Orphanage (Jason Wander, 1)

"We crabbed shoulder to shoulder down the cargo nets to our landing craft bucking in the Channel, each GI's bilge -and-sea-soaked boots drenching his buddy below. In that moment I realized that we fight not for flags or against tyrants but for each other. For whatever remains of my life, those barely met strangers who dangled around me will be my only family. Strip away politics and whatever or whenever, war is an orphanage." -Anonymous letter fragment, Recovered on Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 1944. Orphanage begins with this quote but it began a long time ago. This book is written in homage to Science Fiction Greats Robert A. Heinlien, and Joe Haldeman, who each wrote political commentaries on War set in science fiction stories. Heinlein wrote his original Starship Troopers in 1959, and Haldeman wrote his The Forever War in 1972 and revised it in 1975. Each of these books follows a young man from basic training through to great battles to attempt to save the earth from aliens, as does our story. Our grunt is Jason Wander, a young man mad at the Universe, his parents were killed in the first meteor impact. After a few run-ins with the law because of anger and lashing out after his loss, he is given the choice to serve prison time or in the military. At some point in his training he goes from being apathetic, to deciding to become a good soldier. His adventure lead him to the moon where he is the first human to encounter the slugs who are trying to wipe out all life on earth, then onto Ganymade where the first major conflict of this war begins. Ganymade is the outpost in our solar system for our alien enemies that we are being bombarded from. During the heroic battle as the force of 10,000 is knocked down to a few hundred, he is promoted time and time again, for succeeding and rising to the occasion. Field promotions are hard earned for they come at the loss of good men and women, and with each promotion you become responsible for more lives. Can he take the pressure, can he save earth, read it and find out. (First Published in Imprint 2005-09-02 as 'Science fiction goed to battle' and reprnted 2005-09-23 as 'Slugs attempt to wipe out life'

Orphanage (2004) is the first novel in a military SF series. The world has settled into a relative state of peace; the wars are minor and usually far away. Almost everyone has obtained some affluence and are concerned basically with "keeping up with the Joneses". Just as the police are expected to manage the criminal elements, the military are charged with the handling of the terrorists and other warmakers. In this novel, Jason Wander is a war orphan in a world with very little warfare. Unfortunately, more thousands are orphans just like him. All are surviving victims of the Slugs. These pseudocephalopods are dropping skyscraper sized kinetic projectiles on major cities throughout the Earth. Debris blasted into the sky is causing "nuclear winter", but without the radioactivity of nuclear weapons. They have developed a forward base on Ganymede, but seemingly the Slugs want the real estate on Earth. Jason's father had died ten years earlier, but his mother was killed in the recent Slug attack on Indianapolis. He was in psychological shock, but went to school anyway. After one of his teachers stated that the Indianapolis dead deserved their fate, he beat her to a pulp. The court offered him a choice of prison or the Army. After a second offense while in a foster home, Jason decided that the Army was the way to go. Jason thought that the Infantry sounded really wick and he didn't mind a little hiking, so he selected that as his branch. Thereafter, various people reacted adversely to this news and he began to think that he had made a mistake. After boot camp, he *knew* he had goofed, but he was stuck with it until the end of the war. Despite several mistakes in the Army, Jason is chosen as one of the ten thousand sent to Ganymede to stop the Slugs. During the twenty month voyage, he falls in love with the pilot of his landing vehicle. A Specialist Four dating a Captain is against regs, but the commanding general turns a blind eye to the infractions. This novel is a coming-of-age story in a military setting. Jason is a typically foolish teenager and he pays grievously for his mistakes. Some people are slow learners, yet youthful foolishness is curable. He only needs a little seasoning to become just what the Army wants and needs for officer candidates. One existent aspect of this novel is the casual disregard toward the military by the general population. After all, the military is just a necessary but distasteful facet of ordinary life. Why needlessly worry about this issue? It is easy to see this attitude spreading among our populace. While few believe the military is unnecessary, not many respect the sacrifices demanded from active duty personnel. Most even disregard the ultimate sacrifice implicit in wearing the uniform. On the other hand, most take for granted the subordination of the military to the civilian government. Military juntas are unknown in American history, yet the possibility exists that such takeove

"We crabbed shoulder to shoulder down the cargo nets to our landing craft bucking in the Channel, each GI's bilge -and-sea-soaked boots drenching his buddy below. In that moment I realized that we fight not for flags or against tyrants but for each other. For whatever remains of my life, those barely met strangers who dangled around me will be my only family. Strip away politics and whatever or whenever, war is an orphanage." -Anonymous letter fragment, Recovered on Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 1944. Orphanage begins with this quote but it began a long time ago. This book is written in homage to Science Fiction Greats Robert A. Heinlien, and Joe Haldeman, who each wrote political commentaries on War set in science fiction stories. Heinlein wrote his original Starship Troopers in 1959, and Haldeman wrote his The Forever War in 1972 and revised it in 1975. Each of these books follows a young man from basic training through to great battles to attempt to save the earth from aliens, as does our story. Our grunt is Jason Wander, a young man mad at the Universe, his parents were killed in the first meteor impact. After a few run-ins with the law because of anger and lashing out after his loss, he is given the choice to serve prison time or in the military. At some point in his training he goes from being apathetic, to deciding to become a good soldier. His adventure lead him to the moon where he is the first human to encounter the slugs who are trying to wipe out all life on earth, then onto Ganymade where the first major conflict of this war begins. Ganymade is the outpost in our solar system for our alien enemies that we are being bombarded from. During the heroic battle as the force of 10,000 is knocked down to a few hundred, he is promoted time and time again, for succeeding and rising to the occasion. Field promotions are hard earned for they come at the loss of good men and women, and with each promotion you become responsible for more lives. Can he take the pressure, can he save earth, read it and find out.

I kept reading reviews all over the net claiming Orphanage was the novel of the year, of the decade, this generation's Starship Troopers. Right. I know books. I know Heinlein. So I appointed myself as a Truth Squad and plunked down $6.99 to set the record straight. Twenty-four couldn't-put-it-down hours later, I reveal The Truth to you all: The reviews are right. Orphanage may be the definitive military coming-of-age story of the Post-9/11 generation. Easily 2004's best SF novel, but it is fast, funny and accessible enough that general-fiction readers can gobble it like Grisham or Grafton. Orphanage is the story of smart, underacheiving teen Jason Wander, who grows a chip on his shoulder as big as Jupiter after alien bombs kill his mother and millions of others. Jason comes of age in the infantry and winds up "one of the lucky orphans who in one hour will save the human race or die trying." His infantry division must invade Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, and destroy the Alien outpost that is sending the bombs. They have to win with pasted-up antiques. Each time you think things can't get worse, they do. Halfway through, I thought I loved this book because it was fast, funny, superbly-written entertainment. When I finished it, I realized that I loved it because I would never look at soldiers the same way again. And today that matters. Warner Books released Orphanage as a low-profile, mass-market, genre paperback. As The Word gets out, my $6.99 for that first-printing paperback is going to look like an investment.

A spur of the moment purchase that turned out to be a day and a half of non-stop reading. A new entry into military SF has arrived. Written by a soldier about what really modivates individuals that take up the sword as a profession. Orphanage is the story of the development of a unified Terran military force as told from the viewpoint a grunt whose simple choice is military service or jail. If you enjoyed "Starship Troopers", "Joe Mauser", Hammer's Slammers" or "Falkenberg's Legion then this book is for you.