy stuff. It's gear-head military fiction with plenty of descriptions about how things work (though surprisingly it's all based on World War I styles and mechanics despite being set in the future - which was honestly just really confusing). There's some rough, macho sex ("The sex hadn’t been nice. there’d been nothing friendly about it. it was rough and it was hard and that’d been fine. it’d been good because that was what he’d needed and she’d wanted and, so, what she’d taken from him.") and even the simplest descriptions are militaristic ("Under his hand, Cat's body was warm like a gun."). And there's death and destruction.
Lots of death and destruction.
Really this book is just a morass of stupid slaughter.
None of the characters in the book stood out as someone worthy of caring about. I didn't care about the characters - they were in this to get rich - and they were all cardboard stereotypes of 1930's era pilots.
The Science fiction aspect is negligible. This could have been set in 1930 with the invasion of an island. This could have been set in 1950 over Korea. This could have been set in 1960 in Vietnam. We get it. We're jerks. But without a purpose for the setting, this really was just a writer's practice at creating mood and characters. The mood was there, and it wasn't pleasant. The characters weren't.
Looking for a good book? Keep looking.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
A group of aviators have formed their own company, known as Flyboy, Inc. They've landed on an alien planet and have completely devastated everything natural to the world. They've exploited and killed the natives as the tried to rebel against these alien invaders, and they've ravished hundreds of millions of terrain.
It was supposed to be an easy mission for the mercenaries - with support from the ground and a private military organization - and it was going to make the Flyboys extremely rich. But the indigenous people had other plans. They weren't going to roll over as easily as the Flyboys expected and the easy mission became a long, drawn out affair that might not ever have an ending.
Unless you are a fan of WWI-era dogfight fiction in a science fiction setting, this is a book to ignore.
First, this is full of warrior machismo. It's slap-on-the-back buddy stuff. It's gear-head military fiction with plenty of descriptions about how things work (though surprisingly it's all based on World War I styles and mechanics despite being set in the future - which was honestly just really confusing). There's some rough, macho sex ("The sex hadn’t been nice. there’d been nothing friendly about it. it was rough and it was hard and that’d been fine. it’d been good because that was what he’d needed and she’d wanted and, so, what she’d taken from him.") and even the simplest descriptions are militaristic ("Under his hand, Cat's body was warm like a gun."). And there's death and destruction.
Lots of death and destruction.
Really this book is just a morass of stupid slaughter.
None of the characters in the book stood out as someone worthy of caring about. I didn't care about the characters - they were in this to get rich - and they were all cardboard stereotypes of 1930's era pilots.
The Science fiction aspect is negligible. This could have been set in 1930 with the invasion of an island. This could have been set in 1950 over Korea. This could have been set in 1960 in Vietnam. We get it. We're jerks. But without a purpose for the setting, this really was just a writer's practice at creating mood and characters. The mood was there, and it wasn't pleasant. The characters weren't.
Looking for a good book? Keep looking.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2017
This book frustrated me because I wanted to like it. The big premise - that giant corporations would use modified WW I technology to battle other corporations for planetary turf and resources because it's essentially valueless - made cynical sense to me. And Sheehan has a truly terrific knack of turning a phrase, setting a scene, making a senseless war gritty. It's really more of a contemplative literary piece than a scifi novel.
Sadly, though, the grit takes over. These mopey mercs swim in a morass of ennui for a good 75% of the book, and the tone never changes. Sheehan piles the beautiful descriptions of suffering, decay, and doubt on each other until it reaches tilt. I just wanted him to shut up and tell a story, but instead I felt like I was in the waiting room as he decided where he wanted things to go. Some characters have epic battles, but we don't see them. Some characters spend a lot of time on screen, but honestly I didn't really feel strongly for them because they don't really follow character arcs. They don't have small conflicts or wins/losses because in essence they are sleepwalking observers. They do what they do, without a lot of growth or variation.
Fans of dogfight tales (and I've read a lot of those, having gone through a serious WWII addiction in grade school) will be doubly disappointed by the almost total lack of combat footage. I wasn't too concerned about the technical details - and I find it comical that some people did criticize Sheehan's squadron composition and formations given that this takes place decades after WW I - but it's a pity that it doesn't have more action.
