Rolling Hot

Hammer's Slammers #5

by David Drake

The battle-crazed troop of recruits and vets, led by Captain Ranson, must cover three-hundred miles of hostile enemy territory

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

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

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

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rolling Hot is a fast-paced novel of military science fiction set in the world of Drake's Hammer's Slammers, a mercenary company comprised primarily of super-advanced tanks. This is one of the most action/adventure-oriented stories in the series, with little attention paid to philosophical, religious, political, or financial concerns like most of the others. It's based on the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War, so the casualty rate is high, and it may be a bit too violent and gory for casual readers. It was subsequently included in an omnibus volume called The Tank Lords (as well as the Complete Hammer's Slammers books), so if you have one of those there's no need to look for this one. The title is amazingly accurate!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hammer's Slammers and some adjuncts are about due for a rest. The perfect time for an enemy attack!

Fairly well done military Sci-Fi, about par with Drake's other work.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely my least favorite of the 3 Hammer's Slammers I read... perhaps because it was the least sci-fi. Its very clearly based on Drake's personal Vietnam experience, as a tank/armored car unit are rushing through the jungle to bolster local forces that may or may not needed it. The main character is a journalist that tags along/helps and is there to give the reader an excuse for exposition.

The vast majority of this story is a bunch of tanks and armored cars driven by inexperienced people trying to get through the jungle... I expect if your did such a thing you will enjoy that, but it was too dry and too detailed for me. The usual 'morale' at the end was quite clear in the beginning and probably didn't need 200 pages or driving through the jungle to reinforce it.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book by the man many of us consider the Big Daddy of Military Science Fiction. The Slammers are called upon to relieve the siege of the capital city of their paymasters. They do it, in the bloodiest manner (on both sides) possible, leaving the reader both with a sense of satisfaction and a bitter taste in the mouth that makes you want to flip over the coffee table in frustration.


One item common today was barely off the drawing board when Drake wrote this: Drones. The Slammers use them effectively for reconnaissance here, something most people thought impossible back in 1989 when Rolling Hot was published. If you have any interest in Military SciFi or just love a good war story, pick it up.


Find it! Buy it! Read it!

[B. Zedan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like The Butcher's Bill (and, honestly, all the Slammers series), Rolling Hot shows the heavy price of war. This time though, it's not on combat-hardened vets, or tired sergeants or new recruits—it's on the broken folks who can't be on the frontlines right now or maybe ever again.

All the Slammers books are bitter about war, but Rolling Hot is sick with anger over it. Even as our "in" to the world, Dick Suilin, adapts and finds moments to at least enjoy the accuracy of his grenade launcher, the shitty times don't stop coming. The world that hired them, the situation they're roped into and the (in one case literal) ghosts that haunt them never let up their pressure.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very strong, if grim again, novel this one. Captures well what it is like for soldiers who have started to crack as such, and how well they will cope when thrown back into the fire. A very tense story pretty much from the get go, while still allowing you to really get to know the characters well and fear for their safety.
Also highlights the somewhat thankless task that mercenaries can have, whether in the future or in the past.
Builds to a strong climax, and while the closing bits don't necessarily provide the sort of closure you might like, I think they provide realist closure.

[Dalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3.5-3.75. The action felt more fleshed out with the introduction of some new tech (recon drones, bringing in some more artillery round types), and the book never stopped going. The reader is swept along with the civilian character as the rear-echelon of the Slammers is pressed into action that they were unprepared to face. This book is unrelenting in the horrors of war that are faced in the span of a few days, showing the merciless nature of the situations that soldiers may find themselves in. Probably my favorite of the series so far.

[Darren Pearce · Rating 5 out of 5]

In what is quite a short novel David Drake again does a first class job of creating characters with more than enough depth to get the job done. He captured the ethical dilemma of armed conflict, the speed at which things turn about, and the toil it takes on those called to do the work. Military sci-fi at its best, I am glad I got a start on this series after having it on my pile for a while. The actions of this ragtag troop will stick with me for quite some time.

[David Layton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mercenary porn. The following quotation tells you everything you need to know about this book: "They were Hammer's Slammers. They'd been brought to Prosperity to kick ass, and that's just what they were going to do." There, now you don't have to read the book.

[Jeff F · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite Hammer's Slammers novel.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this Hammer’s Slammers story … Mercenaries are in a base camp, just out of battle. Yet, these maintenance staff personnel, soldiers in for R&R (who really need it) and the dregs of the unit are called upon for an important – almost suicidal – mission.

It’s “tank” combat – a big battle and a then an even BIGGER battle. It’s an intense read.

Including friendly fire and civilian causalities, I’m afraid that this is what future combat and weapons will become.

[Mike Montesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Drake knocks it out of the park with Rolling Hot, easily his best Hammer's Slammers novel. The story is loosely based on the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, and told from the viewpoints of four main characters, each with a very different take on events. The action gets going and doesn't let up, and the ending is as grim and gritty as you would expect from Drake.

[Sean Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than the fact that an interstellar civilization that has recon drones and satellites, but no air combat capabilities, this is a fun story. The combat seems realistic (although vastly skewed in terms of capabilities, and the story never stops. For pulp combat sci-fi, it is what it's supposed to be.

[Michael Barnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite Hammers's Slammers books, lots of action, a bunch of great well drawn characters. Written during the 'tank phase' of military scife it remains one of the definitive works of the genre.

[Steven Vaughan-Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite of the Hammer's Slammers novels. It's dark as dark can be. For me, it works well at capturing the mess that's war. The characters are interesting and kept my attention from beginning to end.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the original Hammer's Slammers short stories but pretty entertaining reading.

[Wade London · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best military SiFi series written. Drake is a superb writer of future military SiFi. Very recommended

[Carl Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military Scifi is a great sub-genre. I liked it.