March to the Sea

Rating:
Summary: Through the V?lkerwanderung
Review: March To the Sea is the second novel in the Empire of Man series, following March Upcountry. This series is very much like Rider Haggard's tales of forays into unknown lands. In the previous volume, Bravo Company, Bronze Battalion, of the Empress' Own Regiment, have been stranded on Marduk with His Highness, Prince Roger. Guarding Roger has always been an interesting experience, but protecting him from tens of thousands of Kranolta barbarians, ambitious Radj Hoomas of Marshad, and other Mardukan delights has brought bodyguarding to a new high (or depth). Now the marines, with their auxiliaries, are concentrating on getting to the seacoast. They are making good time and enjoying peaceful relations with the natives, except for a few short-lived bandits, but then the weather changes.

The marines love the cold weather -- well, Sergeant Julian does -- but the natives, with the exception of Cord, cannot handle the dryness that come with the cold, so the marines are forced to buy the flar-ta and let the drovers return to their homes. The drovers are willing to sell just as long as Poertena isn't negotiating for the marines. Poertena learns, however, that while he may be better than the Prince at negotiating with the natives, the Prince is better at the game of spades. On the other side of the mountains, they run into a herd of flar-ke and Roger is proven right about their aggressiveness; the marines win the fight, but with high casualties. By the way, flar-ke taste a lot like chicken.

Shortly thereafter, the surviving marines reach Ran Tai, a city surrounding a lake within a bowl-shaped valley in the mountains. Ran Tai is a rich town, trading in the spice from nearpeppers raised in the valley and also in gold, silver and iron as well as some alluvial gemstones. However, it has a problem with barbarian hordes migrating from the north. Not only a problem in themselves, the hordes have been driving local tribes off their ranges. After bloodlessly defeating one such tribe, the marines hire them as caravan guards in their trek to Diastra. Unfortunately, Diastra is under siege by the barbarians and the entire area all the way to the sea has been overrun. Apparently the marines will have to fight the rest of their way to the sea.

Look for the mirrored armor on the back cover; how do artists get away with such license? One also doesn't understand how readers can expect a romantic affair in the middle of a desperate sorty into enemy territory. The reader should try finding time and energy for a little romance between long marches, night sentry duty, and random attacks.

Recommended for Ringo and Weber fans and anyone else who likes combat SF and exotic cultures.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: Through the Völkerwanderung
Review: March To the Sea is the second novel in the Empire of Man series, following March Upcountry. This series is very much like Rider Haggard's tales of forays into unknown lands. In the previous volume, Bravo Company, Bronze Battalion, of the Empress' Own Regiment, have been stranded on Marduk with His Highness, Prince Roger. Guarding Roger has always been an interesting experience, but protecting him from tens of thousands of Kranolta barbarians, ambitious Radj Hoomas of Marshad, and other Mardukan delights has brought bodyguarding to a new high (or depth). Now the marines, with their auxiliaries, are concentrating on getting to the seacoast. They are making good time and enjoying peaceful relations with the natives, except for a few short-lived bandits, but then the weather changes.

The marines love the cold weather -- well, Sergeant Julian does -- but the natives, with the exception of Cord, cannot handle the dryness that come with the cold, so the marines are forced to buy the flar-ta and let the drovers return to their homes. The drovers are willing to sell just as long as Poertena isn't negotiating for the marines. Poertena learns, however, that while he may be better than the Prince at negotiating with the natives, the Prince is better at the game of spades. On the other side of the mountains, they run into a herd of flar-ke and Roger is proven right about their aggressiveness; the marines win the fight, but with high casualties. By the way, flar-ke taste a lot like chicken.

Shortly thereafter, the surviving marines reach Ran Tai, a city surrounding a lake within a bowl-shaped valley in the mountains. Ran Tai is a rich town, trading in the spice from nearpeppers raised in the valley and also in gold, silver and iron as well as some alluvial gemstones. However, it has a problem with barbarian hordes migrating from the north. Not only a problem in themselves, the hordes have been driving local tribes off their ranges. After bloodlessly defeating one such tribe, the marines hire them as caravan guards in their trek to Diastra. Unfortunately, Diastra is under siege by the barbarians and the entire area all the way to the sea has been overrun. Apparently the marines will have to fight the rest of their way to the sea.

