Rating: 
Summary: March to the Stores...
Review: ...a few more times. You must, if you plan to March to the End of the Series. Coauthor John Ringo says this third book in the series is his favorite. That doesn't bode well for future books, since I considered this book to be the poorest. I just reread all three books and was disappointed by the unnecessary plot complications, absurd relationship problems, and illogical events. First, they encounter fish big enough to swallow ships. Then there are pirates, but not just any pirates. No, these Mardukan pirates also are slavers who deal with a theocracy that practices Mardukan sacrifice and cannibalism. Illogical events so far: ships eaten by a fish, absurdly evil pirates, Prince McClintock being the only human to understand ocean warfare (after all, he used to race yachts!) though his Marines had previously demonstrated plenty of arcane martial knowledge, the successful rescue of a female Mardukan slave who just happens to be a warrior princess and later gets the hots for the elder warrior Cord, and an absurd failure of the computer translators to differentiate "service" from "sacrifice." Of course, that set up a "dramatic" battle to kill the evil head priest and escape from the temple (shades of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). I almost forgot to mention the prologue, where humans discover and track Prince McClintock's party, but the lead tech just happens to be a secret sympathizer with the Prince's cause who successfully misdirects all the others into believing that the Prince's entire party had been killed in a great battle. Yeah, right. But, that's in keeping with later events where they encounter a sympathetic human reporter who they allow to film all their planning sessions. Yeah, right, a completely trustworthy reporter. After many more battles against overwhelming odds, the dwindling crew of humans reaches the spaceport. They gain control of the spaceport with unbelievable ease. I guess the authors got tired of prolonged battles. Of course, the spaceport had wonderful fabrication facilities which allowed Poertena to make a big pocking batch of armored spacesuits for 3 meter tall hexapedal Mardukans. Yeah, right. Finally, we'll get to the most ridiculous plot invention: the freighter they decide to hijack really isn't a freighter. No, it's a disguised Saint ship filled with commandos. So, what should have been a cakewalk hijacking ends up being a nasty battle that kills many remaining humans and many of their Mardukan allies. And, though Prince Roger nearly had gotten killed in his battle armor by a "one-shot" device weeks earlier, he gets suckered by a Saint officer who almost magically produces one. The prince's lightning-fast reflexes somehow failed him, and only the self-sacrifice of Captain Pahner saves him. After all, the Prince is all grown up now, and the authors want him to have undisputed command of his merry space-going Mardukans in the next few books.
Rating: 
Summary: David Weber's Worlds
Review: Another good read by David Weber. Really. If you don't care for "Space Opera" perhaps you should go somewhere else, but personally, I love his work. His charecters are believable (they remind me of some of the men I served with in the military), his stories engrossing. I anxiously await the fourth book in this series. I don't know how many more of this series Mr. Weber plans, but I hope it is as many as his Honor Harrington series. Keep up the good work.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyed character development, Looser feel than previously
Review: David Weber and John Ringo have worked together to produce an enjoyable tale about the transformation of a spoiled aristocrat into a seasoned and even cynical combat commander. Over the series of books, however the style has become noticeably looser and much less formal, almost to the point of parady. Also available under very liberal ebook policies from Baen.com. Overall, an enjoyable read and continuation in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Weber, Ringo, write faster!
