The Chosen

This is perhaps the single most brilliant book of the entire "The General" series. The other reviewers complain that there isn't much character development and that we don't get to see much of the character's lives when they aren't being shot at. This is a valid complaint and is the result of cramming about 2-3 books into a single volume but misses the point of the book completely. This book is a wonderful illustration (or more accurately, set of illustrations) of the old military maxim that a war is usually won before it starts. The authors start the book at the late Victorian/WWI technological level and rapid ramped it up to Spanish Civil War level; showing the stresses that drove the technology forward and its effect on both the strategic level and from the point of view of the soldiers who do the shooting and dying. Yes, there's tons of interesting military action but that's not the point of the book. Watch the weapons and strategies evolve. Watch the economies and policies of the various nations change over time. Marvel at how Center, the Farr family, and the redoubtable Raj Whitehall set a trap for the Chosen over a 20 year period. And then realize at the end of the book that the worst is probably yet to come as the peace will probably be more difficult to win than the war. The scope and breadth of this book is astonishing. It was written by two men who have a deep understanding of history, not just military history, and have learned some of its hardest lessons. I would almost argue that it should be required reading for anybody who wants to be a high government official.

A continuation of the General series is a pleasant surprise. The Chosen continues David Drakes' penchant for molding a military fiction around actual history. S.M. Stirling contributes a strategical view of the situational plot which is usually lacking in Drakes' novels (not to the detriment of his stories, though). The S.M. Stirling/David Drake tandem achieves a notable work in this novel. Granted, I enjoy both authors, but rarely am I compelled to start and finish a book in one day. This one was an exception. The military action holds your interest while the promise of the resolution of the strategical situation keeps you turning pages. This novel is a worthy continuation of the General series, although the character of the CENTER computer is much more muted and almost non-existent. In past novels the computer was an integral part of the story; in The Chosen it is much farther in the background. In summary, the story could easily stretch over five novels as the previous series did. The story felt a bit rushed, with far less detail than I had hoped for.

Although this book doesn't quite come up to Raj Whitehall series, (a rather lofty peak) it is still a page turner, much, much better tham most of the other stuff out there.

David Drake seems to bring a degree of historical realism to the team that is lacking in SMS solo work and the story and writing are first rate. Unlike the Draka, who are cartoonish, the Chosen are much more believable as a totalitarian warrior caste complete with the inherent weakness of such regimes. The Santander Republic is also believeable and shows the good and bad of a free society going to war. The bad news: There are still the excessivly cute references (PT109 being rammed & "Gridley", for instance) that jar from the story by reminding of the authors presence. And a lot of the technological details get glossed over. How BIG are those airships anyway???

Read Stirling's Draka novels first for an added appreciation of this book. The Chosen resemble the Draka, and the Santandans are kin to the Alliance for Democracy. In both plots, the Chosen/Draka have more slaves and resources and strive toward world conquest. Here, the technology level is World War I. But the real contrast is in the different strategy used by Santander, and in the resultant outcome. It is as though in the Draka universe, the Alliance had elected to fight in the time frame of "Under the Yoke", instead of staying at peace, paving the way to its disasterous fate in "Stone Dogs".