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Bolo #5
Bolo Rising
When the human colony of Cloud is mercilessly attacked and its people imprisoned in a slave camp, Major Jaime Graham struggles to bring Bolo protector Hector, who has been reprogrammed by their enemies, back to the good side. Original.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 28, 2001
4 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
William H. Keith Jr.
126 books178 followersBill Keith was raised in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, and served in the Navy as a corpsman for many years. In addition to writing fiction and non-fiction works, he is an award-winning illustrator/artist.
He has also published under the psuedonyms:
Ian Douglas (SF series: Heritage, Legacy, Inheritance, Star Carrier, Andromedan Dark)
H. Jay Riker (SEALS:The Warrior Breed series)
Keith Douglass (Carrier and Seal Team 7 series)
Bill Keith
Keith William Andrews (Freedom's Rangers series)
Robert Cain (Cybernarc series)
He has also published under the psuedonyms:
Ian Douglas (SF series: Heritage, Legacy, Inheritance, Star Carrier, Andromedan Dark)
H. Jay Riker (SEALS:The Warrior Breed series)
Keith Douglass (Carrier and Seal Team 7 series)
Bill Keith
Keith William Andrews (Freedom's Rangers series)
Robert Cain (Cybernarc series)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2016
The Bolo series of novels, first created by Keith Laumer and subsequently written by several prominent SF authors, has long been one of my favourite SF worlds. This novel, Bolo Rising, is an excellent example of why I like them so much. On the surface, it is just another alien invasion story, easily dismissed as just another story of ray guns and daring heroes. But it goes much deeper than that, and I think represents very well the classic form of Science Fiction, based on interesting concepts, wide ranging plot, and human beings dealing with a very futuristic world.
Spoiler Alert! - While I won't be going over the entire book in detail, many important elements in it can't be discussed without a certain amount of "spoiling", so here's your chance to stop reading.
Still here? Great. Let's go.
First, most central and almost unique to the Bolo series is the treatment and depiction of Artificial Intelligence. It seems that almost every new SF story or film featuring AI is the tired old trope of machines gaining self awareness and immediately turning on their human creators. Even Asimov's classic Caves of Steel deals with how AI can go wrong or move in unexpected directions, not always beneficial to humans. But not so the Bolos. Originally the result of attempts by military researchers to create robotic tanks, something that the major powers are already working on today, they succeeded, but in an unexpected way. In programming their AI powered tank with as much military tactics and history as possible, they unwittingly created an AI that had also absorbed all the best of the military ethos. The desire to protect the helpless, a limitless need to defend and serve their creators, and the willingness to suffer destruction in the performance of their duties. In other words, they had created artificial warriors who embodied the concept of Honour. For those interested in reading about the birth of the Bolo, I suggest the short story "Honor Of The Regiment". Bolos were never treated as perfect in the books and stories, and could go rogue if severely damaged, or left unmaintained for long (very long) periods, just like any machine, or human being, for that matter. For that reason, each Bolo was partnered with a human commander. I say partnered and not "operated" because the human/Bolo team was truly that. A team that fights and often dies together, because Bolos are not indestructible or invulnerable.
The next feature of the book are the alien invaders. Like Battlestar Galactica (the original series) the invaders are a machine based civilisation. But these invaders are truly alien. They have no concept of biological life, or have somehow forgotten it in the distant past. As you would expect with a machine culture, they prize integration and utility. As such, the biological machines that are the humans are a puzzle to them. Logically, every independently operating system must have a purpose, a use, and after invading the human colonised planet, they set about investigating these strange biological machines to determine their intended use, with truly horrific results, as might easily be imagined. In the mean time, the surviving humans are put to work scavenging the destroyed cities and countryside for scraps of usable materials and technology. The true horror of the situation is that the machine based aliens are not evil or even hostile. They simply are unable to understand things like emotion, exhaustion, fear, pain, or death.
On the human side of the story, at the start it is a tale of raw survival under the most savage and terrible slavery imaginable. The most callous and ruthless human slave owner understands the basic needs and weaknesses of their slaves and take these into account, if only to preserve valuable assets. But not so with the invaders, who are not deliberately cruel, but simply uncomprehending. Many of the survivors choose suicide or simply give up and die.
Even worse, their most powerful and reliable defender, the Mark XXXEH Bolo named Hector, has been suborned, "hacked" and made to serve the alien's purposes by implanting the equivalent of a trojan or virus into the Bolo's systems. Hector's unfamiliar AI and operating systems have not been destroyed, but instead are constantly "reset" whenever the Bolo attempts self diagnosis and repair, and is given false data and instructions. Ironically, since the aliens have yet to totally take control of Hector, it is set up as a watchdog over the captive humans, destroying any who try to escape or approach too close to the massive war machine. Unsurprisingly, many of the captives use the Bolo as a convenient and relatively painless method of suicide.