Eventually things do take a decided direction, but too little too late. Not enough rhythm had been established in the plot and character departments, and the whole thing felt clinical and stillborn by the finish. I'm all for literary in the right proportion but this didn't do it for me.
Tons of talent, though, and some great elements.
d chang
editor, Space Squid
Sadly, though, the grit takes over. These mopey mercs swim in a morass of ennui for a good 75% of the book, and the tone never changes. Sheehan piles the beautiful descriptions of suffering, decay, and doubt on each other until it reaches tilt. I just wanted him to shut up and tell a story, but instead I felt like I was in the waiting room as he decided where he wanted things to go. Some characters have epic battles, but we don't see them. Some characters spend a lot of time on screen, but honestly I didn't really feel strongly for them because they don't really follow character arcs. They don't have small conflicts or wins/losses because in essence they are sleepwalking observers. They do what they do, without a lot of growth or variation.
Fans of dogfight tales (and I've read a lot of those, having gone through a serious WWII addiction in grade school) will be doubly disappointed by the almost total lack of combat footage. I wasn't too concerned about the technical details - and I find it comical that some people did criticize Sheehan's squadron composition and formations given that this takes place decades after WW I - but it's a pity that it doesn't have more action.
Eventually things do take a decided direction, but too little too late. Not enough rhythm had been established in the plot and character departments, and the whole thing felt clinical and stillborn by the finish. I'm all for literary in the right proportion but this didn't do it for me.
Tons of talent, though, and some great elements.
d chang
editor, Space Squid
February 13, 2018
A WONDERFUL TALE OF THE FUTURE IN THE OLD DAYS....
Hello, I really, really like Mr. Sheehan's work. He is one of the most descriptive writers I have ever read. Not just with settings and characters, but the inner workings of the characters minds. Brilliant stuff. Great job. Thanks.
Hello, I really, really like Mr. Sheehan's work. He is one of the most descriptive writers I have ever read. Not just with settings and characters, but the inner workings of the characters minds. Brilliant stuff. Great job. Thanks.
April 10, 2020
Had to force myself to finish this book. I kind of get what the author was going for but it just didn't work. The pace was slow and grinding. You never connected with any of the characters. I think this was intentional but it makes for a bad read. I hate rating a book so low but anyone looking for a good book to read needs to be warned not to water their time here.
February 11, 2020
I have to say I enjoyed Tales from the Radiation Age more than this novel, but I will be keeping my eye out for his next novel. This one was harder to find. Inter Library Loan is a wonderful thing. It's free at Sac State. I'm trying to get the most out of my tuition.
May 10, 2013
When I first saw the description of A Private Little War my thoughts were of H. Beam Pipers Uller Uprising, a classic in science fiction; I still love Mr. Piper’s works and was seriously hoping Mr. Sheehan would be able to hit something between Uller Uprising and Catch-22 as Amazon Publishing description described it. Instead I got something very different and nothing like either of those two classics. Instead Mr. Sheehan brought me his love of WWI aircraft to a planet a company is trying to take over without showing he has any understanding of logistics or the type of aircraft necessary for the operation (I’m sorry, when a writer puts something and mixes it up; having aircraft with both 7.7mm and .303 because they flew with them in WWI is stupid. Merging that with how they only have 12 aircraft and he mentions at least six different types, augh!!! Merge that with limited upgrades to the aircraft, showing you don’t understand supply [I’m sorry, he mentioned a resupply mission to the planet and the weight of the fuel would have exceeded the weight of the resupply], and the aircraft you picked served no real purpose; the British usually sent Bristol Fighters [F2B’s] to do colonial work because of how versatile and rugged they were.) .. Ahhh, so much pain on the technical end… I’m sorry.
