Stark's War

Stark's War #1

by John G. Hemry

In a brutal battle for control of Earth's satellite, Sergeant Ethan Stark must train his squadron to fight in an airless atmosphere against a desperate enemy. But ensuring survival means choosing which orders to obey-and which to ignore.

Genres: Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Space Opera, Audiobook, Action

Audiobook

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Also writes under the pseudonym of Jack Campbell.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a line in this book, "ignorance makes being sure easy"...I'd say that's an appropriate line for this novel. So, two stars. I suppose you're asking what's the worst thing about this book?

The fact I bought it instead of getting a library copy.

John G. Hemry (writing as Jack Campbell) wrote the Lost Fleet series. That is an excellent science fiction/space opera series. I give it high marks and my highest recommendation. It's why I felt "secure" in buying this novel. This is Hemry's first novel.

It shows.

The best word I can come up with here is "sad". On the other end of that scale is ludicrous. There is virtually no action in the first half of this book and what I'd call questionable action in the second half. Though we come to a sort of apparent almost last stand set up it still concentrates on esoteric parts of the story.

The book opens with a very long set up that is apparently a tutorial on Hemry's political views...and beliefs. The story itself is built on the well trod science fiction ground of the evil corporations having come to dominate the government. (I've seen stories using that since at least the 1950s). In this case the story opens up after what is referred to as a crash at the end of the twentieth century (the book was written in 2000). Now America (those evil bast**ds) is the only superpower in the world and "owns everything". Why it's so bad the rest of the world had to go to the moon to own anything!!! Well they started to mine and make money. They were running laboratories and doing wonderful work (obviously curing cancer and other diseases...finding a way to spread flowers and helping kittens and puppies, that sort of thing). Well when the EVIL Americans saw there was money to be made they wanted the moon to. So they sent Stark and other soldiers. Of course the corporations made sure they didn't spend enough money to actually be successful... Just one of the self-contradictory parts of the book. Be ready for lots of Big business is evil and America is a slave to business.

We get lots of time changes in the opening half of the book. What went before what came on the moon, oh wait now we're back at what happened on the way to the moon, now we're back in the jungle before we came to the moon.

Oh, why were we in the jungle? Why of course at the beginning of the 21st century America grabbed up all the world's dwindling oil supplies.

Rrrrriiiggghhhttt. Am I the only one who knows that we're under a drill moratorium? That American oil companies are finding it almost impossible to drill BECAUSE of our own government? Am I the only one noticing that state backed drillers from "other countries" and oil companies from "other countries" are drilling in the Gulf of Mexico but we aren't?

Mr. Hemry was I believe a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy and that seems to have helped in the Lost Fleet books. He apparently knows less about ground operations. There were some egregious examples of attempted micromanagement in the Middle East. Troops threatened with prosecution for actions taken in combat, troops sent into battle without proper body armor (it made the news when guys wrote home for families to buy them body armor). Hemry takes that and builds on it and it's one of the few parts of this sad novel that I agree needs to be there. Another problem however is there are so many inaccurate statements mixed in that even this loses its punch. There's a statement about the jamming problem in the M16 (an obsolete weapon in this book). "Why are they still shooting at us with them?" "Why the companies sold all the good ones."

The M16 had some bad problems when first deployed, Want me to go into it? Yeah, I thought not. From the M16A1 it was (and is) a good and reliable weapon. There's more of the same.

There is some action in the book but it's mostly stories told of how bad it's been and what's wrong and bad and why Stark decides to rebel.

I was very disappointed in this one. It's angsty and full of a lot political propaganda from the author's head. I am a "very big small government" guy (get it a big small government guy?). I could have enjoyed a story of a rebellion against a totalitarian government if it had been even halfway sensible. No...I'd say for that go with The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I'd give this one a pass.