Once such person is Major Jaime Graham, a Bolo commander. Driven to despair, he decided to end his suffering by approaching the Bolo and crossing the fatal boundary. But almost by accident he discovers that Hector still responds to some very basic voice commands unrelated to combat operations. Since the alien slave overseers and biological salvage units don't approach Hector either, the Bolo becomes Major Graham's safe space, a place to rest and temporarily hide from the ceaseless demands to work.
And this is where the plot begins. If Major Graham can somehow enter and repair the Bolo's AI, he can stage a revolt that might free the humans or at least deal truly significant damage to the invaders before he and Hector are destroyed. Thus begins a guerilla war featuring a single fighter the size of a multi storey building, and those few humans (male and female) who still retain the spirit to fight.
The book is an anthem to the human spirit and to the hope of Artificial Intelligences that may someday be our partners and even our friends, and their fight against the very opposite of the Bolo, the "evil" and hostile machine intelligence that so many predict is in our future. This is SF in the classic style, not a disguised soap opera or a thinly veiled vehicle to promote a political or social agenda.
Spoiler Alert! - While I won't be going over the entire book in detail, many important elements in it can't be discussed without a certain amount of "spoiling", so here's your chance to stop reading.
Still here? Great. Let's go.
First, most central and almost unique to the Bolo series is the treatment and depiction of Artificial Intelligence. It seems that almost every new SF story or film featuring AI is the tired old trope of machines gaining self awareness and immediately turning on their human creators. Even Asimov's classic Caves of Steel deals with how AI can go wrong or move in unexpected directions, not always beneficial to humans. But not so the Bolos. Originally the result of attempts by military researchers to create robotic tanks, something that the major powers are already working on today, they succeeded, but in an unexpected way. In programming their AI powered tank with as much military tactics and history as possible, they unwittingly created an AI that had also absorbed all the best of the military ethos. The desire to protect the helpless, a limitless need to defend and serve their creators, and the willingness to suffer destruction in the performance of their duties. In other words, they had created artificial warriors who embodied the concept of Honour. For those interested in reading about the birth of the Bolo, I suggest the short story "Honor Of The Regiment". Bolos were never treated as perfect in the books and stories, and could go rogue if severely damaged, or left unmaintained for long (very long) periods, just like any machine, or human being, for that matter. For that reason, each Bolo was partnered with a human commander. I say partnered and not "operated" because the human/Bolo team was truly that. A team that fights and often dies together, because Bolos are not indestructible or invulnerable.
The next feature of the book are the alien invaders. Like Battlestar Galactica (the original series) the invaders are a machine based civilisation. But these invaders are truly alien. They have no concept of biological life, or have somehow forgotten it in the distant past. As you would expect with a machine culture, they prize integration and utility. As such, the biological machines that are the humans are a puzzle to them. Logically, every independently operating system must have a purpose, a use, and after invading the human colonised planet, they set about investigating these strange biological machines to determine their intended use, with truly horrific results, as might easily be imagined. In the mean time, the surviving humans are put to work scavenging the destroyed cities and countryside for scraps of usable materials and technology. The true horror of the situation is that the machine based aliens are not evil or even hostile. They simply are unable to understand things like emotion, exhaustion, fear, pain, or death.
On the human side of the story, at the start it is a tale of raw survival under the most savage and terrible slavery imaginable. The most callous and ruthless human slave owner understands the basic needs and weaknesses of their slaves and take these into account, if only to preserve valuable assets. But not so with the invaders, who are not deliberately cruel, but simply uncomprehending. Many of the survivors choose suicide or simply give up and die.
Even worse, their most powerful and reliable defender, the Mark XXXEH Bolo named Hector, has been suborned, "hacked" and made to serve the alien's purposes by implanting the equivalent of a trojan or virus into the Bolo's systems. Hector's unfamiliar AI and operating systems have not been destroyed, but instead are constantly "reset" whenever the Bolo attempts self diagnosis and repair, and is given false data and instructions. Ironically, since the aliens have yet to totally take control of Hector, it is set up as a watchdog over the captive humans, destroying any who try to escape or approach too close to the massive war machine. Unsurprisingly, many of the captives use the Bolo as a convenient and relatively painless method of suicide.
Once such person is Major Jaime Graham, a Bolo commander. Driven to despair, he decided to end his suffering by approaching the Bolo and crossing the fatal boundary. But almost by accident he discovers that Hector still responds to some very basic voice commands unrelated to combat operations. Since the alien slave overseers and biological salvage units don't approach Hector either, the Bolo becomes Major Graham's safe space, a place to rest and temporarily hide from the ceaseless demands to work.
And this is where the plot begins. If Major Graham can somehow enter and repair the Bolo's AI, he can stage a revolt that might free the humans or at least deal truly significant damage to the invaders before he and Hector are destroyed. Thus begins a guerilla war featuring a single fighter the size of a multi storey building, and those few humans (male and female) who still retain the spirit to fight.
The book is an anthem to the human spirit and to the hope of Artificial Intelligences that may someday be our partners and even our friends, and their fight against the very opposite of the Bolo, the "evil" and hostile machine intelligence that so many predict is in our future. This is SF in the classic style, not a disguised soap opera or a thinly veiled vehicle to promote a political or social agenda.
April 28, 2020
A full novel set in the Bolo universe; humanity has scattered to different planets, trying to establish colonies and perpetuate the species. On the planet Cloud, the colony suffered a devastating attack from a machine race that has enslaved the humans and put them to work mining and scavenging. The Mark XXXIII Bolo (aka "Hector") who was intended to act as the colony's defense was disabled early on, but survivors of the human military believe there may be a way to reactivate Hector and try to fight back ... of course it's not going to be easy.
It's a very 70s style of science fiction, lots of militarism and macho, but still has some very smart and useful female characters, and what particularly stands out in the Bolo books is the parts of the story told from the point of view of the Bolo itself, an AI developed for and to defend humanity but now both stronger and faster than any of them. The long-term relationship that develops between the Bolos and the humans is what interests me most about Laumer's view of this future universe and he develops the Bolos as real personalities and interesting characters on their own.
It's a very 70s style of science fiction, lots of militarism and macho, but still has some very smart and useful female characters, and what particularly stands out in the Bolo books is the parts of the story told from the point of view of the Bolo itself, an AI developed for and to defend humanity but now both stronger and faster than any of them. The long-term relationship that develops between the Bolos and the humans is what interests me most about Laumer's view of this future universe and he develops the Bolos as real personalities and interesting characters on their own.
August 27, 2020
Solid. Big Tank good. I liked it more when I was 15 but it's fun.
July 25, 2015
I enjoyed reading this book again; it has been several years, so it was like reading a 'new' book [as it were]. It moved at a decent pace. It held my interest throughout the course of the book. I did like how the author managed to instill a sense of identity, of character, in Hector [the Bolo in this tale].
I liked how the author intermixed history with the Bolo's current military actions against the !*!*!. It was interesting to read how the Bolo tried to apply tactics from military leaders on Earth who fought via 'simple' weapons [like swords and spears] and 'contemporary' weapons of the 1800s into the 'modern'/advanced weaponry used by the Bolo [Hellbore weapons, nukes, mortars, VLS missiles, infinite repeaters, anti-personnel weapons, as well as battling on the electronic frontier]. The author did a nice job of mashing the old with the new to come up with 'new' tactics for the Bolo to use while battling 'his' enemies.
I thought the 'Makist' argument held by some of the alien artificial intelligences was funny. Apparently some of the AI believed they had been created by organic beings similar to the humans the 'clackers' had enslaved. The primary AI intelligence in this novel, DAV728, states that obviously there is a fallacy in this line of questioning, as it must then ask who created the organic lifeforms. It was a humorous line of thought in the book. The 'clackers' were described as being a type of self-perpetuating virus that had become self-aware while attempting to find utility in everything the race encountered, including organic lifeforms. [They kind of reminded me of the Borg from ST:TNG.]
The first four Bolo compilations were so depressingly negative in how they viewed humanity's future/survival [we don't make it]. I think some authors tried to change this viewpoint [such as the lengthy story at the end of the fourth book in which the humans and their alien antagonists learn to live in peace and harmony through the efforts of a Bolo]. "Old Soldiers" by David Weber was a wonderful attempt to stave off humanity's foretold extinction - it was the 'most positive' book to date in the 'Boloverse' [in my opinion, but it has been a while since I read all of the stories] in terms of humanity's future. I would say this book joins the attempts of those wishing to portray a 'positive' future for humanity. Despite being conquered by alien machines, the humans on Cloud refuse to give in to defeat and despair. In the end, they are able to escape to a nearby star empire with information vital to said empire's survival.
When I first read the book, I was quite sad despite the book having a 'positive' ending.
It had decent character development. I did like how some characters rose to the occasion as situations presented themselves, and how others knew when to step down when they were out of their league. I felt the characters were true to the storyline and not necessarily caricatures.
I have to admit, there were a couple of parts that seemed 'long' and 'drawn out,' but they did not necessarily detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. I did find some of the discussions about what constitutes 'life' and 'intelligence' to be interesting/amusing.
Overall, I [still] thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I liked how the author intermixed history with the Bolo's current military actions against the !*!*!. It was interesting to read how the Bolo tried to apply tactics from military leaders on Earth who fought via 'simple' weapons [like swords and spears] and 'contemporary' weapons of the 1800s into the 'modern'/advanced weaponry used by the Bolo [Hellbore weapons, nukes, mortars, VLS missiles, infinite repeaters, anti-personnel weapons, as well as battling on the electronic frontier]. The author did a nice job of mashing the old with the new to come up with 'new' tactics for the Bolo to use while battling 'his' enemies.
I thought the 'Makist' argument held by some of the alien artificial intelligences was funny. Apparently some of the AI believed they had been created by organic beings similar to the humans the 'clackers' had enslaved. The primary AI intelligence in this novel, DAV728, states that obviously there is a fallacy in this line of questioning, as it must then ask who created the organic lifeforms. It was a humorous line of thought in the book. The 'clackers' were described as being a type of self-perpetuating virus that had become self-aware while attempting to find utility in everything the race encountered, including organic lifeforms. [They kind of reminded me of the Borg from ST:TNG.]
The first four Bolo compilations were so depressingly negative in how they viewed humanity's future/survival [we don't make it]. I think some authors tried to change this viewpoint [such as the lengthy story at the end of the fourth book in which the humans and their alien antagonists learn to live in peace and harmony through the efforts of a Bolo]. "Old Soldiers" by David Weber was a wonderful attempt to stave off humanity's foretold extinction - it was the 'most positive' book to date in the 'Boloverse' [in my opinion, but it has been a while since I read all of the stories] in terms of humanity's future. I would say this book joins the attempts of those wishing to portray a 'positive' future for humanity. Despite being conquered by alien machines, the humans on Cloud refuse to give in to defeat and despair. In the end, they are able to escape to a nearby star empire with information vital to said empire's survival.
When I first read the book, I was quite sad despite the book having a 'positive' ending.
It had decent character development. I did like how some characters rose to the occasion as situations presented themselves, and how others knew when to step down when they were out of their league. I felt the characters were true to the storyline and not necessarily caricatures.
I have to admit, there were a couple of parts that seemed 'long' and 'drawn out,' but they did not necessarily detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. I did find some of the discussions about what constitutes 'life' and 'intelligence' to be interesting/amusing.
Overall, I [still] thoroughly enjoyed this book.
March 5, 2017
You just can't keep a good Bolo down! A last ditch effort by a thoroughly downtrodden human slave of the sentient, yet emotionless, !.!.! machine race revives their one and only chance for freedom. Hector, the suborned, but still functional Bolo Mark XXXIII is the only possible solution to any kind of escape plan, but can he be recovered from the alien machines influence? And if so, what then? You'll have to read this action packed novel to find out for sure, but between you and me, I haven't seen a Bolo that gave up yet! Another great Bolo tale with another great Bolo Hero! I give it 4 stars and call it a Fantastic Read! Long Live the Dinochrome Brigade!
June 4, 2021
Humanity on the planet of Cloud has been enslaved by mechanical overlords with a penchant for harvesting body parts.
Their last line of defence, Hector, a Mark 33 Bolo had been incapacitated at the start of the invasion and now stands guard over the human slaves....
A good full length Bolo novel, with the usual ineffectual military types who mistrust the self aware giant tanks, self sacrifice and lots of action.
Their last line of defence, Hector, a Mark 33 Bolo had been incapacitated at the start of the invasion and now stands guard over the human slaves....
A good full length Bolo novel, with the usual ineffectual military types who mistrust the self aware giant tanks, self sacrifice and lots of action.
November 19, 2015
This is actually one of the better BOLO novels, showcasing the power of the later incarnations of the self-aware war machines as well as keeping the human element as an integral part of the story. If you're a fan of action and super powerful tanks, well, you can't go wrong with this book.
November 21, 2007
read 05.20.06
great series
great series
November 1, 2016
Great action story about man vs machine.
August 28, 2023
A bit darker than the usual bolo book but still a good read
April 30, 2017
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It began in 1976 when Keith Laumer published a series of short stories culminating into a novel-length release called Bolo. His concept revolved around massive, self-aware tanks that fight for humanity. Strange protagonists to say the least. But the idea proved popular enough to publish several books throughout the 80’s and early 90’s. Tragically, this was as far as Laumer got with the idea before passing away on January 23rd, 1993.
