The Battle for Commitment Planet

Helfort's War #4

by Graham Sharp Paul

It was insane, it was suicidal, it was wrong— and by God he was going to do it.   The Hammer Worlds have Helfort exactly where they want him. The ultimatum is brutal and precise. Unless the Federated hero surrenders, the Hammer World’s prisoner Anna Cheung—the only woman Helfort has ever loved—will be handed over to a bunch of depraved troopers to be violated, then executed by firing squad.Helfort can obey, or he can do what the crew sail his three frontline dreadnoughts into the Hammers’ stronghold Commitment Planet, liberate Anna and the rest of the POWs held captive there, and continue the fight in the jaws of the enemy. Helfort’s decision? Bring it on!

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

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Graham Sharp Paul, born in Sri Lanka, received an honors degree in archaeology and anthropology from Cambridge University and an MBA from Macquarie University. He joined the Royal Navy in 1972, qualifying as a mine warfare and clearance diving officer before reaching the rank of lieutenant commander with the Navy's mine warfare flotilla. In 1983 he transferred to the Royal Australian Navy, serving in its Trials & Assessments Unit and Clearance Diving School before transferring to civilian life in 1987. Paul worked for two Australian companies in the banking and media sectors before setting up his own business development and corporate finance consultancy in 1991. Over the next twelve years he worked on a worldwide range of projects. In 2003 he gave up corporate life to write full-time.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book in the "Helfort's War" series by Graham Sharp Paul. In this one the Hammer Worlds have taken Anna Cheung, the love of Micheal Helfort's life, prisoner. Michael then receives a message from the leader of DocSec, the enforcement branch of the Hammer Worlds, that if he doesn't turn himself into the Hammer Worlds they will rape and torture and finally kill Anna. Michael decides to turn himself in but when his crew find out they come up with a new plan. They will take their ship to the planet Commitment where Anna is being held and attack and rescue Anna and the other Fed prisoners being held there. They know that they will not be able to leave the planet once they arrive so they plan to join the resistance and help fight the war on the ground. The first three books were mainly space battles and this one is a tale of gorilla warfare and bravery and much sacrifice. This book is another great addition to this series.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

While still entertaining, this series is slowing down. Helfort rescues Anna and settles down on Commitment to help the NRA take on the Hammers. Some good action, but seemed a little drawn out and Helfort's endless worries and remorse is getting old. 3 stars.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Final book that is in print, but not the final book of the series, I hope!

The premise for this book is pretty stupid. Here a Lt. in the Federation Space Fleet has knowledge that his sweetheart has been captured and is about to be tortured and killed unless he turns himself over to the enemy! Now, it sure is a good thing that stuff like this doesn't happen in real life.

He's off to rescue his girl friend just like it's an every day thing to do. He doesn't tell anyone except his XO (Executive Officer) about the dastardly message he got from his girl friends jailer but once his XO knows, everybody knows.

They concoct this plan to go save his love life not knowing that anything they do would doom her anyway and even if they could get close to her, the enemy would kill her anyway.

So off we go on this idiotic mission that can't really happen but it makes for some entertaining reading. At least the author has a creative imagination.

I'm not sure how this whole series is going to end but I sure which Lt. Helfort would get promoted to something beyond a Lt. No matter what happens, his uniform won't be able to hold all the medales he's going to earn or maybe he'll just get shot and be done with it!

[Richard Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good effort from Graham Sharp Paul. This time the author of the Helfort's War quintology takes the reader in a different direction. Instead of focusing on space warfare he depicts the brutality of future ground warfare. Forced to take matters into his own hands Michael Helfort leads his own invasion of the Hammer Worlds' home planet. The warfare described is as gritty as any described by other writers of the genre and if very well done.

Without giving away to much Helfort finds himself as the ally of an outnumbered band of rebels who are fighting desperately to overthrow the brutal Hammer regime that has threatened to violate and then murder Helfort's fiancee. Survival depends on being able to out-think the enemy and even then the best that can be hoped for is a stalemate. The book ends with Helfort once again engaged in a desperate mission to turn the tide.

[Steven Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good read in the Helfort series. Michael manages to steal all three dreadnoughts from the fleet, staging the largest mutiny in fleet history. Helfort frees Anna and they being a life together while serving the rebellion on Commitment. Not a bad read, perhaps a little too predictable in some parts, but nothing irritating enough to put the book down. The author did a good job shifting the action from fleet battles in space to ground pounders slogging it out in the mud and muck. It was also a nice touch to see Michael out of his element while Anna was in hers. The development of Anna into a fully-fleshed out character in this book was enjoyable. The transformation of Anna from set piece and Man Friday, to wife, and then commander of a battalion of rebellion soldiers was well-written. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Helforts in the next book.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, enoubh is enough. The whole progression from #1 (Moons of Hell) to #4 (Commitment Planet) has been dragging out way too long and has started to feel redundant. The whole situation on Commitment Planet between the the oppressive regime and the revolutionaries was barely believable - much less the minimal impact the freed Federation POW's had. Let's face it, if the government regime already knew where the NPR were hiding and were as ruthless as they had been behaving up through #3, karst or not a full scale assault on the NPR's isolated position a long time ago. Leaving the never-ending guerrilla raids aside, the final conclusions and decisions reached in the final chapters were pretty obvious early on. Time to get this series resolved and move on to bigger and better things.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series kind of tailed off for me here. Internal consistency issues came back to bite this series. Examples: the Hammer Leader flitting between cynical manipulator and true-believer fundamentalist, the Federation government suddenly being terribly afraid of supporting regime change, despite discussing arming the rebels in Book 1 and actually preparing an invasion force in Book 2. Plus the suddenly getting married thing seemed slightly forced.

The action was good as usual I'll concede, but without the consistency the earlier books had, this one falls short for me.

[Sven · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book represents a nice next step in the series. The pace is like all preceding Books quite fast sometimes, but Paul succeeds in never sounding rushed.

The book ends with something of a huge cliffhanger for things to come and let you wonder if the Hammer of Kraa will finally be defeated.
I'm really looking forward for the next book in this series.

[Nathan Balyeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep forgetting how much I enjoy this series and how quick the pages turn. This book has a few universe inconsistencies and falls back on some pretty personal motives driving some very political figures... a bit too much for me to fully suspend disbelief.

Despite that, I really enjoy the characters, story, and writing style.

[Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best of the series.

The Federation seems to be incapable of coming up with a coherent approach to war. You would think that, after 100 years of war, they would have figured it out...

Honestly, I am beginning to find the characters irritating and the plot excruciating. There is a point that you throw in the towel and move to a planet far away.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first 3 books. This one felt rushed, unfocused, and the personality of the main character seems to have changed somewhat. I also did not like the cliff-hanger ending, which just sets me up to have to purchase book number 5.

[Tbloxham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say this was the best yet in this series, Helfort really seems to be taking off as a developed hero, now we just need to see some greater interest than the rather anemic villains of the piece and this will be an excellent series.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bastard Author makes you wait for another installment. WHy do they always do this to me???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Message to Author: its just a a joke about the bastard part!!!!

Good book, and can't wait to see how the feds respond!!!!!!

[Keira F. Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

More mind-candy in the Helforts War series. This time he's guerilla fighting on the enemy's home planet. Gets a little harder for willing suspension of disbelief with each book, but they still keep me coming back, so I guess that works.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

That next book had better be here soon. The old serials could leap off the cliff and ask how ever will the hero survive this one because it was a week intween the cliff and the rescue.

[Mike O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the series and this book is another a really good old style SF space combat novel in the series.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good addition to the series

[Papal Bull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

[Chant · Rating 1 out of 5]

All of a sudden Michael's a spineless bumbling fumbling feckless fool, and Anna turns into a super soldier? Oh, Please.