The War With Earth

New Kashubia #2

by Leo Frankowski, Dave Grossman

New Kashubia was a planet rich in heavy metals, but utterly lacking in carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Even dirt had to be imported at great expense. The colonists, moved there from Earth against their will, lived in tunnels drilled through solid gold but still were the poorest people in the universe. Since their only resource was people, they sent draftees out as mercenaries, fighting in tanks in symbiosis with a highly intelligent computer. And Mickolai Derdowski had fought bravely and brilliantly for nearly a decade, losing many friends in the process, and risen to the rank of General-he thought. But then he found out that it was all in virtual reality. The war had been faked, no one had died, and he was still just a tank commander, not a general at all. But New Kashubia had been well paid by the planet that had hired the mercenaries for the war they had faked, severe food rationing back home was no longer necessary, and people could now afford luxuries like homes and clothing. There was just one problem. A real war was looming on the horizon and this one couldn't be settled in cyberspace. A lot of people might get really, permanently killed. Such as Mickolai. . . .

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Fiction, Novels

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Scott Rhee]

This book gets 0 out of five stars from me. If it were possible to have negative stars, it would. Godawful shit that I'm amazed was even published. If you see a copy on the shelves, run...

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Baen usually publishes great stuff. However, this book was awful. The writing was worse than a B rate movie. The plot is clunky and lacked any depth. The chapters are super short and choppy. The characters' dialogue made me want to poke my own eyes out to save myself from another inane conversation. This book was a waste of valuable paper.

[Serge Fjetland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I vaguely remembered this book, and hunted it down.

Really impressed that Baen published this book at all, features a Mary Sue main character who has everything served to him on a silver platter, including a gorgeous wife, sexy tank.

It feels like a knockoff Bolo book, but without as good mil-fic.

[Johnathan Barazzuol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda reads like a world building exercise with some characters stitching it all into a story. Still fun in the style of a Heinlein book. It's worth noting that the story part is kinda lame and really takes second fiddle to the tech.

[x x x · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

As enjoyable and Kindle as it was in paperback. This series was similar and almost as good as a Conrad stargard series.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The War With Earth is classic style SF. I grew up on the likes of the Stainless Steel Rat, with a super competent main character (and often a loving wife) outwitting the rest of society. This story is right off that block, with main character being a Soldier in charge of a super battle tank that is powered with by a sentient AI. Working with his wife and other members of his command staff his team thwart both the public (by protecting the secrets of the Kabushian Expeditionary Force) and the Earth invaders.

Things come awfully easily to Mickolai. The opposition is shown as dreadfully incompetent (let's face it, competent can be a pain) and with the aid of the AI's very few things slow him and his team down for long. A neat part of this book is the concept of Dreamworld, where a user linked to the computer can experience things at multiples (17-30 times) real life. Makes basic training or even earning a PhD possible in very short time.

All in all a fun fast read.

[Bryan457 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I don't really remember most of this book because I was so ticked that in the first chapter he turns around and ruins the first book for me, aarrrggh! Seems like there are also hints that this is now a historical record because humans are extinct.

[Christopher Yockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it.