But the Bolo series was not finished. Rather the torch was passed onto other authors, including David Weber, Bill Fawcett, and J. Steven York. Better yet, these authors seemed to write their novels without any need to dive into earlier installments. And that includes Bolo Rising by today’s reviewed author, William H. Keith Jr.
Set on the colony of Cloud, the human residence are slaves to the !*!*!; not a censored expletive, but rather a shorthand for the Clackers— robotic alien invaders. Each day the slaves toil to find every reusable scrap of material in the dirt and mud. At night they avoid the attentions of the overseers, humans who betrayed their race for slightly better living conditions. Attempts at rebellion are squashed by the Clacker flyers, who only appear to assist their human taskmasters.
And when the slaves lose hope, many take the “Hector Option”— walking into the guns of the Bolo guard tank.
But Major Jaime Graham isn’t finished with the fight. Convinced he can undo the programming against Hector’s system, Graham plots to return the Bolo to humanity’s side. Enlisting the aid of specialists hidden among the ranks of the slaves, Graham eventually succeeds at freeing Hector.
Unfortunately for him, breaking out isn’t even half the fight.
Aside from the prison guards and security flyers, the Clackers firmly control the airspace and orbit in abundance. The world is theirs, and not even a 32,000-ton planetary-weapon like Hector can kill them all. Thus, much of Bolo Rising turns from an implausible liberation of the planet to an escape from it. Securing allies, gathering means of paying for transit and holding off foes both without and within.
While it may sound like Bolo Rising risks being more military action than science fiction, that’s not the case. Keith not only does a fantastic job of explaining the theoretical, but does so in the context of the story. Through his characters’ dialogue or the prose, Keith discusses holonomic brain theory, parallel processing challenges and cybernetic integration issues. Perhaps it’s because of this that Hector’s scenes, narrated from the first-person perspective, are so fascinating.
Bolo Rising is a awesome read. It thrills with themes of freedom to satisfy the spirit, characters with heart and food for the mind. More than just another entry in a military sci-fi franchise, it’s what science fiction ought to be.
It began in 1976 when Keith Laumer published a series of short stories culminating into a novel-length release called Bolo. His concept revolved around massive, self-aware tanks that fight for humanity. Strange protagonists to say the least. But the idea proved popular enough to publish several books throughout the 80’s and early 90’s. Tragically, this was as far as Laumer got with the idea before passing away on January 23rd, 1993.
But the Bolo series was not finished. Rather the torch was passed onto other authors, including David Weber, Bill Fawcett, and J. Steven York. Better yet, these authors seemed to write their novels without any need to dive into earlier installments. And that includes Bolo Rising by today’s reviewed author, William H. Keith Jr.
Set on the colony of Cloud, the human residence are slaves to the !*!*!; not a censored expletive, but rather a shorthand for the Clackers— robotic alien invaders. Each day the slaves toil to find every reusable scrap of material in the dirt and mud. At night they avoid the attentions of the overseers, humans who betrayed their race for slightly better living conditions. Attempts at rebellion are squashed by the Clacker flyers, who only appear to assist their human taskmasters.
And when the slaves lose hope, many take the “Hector Option”— walking into the guns of the Bolo guard tank.
But Major Jaime Graham isn’t finished with the fight. Convinced he can undo the programming against Hector’s system, Graham plots to return the Bolo to humanity’s side. Enlisting the aid of specialists hidden among the ranks of the slaves, Graham eventually succeeds at freeing Hector.
Unfortunately for him, breaking out isn’t even half the fight.
Aside from the prison guards and security flyers, the Clackers firmly control the airspace and orbit in abundance. The world is theirs, and not even a 32,000-ton planetary-weapon like Hector can kill them all. Thus, much of Bolo Rising turns from an implausible liberation of the planet to an escape from it. Securing allies, gathering means of paying for transit and holding off foes both without and within.
While it may sound like Bolo Rising risks being more military action than science fiction, that’s not the case. Keith not only does a fantastic job of explaining the theoretical, but does so in the context of the story. Through his characters’ dialogue or the prose, Keith discusses holonomic brain theory, parallel processing challenges and cybernetic integration issues. Perhaps it’s because of this that Hector’s scenes, narrated from the first-person perspective, are so fascinating.
Bolo Rising is a awesome read. It thrills with themes of freedom to satisfy the spirit, characters with heart and food for the mind. More than just another entry in a military sci-fi franchise, it’s what science fiction ought to be.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews