The Reformer

The General #7

by S.M. Stirling, David Drake

After the collapse of the galactic Web, civilizations crumbled and chaos reigned on thousands of planets. Only on planet Bellevue was there a difference. There, a Fleet Battle Computer named Center had survived from the old civilization. When it found Raj Whitehall, the man who could execute its plan for reviving human civilization, he and Center started Bellevue back on the road leading to the stars; and when Bellevue reached that goal, Center sent copies of itself and Raj to the thousands of worlds still waiting for the light of civilization to dawn. On Hafardine, civilization had fallen further than most. That men came from the stars was not even a rumor of memory in Adrian Gellert's day. The Empire of Vanbret spread across the lands in a sterile splendor that could only end in another collapse, more ignominious and complete than the first. Adrian Gellert was a philosopher, a student whose greatest desire was a life of contemplation in the service of wisdom...until he touched the "holy relic" that contained the disincarnate minds of Raj Whitehall and Center. On that day, Adrian's search for wisdom would lead him to a life of action, from the law-courts of Vanbret to the pirate cities of the Archipelago -- and battlefields bloodier than anything in the history he'd learned. The prize was the future of humanity.

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

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.

MINI AUTO-BIOGRAPHY:
(personal website: source)

I’m a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft. I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Reviews

[John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite series. Alternative history of conquest.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazon.com Review

Getting military sci-fi right is tricky. As with any genre fiction, there are certain rules to be followed. When you pick up a book with a cover depicting a sword-wielding Roman-type firing a primitive cannon under the shadow of a swirling nebula, you have certain expectations and woe unto any author who fails to meet them. Fortunately, S.M. Stirling and David Drake are both decorated vets (Stirling for the bestselling Anne McCaffrey collaboration The City Who Fought and Drake for the well-loved Hammer's Slammers series, about "the meanest bunch of mercs who ever nuked a world for pay.")

The Reformer continues their Raj Whitehall series, with its intriguing schtick of the cloned consciousnesses of a military commander (Raj) and a battle computer (Center) becoming voices in the head of a would-be hero on a primitive world who is trying to coax humanity back--one planet at a time--to the level of progress it had acheived before a crippling galactic civil war. In The Reformer, Raj and Center are guiding a clever, scrappy philosopher named Adrian and his studly soldier brother Esmond, helping them introduce gunpowder and civic order (eventually) to the quasi-Roman civilization on Hafardine. Fast-paced, but not quite as meaty as earlier installments in the series, Reformer still gets the job done with believable battle scenes and knowing descriptions of early weapons and technology. --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

Military SF experts Stirling and Drake move into hardcover for the seventh entry in their General series (The Chosen, etc.), about soldier-statesman Raj Whitehall and the sentient computer, Center, influencing the course of civilization in a far-future galaxy. This time, the discarnate minds of man and machine do their good work on a planet that has regressed to a level of technology resembling that of the Roman Empire; there's even an equivalent to Rome (Vanbert), which has conquered the local version of Greece (Emerald, with its capital of Solinga standing in for Athens). Aided by Whitehall and Center, Adrian Gellert, a Solingian law clerk working in Vanbert, becomes involved in a rebellion, along with his warrior brother, Esmond. Before they have to flee, they introduce gunpowder grenades to Vanbert. They also equip King Casull of the Isles with arquebuses, cannon and steam-driven ironclad rams. The climax, occupying a third of the novel, involves the Islanders' assault on Vanbert's coastal city of Preble, and is told with the knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and the vividly described action, that readers expect from Stirling and Drake. There's not much originality on display here, and the ending is indecisive, but devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves nonetheless.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The human galactic federation is in ruins, and the worlds have devolved to various levels of barbarism. On the planet Bellevue, which is at about the early nineteenth century in development, a young officer named Raj Whitehall and his friend venture into the catacombs under the capital. There, they find an ancient battlecomputer named Center. With Center’s help, Raj must unite the planet and enable humanity to retake the stars. The story is at least somewhat based on that of the Byzatine general Belisarius.

The first seven novels are written by Drake and Stirling. The last one by Drake and Flint. David Drake writes very detailed outlines, while his collaborators write the actual text.

The first five novels are a set and deal with the conquest/unification of Bellevue. They are nowadays published in two volumes, known as Warlord and Conqueror:

* The Forge
* The Hammer
* The Anvil
* The Steel
* The Sword

After finishing the conquest of Bellevue, the personalities of Center and Raj are imbued in computers that are sent to other worlds with launched asteroids. Basically this scenario has infinite permutations as human worlds at various levels of development can be written about. The first of these follow-up novels is:

* The Chosen

It is a great singleton set on a world with early twentieth century technology. Finally there is the two volume story consisting of:

* The Reformer
* The Tyrant

Here, we take a serious step “back in time”, as the planet Hafardine is at about Roman Empire level in it’s technology. The Tyrant is rather different in style from the others due to being penned by Flint. However, his trademark dry humor meshes well with the overall thrust of the series.

This is great military SciFi, with excellent battlescenes and great characters, not to mention a dose of dry humor. Very highly recommended.

http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=145

[Cissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.. And that's its better quality

I guess I have read enough "alternative history: that the mere creation of firearms in a pre-firearm cultures lacks most appeal and interest for me.

What about other technologies that would have at least equal- albeit less blatant- advantages for a culture? Such as cooking tech? That has done at least as much to advance human culture as gunpowder et alia.

Our Heroes here- 1 is focused on a grudge, because when he was involved in an insurrection his beloved got killed. He has vowed revenge. OK... but the insurrection was what caused her death. No insurrection, she'd be alive. And since he was spearhaeading said insurre3ction- well the authors are not as far as i can see subtle enough to show his actual guilt as a motivation.

Also; NO GIRLS ALLOWED. I'm about halfway through, and there's one chick who might actually matter... but mostly, they're ignored. And one exception does not a presence make.

I usually finish books I've started. I almost never stop in the middle. I am doing that here- it's just too tedious for words, and life's too short to read bad fiction.

Very much NOT recommended.

[Leons1701 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely liked the main Raj Whitehall series better than the follow on. Though not as compact and rushed feeling as The Chosen, this still feels like it could have taken more time to develop characters. Than again, this series really isn't about the characters at all, is it. Once again, history is sort of repeated on another world, this time it's the late Roman Republic that gets the expy treatment, though oddly, they still seem to be fighting the Carthaginians or at least a reasonable stand in for them. Unlike the Raj books, the initial tech isn't changed too much, though the "Romans" use asegai instead of swords. And here again we have a major change in tone between the initial series and the sequels, Center uses it's agent to drive rapid innovation, introducing guns, steam power, iron clad ships and anti-sepsis procedures. Indeed, the goal this time is not uniting the world or defeating a particularly malignant society, it's breaking technological stagnation. Of course the best way to do that is to fight a few wars, right?

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a well written story. Quick read. But it's a little thin. And as the 7th book in the series, there really wasn't much new. There are battles, but the battles in earlier books were much more exciting, and interesting. You know how they sometimes abridge a book when they record it? This is like an abridged book of what should have been a bigger, better book. Nothing wrong with it, and I liked the characters well enough -- it just seemed a little "paint by numbers" to me. They have a formula, and they are running it. But . . . . just not as great as earlier installments. That said, I'd read another.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This next world that needs work to get it ready for the new Federation is stuck in a stagnate cycle of empire and civil war, without the marching beat of technical advance.

Raj and the Center, this time working through a local thinker are shaking things up, getting the world moving forward.

This a Greek/Roman based world and military action story, where the introduction of gunpowder is the shaking things up...

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chapter is terrible. I'm putting it down, maybe I'll pick it up and maybe I won't...



After a terrible first few chapters it picks back up. It's pretty weak overall but it's not awful.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raj and Center (from the first five books in the series) are working in a Punic War setting rapidly ratcheting combatants up to 17th century military technology. The Tyrant appears to be the sequel.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved it! great premise and the humor is good too

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic David Drake.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good military science fiction. No spoilers here.