Review: During the first two books (MARCH UPCOUNTRY & MARCH TO THE SEA) spoiled Prince Roger transformed into a warrior. At the beginning of book three, Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock and his Marines have begun crossing a treacherous sea on the planet Marduk. Many native Mardukan characters from the previous books had joined the Royal Marines. The Empire thought them all long dead. However, Roger's troop had to somehow get off the hot and boggy planet they had wrecked on before they could let the Empire know otherwise. After six long months of marches and too many battles to recall, they were finally nearing the small and secluded space port which was their destination. Information made the port seem to be hostile instead of friendly, but since nothing had been easy up until now, the information did not come as a big surprise. The hostiles would just have to learn the old truism: You DON'T mess with a MacClintock. ***** Okay, I do not think it is a spoiler to tell you this much: There is going to be a fourth book. There HAS to be. By the time you are half way into the book you just KNOW that there is no way all this can be done in one book. The authors added a few new twists to ensure the necessity of another book. Personally, I believe this series is the best, with only the Honor Harrington series being better. There is just too much time in between each of these books though. If you are just researching and have not read the first two books as yet, then do not bother to begin reading the series until after the next book comes out. You must read all the books, in order, to understand the major characters, as well as what is going on. Each book left me begging for more and this one is no exception. This is an awesome series with two well known and brilliant authors creating spectacular characters and places for readers to lose themselves in. Highly recommended book. Part of a highly recommended series. *****
Rating:
Summary: Weber, Ringo, write faster!
Review: During the first two books (MARCH UPCOUNTRY & MARCH TO THE SEA) spoiled Prince Roger transformed into a warrior. At the beginning of book three, Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock and his Marines have begun crossing a treacherous sea on the planet Marduk. Many native Mardukan characters from the previous books had joined the Royal Marines. The Empire thought them all long dead. However, Roger's troop had to somehow get off the hot and boggy planet they had wrecked on before they could let the Empire know otherwise. After six long months of marches and too many battles to recall, they were finally nearing the small and secluded space port which was their destination. Information made the port seem to be hostile instead of friendly, but since nothing had been easy up until now, the information did not come as a big surprise. The hostiles would just have to learn the old truism: You DON'T mess with a MacClintock. ***** Okay, I do not think it is a spoiler to tell you this much: There is going to be a fourth book. There HAS to be. By the time you are half way into the book you just KNOW that there is no way all this can be done in one book. The authors added a few new twists to ensure the necessity of another book. Personally, I believe this series is the best, with only the Honor Harrington series being better. There is just too much time in between each of these books though. If you are just researching and have not read the first two books as yet, then do not bother to begin reading the series until after the next book comes out. You must read all the books, in order, to understand the major characters, as well as what is going on. Each book left me begging for more and this one is no exception. This is an awesome series with two well known and brilliant authors creating spectacular characters and places for readers to lose themselves in. Highly recommended book. Part of a highly recommended series. *****
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, but nothing new
Review: First off, as I am a fan of Weber & Ringo I did like the book. I enjoy both of their styles, and I did like the previous two books. The new volume promised a good conclusion to an interesting amalgam of safari & space opera. However, I feel that the series is winding down rapidly into another series of "hero & perky love interest" space opera, with the occasional character whom you know and love dying badly. This book seems less of a conclusion to the series than a launching pad for Mardukans in space.
Rating:
Summary: A great book and a great series
Review: First, I recommend reading the two previous books before starting March to the Stars. It's possible to begin in the middle of the series, but you really need to be along for the entire ride to appreciate Prince Roger's development to this point. I've noticed in some of his other books that Weber has a tendency to involve the reader a bit too much in behind-the-scenes military strategy (some of the latest Honor Harrington books come to mind, though I love that series), but with the Prince Roger series, so far, so good. I dislike Byzantine plots that require a bunch of minor characters who get way too much page space, and I'm not crazy about too-detailed descriptions of military engagements - and I think this series is just fantastic. But for those who like the military aspect that comes along with a Weber novel, never fear. There's still plenty of action here for the hardcore military SF readers. But fortunately for the rest of us, Weber and Ringo never forget that the basic element of the story is still our main character, Prince Roger. The reader gets plenty of time with our hero, a major plus that I hope keeps up as the series continues and the plot inevitably becomes more complicated. Not that it's not complicated already. With sea monsters (or at least some very large fish), pirates, hostile aliens and hostile humans to fight - not to mention a space ship to hijack so they can get off the mudball of a planet Marduk - Roger and Company have a number of nearly impossible trials to face before they can tackle their final mission....
Rating: 
Summary: March To The Stars
Review: Great book, although not as good as the first two. I only rate it low because the authors fragged us. The ending was SOOOO anticlimactic that I hereby call the authors to task. Hey guys, how about a little pocking closure? Did you have to kill off Captain Parner, and then leave us in the lurch to boot? We have lost too many friendly characters already. We sci-fi fans read for escape, not for unnecessary sadness. You have been unfair to the loyal readers who followed you through the ostensible trilogy. I fear that this Mardok batch is going to turn into something like Hubbard's boring-to-tears ten-volume "Mission Earth" series, as opposed to the wonderful "Mutineers' Moon" series. Shame on you authors for leaving us hanging like that! Shame again.
Rating:
Summary: The First Two Are Much Better
Review: Have you ever taken up that offer at a steakhouse? The kind that gives you a steak for free, if you eat the entire 64 ounces in one sitting? The first few bites are delicious (because everyone knows that free food tastes great!), but after you've gorged a bit, the thought of the remaining portion just sits badly in your stomach. This is how I feel about this series. MARCH UPCOUNTRY and MARCH TO THE STARS are like the first few bites of that steak. They are delightful and suprisingly good. Over the hazardous journey on planet Marduk, Prince Roger's transformation from a spoiled brat to a thoughtful leader is very well written. His Marine bodyguards and other companions are characters that you love, because each has their own sparkling bit of personality. As repetitive as some of the battle scenes become, you can tell that the authors put work into making each Mardukan enemies and situations unique. However, in the third installment of this series, MARCH TO THE STARS is disappointing compared to the previous books. The battles are unsatisfying and the characters are weak. The delightful interactions between Roger, Pahner, Nimashet, Poertena, Julian, Kosutic and others are few and far between. Captain Pahner, especially, takes a backseat to Prince Roger's now growing authority. He is there to give a halfhearted resistance, but is now just a ghost of the brave and commanding officer that we grew to love. The Mardukans now have a bigger role, but Cord's romance, though somewhat amusing, is also a bit silly. When the remaining team finally (finally!) reaches the spaceport, I had a sort of "What? That's it?" reaction. I had this same reaction when I got to the last page of the book. Maybe my book had a weird fluke of a copy, but it felt very much like the two authors erased a chapter or two at the end and forgot to tell anyone about it. Maybe they cut off the last chapter to make it the first chapter of the next book. And there is obviously going to be another book. At the glacial pace that they are setting, it will probably take another 3 books for Prince Roger to get home, and another trilogy after that so that he can save the Empire, and another three for him to marry Nimashet. Authors, take note: we could stand it for the first two books, but if the third book is getting a bit tired, then you'd better work *awfully hard* to make the rest of the books engaging. No more chopped of endings and lazy editing. To sum it all up: If you could not get enough of the first two, the third is a decent read. However, if you want some closure, it would be better to wait for the rest of the inevitable series to be released in your local library.
Rating:
Summary: I will add this book to my collection
Review: Having limited space for "bought" books, I have to make decisions on which to "buy" and which to just read at the library. This one is even better than the first of the three in the series so far. It starts with the ocean voyage which is interesting in itself. We who don't sail find ourselves learning in an interesting way how to sail and how to repell boarders. It's fun and informative as well as fitting into the book. The Prince grows more in a lot of ways and becomes the true leader of the group, but I worry about his love interest. She is willing to defend the Prince (her job) but her "burn out" seems so "unprofessional". Others are also "burned out". I ponder whether this is a true thing or just a writers way of getting rid of most of the guards who went with him and changed from thinking he was a "dumb blonde" to being willing to give their lives for him and follow him anywhere. Do professional soldiers get burnt out and can't do their jobs when their lives depend on it? I don't know. I worry because the prince will have no person to help him (except the aliens from the planet) when the 4th book is written. A writers ploy to make complications or a true problems, I am leary. I think I would have preferred them to be all killed off but that is done so often that I would have probably hated it also. It sounds like I didn't like this book. I loved it!!!!! I just can't wait for the next one.....
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