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Cadre Trilogy #1
Cadre One
THE GALACTIC KILLER ELITE
Since his childhood, Pol Tyrees was groomed for the Cadre, the intergalactic super-police force. And as a cadre officer, he carried out each task emotionlessly ad efficiently, whether it was investigating shady deals, interrogating prisoners, or killing traitors.
But during an assignment on remote Tercet, one of that planet’s mystic Seers taught him a whole new way of thinking. And Pol began to ask questions – questions that brought him into direct conflict with the Cadre.
Since his childhood, Pol Tyrees was groomed for the Cadre, the intergalactic super-police force. And as a cadre officer, he carried out each task emotionlessly ad efficiently, whether it was investigating shady deals, interrogating prisoners, or killing traitors.
But during an assignment on remote Tercet, one of that planet’s mystic Seers taught him a whole new way of thinking. And Pol began to ask questions – questions that brought him into direct conflict with the Cadre.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
263 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 30, 2019
Some dated concepts in here haven't aged well, but in general a sprawling sci-fi story that manages to portray the dangers of indoctrination and blind faith through the focused journey of a protagonist across several decades. If written today, it would feature more specific places and a larger cast to allow for a film adaptation. I can't tell you how easy it would have been for this to be a cheesy mess, but I was pleasantly surprised in how poetic and effective the prose was.
March 22, 2023
This book reads like a mashup of Foundation and Ender’s Game with a dash of Dune and Starship Trooper. It was published the same year as Ender’s Game, so it’s probably not aping that book despite some surprisingly similar story elements.
You’d think from my initial assessment that I didn’t like the book. That’s not the case. There’s nothing startlingly original and it’s not breath-takingly eloquent, but it was a good enjoyable read with a solid story. And that’s my main criteria for a good book. I enjoyed it enough that I scoured the internet for some reasonably priced copies of Cadre Lucifer and Cadre Messiah, the 2nd and 3rd books in the trilogy. Fortunately it’s not too hard to find the whole trilogy, and it won’t cost an arm and a leg.
The general setup is a 3 thousand year old galaxy spanning empire that’s predicted to collapse very soon, hence the Foundation comparison. The main character Pol Tyrees starts as a kid and goes into a tough military training program, hence the Ender’s Game comparison. There are some scenes which also strongly reminded of Ender’s Game. The zero g training that’s part strategy training, part combat training, part sport against other cadets. It’s one of the bits that really stuck with me from Ender’s Game, and there is a very reminiscent section in this book. Then there’s a remark from a character about the filtering process for recruits where they could just stick their hands in a black box and writhe about in agony. I can’t find the section in the book, it was only a paragraph throw away remark, but I thought he pinched that straight from Dune. The book follows through his whole training and career, his rise from cadet in Cadre Seven to officer in Cadre One. The whole hierarchy is also explained in the book. This has a lot of parallels with Starship Trooper.
So while everything seems derivative in isolation the way it all combines makes a good book. It’s not a clone of any book to cash in, but it’s influences are clearly evident.
There is also an alien menace mentioned through-out this book. That plotline isn’t resolved here, it’s clearly being set up for the later books.
This will never be included in Gollancz SF Masterworks series, but I can still recommend it as a good read.
You’d think from my initial assessment that I didn’t like the book. That’s not the case. There’s nothing startlingly original and it’s not breath-takingly eloquent, but it was a good enjoyable read with a solid story. And that’s my main criteria for a good book. I enjoyed it enough that I scoured the internet for some reasonably priced copies of Cadre Lucifer and Cadre Messiah, the 2nd and 3rd books in the trilogy. Fortunately it’s not too hard to find the whole trilogy, and it won’t cost an arm and a leg.
The general setup is a 3 thousand year old galaxy spanning empire that’s predicted to collapse very soon, hence the Foundation comparison. The main character Pol Tyrees starts as a kid and goes into a tough military training program, hence the Ender’s Game comparison. There are some scenes which also strongly reminded of Ender’s Game. The zero g training that’s part strategy training, part combat training, part sport against other cadets. It’s one of the bits that really stuck with me from Ender’s Game, and there is a very reminiscent section in this book. Then there’s a remark from a character about the filtering process for recruits where they could just stick their hands in a black box and writhe about in agony. I can’t find the section in the book, it was only a paragraph throw away remark, but I thought he pinched that straight from Dune. The book follows through his whole training and career, his rise from cadet in Cadre Seven to officer in Cadre One. The whole hierarchy is also explained in the book. This has a lot of parallels with Starship Trooper.
So while everything seems derivative in isolation the way it all combines makes a good book. It’s not a clone of any book to cash in, but it’s influences are clearly evident.
There is also an alien menace mentioned through-out this book. That plotline isn’t resolved here, it’s clearly being set up for the later books.
This will never be included in Gollancz SF Masterworks series, but I can still recommend it as a good read.
April 6, 2018
For the series...
Initially, read it back in the 80's (1985, or so), in high school.
Liked it back then. re-read it recently, and the sequels.
Liked the over-all story, but, noticed a few errors (typographical, gramatical, etc), as I have aged (and finally passed an english class).
Not sure if Robert's still writing, (or around), but, wouldn't mind seeing more in the series.
Initially, read it back in the 80's (1985, or so), in high school.
Liked it back then. re-read it recently, and the sequels.
Liked the over-all story, but, noticed a few errors (typographical, gramatical, etc), as I have aged (and finally passed an english class).
Not sure if Robert's still writing, (or around), but, wouldn't mind seeing more in the series.
August 9, 2020
Probably my third read, still good. The first half of this book is so similar to "Dawn for a Distant Earth" by L. E. Modesitt Jr. I doubt there was any derivation by either author, just a weird similarity.
November 2, 2021
Mr. O'Riordan was my high school English teacher many years ago. If you can ignore the stereotypical male hero quest outset, this novel offers well written and imaginative science fiction as the protagonist pursues the Holtz Effect. The story would make a great anime.
March 31, 2023
This is the book that started a life long addiction to Science Fiction for me. Still one of the best books I have ever read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews