Bolo!

Bolo #8

by David Weber

Controlled by their tireless electronic brains which were programmed to admit no possibility of defeat, the gigantic robot tanks known as Bolos were almost indestructible, and nearly unstoppable. Their artificial intelligences were designed to make them selflessly serve and protect humans throughout the galaxy and made each Bolo the epitome of the knight sans peur et sans reproche, and often far more noble than the humans who gave them their orders. Now, David Weber, New York Times best-selling author of the Honor Harrington series, continues the history of the Bolo, in four short novels, one of them published here for the first time. One Bolo is driven over the edge by the very humans it is pledged to protect. Another Bolo must decide whether or not to disobey when it is given an order that constitutes genocide. A third must hunt one of its own kind whose robot brain is damaged and rescue two children which the deranged Bolo thinks it is protecting from a nonexistent enemy. And more, including as a bonus, David Weber's own authoritative technical history of the Bolo, all in a volume that will be irresistible both for David Weber's huge readership and Bolo fans everywhere.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Military Fiction, Space Opera, Ebooks, Military Science Fiction, Anthologies

389 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.

Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.

One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.

Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).

http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, for those that have read the Bolo-verse, this will probably seem pretty irreverent and ill-informed. I was only passingly familiar with this series before I read this book. To say 'incredible' in every sense of the word is my response. I think the only comparison I can draw is a passing familiarity with hard sci-fi in general or the sort of unimaginable scope in stories such as the fiction of Warhammer 40,000.

To those who don't know, the Bolo is some kind of super main battle tank developed and sent into the warzones of an alternate year 2000 (as the original stories were written in the seventies). From the technical specifications (helpfully provided in the back of the book, fully thirty four pages) these tanks seemed to start at 'mobile fortress' and end somewhere around 'Battleship sized army annihilating demigods,' sometimes in roughly that description. And they are, annihilating armies, with impressive detail of just how the various weapons systems and technologies are being used. This is strange, because as much as the book is about war machines, much of their stories are about how... Uh... Well... Tanks learn to love.

Don't get me wrong, that's extremely amusing, it's just a little confusing to me. I've heard from friends all the standard stuff about this series, so I was ready for detailed descriptions of engagements and tanks with more weapons than most modern countries, but seeing how oddly human the tanks could be portrayed was certainly unexpected. Their AIs seemed painfully aware of their design and function as a weapon of war, but they found very conflicting emotions shoved into that AI: maintaining professionalism when dealing with a superior officer one happens to have fallen for, being forced to hunt down a comrade who's seemingly gone crazy. Their human 'commanders' take such lessons with them as well. Launching a nuclear strike? Easy for a Bolo, but how does the Bolo handle emotional trauma, an 'enemy' not so easily dispatched?

Do I find it a little silly? Certainly. I honestly went into the book expecting purely ironic enjoyment. The introduction of hyper intelligent AI, however, did seem to introduce something new to me, that being an AI that doesn't 'go rogue' as it were. So many stories about intelligences superior to humanity seem to focus on the idea that humanity will quickly be subjugated by them, this book seems to posit that not only will they not, but in fact they'll become devoted to us. Does that twist into obsession? Does the influence of it's creators shape the machine or is it the other way around? Is it better or worse for that? Is it possible to consider something a someone, even to the point of attraction or even full blown romantic affection or real, genuine love? Perhaps difficult to consider in context, but having read and been influenced by it, could the answers to those questions change how a reader sees the things that surround them?

While I must admit, I don't make a habit of reading hard sci-fi stories, often for reasons that make a presence in this book. I don't think focusing on a precise technical readout is terribly interesting, and as much as warfare isn't always the focus of a hard sci fi story, to me much of it seems to devolve into so many laser blasts and fancy weapon names. That said, I think I enjoy the human element of these stories enough that the sharp contrast of the combat scenes don't curb my interest. I do feel a little lost in the narrative at times, vast jumps in time only described seemingly after important details have been established. That said, I guess those complaints are fairly minor compared to what I see as the stories' point.

I would not recommend this series for everyone, that said I would say if one is open to new things and isn't familiar with these works that this isn't a bad place to start. It was, not to quote a certain movie, an unexpected journey.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only ever been lightly into the Bolo-verse -- I read some of Laumer's original stories waaaaay back when, but knew little else. This volume (which, arguably, wraps up the entire Bolo saga through a progressive series of short stories) was a great read, dealing with the issues of machine intelligence vs human instinct, and where emotion and soul start to play a role in both. The Bolos, as ultimate fighting machines in an ever-escalating set of wars fought by Humanity against alien adversaries, epitomize all that is right and wrong, noble and heinous, in their human creators -- and, in the end, serve to raise both themselves and Humanity to their next level, beyond the constant warfare for which they were designed.

Good stories, good reads, glad to have picked it up.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bolo! is David Weber's take on the late Keith Laumer's creation, a saga about the sentient tanks known as Bolos. Bolo! contains four stories that encompass several thousand years of the evolution of the Bolos and the war with the alien Melconians. I will not attempt to review each story but if you are a fan of either Keith Laumer or David Weber, you should read this book. Fans of military science fiction will also enjoy it.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a re-read, but I can't recall when I first read it. Wonderful stories! Weber does every bit as good a job as Laumer did, which is amazing. It's been years since I read Laumer's original Bolo stories, but I think you could read them back to back without a problem.

The tone, points & style are all perfect. The theme of the horror of war blended with the courage & convictions of the warriors came off very well. The last story strikes it all home wonderfully. The idea that these machines, artificial intelligences of various abilities, mirror humanity at its best & worst. Sometimes they transcend it. A fantastic read.

[John Rossman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since watching Star Wars at the drive-in theater outside Wolf Point, Montana at the tender age of five, I have been a avid fan of technology (toys). BOLO is a big toy. Ok a big monster of a machine that is just awesome. I haven't read all of the BOLO books. This one is a bunch of short stories set in the BOLO universe. Even though they are short stories, they seemed to be linked as they progress. Very cool read and enjoyed it.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short stories. Some good; some not. If you've read one Bolo book you've pretty much read them all.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't tend to read Military SF, but I had some curiosity about the Bolo concept.

So far, I've only read the first story, "Miles to Go." Much of it isn't battles and such. It explores questions of A.I.'s. A planet which was once going to be a strategic location in an interstellar war had a military spaceport built, and had a facility made with one Bolo. But the war went away and the military outpost became forgotten. The officer in charge of the sort-of abandoned base had the Bolo modified so that it's A.I. was more capable of independent action and able to interact emotionally. These changes violated existing military rules for their A.I.'s. After that officer dies, an officer with a tarnished past is sent there to be the only full-time staff on the base. He works at learning about the Bolo's A.I. and the potential advantages and disadvantages of the modifications.

Meanwhile, a huge galactic corporation decides the planet is likely to have strategic importance in the future. When the local non-military residents refuse to sell their land, the corporation hires and equips a mercenary group clear the way for corporate take-over. When they arrive the Bolo responds with battle, emotion, contemplation and heroism.

Miles to Go is a novella (or I've seen it called a short novel.)

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars I admit I never read the previous Bolo books in the original series. I have enjoyed other books by Weber, so I thought I would give it a chance. For fans of military sci-fi, it was an enjoyable read. It was a bit too rushed however. The end of the book dealt with an apocalyptic war that ended both the human race and an alien species. I would have liked to have seen more exploration of that topic. Also, he has several stock phrases he has used in the Honorverse series that he uses here.

[Jeremy Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four loosely related stories about Bolos*. Each is subtly different but gripping in its own way. Very good military Sci Fi. Well worth a read.

* For those unaware ‘Bolos’ are semi autonomous tanks, albeit incredibly powerful tanks all but capable of taking on entire armies.

[Sic Transit Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like David Weber, but I'm a sucker for stories about AI and tanks, and this has both in abundance. I just wish that there were more longer stories, like the first one.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good follow-on to Keith Laumer's Bolo stories. Weber does a good job.

[Colin Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

First 2 books good - moving

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a very big fan of Bolo stories or military Sci-fi in general. With that being said, David Weber is a pretty good writer, and these stories are solid. Definitely recommended for fans of Bolo's!

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bolo!" Another David Weber novel. I've been ill so I'm submerging myself in fun reading. Weber is best known for his military science fiction. While the characters in this book are not his own, he picks up the idea of the Bolo (a self-aware super-tank) to write a number of stories of the future great great great grandchild of the Abrams Tank.

The Bolo tank is massive and with so much computer power it has become sentient. It's alive, in a sense. It feels pain. It has emotions and it has honor.

In story after story this self-aware machine guides its commander in battle, keeping him or her human... saving their souls even against mass murder. It's not Shakespeare but it is emotionally gripping and as usual, Weber does battle descriptions with precision without becoming tedious, at least not to me... but I don't count. I used to be an engineer so I'm considered insane. :-)

The book chronicles several Bolo machines:

Battle Fleet loses track of the paperwork of a Bolo Mark 23 (experimental) and lets her commander die of old age on the planet of Santa Cruz. The Bolo remains on stand-by for decades until awakened by a new commander who discovers that this Bolo named Nike has a personality and abilities well beyond what is allowed under strict regulations. She will need every bit of it to defend Santa Cruz.

In the next story a Mark 25 Bolo is suffering from severe battle damage to it's personality center but it has a single purpose in what is left of it's mind. It must get to the green hills before the Enemy catches up. It must make it or die in the attempt.

In the third story, Lt. Maneka Trevor has graduated from the Academy and is surprised and frightened to learn she has been given command of her own Bolo. It will be up to this ancient and decorated Mark 28, some of those decorations earned before she was born. She knows they will never be called to frontline duty... that is until the front moves and she and her fellows must defend a world of billions of people from extermination using outmoded, out-classed and out-numbered machines.

The centuries of the war pass beyond memory for all but the Bolos. In the Final battle a Mark 33 Bolo is destroyed and fades to blackness and peace, at last, but he wakes up later, much of his hardware repaired by his autonomous nanotech. Nothing is left of the human race except for a few farmers who are nursing the corroding technology. It is up to the Mark 33 Bolo to protect the colony with what is left of his armor and weapons and to teach compassion to those young men who were born having never known war.

The writing was pretty good but with simple goals. Weber is trying to pull at the heartstrings and he does a fair job of it but in the format of short stories and novelettes on a theme... not an entire integrated book-sized story. I liked it nevertheless and will probably read it again some time.

I've begun the second book "Old Soldiers" which is composed (apparently) of additional stories that were hinted at in "Bolo!" but not fleshed out. It starts out with Lt. Maneka Trevor once more, defending colonists trying to flee the extermination of the human race. Apparently she was able to regenerate that arm she lost in the last book but psychologically she is still hurting.

[Scott Holstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bolo! isn’t necessarily a bad book. It’s just that it’s not that great either, at least not by David Weber’s standards. Apparently, one Keith Laumer created the Bolo decades ago. It’s an uber-tank, one with so many uber-weapons on it, everyone in the universe knows of it and is terrified of it. Just one alone can defend an entire planet. One can level an entire city while shooting down warships attacking the planet. It’s farfetched, but intriguing as a premise. And apparently, many authors have written stories and books with Bolos as their theme. This Weber book is a compilation of some short stories he wrote, mostly during the 1990s, collected here in one volume. It could be decent, but it’s not exactly what I expect from Weber, so I didn’t finish it.

The first story is about an old Bolo, about 80 years old, left unattended on this backwater planet, sent a new Naval commander. But the late former commander had made some “adjustments” to this Bolo and it has become essentially sentient. Its name is Nike and it thinks about its old and new commanders and analyzes everything at all times, searching for threats. The new commander, Merritt, realizes pretty quickly what he has on his hands and he doesn’t inform his chain of command because he doesn’t want his new toy taken from him. But he begins to develop an unusual and somewhat unrealistic affection for Nike, and this is what began to turn me off to the story. He starts treating Nike like a woman, like a girlfriend/mistress/lover and refers to her (it has a female voice, as it was programmed to have one by its late female commander) as “darling” and “love.” It’s a little too icky for me to like or buy.

An evil corporation wants to run the population off this planet because it’s just become a newly important junction in a trade route, so it hires a mercenary team, does some research and surveillance, discovers the Bolo and buys the mercenaries new tactical equipment, including two “generic” Bolos of their own. Then they invade. You can guess the rest of the story. The human and machine lovers ride off to their deaths into the sunset, defending the planet with their blood and … motor oil? It’s very touching. Yep. A bit overly dramatic, I’d call it. Way too dramatic. So damn dramatic, I decided not to read any more stories, as I figured I’d read just about enough on the Bolos that I could, why endure more?

Weber can write a great series. He has several and I have all of the books. He also usually writes great battle scenes. But his standalone books usually lack something. Such is the case with this one. It doesn’t have the usual Weber touch. It’s just too corny. Two stars or three? Three stars because the Bolos really are cool weapons. However, not recommended.

[Alex Mayants · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say I have read only "Miles to Go" out of this book and the entire Bolo universe. But I don't have enough stars in the bar to rate it. The story is so great in both the descriptions of the future tech and the characters, their minds and emotions, so gripping and touching. I've reread it several times and always head something like tears at my eyes at the end.

It was also one of the things that got me started on Robert Frost and English poetry in general :-)

[Wampuscat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stories in one book, all of which are superb! 4/5 of this compilation of Bolo stories by David Weber were previously published in Book #3 & #4. I'm reading out of order in this series, so it was all new stuff for me. The 1st story, 'Miles To Go' is about a Bolo named Nike who was forgotten, along with her commander, on a backwater world. She's not just any Bolo though, she's a one of a kind prototype and her commander made many unofficial upgrades to her for personality matrix...80 years ago! Now someone finally remembers where she's parked, and a new commander arrives just in time to head off some trouble for the planet of Santa Cruz! Oh yeah, and they fall in love, sorta. The 2nd story, 'Traitor' is short and creates yet another example of how there's never really such a thing as a Rouge Bolo. I won't say more because that would be spoiling. Story #3, 'With Your Shield', introduces us to Benjy and his very green young commander who becomes a close friend to her aging Bolo, but is forced to defend a neighboring world with little preparation while also being vastly outnumbered by the enemy. But Bolos never quit! Finally, story #4, 'A Time to Kill', gives us the history of the Final War between Humanity & the Malconian 'Dog Boys'. It is very well written and give a perspective I have not seen often. That being the necessity of having to do something horrible because you have no other choice... kill or be killed, but on a genocidal level. And, lastly, you can read about the 'Technical History of the Bolo' which takes you through the full history of the development of the Bolo, it's subsequent upgrades, and the politics of the Concordiant that created it.

OK, so that's the synopsis of the stories. They are all good, and I am now going to have to get the other books in this series because I have come to appreciate the 'Bolo' as a character race, even though it is a created machine. They are sentient and have a racial profile that is endearing. I found the writing of Weber to be top notch as usual. He is awesome when it comes to Military Sci-Fi. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars and declare it a Great Read!

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Booklist

Honor Harrington's creator is gaining new honors by taking a leading role in continuing the late Keith Laumer's best-known creation, a saga about the sentient tanks known as Bolos. In "Miles to Go," one of this book's four stories, a long-obsolete Bolo repels a mercenary invasion of a harmless agricultural colony. "The Traitor" is a Bolo who dies defending some refugee children, though they urge their protector to save himself. "A Time to Kill" is straightforward, high-intensity combat sf set on a planet of the alien Melchorians; it's undoubtedly the hardest piece to get into and the most exhausting to finish. In "With Your Shield," the Bolos have evolved to the point that they can mediate peace between humans and Melchorians, then set up on their own. Weber may not be the best sf hand at action, characterization, or hardware, but he is well to the forefront in combining those three elements into a seamless, highly readable fabric. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"a consistent producer of highly entertaining and intelligent action tales" Booklist "Great stuff compelling combat combined with engaging characters for a great space opera adventure" Locus"

[Steven Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is David Weber's addition to the pile of "Bolo" stories that many other SF authors have written. A Bolo, for those who don't know, is essentially a sentient tank, a self-award and able-to-think weapon of war in some far flung future where such things make sense.

Bolos were first conceived of by Keith Laumer, way back when, and I was never really impressed with the Laumer stories I read talking about them. David Weber does a better job, I think.

This book is a set of a number of short stories and novellas set across the Bolo history, so it's interesting to see how the different technological levels of them are addressed. Weber has always written excellent military fiction, and these stories fit in very well with his skill set. The Bolo stories are interesting as well because they allow for much more complex thinking (both ethically and strategically) by the weapons themselves, and I really liked Weber's approach.

At any rate, I liked it enough to give Weber's sequel a shot.

4 of 5 stars.

[Shawn Dvorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Keith Laumer's "Bolo" stories, and I really enjoy David Weber's hard sci-fi future war writings so "Bolo!" is an ideal combination for me. "Bolo!" is a collection four separate novellas about the self-aware supertanks known as "bolos" that Laumer invented. These stories do include a far amount of battle action but the real focus is on the psychological aspects of thinking 30,000 ton tanks that can destroy nearly any foe with its massive fusion-powered plasma cannons. Weber's own series like "Honor Harrington" are more action-based, with a heavier military strategy focus, while here the stories focus most on the thoughts and feeling of these sentient killing machines. "The Traitor," in particular, emphasizes the humanistic side of the Bolos - humans figure only as peripheral characters here.

[David Mackey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this one as a gift for a birthday... and tore through it, cover to cover in two days flat... I am not entirely positive, but I think it was '08... might have been '07 though.

I don't want to put any spoilers out there for those that haven't picked this book up yet, but I think there is enough in the description to be safe saying that this is a character driven Sci-Fi of epic scale. I had, at the point of reading this never seen a computer portrayed as such a caring, emotional and tangible character in a novel. Since then I have found only one other author that comes close to this kind of skill in showing a machine to be as human as the rest of us.

Bravo David,
And thank you for letting us read your work.

~D

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great storm day book. I just finished "Miles to Go". What happens when a researcher is forgotten with her Bolo, a new prototype, on Santa Cruz, a planet at the edge of civilization? She creates Nike, a Bolo who has learned old world poetry, and can make her own decisions. Then a war happens and all records of the Bolo in Santa Cruz are lost. Enter Lorenco Esteban, sent by the Navy to check out a forgotten Bolo installation. When a Bolo runs from a final stand, another is sent to chase it down in "The Traitor". I do not want to give this one away so I will just say that is is a great plot with good pacing. I think I have already spoiled a few things, but wow I could not put Weber's stories down.

[David Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Weber's quirk of describing the duel between missiles and point defense in detail is well in evidence, these are some of the best bolo stories ever written, mostly focusing on the relationship between the humans and their magical ponies...I mean cybernetic killing machines.

In Miles to Go we see the consequence of giving a Bolo a really human-like artificial intelligence.
In The Traitor we see another self-aware Bolo hunt another Bolo who did the unthinkable and ran away from the fight. With Your Shield is another story about a self-aware Bolo and the human who loves it. Finally, A Time To Kill is a story about just how far war can go to extremes.

I highly recommend it.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bolo! is a series of short stories in which David Weber continues the ongoing saga of the Bolo battle tanks. Bolos are gigantc, thinking, self-aware killing machines dedicated to serving humanity and fighting man's war across the galaxy. David Weber weaves a series of short stories about these behemoths that compares them to the Spartans of ancient Greece. Bolo! tells the story of armed mountains of steel that will fight to death to defend humanity from any enemy. This book is a must read for fans of the series and for sci-fi fans in general.

[mantareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

arguably some of the best scifi I've read in awhile. no, none of the political nor deep seated moral conflicts and dilemmas of Card's Ender and Peter. but in its place are compelling questions about man and machine, war and peace...not to mention lots of gory death and destruction, and rip-roaring excitement. Weber drives the action with skill and finesse, so that you go away not having just read an adrenaline-washed wet dream, but a wistful meditation on duty, honour and war. four stars for good action and consideration for the reader's intelligence

[Patrick Shrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weber does a good job with the Bolo stories. In fact I can only think of a few things from Weber I disliked. That being said, Laumer does a better job at telling Bolo stories.

The stories are good and the characters realistic. What I liked the most was the way he shows how the Bolos think and the technical data at the end. A good book but it does not hold a candle to the Starfire series. All in all it is a good book to pass the time with at the dr's office but not something to rush out and buy.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bolo! is, of course, a great book for anyone into the "Bolo" series, but if you're thinking of buying it be aware that 3 of the 4 short stories in this book are also in the numbered books; specifically "Miles to Go" from book 3 "The Triumphant", as well as "The Traitor" and "A Time to Kill" from book 4 "Last Stand". The fourth story "With Your Shield" is a great story as well as the setup for the book "Old Soldiers".

[Tomasz Stachewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bardzo fajne militarne science-fiction, podobało mi się głównie dlatego że bardziej science (i fiction) niż militarne. Co może być lepsze od gargantuicznych, samodzielnych czołgów? Myślące, gargantuiczne, samodzielne czołgi, potrafiące w pojedynkę stanowić wyzwanie dla całych armii. A kiedy jeszcze "myślące" zacznie, poza umiejętnościami taktycznymi, oznaczać także empatię...
Warto!

[Freyja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story is a rather quick read (for me), but I didn't want to stop. Two of the stories I'd read elsewhere, which got me looking for other stories, which brought me to this book. I still sniffle when Nike recites that last verse of Robert Frost...

You know what they say, the first taste is free.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

There wasn't really any chance that I wouldn't enjoy this - four loosely linked novella's about fully self-aware AI giant tanks, written by a favourite author. Awesome.

Read for the Seasonal Reading Challenge Fall 09 task 20.2 (ABCs: B)