Birth of Fire

Jerry Pournelle is one of the more qualified people writing science fiction nowadays - he's done a lot of things, knows a lot, and seems to have a network of contacts rivalling what Winston Churchill had in the `30s. Like most of the near-greats, he's written a couple of brilliant books that made his name, and a lot more that aren't *quite* at that level. Birth of Fire is one of the latter - it's better than what most SF authors do, but it's not up to Pournelle's best. Which still places it above 90% of published SF. Other reviews have summed the plot up well enough: intelligent but no-direction teenager is sent to Mars as a convict and gets involved in a revolution. Simple enough plot, but the skill is in the execution. Pournelle draws economic and political relationships well, but doesn't waste words on unnecessary detail. There are authors who like extensive description, to "stop and smell the roses"; Pournelle isn't one of them. The plot moves fast and the action scenes are as good as anything Pournelle has done in his better-known military fiction - which is to say, very good indeed. There's an ingenious and nicely-executed scene involving the immobilization of a solar-powered transport; the combat in general, both strategic and tactical, is well-handled. Pournelle seems to have really done his research, which is common enough, and *thought* about how these details apply to tactical and political situations, which is less common. Not quite up to the standard of Lucifer's Hammer or the Falkenberg's Legion books, but as good as anything else written by one of today's best living SF authors.

I had not read any of Jerry Pournelle's other books, when I picked this up years ago. It is an amazingly good yarn dealing with the now cliched notion of the colonization of Mars. The lead protagonist Garrett is given the option to stay in jail in overcrowded earth or get shipped out to Mars on a work detail.He opts for the latter and gets involved in a revolution to free Mars from the oppressive multinational corporations back on earth. I read this book at least thrice! Great writing. The author moves the action at a good pace. The book felt very believable.

After I read 'Janissaries' I had a 'Pournelle reading frenzy' and this is one of the novels I bought as well.I like it, it's quite classic. Boy gets to mars 'cause he doesn't have much of a future back home. When arriving on Mars it seems he won't have much of a future there either. But the locals help him out and suddenly he finds himself caught up in a revolution...classic, not the most complex plot ever, but a good read never the less.

I've read this story 5 times. It is an excellent book as most of his books are. Solid storyline. I highly recommend this for beginning sci-fi readers. Almost as good as Heinlien, and that is high praise indeed. I also recommend Footfall, Lucifer's Hammer, Mote in God's Eye series, King David's Spaceship, the Falkenberg series and the Janissaries series

This book, which incidently was originally released by the now long defunct Laser Books, is definitely classic Pournelle. Young Garrett Pittson teams up with the "Sarge",who is going to teach Pittson how to farm on Mars. All Garrett wants to do is learn how to farm and mind his own business, however the bureaucrats have some other ideas. This book is not quite as good as Jerry's John Christian Falkenberg stories but it is a good read and worth buying