Too bad as I like some of the author's other work.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an intriguing book - not so much for the story - the back cover pretty much tells it all, and since its part of a trilogy if you didnt get a hint of what was coming reading the back of the second and third books makes it pretty obvious. However the intrigue is from the book itself - you could say this is a case of cynical exploitation - the book was originally released in 2000 by John G Hemry however this copy is released in 2011 by Jack Campbell - now obvious Jack Campbell had the success from the Lost Fleet series and the spin off series it created with great success (I am working my way through them and loving the space opera feel to them) so now its time to get MR Hemry and Mr Campbell to release the books (along with JAG in space with new covers and new author notes - not to mention a bump in prices) anyway I guess this is nothing new (MR BACKMAN anyone?) but what of the book. Its a good solid military story where the character in question is believable and understandable - nothing comic book about him or too good to be true just an honest solider who thinks things have got out of hand.
I guess now that the characters are in the process of backing themselves in to a corner its time to see what they do and that is where book number 2 comes in. The series is interesting and intriguing but its not the lost fleet- then again I don't think anyone is expecting it to be and that makes it all a bit more fun.

[Eric Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stark's War
Book 1 of the Stark's War Trilogy
By John G. Hemry writing under the name Jack Campbell

A review by Eric Allen

After a career in the navy, ending with a stint in the Pentagon, John G. Hemry retired to take up a career as a writer, and has become one of the most popular military science fiction writers of the present day. During his time in the Pentagon he was witness to a lot of things that he found to be rather distasteful that could lead to some major problems down the road if not stopped. Namely that high ranking military commanders were playing politics and jockeying for higher standing and rank rather than doing their jobs and staying in touch with what is actually happening out on the field and adapting accordingly, and the feeling that the higher ups now need to micromanage every single detail of a mission plan using the newer modern communications technology that we have. And America's recent greed and propensity to use military might to secure natural resources. He wrote Stark's War as a cautionary tale of what could come about if these attitudes continue.

Ethan Stark is an Enlisted Non Commissioned officer in the US army, A.K.A. Sergeant. He and the other enlisted men are constantly micromanaged by their superiors even when what the superiors order makes no sense at all. He is a competent leader of men, and his squad follows him because they know he's got their best interests in mind. He has a history of disobeying orders or suggesting alternate plans when he thinks his men will be put into situations of undue risk. When foreign powers move their operations to the moon to mine for resources after the USA laid claim to everything on earth, the military is ordered to the moon to take that for America as well. After a long, bloody and fruitless war on the moon's surface, a new general has come up with a plan to win once and for all. The only problem is that he is so out of touch with reality that he is going to get thousands of men killed, dropping the last straw on Stark in the process.

The good? My first encounter with Jack Campbell was through his Lost Fleet series, which I found to be entertaining, but lacking in some very important areas such as characters and descriptive elements. I was aware that he had two other series of books, but I was a little apprehensive over picking them up and finding more of the same. I enjoyed The Lost Fleet, but the lack of anything resembling a well rounded character, and the gratuitous use of numbers rather than people to make me feel bad about ships having been destroyed really kind of put me off anything else that he wrote. A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift with the promise that it is far better in these respects. And it is. You really get to know the characters, their personalities, likes, dislikes, different senses of humor and so on. They aren't just nameless, faceless cannon fodder. When one of them dies, you feel for them. It is a real, tangible loss. When bad things happen to them, there's actual drama and suspense, because you care about what happens to them. These were things that were completely absent in The Lost Fleet. Which I find rather funny, because the entire theme of the Stark's War trilogy is that it's about the people, not the battles, or the war, or anything else, the people are the important part. There's a moment in the third book where Stark has this huge epiphany and comes to that realization, giving him the motivation to do the right thing in the end, and then Campbell went on to write the Lost Fleet where he completely ignores such an important lesson that he tried to teach.

Campbell obviously did quite a bit of research and speculation on how things would react in the lower gravity of the moon. His grasp of the science and physics involved is exemplary and remains consistent throughout the entire book. You can tell that he has real world experience with the physics of movement and applied that knowledge to his writing to make some very believable situations and reactions.

There is quite a bit of humor in this book that is very dry, sarcastic and witty, exactly the kind that I enjoy most. And the characters talk to each other, laugh joke, and react to one another as actual people might. This is something that a lot of writers forget in their first published work or three. They're so tied up in getting the things said that need saying that they often forget to make the people saying them say them in a natural way. Campbell has done an excellent job of making these characters feel natural.

The bad? The only complaint I really have about this book is that the writing is not exactly spectacular. I mean, it is Campbell's first published work after all, and most, if not all writers are still a little rough around the edges with their first book, so it's pretty excusable in my opinion. The entertainment value it offered more than made up for the amateurish writing.

In conclusion, I was a little apprehensive over picking up this book, but I should not have been. It is a very entertaining cautionary tale with great characters, sound science and physics, good humor, and a whole lot of fun. I highly recommend it to any fans of Science Fiction or Military Science Fiction, and give the other two books in the trilogy the same recommendation. I enjoyed these books a great deal.

Check out my other reviews.

[Cosimo · Rating 1 out of 5]

It pains me to say this, but I couldn't finish this book. It was really bad. It's hard to believe, reading this first novel, that the man who wrote it would later become such a GREAT writer.
I thank the stars I didn't begin with this book. I would've stopped here, never wanting to hear about this author again, and therefore missing his other MUCH better works. And that would've been such a huge loss for me.

[Paul Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good to start here with Jack Campbell's Military SF I think.

Not a great read, but a competent one for sure. I can see why he is a leader in the Military SF genre.

I liked it well enough even if it was a bit rough around the edges and I found the characters and world just okay.

I will continue this series, but really look forward to the Lost Fleet books, but I'm glad I started here to see this author's growth though.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

For books over a decade old the Stark series are pretty good mil-fic that Space Opera fans will like.

Ethan Stark is the sergeant of a squadron in a future where people (well, Americans) have returned to the Moon and are establishing a network across the solar system. There is conflict between the corporate businesses of America and other countries, though the actual fighting takes place using multinational sponsored troops and materiel. There are ‘regular’ soldiers but the command groups, being too valuable to risk, are away from the battle-zone, directing actions through the lieutenants. All of this is shown live on television, which contributes by paying the costs of the engagements.

Ethan Stark is one of the ‘real’ soldiers on the ground, a platoon sergeant leading his men in difficult situations. His honest and straight-forward approach is often at odds with both the TV corporations and the leaders he’s sworn to work for. He hacks into the mission Tactical Plans which otherwise would be denied to him, so that he can guide his men effectively.

The first third of this book deals with a first sortie to the moon. Arriving misplaced from their drop zone in the Sea of Tranquillity, the team find that they are forced to fight a raiding enemy force whilst defending what they have claimed. The mission is messy and some of Stark’s best trainees are killed.

In the second part of the book Stark’s soldiers face the enemy in a raid meant to destroy an enemy refinery but really designed to improve declining television popularity ratings. It is another bungled catastrophe and many are killed whilst Stark is also wounded.

The last section of the book deals with Stark’s recovery and his return to active warfare. Another major battle ensues with men stranded and major losses until Stark steps in and reluctantly assumes command, effectively mutinying against the senior officers. The end has an interesting development (which I won’t spoil here) which moves things up a gear, ready for the next book in the series.

This is a solidly written, action-packed mil-SF novel. The action scenes are very well done, the main characters fairly straightforward, the motivations for the characters clear. There’s the odd misstep – a scene where an infantryman has to explain World War One to his fellow soldiers seemed a little far-fetched to me, and later an explanation of the Spartans, for example – but really most readers will probably know what to expect and have bought it to meet those criteria: heroism, difficult odds, impossible situations, they’re all here, but in the end it is the loyalty and bravery of the soldiers and their camaraderie against all complications (usually of the bungling officer kind), and their function to get a difficult job done, that makes this a worthwhile read. In these days of Big Brother television, it’s interesting to see a possible consequence in future war.

Whilst nothing particularly new, (war is bad, fellow combatants are good, officers don’t know what they’re doing) it is a good page-turner that will amply satisfy fans of this sub-genre. Fans of Baen Books, John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series, Jack McDevitt, David Weber or John Ringo are going to like this one. It’s also not a bad place to start for those who’ve come across this after playing Halo and want to try a book with similar themes.

