What do you think?
Rate this book
Legion #4
By Force of Arms
Having stopped a mutiny against Earth's government, General Bill Booly and his troops face an even greater a battle for the future of every living being in the universe, against a fanatical human and his killer technology. "Dietz's expertise in matters of mayhem is second to none." -- The Oregonian
328 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
32 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
William C. Dietz
124 books453 followersNew York Times bestselling author William C. Dietz has published more than fifty novels, some of which have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. He grew up in the Seattle area, served as a medic with the Navy and Marine Corps, graduated from the University of Washington, and has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, and television news writer, director and producer. Before becoming a full-time writer Dietz was director of public relations and marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, Washington.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 6, 2016
In this military science fiction series, of which this is book four, we have the legendary Legionnaires as our protagonists.
The Thraki have just entered confederacy space and have asked permission to settle on some planets in the area. Seems like a reasonable request.
Unfortunately, the Thraki don't really tell the confederacy why they have moved into their space.
They are being chased by a fleet of 5000 warships called the Sheen because of their ships shield configuration. The Sheen fleet is controlled by the Hoon which is a machine intelligence. The Hoon has one goal , eliminate all the Thraki.
Soon the Sheen fleet approaches the confederacy and the confederacy must decide to help defend the Thraki or stand down.
The only problem is that after the Sheen eliminate the Thraki they just may do the same to the confederacy fleet. PLUS the Thraki may have other options and strategies the confederacy may not be aware of.
Thrilling space battles and a real twist at the end make this a book you can't put down.
HIGHLY recommended book and series (see full list below)
Legion series
1.Legion Of The Damned (1993)
2.The Final Battle (1995)
3.By Blood Alone (1999)
4.By Force of Arms (2000)
5.For More Than Glory (2004)
6.For Those Who Fell (2005)
7.When All Seems Lost (2008)
8.When Duty Calls (2008)
9.A Fighting Chance (2011)
10.Andromeda's Fall (2012)
11.Andromeda's Choice (July 4, 2014)
12.Andromeda's War (2015)
The Thraki have just entered confederacy space and have asked permission to settle on some planets in the area. Seems like a reasonable request.
Unfortunately, the Thraki don't really tell the confederacy why they have moved into their space.
They are being chased by a fleet of 5000 warships called the Sheen because of their ships shield configuration. The Sheen fleet is controlled by the Hoon which is a machine intelligence. The Hoon has one goal , eliminate all the Thraki.
Soon the Sheen fleet approaches the confederacy and the confederacy must decide to help defend the Thraki or stand down.
The only problem is that after the Sheen eliminate the Thraki they just may do the same to the confederacy fleet. PLUS the Thraki may have other options and strategies the confederacy may not be aware of.
Thrilling space battles and a real twist at the end make this a book you can't put down.
HIGHLY recommended book and series (see full list below)
Legion series
1.Legion Of The Damned (1993)
2.The Final Battle (1995)
3.By Blood Alone (1999)
4.By Force of Arms (2000)
5.For More Than Glory (2004)
6.For Those Who Fell (2005)
7.When All Seems Lost (2008)
8.When Duty Calls (2008)
9.A Fighting Chance (2011)
10.Andromeda's Fall (2012)
11.Andromeda's Choice (July 4, 2014)
12.Andromeda's War (2015)
September 30, 2017
In By Blood Alone, Colonel Bill Booly got sent down to Earth as punishment for not changing his testimony about another officer. His feelings on his betrayal have to be kept inside though as there are more pressing matters to deal with. Now he is General Booly and his men have to save every person in the universe as a killer technology threatens to destroy them.
In the latest volume in the Legion of the Damned series, Booly comes back from the brink of what could have been disgrace as a hero to his men who risked their lives for freedom. Now Naa Commandos are set to protect him, yet assassins come to try and take over their encampment. William C. Dietz fleshes out the characters and their lives, their doubts, loves and hopes. Booly's rescue mission to get back Maylo gives us an idea of what kind of man he is, and what others think about him. Maylo's confidence in him as a leader leads to her love for him as a man. He has learned the trust of his fellow officers even though the story gets much darker than expected. The assassins plan their attack, infiltrating the camp, taking down Handsim first then the others, but Thraki weren't the kind of enemy they had expected. Along with finding out the reason for the Thraki's sneak attack, Dietz explains the reasons for what happened to the Thraki race. The Confederacy of Sentient Beings was a military alliance set up in the hope of creating peace among the races. While everyone else wanted peace, The Clone Hegemony and the Ramanthians wanted to subvert Earth's government for their own reasons. The Thraki side with the two conspirators, creating a sense of unease, while a race called the Sheen are the reason for the Thraki fleeing.
