Janissaries

The original issue did far better than expected. Apparently, while both Pournelle and his publisher hoped for the best when it came out, the reception was superb. Thence came the demand for a sequel and later, after that, for the next one. In the mid 1980s, Pournelle was asked about this at a Los Angeles SF Convention, and he replied "Soon". Indeed, the third volume was soon published. But, like any good author who knows how to write well and milk a successful series, dangling threads were left. It is from these that other reviewers here have asked for a fourth volume. It has now been 15 years since the 3rd volume! Frustrating. Sadly, it appears that Pournelle's productivity has fallen in recent years. Still, we can only hope... And also hope for a reissue, maybe in hardcover, of THIS first volume. As you may recall, the first publication was in an extra large paperback format, with illustrations. It has been sufficiently long that perhaps now a hardcover with the lovely drawings might be justified.

I've re-read this book many times. The theme is an old one but no one executes it as well as he does. The characters are believable and 3 dimensional. JEP's military understanding is good. The action sequences are authentic. I've read all 3 books but the other 2 are progressively worse because Roland Green wrote them. The next two books have incredibly boring and inane dialogue and that's what killed the series. To top it off, my Storms of Victory ended without any explanation of what happened next. If I could find another copy of this book I'm gonna turn it to the back page to see if I had a bad copy.

The true motivation for this series of books (so I believe) is not the superficial one you can read about in the other reviews. Jerry Pournelle likes to experiment with "what if" notions of military history - on the planet Tran you find a mixture of Roman legions, Celts, medieval knights, mongol hordes etc... plus the newly added American mercenaries. Thus what you get is essentially a series of battles between armies that could never have faced each other historically - and it makes fascinating reading. If you like this kind of thing, see also Pournelle's "King David's Spaceship". The book has quality beyond the military element. I particularly liked the "historical" accuracy of the characters suffering from saddle-sores, poor water, and worrying about their teeth without any knid of modern dentistry. I liked too the way they resort to getting the idea of germ theory across to the natives - there are tiny demons in the world that can be purified with the ritual washing using boiled water. Over and above this world, there is an important sub-plot. This world of colonists is part of a black market drugs business by certain powerful alien interests - and it could become vital as there is a debate going on that the earth should be sterilised before the feral humans get out of hand... so Tran could become the last outpost of humanity. However, the American mercenaries realise that Tran has been periodically bombed back into the Stone Age... so at the same time as fighting their wars, they endeavour to prepare for a nuclear assault as best they can. The only thing that might ultimately save them are human sympathisers who work for the aliens.The series goes on for 3 books so far - alas with declining quality... but still enough to be engrossing. I join the call for a 4th book - I desperately want to see how this story concludes.

I first read this book in its original printing in 1982 and then went on to the next two in its series. The concept is fresh and the writing well done.It is nice that they are re-printing this series, (also I've lost my original 3rd book!), but am desperately awaiting for the authors to finish the series. That's right, after three books, they leave you hanging. So if the authors read these pages, please finish the Jannissaries series.

Ever wander what aliens do with people they abduct - and don't bring back? It's the 1980's, in the middle of a guerilla war. Just when all hope seems lost for Rick Galloway and his mercenaries, a savior appears in the sky - a UFO! They are saved, and then offered a deal they can't refuse. Sometime later, they are dumped on a cold planet inhabited by humans, to raise drugs for an interstellar empire. As they plan the takeover of the world, they slowly learn that they are on a suicide mission, whose success could mean their death! The drug, called madweed by the locals, only grows once every 1600 years, spurred on by the appearance of the Demon,a rogue star. Once it's been harvested, the aliens will A-bomb the planet back to the Stone Age!