[Cris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected to like this book considering how much I enjoyed the author's "The Lost Fleet" series. But I couldn't get involved in the book. Maybe it's because I found the protagonist here--Sgt Ethan Stark--less appealing. Stark isn't unappealing, but he is rather stereotypical for a fictional noncom military man.

And I found the basic premise to be off-putting as well as unrealistic. I know people, both as individuals and as a group, can be stupid, but the premise seems to be pushing that stupidity expectation beyond what I can easily swallow. In many ways the idea of a military that operates to benefit large corporations and civilians watching battles like a reality-TV show are logical conclusions of today's trends. But I don't enjoy reading about it. And I disliked the conversation within Stark's squad where only one person was familiar with history--he was the only person who'd heard of WWI!

[Indy Kochte · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the not-too-distant future (~100 years hence), America remains the lone remaining superpower, as pretty much most all of the other governments have totally collapsed, leaving corporations in charge (although, really, America isn't the America we all know and love nowadays, as corporations are pretty much in charge of it, too, pulling the strings of the civilian politicians and military alike). And as the only superpower, America (as directed by the corporations) has pretty much taken over most of Earth's resources. For the other Earth corporations to grow, they had to look elsewhere for resources. In this case, the Moon, as America had long ago abandoned space. Not long after the other corporations began establishing colonies, America (and its corporations) realized that those same other corporations were beginning to flourish, and so turned its eyes upwards to the Moon. Hungry for more resources, America sent it's under-funded military, controlled by military officer politician wannabes, to take the Lunar resources from the other corporations. Our story picks up at this point, and our hero, Sgt Ethan Stark, in charge of 3rd Squad, ends up wrestling with his own demons, grappling with his loyalties (to fellow soldiers and his country), getting into conflicts with the officers put in charge of his platoon (for the most part wannabe politicians in military garb), and without giving too much away, ultimately taking on the larger picture as fellow soldiers from another division are massacred before his eyes in a blindly foolish Napoleonic charge against solid enemy defenses, which puts him in a place and position he did not expect or want, but had the integrity and fortitude of honor and spirit to assume.

The American military of Stark's era has a close resemblance to our modern-day militaries in make-up and structure (and supply problems), but there are differences, generally in the officer ranks (almost stereotypical) and in 'how things are done', than there are today (example: in Stark's universe, if an officer exhibits military competence, they generally don't last and/or never attain higher rank, but if they demonstrate political competence, they quickly excel to higher ranks as their political acumen dictates).

This is one of the best sci-fi combat books I have read in a long time. As much as I liked and enjoyed "The Lost Fleet" series by the same author, I think I enjoyed this one just that much more. It's not *perfect*, but it's damn close. The detail paid to the lunar environment and its effect on combat and general movement is telling. It's detail like this, when married to a compelling story and interesting characters, that 'do it' for me. The story finishes somewhat open-ended, and there are two more books in the series that follow (Stark's Command and Stark's Crusade)

Finally, if you're a gamer who likes rules sets such as "StarGrunt" or "Tomorrow's War", you will find a plethora of scenarios and combat situations to re-enact on the gaming table using those game systems.

[Fred Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Campbell spins another space opera, this time on the moo, in this the first book in the Starks Was trilogy.

Stark is just a simple Segeant who finds himself with the most incompetent senior officers. It's really not their fault as they are micro managed by the next step up the military ladder and those at that level are in fact micromanaged by their bosses.

The big bosses rotate through every 6 months to add another location to their resume in their quest for promotion. Now that a direct video feed is available from troops in the field there must be action action action. Even if it has to be created at the expense of the lives of those involved. After all, good ratings make for faster promotions and field staff are just assets to be used to attain your promotional goals.

On a regular basis Stark sort of inprovises, particularly as it relates to the 12 people in his squad, and he has been successful to this point. However the current campaign involves throwing as many troops as possible at the enemy with the intent of shocking them. That really doesn't work on the moon as thousands of troops who are advancing on order, are slaughtered with even more put forward as sacrifices.

Stark endures it for a short period of time but soon feels compelled to act before everyone else dies.

To what ends will Stark move ?

Is Stark leadership material or just a hot head ?

Is the new strategy, unsuccessfully used by Napolean, actualy going to work on the moon ?

Lots of top class military sci fi from one of the best in the field

Highly recommended book and series

Other two books in the trilogy are Stark's Command and Stark's Crusade

[Doug Dandridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stark's War was classic Jack Campbell (John Hemry) and is a very good military science fiction page turner. Set in the near future in which corporate America, already in charge of the world's wealth, hungers for more, and more is found, among the growing mining and manufacture industries of the moon. America's military has shrunk in size and grown in quality, over stretch at enforcing the Pax on Earth, now they are tasked with taking the moon away from the other powers by force. And all the while the high command keeps an eye on ratings. In fact, that was one of the best ideas in the book, as military campaigns are planned based on their media ratings potential, regardless of sound military strategy and tactics, or their cost in human lives. Not the greatest military science fiction novel ever, but definitely worth the read.

[G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a military science fiction novel, but I believe the storyline is really secondary to the criticisms of the modern military machine. His primary targets are the officers, politicians, and corporations who benefit from their policies, which are generally motivated by greed and career advancement, not concern for the soliders executing the actions. So it's the grunts on the front lines who are dying while the citizens are watching on television. Ethan Stark is a seargent of a squadron of twelve men and women and despite these obstacles he makes it his mission to make sure his people won't ever have to die futilely.

[Court · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great milscifi series. The author describes the challenges and realities of infantry combat on the moon as if he had actually been there. The character of Stark, as well as his supporting characters, are real and believable and the reader is pulled into their lives during the events of this series.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is first rate military science fiction by John G. Hemry a.k.a. Jack Campbell. If you like the Lost Fleet books you will like Sergeant Ethan Stark. I recommend this book to all fans of military science fiction.

[Lewis Hyam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't let the military read this - tv ratings for real time war.....scary idea, and entirely believable

[Woody James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one took me back to my days as an US Navy Chief when I would get young Ensigns as division officers. Some right out of OCS and some from the Academy (they were the worst). Not a clue what was what in the electronics field, not willing to learn and so often gone before they had a chance to learn anything anyway. But it was my job to teach them as much as I could about leading young sailors and doing the paperwork necessary as a division office because trying to teach them anything else was a waste of time. Being older, sometimes having been in the Navy longer than they had been alive, didn't help. They probably didn't listen to their fathers either. There were some good ones and I met one at the decommissioning of a ship we commissioned, after I retired, that had made Captain. And an academy grad too. He was probably the best of the crop of young officers I had as division officers. I was happy to see he did well.

[Steve Alink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply had chosen this book by its cover (September 2011 white edition which is far better than the cover shown here). Also the fact that I’d never read a military SF before, just wanted to get to know the genre.
I was not, not at all, pulled into the story in the first half of the book. Next half was however getting better and better. Especially when colonel Penter joins in. Thumbs up for Jack Campbell that he was able to write such a different conversation of this character against the others. Last quarter of the book even made me emotional, that was a long time ago. That is what books are for, to pull us out of the today’s live and enter the mind of another person. This book just did that.

[Roby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having previously read (and quite liked) the Lost Fleet series of Jack Campbell I picked up this series too. I can't quite tell why but somehow I found that the Lost Fleet was more captivating than Starks War. It's not that there is anything wrong with the story or the characters or the writing or anything in particular; in fact, I think the universe this takes place in many ways seems more realistic than the one The Lost Fleet describes..
On itself it's quite in interesting trilogy and the story arc nicely develops over the three books (do read them in order!) but if I hadn't bought the three books together I might have stopped after the first one I think. I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars.

[Boulder Boulderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel gets quite good from about 80% of the way in. It's not as good as the Lost Fleet series, but it's readable - uneven editing in terms of new paragraphs missing or started in the wrong place half-way through a character's sentence, and a weird insistence on capitalising the word squad.

I just don't understand the socio-economic situation going on (as in it doesn't make sense). How does an entirely ineffectual military keep winning wars?