For the story itself it’s rather weak. The only relationship to Catch-22 is there’s pilots in both stories and some of the pilots were disgruntle in this one (I suspect Catch-22 is more complex than Amazon Publishing begins to imagine). As for my hope of being similar to the Uller Uprising; well there’s no real interaction with the natives and the story telling doesn’t compare to Mr. Piper’s ability. Instead we get to read about the pilots in a general sense at first emulating a WWI squadron (Mr. Sheehan, squadrons are usually made up of 12-20 aircraft, flights are 2-4), partying, enjoying the thrill of flying an open cockpit and being able to do what they want to the natives. Most of the story is told from one person’s perspective (Kevin Carter; btw, Mr. Sheehan liberally used aviator names from WWI for his airmen; Aauugh!!! I’m sorry, Bishop Forsyth, Hawker, McCudden, and Voss. Please Mr. Sheehan….). Occasionally another perspective is provided but usually it’s Kevin who must be pushing 40 based on his experience. Much time is spent describing the situation and environment with little progress toward the plot or letting the reader understand the basics of what the pilots are doing there with such low tech and why there aren’t more of them to suppress a continent of aliens. Because of weak story; it’s telling and its plot along with the poorly executed use of WWI aircraft I’m calling this one a 2 star book! Mr. Sheehan showed some possibility in the back half of the book (going to 3 stars) but the poor start and the meandering in the beginning makes it unlikely for a reader to make it to the back half.
For the story itself it’s rather weak. The only relationship to Catch-22 is there’s pilots in both stories and some of the pilots were disgruntle in this one (I suspect Catch-22 is more complex than Amazon Publishing begins to imagine). As for my hope of being similar to the Uller Uprising; well there’s no real interaction with the natives and the story telling doesn’t compare to Mr. Piper’s ability. Instead we get to read about the pilots in a general sense at first emulating a WWI squadron (Mr. Sheehan, squadrons are usually made up of 12-20 aircraft, flights are 2-4), partying, enjoying the thrill of flying an open cockpit and being able to do what they want to the natives. Most of the story is told from one person’s perspective (Kevin Carter; btw, Mr. Sheehan liberally used aviator names from WWI for his airmen; Aauugh!!! I’m sorry, Bishop Forsyth, Hawker, McCudden, and Voss. Please Mr. Sheehan….). Occasionally another perspective is provided but usually it’s Kevin who must be pushing 40 based on his experience. Much time is spent describing the situation and environment with little progress toward the plot or letting the reader understand the basics of what the pilots are doing there with such low tech and why there aren’t more of them to suppress a continent of aliens. Because of weak story; it’s telling and its plot along with the poorly executed use of WWI aircraft I’m calling this one a 2 star book! Mr. Sheehan showed some possibility in the back half of the book (going to 3 stars) but the poor start and the meandering in the beginning makes it unlikely for a reader to make it to the back half.
July 7, 2013
An infuriating ending knocks one star off what was a grimly humorous steampunk homage to Catch-22, although other readers might feel that the ending is actually an affirmation of humanity that elevates the book to classic status. They're wrong of course, because I'm always right.
The story centres on an illegal war on a distant planet, with a human corporation intervening in a centuries-old conflict in order to grab land rights. The problems of supply and maintenance mean that the pilots are flying souped-up WWI aircraft, but that's fine because the technology level of the 'indigs' is medieval. But the pilots and ground crew are just starting to realise that something is wrong and that victory isn't just taking too long, it isn't going to happen at all. Quite possibly, they are all going to die on this wet, filthy, miserable planet. Appropriately, they are slowly going mad.
Sheehan does the grim humour well, just as Heller did in Catch-22, although he can't match Heller's dark, absurdist philosophy. Each character gets a sympathetic portrayal, even psychotic commander Ted, who, unlike Colonel Cathcart in Catch-22, is stressed to breaking point rather than blinded by his own pompous stupidity.
It's a well-written, well plotted book - I particularly liked the hisses and consonants of the indigs' language described as like "a wet cat being beaten with an abacus" - although it does meander a bit in the middle. It's just a shame about the ending.
The story centres on an illegal war on a distant planet, with a human corporation intervening in a centuries-old conflict in order to grab land rights. The problems of supply and maintenance mean that the pilots are flying souped-up WWI aircraft, but that's fine because the technology level of the 'indigs' is medieval. But the pilots and ground crew are just starting to realise that something is wrong and that victory isn't just taking too long, it isn't going to happen at all. Quite possibly, they are all going to die on this wet, filthy, miserable planet. Appropriately, they are slowly going mad.
Sheehan does the grim humour well, just as Heller did in Catch-22, although he can't match Heller's dark, absurdist philosophy. Each character gets a sympathetic portrayal, even psychotic commander Ted, who, unlike Colonel Cathcart in Catch-22, is stressed to breaking point rather than blinded by his own pompous stupidity.