One thing is certain with Dietz's universe is that no matter how far it is into the future, there is no lack of sexual exploitation and it is a good offset for the way he writes about some real powerful female role models. As refreshing as this is, he also points out the hell Booly's men go through to protect the people around them and the terror they have to cope with. For a long time, Booly had a need to make a difference in his life and rather than inherit anything, his intention to win had constantly run through his veins. This leads him to set his sights on several purposes in his life, as Dietz stresses, even for a half-breed, he has done well, but also has the trust of his men regardless of his self-doubts. Booly has to gather his men together assess their strengths and weaknesses in order to seek out and destroy the Sheen. He has to get the group together so they can build a communication centre as well as build a weapon to destroy them for good as they have become too powerful to leave alone. Booly doesn't think it will work, but he can only try using his best men to put an end to the enemy threat. There is no peace for the good in this universe. Even though the mutiny form the Clone Hegemony had been stopped and Earth's government restored, peace is just a word unless the leadership of one general can change things for the better. The threat of the Sheen is very real and even humans can be used to corrupt their own government to gain favours.
This novel gives Deitz more of an opportunity to show his organized military planning. He shows us this through his characters, both allies and enemies and what happens around them. Getting inside their heads is priority for any reader and he delivers his way of developing the characters and the dire circumstances he puts them in.
In the latest volume in the Legion of the Damned series, Booly comes back from the brink of what could have been disgrace as a hero to his men who risked their lives for freedom. Now Naa Commandos are set to protect him, yet assassins come to try and take over their encampment. William C. Dietz fleshes out the characters and their lives, their doubts, loves and hopes. Booly's rescue mission to get back Maylo gives us an idea of what kind of man he is, and what others think about him. Maylo's confidence in him as a leader leads to her love for him as a man. He has learned the trust of his fellow officers even though the story gets much darker than expected. The assassins plan their attack, infiltrating the camp, taking down Handsim first then the others, but Thraki weren't the kind of enemy they had expected. Along with finding out the reason for the Thraki's sneak attack, Dietz explains the reasons for what happened to the Thraki race. The Confederacy of Sentient Beings was a military alliance set up in the hope of creating peace among the races. While everyone else wanted peace, The Clone Hegemony and the Ramanthians wanted to subvert Earth's government for their own reasons. The Thraki side with the two conspirators, creating a sense of unease, while a race called the Sheen are the reason for the Thraki fleeing.
One thing is certain with Dietz's universe is that no matter how far it is into the future, there is no lack of sexual exploitation and it is a good offset for the way he writes about some real powerful female role models. As refreshing as this is, he also points out the hell Booly's men go through to protect the people around them and the terror they have to cope with. For a long time, Booly had a need to make a difference in his life and rather than inherit anything, his intention to win had constantly run through his veins. This leads him to set his sights on several purposes in his life, as Dietz stresses, even for a half-breed, he has done well, but also has the trust of his men regardless of his self-doubts. Booly has to gather his men together assess their strengths and weaknesses in order to seek out and destroy the Sheen. He has to get the group together so they can build a communication centre as well as build a weapon to destroy them for good as they have become too powerful to leave alone. Booly doesn't think it will work, but he can only try using his best men to put an end to the enemy threat. There is no peace for the good in this universe. Even though the mutiny form the Clone Hegemony had been stopped and Earth's government restored, peace is just a word unless the leadership of one general can change things for the better. The threat of the Sheen is very real and even humans can be used to corrupt their own government to gain favours.
This novel gives Deitz more of an opportunity to show his organized military planning. He shows us this through his characters, both allies and enemies and what happens around them. Getting inside their heads is priority for any reader and he delivers his way of developing the characters and the dire circumstances he puts them in.
October 31, 2020
By Force Of Arms By William C. Dietz's revisits the universe of Dietz’s Legion of the Damned trilogy. The Confederacy, a precarious coalition of alien species, has just survived a mutiny and a plot to overthrow the confederate leadership thanks to the efforts of Colonel Bill Booly. But before the Confederacy can pause to rebuild, a new Threat emerges. This time, the stakes are even higher, and the future of all life in galaxy hangs in the balance.
Mysterious aliens called Thrakies have moved into Confederate territory, carrying with them a deadly secret: the Thrakies have been pursued for centuries by a gigantic fleet of robots, the Sheen, which have been programmed to destroy them. Historically, the Thrakies have always run from the Sheen. But as they settle on Confederate worlds, the political climate shifts towards facing the Sheen, and using the Confederacy as a shield.
During their inexorable pursuit the Sheen pick up Jepp Jorley, a marooned prospector with delusions of messianic religious glory. Jorley believes that the Sheen are an instrument of God given to him to convert the universe to his religious vision. The clever AI that controls the fleet, the Hoon, takes advantage of Jorley's gullibility and uses him to distract the Confederacy from its real intentions.
When the Sheen, egged on by Jorley, attack a distant Confederate fringe colony, it becomes clear that the Sheen will destroy anything that stands between it and the Thraki. Newly-promoted General Bill Booly races to rally the various alien races in the Confederacy to counter the threat. As the Thraki plan unravels, a showdown with the Sheen becomes inevitable and whispers of a Thraki doomsday weapon ripple through the Confederate command.
Dietz is great in military SF, with an emphasis on action and carnage, and By Force of Arms sticks to this formula. The exposition starts digressively, but the plot accelerates rapidly, with little time to spare for niceties like characterization or atmosphere. There's plenty of conflict and mayhem, and the descriptions of the Legionnaire corps have an authentic military feeling. Dietz throws in a few intriguing plot twists, but I never felt the level of execution fulfilled the potential of the premise, and the finale felt anticlimactic. Overall, fans of Dietz and fans of military Sci-fi will probably find By Force of Arms a great read.
March 9, 2017
The problem with coming into a book series at the fourth book is that much of the setting and character background is established so the author has the unenviable task of getting new readers up to speed while avoiding boring readers to death with screeds of background detail they already know (Maybe someone should try a summary of the series up to date before starting the narrative). Dietz seems to favour his established readers when dealing with this dilemma and that did impact my enjoyment of the story at times. Overall it's a competent if somewhat by the numbers military SF novels but Dietz does make a good fist of coming up with alien species that are more than humans in rubber suits and there is little of the human exceptionalism which the sub-genre is notorious for. One niggle that kept speed bumping my suspension of disbelief was the usage of the imperial measurement system, it seems to be a common mistake among US authors using a far future setting!
March 19, 2017
Note on significant alien races in this book:
Hudathan: xenophobic murderous aliens defeated twice but now nominal allies b/c of
Thracki/Sheen threat.
Thraki: xenophobic murderous aliens chased by Sheen for centuries (apparently).
Sheen: xenophobic murderous aliens chasing Thraki for centuries (apparently).
Starts with an alien (Thraki) assassination attempt on earth, a duel between aliens on another planet, and negotiations with the Hudathans on their home world. (The admiral in charge of the Hudathan confinement fleet opposes the negotiations so, even though he's just gone through a mutiny himself, he decides to kill the human negotiator- his commanding officer. The negotiator's orders come from the Confederacy's president so why would he think killing the negotiator would stop negotiations?
Next we see some of the internal happenings of the Sheen fleet- setting up a way for the humans to survive. But then we get to read about the parliamentarian debate about the Hudathan treaty. NOTE TO ALL SCI FI WRITERS EVERYWHERE: IF YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. Fortunately it doesn't go on for too long and the author at least has an interesting way to cut away from parliament.
The humans discover a couple of alien secrets, interesting though those secrets are, everything comes to a huge anticlimactic ending. The point of this entire book might as well be the resolution of the love triangle since that is what the post-anticlimax wrap up is all about.
Hudathan: xenophobic murderous aliens defeated twice but now nominal allies b/c of
Thracki/Sheen threat.
Thraki: xenophobic murderous aliens chased by Sheen for centuries (apparently).
Sheen: xenophobic murderous aliens chasing Thraki for centuries (apparently).
Starts with an alien (Thraki) assassination attempt on earth, a duel between aliens on another planet, and negotiations with the Hudathans on their home world. (The admiral in charge of the Hudathan confinement fleet opposes the negotiations so, even though he's just gone through a mutiny himself, he decides to kill the human negotiator- his commanding officer. The negotiator's orders come from the Confederacy's president so why would he think killing the negotiator would stop negotiations?
