Captain

Dirigent Mercenary Corps #3

by Rick Shelley

Young lieutenant Lon Nolan and his companions in the Dirigent Mercenary Corps journey to the distant planet of Aldrin, a world torn apart by a fierce civil war, only to become caught between two warring colonies and faced with the betrayal of their employer. Original.

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Fiction, War

281 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Otis Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain by Rick Shelley shows that our boy Lon Nolan is climbing up that military ladder faster than a squirrel up a hickory tree. Lon has finally gone and earned his lieutenant's pips after surviving some hairy scraps, and he even manages to find himself a sweet gal named Sara Pines who he's fixin' to marry. But before he can even think about settling down, the big bosses at the Dirigent Mercenary Corps ship his rear end out to a distant rock named Aldrin. This planet is torn right down the middle by a nasty civil war, and Lon and his buddies get dropped smack into the crossfire between two warring colonies. To make matters worse, it ain't long before the folks who hired the DMC start acting slicker than a wet slab of slate, leaving the mercenaries facing a big ol' plate of betrayal. Now, this paperback has all that same down-to-earth grunt perspective that made the first two books a hoot, focusing heavily on squad tactics, heavy armor, and the sweat of the front lines. If you've been following along, the title Captain is a hair of a tease, because Lon spends the heft of this book still wearing his lieutenant stripes while doing the actual heavy lifting. The romance subplot adds a little bit of sugar to all that gunpowder, but the real meat on the bone is watching Lon handle the pressure when the local employers pull the rug out from under his boots. It’s a solid, hard-hitting chunk of 1999 military sci-fi that reads clean and fast.

[Alex Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this is the third book in the series, this is the second one I have read. I apparently lined the books up in the wrong order and didn’t notice until all over halfway in. In some ways I’m grateful because that means that nothing from the second book was spoiled other than the obvious. On the other hand it surprises me that so little was mentioned from the second book, at least anything that could be directly noticed.

My only real problem with the book was certain events being spread along, but other than that, I’m enjoying this series, and I enjoyed the book.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lon Nolan leaves Earth'e military academy to emigrate to the mercenary world of Dirigent who send their troops throughout space. Rising to the rank of captain and meeting the woman he wants to marry, he is sent with his unit on a contract to Aldrin where he encounters fierce fighting that could prevent him from going home again.

[Sean Randall · Rating 3 out of 5]

They're getting better. A little worrying, the level of homesickness for earth, but with a marriage on the cards things are looking up. Though the title is a little misleading; he's still a Lieutenant all the way through!

[Jim Stennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a little more 'talkie' than the previous two, but Shelley had to establish some personal life for his character. The politics of the world they are on this time gets a little dull, but still a fun series and a nice battle at the end of this entry makes up for some of the diplomacy.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

1

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not bad... but the courtship with his future wife was really short.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked this one..didn't LOVE it..not sure why.