Old Soldiers

David Weber writes another wonderful installment in the Bolo universe. Unlike most Bolo books, which are usually several short stories, this is one long novel. Capt Trevor, of the Dinochrome Brigade, checks in off of convalescent leave after being severely wounded on Chartres. Indeed, she is the only human survivor of her battalion. She is teamed with Lazarus, the only surviving Bolo from that battle, on a special mission that could be humanity's only hope for survival. This book is full of gripping science fiction combat, and the characters are developed especially well. Plus, there is a pretty good surprise ending. All in all, Bolo fans will NOT be disappointed!

David Weber's OLD SOLDIERS tells of one Captain Trevor, the sole survivors of a battle - and a Bolo companion who also has survived the destruction of his own unit. The doctors have put them both back together - yet healing remains, and the two must serve again, together, against impossible odds in this fast-paced military fantasy.

The best part about "Old Soldiers" (the second Bolo-novel written by Weber, in the universe created by Keith Laumer) is that in this 372-page paperback novel, Weber doesn't have the space to "bloat" his story like he has done in other recent works. Instead, it forces him to focus on all-out action - something he excels at writing! The story clips along at a furious pace, dragging the reader with it like he/she's being hooked behind a Bolo travelling with the pedal-to-the-metal. Complex tactical strategies, as viewed in detail from both sides, will have you scratching your head as you try to figure out how our heroes will be able to beat the vastly superior 'Dog Boys' when the remnants of the Concordat and the Melchonian empire finally start butting heads with all guns blazing. Minor drawback is, that for the better part of this novel most of the characters are no more than standard cardboard-cut out people that don't really come alive, except for headliners Maneka Trevor and Unit 28/G-179-LAZ, a.k.a. "Lazarus". It's only when battle is fully joined that characters (especially the bad guys!) really start to "breathe". I am not going to spoil it by telling what happens, but the ending is somewhat surprising (not standard "Hollywood"-fare so to speak), although it is surprisingly suitable to the overall theme of this novel. So, for everyone who enjoys an action-filled, roalercoaster-ride of a read, buy this novel!

Mankind was NOT winning the war against the Melconian Empire. In fact the Concordiat may have entered its first war it didn't have a chance of winning. So the idea was now to survive. Plant colonies so far away that not even the Melconian Empire, even if it won the war, could ever find them. But who would protect these colonies? Well, Bolos and their commanders, of course. But not Front Line Units - they were needed to hold the enemy back. Old, used, outdated Bolos would have to be upgraded, rearmed and sent out with the colony ships. Unit 28/G-179-LAZ, known as Lazarus, was the sole surviving Bolo of the battle for Chartres. Being a Mark XXVIII/G he was a century out of date and had been put back together more than once. Captain Maneka Trevor was the sole human survivor of the same battle. Her Bolo had not survived. They were the last two members of the 39th Battalion. Both wondered why THEY had lived while their partners had died. Could the two of them push their history aside to make sure the colony lasted long enough to be planted or would their guilt get in the way of their job? David Weber is not only the perfect author to write military sci-fi, which he does all the time, but he also knows just how to keep the plot moving and the characters interesting. Even the Melconian characters who make up a large part of the book were realistic, smart and alive.

Dinochrome Brigade Captain Maneka Trevor is the only human survivor of her brigade at the devastating battle on planet Chartres; her Bolo unit Benjy died in the battle. Lazerus also survived that fight as the only Bolo to make it from the slaughter, but without its human host who died in the combat. Doctors heal Maneka's physical wounds, but she remains with the military because she does not have any options while suffering survivor's guilt. At about the same time, the Bolo technicians repair Lazerus. Rear Admiral Sedgewood selects Maneka to participate in "Operation Seed Corn", a desperate ploy to save the human race facing extinction against the mighty Melconian Empire, which sacrifices soldiers in exorbitant numbers to overwhelm the enemy. The last hope is to colonize a new planet. To help her, Lazerus is assigned to her though he embellishes her feelings of survival guilt by being there. When the enemy arrives to destroy this mission, a fire fight breaks out leaving both sides mostly dead. Maneka with Lazarus as her chief aid takes charge of the Seed Corn survivors. One year later, the humans settle on "Indrani" while the Melconians prepare for the final battle of Armageddon. The second Bolo tale (see BOLO) is a terrific military science fiction thriller that symbolizes an American-Chinese conflict. The story line goes into great depth to showcase the short term military strategy with the humans employing higher levels of technology against the much greater in number of soldiers that fight in massive waves but are considered expendable; the acceptable philosophy is that multiples might die for every human killed. Fans will appreciate this deep look at war in outer space as David Weber ventures outside his Harrington universe with this strong tale of intergalactic war between two species. Harriet Klausner