Next we see some of the internal happenings of the Sheen fleet- setting up a way for the humans to survive. But then we get to read about the parliamentarian debate about the Hudathan treaty. NOTE TO ALL SCI FI WRITERS EVERYWHERE: IF YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG. Fortunately it doesn't go on for too long and the author at least has an interesting way to cut away from parliament.
The humans discover a couple of alien secrets, interesting though those secrets are, everything comes to a huge anticlimactic ending. The point of this entire book might as well be the resolution of the love triangle since that is what the post-anticlimax wrap up is all about.
May 30, 2017
Worth reading other in series
May 1, 2018
As usual in this series, the ending is quite good, but getting there is an increasing slog. I know this series continues, but I have had enough.
July 20, 2021
Nothing like a space battle against a bunch of aliens!
February 5, 2013
William C. Dietz’s By Force of Arms revisits the universe of his popular Legionnaire series. The Confederacy, a precarious coalition of alien species, has just survived a mutiny and a plot to overthrow the confederate leadership thanks to the efforts of Colonel Bill Booly. But before the Confederacy can pause to rebuild, a new danger emerges. This time, the stakes are even higher, and the future of all life hangs in the balance.
Mysterious aliens called Thrakies have moved into Confederate territory, carrying with them a deadly secret: the Thrakies have been pursued for centuries by a gigantic fleet of robots, the Sheen, which have been programmed to destroy them. Historically, the Thrakies have always run from the Sheen. But as they settle on Confederate worlds, the political climate shifts towards facing the Sheen, and using the Confederacy as a shield.
During their inexorable pursuit the Sheen pick up Jepp Jorley, a marooned prospector with delusions of messianic glory. Jorley believes that the Sheen are an instrument of God given to him to convert the universe to his religious vision. The clever AI that controls the fleet, the Hoon, takes advantage of Jorley’s gullibility and uses him to distract the Confederacy from its real intentions.
When the Sheen, egged on by Jorley, attack a distant Confederate fringe colony, it becomes clear that the Sheen will destroy anything that stands between it and the Thraki. Newly-promoted General Bill Booly races to rally the various alien races in the Confederacy to counter the threat. As the Thraki plan unravels, a showdown with the Sheen becomes inevitable and whispers of a Thraki doomsday weapon ripple through the Confederate command.
Dietz specializes in military SF, with an emphasis on action and carnage, and By Force of Arms sticks to this formula. The exposition starts digressively, but the plot accelerates rapidly, with little time to spare for niceties like characterization or atmosphere. There’s lots of conflict and mayhem, and the descriptions of the Legionnaire corps have an authentic military feeling. Dietz throws in a few intriguing plot twists, but I never felt the level of execution fulfilled the potential of the premise, and the finale felt anticlimactic.
Mysterious aliens called Thrakies have moved into Confederate territory, carrying with them a deadly secret: the Thrakies have been pursued for centuries by a gigantic fleet of robots, the Sheen, which have been programmed to destroy them. Historically, the Thrakies have always run from the Sheen. But as they settle on Confederate worlds, the political climate shifts towards facing the Sheen, and using the Confederacy as a shield.
During their inexorable pursuit the Sheen pick up Jepp Jorley, a marooned prospector with delusions of messianic glory. Jorley believes that the Sheen are an instrument of God given to him to convert the universe to his religious vision. The clever AI that controls the fleet, the Hoon, takes advantage of Jorley’s gullibility and uses him to distract the Confederacy from its real intentions.
When the Sheen, egged on by Jorley, attack a distant Confederate fringe colony, it becomes clear that the Sheen will destroy anything that stands between it and the Thraki. Newly-promoted General Bill Booly races to rally the various alien races in the Confederacy to counter the threat. As the Thraki plan unravels, a showdown with the Sheen becomes inevitable and whispers of a Thraki doomsday weapon ripple through the Confederate command.
Dietz specializes in military SF, with an emphasis on action and carnage, and By Force of Arms sticks to this formula. The exposition starts digressively, but the plot accelerates rapidly, with little time to spare for niceties like characterization or atmosphere. There’s lots of conflict and mayhem, and the descriptions of the Legionnaire corps have an authentic military feeling. Dietz throws in a few intriguing plot twists, but I never felt the level of execution fulfilled the potential of the premise, and the finale felt anticlimactic.
May 23, 2016
Only one battle scene. The conclusion is less than anti-climactic. Built up for a major confrontation with the threat of a massive super-weapon and then....Not military science fiction.
.5 star.
The ACE Science Fiction edition was poorly edited. I am a teacher and if I want to read spelling errors and the lack of proofreading, I'd just grade more papers.
No action. No motivation. A brilliant universe that is just poorly painted. All of the characters are the same with no personality. I have equated it to people watching: here comes someone....there they are...there they go. I register a small comment or acknowledgement in my head and move on. That is how this book is written and that is how it reads.
I hope Dietz has gotten better with experience because I've already bought the whole series.
.5 star.
The ACE Science Fiction edition was poorly edited. I am a teacher and if I want to read spelling errors and the lack of proofreading, I'd just grade more papers.
No action. No motivation. A brilliant universe that is just poorly painted. All of the characters are the same with no personality. I have equated it to people watching: here comes someone....there they are...there they go. I register a small comment or acknowledgement in my head and move on. That is how this book is written and that is how it reads.
I hope Dietz has gotten better with experience because I've already bought the whole series.
May 13, 2013
Thin and lame.
Let's be clear, when I'm reading military sci-fi, I'm not expecting Pulitzer material, or even Heinlein and Pournelle. Even with those expectations, this is still weak.
The few pages of military action are actually not bad, and if there'd been more of it, I would have got some of what I expected. Instead I got endless pages of poor attempts at political intrigue and a half hearted try at a love triangle Harlequin readers would giggle at. And no, mentioning null G sex in passing a couple of times with the only character that's ever described as attractive doesn't help any.
Plot holes like Swiss cheese and no real redeeming features. Skip it.
Let's be clear, when I'm reading military sci-fi, I'm not expecting Pulitzer material, or even Heinlein and Pournelle. Even with those expectations, this is still weak.
The few pages of military action are actually not bad, and if there'd been more of it, I would have got some of what I expected. Instead I got endless pages of poor attempts at political intrigue and a half hearted try at a love triangle Harlequin readers would giggle at. And no, mentioning null G sex in passing a couple of times with the only character that's ever described as attractive doesn't help any.
Plot holes like Swiss cheese and no real redeeming features. Skip it.
March 24, 2013
Meh. Only the second book I've read in this series and it took a while to get adjusted to it, since it's probably been since a year that I read the previous book. (By Blood Alone).
Too heavy on the political/backroom drama and too light on the space marine/fighting stuff. A bunch of confusing skips between different character POVs as well. Can't imagine myself reading more in this series unless my shelves are empty.
Too heavy on the political/backroom drama and too light on the space marine/fighting stuff. A bunch of confusing skips between different character POVs as well. Can't imagine myself reading more in this series unless my shelves are empty.
June 13, 2016
Another good book in the Legion series. I am still saddened that the author has no plans to write anymore books in the Legion series, although has promised more books set in the same universe featuring early Legion members such as the Andromeda trilogy set in the early days of the Legion just as cyborgs are starting to enter service in large numbers. At least I got to find out why Trooper 3s are so rare compared to the older Trooper 2s.
January 7, 2011
I like the prospector that gets his ship sucked up into the Sheen's ship and how he comes upon another (will the skeleton remains) of another stoaway. And how thru the Sheen he trys to convert people. Haha funny ride.
December 10, 2008
I'm a sucker for military sci-fi!
January 1, 2011
Enjoyable military SF- part of Legion of the Damned series- aliens, battles.
May 2, 2012
Awful. Anticlimactic. Dietz had a problem tying the plot lines together.
December 21, 2011
Looking forward to enjoy the next volume of this series ... the last two were Military SF @ its best.
May 26, 2014
Great series I am moving to the next one now (-:
September 22, 2014
Great book, old school pre-cyberpunk SiFi. Very enjoyable.
February 15, 2014
Direct sequel to By Blood Alone. Chaotic at first but finally achieves some clarity in the last third of the book.
March 25, 2016
Introduction of a new race into "The Legion" universe. Some good sneaking about as well as direct ass-kicking.
September 25, 2020
In the end, a good plot involving politics and the military. Read with big break spans.
November 9, 2007
Just can't finish this one, surprising because I really like his books. This one is just boring.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews