Ranks of Bronze

I read author David Drakes's "Ranks of Bronze" for the first time nearly twenty years ago while an 82d Airborne Div. Soldier. Recently I purchased another copy and thumbed through it again. Drake is one of my favorite Sci-Fi authors (Hammer's Slammers, et. al.) and in my humble opinion has successfully mastered the art of simple good old fashioned storytelling. Ranks of Bronze begins as a story where a defeated Legion of Roman Legionnaires (ostensibly one of Crassus' lost legions in the Battle of Carrhae vs. the Parthians) was captured and sold to a space alien trading guild to be used to conquor, as per the guidlines of the alien's own treaties and rules of conquest, peoples (creatures) inhabiting planets that had roughly the same level of technology as the mercenaries employed. The aliens employ a system of diplomacy similar to Star Trek's "prime directive" where they cannot invade or conquor with their high level of technology but can (and do) employ mercenaries to achieve the desired results by way of proxy. In the end the Legionnaires, after surviving countless surface invasions of countless planets, manage to wrest control of their transport ship from their alien captors. The Legionnaires, who have only held on to the hope that one day they would return to their home, demand passage to Earth. The twist in the end is that however, they return to an Earth a millennium older then when they left. A fascinating and good Sci-Fi read. I recommend it for a lazy afternoon of reading at five stars! JP

Consider the title a disclaimer. I'm the guy that started the yahoo group that is referenced on his web site. Ok? But I wanted to reply to a couple of the issues raised in other reviews. How do you define military sci-fi if taking one of the greatest war machines of the historical era and transplanting it into a science fiction universe does not qualify? This is a story about a group of Roman soldiers, and the tribune who ends up commanding them as they travel through the galaxy, serving unworthy masters, and what they do about it. Statements suggesting that it is a set of loosely connected stories are made by people who haven't read the book. Drake considers this one of his more artistically successful stories, and suggests that it sold well too. Jim Baen wanted a sequel so much that he got Drake to agree to one of those shared universe anthologies, and the sequel is more fun that it is legal to have in most states. Luckily, I live in Nevada, where the only thing that is illegal is being a non-smoker. If you like military science fiction, by a man who has been on the sharp end and mostly came back to tell us about it, get to know Drake. As for space opera? Try his Leary/Mundy books.

Although I've been a fan of military science fiction books for a while, this was my first introduction of David Drake. I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed. Other people have already done a great job of covering the plot, so I won't bore you by going over it again. However, I would like to point out that this book is not a collection of short stories. The book has several independent military campaigns in it, but they involve the same people and are interconnected. Also, while this book was written several years ago (mid-80's, I think), it doesn't feel dated they way many books from that era do. The characters have a lot of dimension to them and they react in very human ways to the situations that they face. They also grow over the course of the book. I often found myself wondering how I would react if I was in their place. Unfortunately, there is nothing in this book that you can point at and think "Wow, everyone should read this book!" There really are no grand or unique ideas presented; however, if you're looking to kill some time, this is a fine book to pick up. This would also be a good book to get someone interested in the Roman Empire, military fiction, or science fiction. Cheers!

Altho this book is not "new" , I was pleased to find that it has been reprinted. This was actually my first introduction to David Drake and his exciting style of military sci-fi. I am now able to replace my tattered copy!To summarize the story line without belaboring the details , a Roman Legion is taken into captivity by starfaring aliens. The aliens then utilize the military prowess of the Romans to subjugate other low-tech planets (it seems that a galactic league of some sort prohibits the use of hi-tech force aginst primitives!). The Roman soldiers don't realize that they have been captive for several thousand years due to the time altering effects of light speed space travel , and sieze upon an opportunity to overthrow their captors. Drake then concludes the novel in a uniquely "Roman" manner! Great read--fun!

When I mean he knows it, I am not just talking about history, I am talking about how Romans thought, fought, lived and dealt with every day life. Add his knowledge of military tactics, and his skill at making belivable science fiction settings and what you get is a great novel you should try to get no matter how old the copy or how much it costs!