Warlord

The General #1-2

by David Drake, S.M. Stirling

WARLORD

Raj Whitehall was a young noble of the Civil Government, the last remnant of galactic civilization on the planet Bellevue. Possessed of an unparalleled strategic genius, Raj dreamed of leading his people's armies to victory against the barbarians who threatened to engulf them.

Yet it was not exterior enemies who were Raj's greatest challenge, but the Civil Government itself. Its bureaucrats had become corrupt extortionists. The ranks of its armies were filled with barbarian mercenaries ready to turn on the paymasters they despised. Those at the highest levels sank their knives into each other's backs even as the barbarians closed in. And the Governor himself, the man to whom Raj has sworn and given absolute loyalty, nourished a paranoid envy and mistrust that grew with every victory Raj won....

Luckily for Bellevue, Raj had a hidden asset beyond the worship of his troops and his own genius for war. Raj was possessed of—or possessed by—a ''guardian angel'' that guided him inexorably toward the goal of planetary dominion. But could even a battle computer of the Galactic Age be enough to counter the fury of Raj's enemies ... and the treachery of his ''friends''

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management).

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Military Science Fiction, Ebooks, War, Military Fiction

693 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman]

Maybe?? See Dantegideon's 3-star review, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"... the books are stuffed with mass rape and lengthy descriptions of mutilation. “War is brutal; and now, adorable dog cavalry!” They’re well written, no doubt about that, but it wasn’t much fun. And it doesn’t help that the hero’s objective is to conquer and replace corrupt governments with an equally awful one. ..."

Huh. Maybe not? On the TBR for years, I (often) like both authors, not hard to find, but....

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Forge (1991) and The Hammer (1992) are the first two books of the series in this omnibus edition.
The historical partnership of Belisarius and Justinian appears to be the foundation for the series, a taste of Rome/Byzantium with a hint of British Raj. Human civilization has regressed to Byzantine politics and society with 17th century military technology. Warlord describes Raj Whitehall's first two military campaigns to establish the Civil Government's hegemony on Bellevue with the aid of an 'ancient' technology.

[Aaron Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series might deserve more like a 4, but it got so tiresome. *OBSERVE* With the damned computer interrupting left and right with the flow to the main character viewpoint. That actually got less prevalent the farther you got into the series, but still, I wasn't left feeling it was nearly as good as most other stuff by Stirling.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant series because Drake's experience (as a tank commander in 'Nam) really shows in the detailed military engagements and tactics. The characters are basic, strong characters and the suspense and plot are really good.
Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates tactics and set piece engagements.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just read the Belisarius series by Eric Flint and David Drake (and done a little research on the real general both series are based on), I found this book's take very different. Raj Whitehall is much more straightforward in his tactics and his wife is more colorful.
The Warlord contains what was originally published as two books, and they tell a tale of a smart and charismatic general who fight against overwhelming odds to save and expand the empire he loves and faithfully serves one of the most paranoid emperors on the planet. There is intrigue, action, and half ton dogs, what more could you want?

[Dantegideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are a strange mix of camp silliness and extreme brutality. They live on a planet full of dinosaurs and worship a sort of eighties computer. They ride 1,000lb dogs to war. (How do they feed them? “three times what a man eats”; they either breed very fat men on Bellevue, or the dogs stay pretty darn hungry.) At the same time the books are stuffed with mass rape and lengthy descriptions of mutilation. “War is brutal; and now, adorable dog cavalry!” They’re well written, no doubt about that, but it wasn’t much fun. And it doesn’t help that the hero’s objective is to conquer and replace corrupt governments with an equally awful one. Are we supposed to be rooting for this?

[Jeffrey Jelmeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took me a couple of attempts to finish, and I read it primarily because of Stirling's name in the writing credits. David Drake is a name I always link with hard, military oriented science fiction, and this book (books?) shows his input quite clearly. I wish that more of Stirling's characterizations had come out in the book, but overall it was an enjoyable read. Now to get the next volume from the library.

[Nathan Balyeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Drake and SM Stirling combine together to create some very readable military sci-fi/historic-like fiction that I found very enjoyable.

The downsides of this two book omnibus are really only in the depth of the characters. While typical of the genre and the authors, it actually helps keep the story moving quickly from action to action.

If you like military fiction, this is a great start to a great series.

[Text Addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid military fanfic, with an interesting mashup of ancient Roman Empire and early modern British Empire cultures and technologies, with some 19th-century tidbits thrown in. Oh, and with science fiction elements too, of course.

[James Baldini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series.

I read it when I was younger 20 years or so ago. It was amazing then and it's amazing hasn't worn off. Great job!

[Fresno Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

very fighty

[John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite series. Alternative history of conquest.

Note that this is a omnibus edition of 2 novels within the series.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Product Description

The Governor, to whom Raj Whitehall has sworn absolute loyalty, nourishes a paranoid envy and mistrust that grows with every victory. Can even a battle computer of the Galactic Age be enough to counter the fury of Raj's enemies - and the treachery of his "friends"?

--- My notes

Omnibus version of the General series, volumes 1 & 2.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good reading this omnibus of The Forge/The Hammer as when I read the books when they first came out. Good mix of politics, military and science fiction.

It's the reluctant hero, doing what he can in a crappy situation.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warlord and Conqueror are an interesting pair of books. They're interesting to read, and the strategy and tactics of General Raj Whitehall seem very well thought out to my untrained eye. I enjoyed these books, and would recommend them to anyone who wanted an alternate war history.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first two in this series are great, I just wanted to comment on the phenomenally stupid cover that A) is taken from the prologue, and B) has no bearing on 97% of the book, which is set with (American) Civil War-era tech, not futuretech...

[Oddmix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is an omnibus edition of the first half of the Raj Whitehall books. An excellent exploration of the character traits and growth of a leader.

[Ford Prefect · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I personally didn't enjoy it much, it is well written.
It is mostly battlefield operations and their details. Very little anything outside of the battles.

[Joe Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warlord by David Drake (2003)