Anyway, I've now started on book two, which starts decent, so some hopes for the series.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It sounds trite to say that one man in the right place can make the difference. In this book, Sargeant Stark is that one man who steps up to do his duty to protect his brothers-in-arms when the brass wants to spend them in stupidly "glorious" televised battles. What happens when the entire US Army protecting the US lunar colony mutinies? I read and observed avidly, as Stark and his people debated, argued and determined what it means to them to be Army and which oaths they swore. If you want a soldier's POV in the debate between obedience and duty, check this out.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars on the merits of the story. The dialogue is awkward, and the story is a bit klutzy, so it has all the markers of inexperienced writing. I've read John Hemry's work as Jack Campbell, and I see the development from this to that.
The world is fascinating, if underdeveloped, and I hope to see some relationships develop over the next two books. I'm hoping to see more of Stark's family- I want to know what he said to his dad.

[Ƶ§œš¹ · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's later in the 21st century and the military ventures by the United States are nakedly designed to benefit profiteering by American corporations. Enter the title character, Sergeant Ethan Stark, a soldier who is part of the military venture on the Moon. He experiences a litany of problems with the military he fights for, most egregiously an officer class that shows neither competence (as the officer track is political in nature) nor trust (as officers use the sophisticated communication technology to micromanage the battlefield). Having enough, he reluctantly starts a rebellion.

The book sounds better than it really is. I had a tough time figuring out what was at stake, or even what the major conflict was. The dialogue was atrocious, as was the prose writing in general. Hemry's writing comes to life most in the battlefield, but his military background doesn't really help him understand the Moon; there is at one point a reference to "clouds" of dust on the moon due to the constant movement, which is false because you need an atmosphere for dust clouds.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, partly about future warfare and how the military might work, and partly about the people who fight this future war on the moon. War is turned into a reality TV show by using the video feed from each soldier's body armor, and the military has to use that money to fund their activities, although they are still expected to fight the actions ordered up by the corporate controlled government. It's an interesting what-if story with some good characterization of Sgt. Stark and the guys (and girls) in his unit. I liked it.

[M. K. J. Rosensvard · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were some logical gaps in this book which were hard to overlook. The US is so much more powerful than everybody else but the other countries still exist, they have a great and powerful military but its officers suck and still manage to win battles.
It's a sort of commentary on micromanagement but with out subtlety and it just wasn't my thing.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge Jack Campbell fan. I was happy to stumble onto this book. Apparently, this is his first novel. Where it does not quite meet up with other books of his, it does come quite close. All the trademarks of his writing style and story telling are here, if slightly rough around the edges. S solidly good read.

[Taleisin (Tales of a Bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I ever hesitate to read the books my cousin recommends.

Yes, this is military sci-fi (which is normally not my thing), but it is much more about the individuals involved. That makes it more character-driven sci-fi, which is very much my thing. Fast-paced, awesome battle scenes. I was hooked from the beginning. 4.5 stars

One complaint, could have used some chapters.

[Mark Zodda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story with plenty of action and well-defined characters. Whether writing under his own name or as Jack Campbell, Hemry is an excellent author who understands the military mindset and uses it to bring life to his science fiction stories. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Recommended.

[Mordecai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not Bad at All

Massive fan of the author but struggled to begin with wondering where things were going.

It’s also not easy in places to work out when a period of some time has moved on with only one or two verbal clues later on.

However enjoyed the book, well written & so will finish the series now.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is terrible. I had a hard time understanding how more books in the series got published. I like good soldiery books, and I love good space soldiery books. Anything 'space marines' is like crack. So how surprising to find this book that seems intent on making a space soldiery book with none of the elements that I find enjoyable. Also this was written a while ago so I was not pleased to find it poisoned with so much feminism. I guess it was novel and edgy back when it was written but it's tiresome now.

[Jkane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the Lost Fleet series, but still good, interesting, and entertaining. The story is totally different from the Lost Fleet, as it follows ground troops on Mars, stuck in a grinding war. Stark is a great character, holding up to the ideals of a hero, but despite flawed, he is always trying to do the right things for those under his command.

[Tao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, near future military sci-fi. Well written, if a little heavy on the self-righteousness. And the military vs the government theme gets a little thick. And the hero is a little perfect. But you can definitely see the proto-Jack Campbell evolving.