It's a well-written, well plotted book - I particularly liked the hisses and consonants of the indigs' language described as like "a wet cat being beaten with an abacus" - although it does meander a bit in the middle. It's just a shame about the ending.
July 25, 2013
This is a book I really should have liked. I like mid-century war novels. I like science fiction. A mashup of the two should have been right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book takes the surface-level elements of both, but fails the achieve the depths that either genre is capable of.
For me, the biggest problem with this whole concept is how archaic everything is. This is a future society, with future technology. And yet, the only world-building is to have characters and technology curiously trapped in the past -- archaic by today's standards. Add to that copying of a genre built on military draftees (it's been often compared to Catch-22, but to me it felt more like Mash) when these characters are all mercenaries and, for whatever, reason chose to go to war, and you end up with a logic mush from which I just could not extract myself.
That said, Sheehan does prove himself a very promising writer here. Good prose, strong characterizations, and a nice sense of whimsy combine to make me very curious to see what he does next.
For me, the biggest problem with this whole concept is how archaic everything is. This is a future society, with future technology. And yet, the only world-building is to have characters and technology curiously trapped in the past -- archaic by today's standards. Add to that copying of a genre built on military draftees (it's been often compared to Catch-22, but to me it felt more like Mash) when these characters are all mercenaries and, for whatever, reason chose to go to war, and you end up with a logic mush from which I just could not extract myself.
That said, Sheehan does prove himself a very promising writer here. Good prose, strong characterizations, and a nice sense of whimsy combine to make me very curious to see what he does next.
July 11, 2014
I made it a little over halfway through before I gave up. It's not that the book was bad -- it wasn't badly written at all, and there were several world building concepts that I thought were really interesting (like using old Fokkers and Sopwiths for fighting in the far future on alien worlds, due to the simplicity of manufacture, maintenance, and shipping). Unfortunately, it was a book about unpleasant people doing unpleasant things in unpleasant situations, and though I tried, I just couldn't get invested in any of the characters or situations. Not a bad book, just not a book for me.
September 14, 2015
I was walking along the Science Fiction section at the public library for a summer read and this title popped out. I love sci-fi, and this is a really well written novel, period. You can feel the dampness, the dreariness, and the glimmers of hope throughout. And the idea of futuristic biplanes was a great added touch. However as I have read what other reviewers have said, I remove one star because of the ending, the last two or three pages. If there is a novel begging for an alternative ending this is one of them.
July 28, 2013
I have to say that from the first page I did not like this book. I got from the Last Harvest on Amazon Vine. It was one I had passed over before and wished I had passed on it again. From the first where it read more like a World War I book to the last depressing page it just was not my type of book. It was well written (the only reason it got two stars instead of one) but it just did not have a plot that held me or characters that I cared about.
September 3, 2015
A war novel in space. About military contractors. With biplanes (don't worry, it's well explained).
A surprisingly good, surprisingly deep read for a book I just came across while trolling amazon for Space Opera. What I got was a dark, nuanced character study, well and tightly paced to build a real and compelling tension. I really did feel exhausted and hollowed out a bit as the last shots rang out. And that's the highest compliment I can give it.
A surprisingly good, surprisingly deep read for a book I just came across while trolling amazon for Space Opera. What I got was a dark, nuanced character study, well and tightly paced to build a real and compelling tension. I really did feel exhausted and hollowed out a bit as the last shots rang out. And that's the highest compliment I can give it.
February 6, 2014
This was a very interesting premise. The "cadre of technologically advanced mercenaries fighting for native people they actually rather despise" has obvious modern analogues, but the artificial limits on the technology employed also added some interesting angles.
Well worth reading if you like military sci-fi etc.
Well worth reading if you like military sci-fi etc.
August 22, 2015
Slow at first
It picks up half way through and is then a good book. Wish the first third was cut out and picked up from there. That would have given enough "current story" before dipping into the background story and action.
It picks up half way through and is then a good book. Wish the first third was cut out and picked up from there. That would have given enough "current story" before dipping into the background story and action.
July 30, 2014
I liked the book and would definitely re-read it. The ending was pretty much expected.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews