Yellow Eyes (8) (Posleen War)

Great military SF. Not just action, but logistics too. Adds significant US Navy participants for the first time. A realization for Terrans on the big picture moves the series plot forward. Great characters inflicted by all the good and bad of warfare.

Really enjoyed the attention to detail and character devolepment,and The tactics and logistics presented in an easy to understand form. the graphic battle scenes are not for the faint of heart. very interesting developement of ai personalites with the battleships ai,s. I would say this book is second only to watch on the rhine in readability I jones

I'd been getting a little tired of endless Posleen waves acting like Posleen (though not too badly) until this gem came along in this generally excellent series. (Cally's war seems not to have been repeated, at least!) Things seemed to being starting samo samo, then back plot actions with the "Mad" PDA came into focus along with the native Panamanian defense force leadership, and this one turned into a page turner. I'm not sure I can rank this as the best of the series, but it's definitely in the top four.

Yellow Eyes (2007) is a standalone novel in the Legacy of the Aldenata universe, following Watch on the Rhine in the Posleen War subseries. This volume takes place in Columbia and Panama, with most of the action taking place within Panama. The Po'oslenana'ar -- the People of the Ships -- were fleeing from others of their kind in a time of orna'adar. The lesser clans crowded into a globe, each occupying their own area. In one such was the clan of Guanamarioch, a lesser Kessentai. Elsewhere in the globe was the greater -- but still relatively small -- clan of Kessentai Binastarion. In this novel, pentagon simulations shows that the United States -- indeed, the whole world -- needs the shipping capacity of the Panama Canal. The President has rejuvenation treatments provided to almost every soldier who ever served in Panama, mostly survivors of the 5th and 10th Infantry Regiments and the 193rd Infantry Brigade (Canal Zone). Now the brigade has been reformed as the 193th Infantry Division. The Navy is also represented in Panamanian waters: the battleship USS Texas and the heavy cruisers USS Des Moines and USS Salem. The officers and crew of these vessels have all served on the ships in the past, but now are rejuvenated and retrained in new weapons. Captain Jess McNair feels at home on the CA-134 (Des Moines), but he has a truly startling experience when Daisy Mae winks into existence on the bridge. The Galactic AID provided as the cybernetic center of the ship was left on during an entire interstellar voyage. In its own time, the AID has been alone for thousands of years and has gone quite insane. It has developed an unusual admiration for the crew of the ship and can project its holographic presence anywhere on the ship and elsewhere for at least a mile. The US authorities have also provided rejuvenation to former Panamanian veterans. The Miranda clan is angry when their dying grandmother is whisked off in an ambulance, but bemused when their rejuvenated abuela is returned to them. Her rejuved son Hector is particularly amazed and worried about Mama Digna's good looks. Bill Boyd is an unusual rejuv. As an involuntary veteran of World War II, he had made sergeant before he was discharged. Now he has been selected as the Major General in command of the Panamanian logistical effort. While he doesn't know how to be a general officer, he has extensive experience as CEO of the Boyd Steamship Company and knows a lot about logistics. The US and Panamanian troops are also supported by the 1st Battalion of the 508th Mobile Infantry (ACS). The survivors of B Company, commanded by recently promoted Captain Scott Connors, have just returned from the swamps of Barwhon, where hot and cold running Posleen seem to be everywhere. Although the company is happy to be home, their deployment to Panama is only slightly better than Barwhon. At least the PTSD victims are getting treatment in a secure facility. Meanwhile, Posleen globes are approachi

John Ringo and Tom Kratman are among the writers Baen has added to my must-buy list over the past few years, and this, their second joint tale of the Posleen War, is the best yet. There's a difficult dramatic problem with the Posleen: you can't hate them. As another reviewer here commented, they, too, are victims of the Aldenata. And with their nature twisted into their genes by the "galactic do-gooders", they are a force of nature, like a forest fire or a hurricane. A thing to be feared, but not hated. So where DO we get the conflict that drives every really good story? From among the humans, between "those who protect" and "those who only look out for number one," between the Warriors and those who have "other priorities" than defending their countries. This is a very well-told tale, with lots of the action, both military and political, that Ringo and Kratman's readers have come to expect. I recently discovered what are called "The Eight Deadly Words: 'I don't care what happens to these people.' " They do NOT apply here. The characters are well-drawn, on both sides of the good-evil divide, and the reader can care deeply about all of them, rejoicing in the victorious, mourning the fallen, and taking grim satisfaction at the justice of some of the desserts served up to the baddies. As for complaints about the "authors politics intruding on the story", I say "Feh!". For myself, I appreciated a cold dose of truth, that the universe does *NOT* guarantee humanity a safe or comfortable berth. It made a refreshing change from what one author recently called "a profoundly delusional view of reality." One warning: there's some MAJOR comic relief at points in this story, and since comedy is always a product of the unexpected, I recommend that, should you need to take food or drink, stop reading the book, eat/drink, and swallow before continuing. The humor is VILE, and I'm glad I've gotten into the habit of following the advice I've just given you. The only downside to this humor is it's very hard to continue reading while you're laughing so hard that tears are rolling down your face. This book is worth reading more than once, and, as my reading load grows, that's becoming high praise indeed.

Of course, Phillip Mcgregor fails to mention that he got in a urination contest with Tom Kratman on Baen's Bar and was booted for same, which might color his views... As for the book, I enjoyed it. Tom's knowledge of Panama and the people there really shows through and he explored some areas that John hadn't really covered, such as interactions amongst the Posleen, some more about the Darhel treachery, and about the AID's and their capabilities. I think this is Tom's best writing yet and essential to understanding the full Aldenata-verse. You'll get to see Daisy Mae again in the next Mike O'Neal book...