Look for the mirrored armor on the back cover; how do artists get away with such license? One also doesn't understand how readers can expect a romantic affair in the middle of a desperate sorty into enemy territory. The reader should try finding time and energy for a little romance between long marches, night sentry duty, and random attacks.

Recommended for Ringo and Weber fans and anyone else who likes combat SF and exotic cultures.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: Well...I dunno.
Review: March Upcountry was a good book. Kept me reading and was a nice fun ride. March to the Sea doesn't quite live up to it's predecessor.

This book was harder to finish than the first. If you are looking into buying this book, you've probably read the first and know the basic storyline. If you haven't read the first, dont buy this book until you have, you'll be lost.

I was surprised how much the "growing up" of Roger made the first book so interesting. In this book, he is grown up, and is becoming a major hero to everyone involved. All well and good, but not quite as interesting as watching the "spoiled brat" come to grips with real life in March Upcountry.

March to the Sea seems to be full of filler material. Pages and pages detailing the intricacies of gunsmithing, logistics, training, etc. Each new town the marines arrive in they have to build armies from the ground up. This includes getting the political support, finding raw materials for weapons, training non-combatants how to use weapons, finding food and transportation, etc. Over, and over, and over again. Each town they come to they have to start from scratch, and we get to hear every detail. Hell, I feel I could build my own cannon and rifles with the detail I was given. The thing is, I DON'T WANNA KNOW HOW TO BUILD Rifles, Ships, Cannons, etc...get on with the story!

Now, I know that logistics, training, manufacturing, transportation are key elements to any successful military operation. But, after 3 seperate wars, I just don't wanna hear it anymore.

Seems to me, March Upcountry and March to the Sea, could EASILY be combined in one book. I have a gut feeling that the new book, March to the Stars will be more of the same. It has taken 2 books to go aproximately 2/3 the way to their final destination, the elusive "Star Port." They are still 1/3 away from the damn thing, they now have to cross a perilous Sea in the new book. Argh!!!

Book does have some pretty good battle scenes. Reminiscent of "The Lost Regiment" series. Hordes of Native barbarians being slaughtered and piled up by a couple dozen marines. Over, and over, and over again. Still, this can be fun :)

I can't say this is a bad book, but I won't say it's a good one either. If you enjoyed March Upcountry, like I did, you probably will semi-enjoy this book. If you semi-enjoyed the first, you'll probably not like this one too much. Not a ringing endorsement I guess.

Now the question is, do I give the new book in the Series, March to the Stars a chance.....Well, I dunno :)

SF

Rating:
Summary: Just Great
Review: Once you start this set of books, your looking for the next!!

Rating:
Summary: Onward!
Review: Ringo and Weber have done it again! A great read, lots of fun and more on the way!

Roger, Dogzard and the Bronze Barbarians are out of the woods, but not out of trouble on muggy, overheated Marduk. Between them and their way off planet are thousands of screaming barbarian scummies, a big ocean with big....Things in it...not to mention local political, economic and social crises. If that weren't enough, the Bronze Battalion doesn't have all the time in the world to get Roger home before they all croak from critical shortages of vitamins which are unavailable on Marduk.

Pahner says "pock". Roger blows things away. Despreaux says ....OOPS, that would be telling!

Rating:
Summary: Another Fine Romp
Review: Ringo and Weber have produced a fine tale in intrigue, warfare and coming of age. The book is fully up to the standards of these two excellent authors. I am eagerly following the adventures of the maturing prince, his shrinking company of marines and the group of fine friends and numerous enemies he has attracted.

I am planning to buy the next in the series as soos as I can

Paul

Rating:
Summary: So move it!
Review: Roger is still stuck on a primitive planet far from home. Sounds like this will be part of a trilogy or more that could have been done in one book. Several campaigns are described in careful detail. Good dialog, but I think it could have moved along a bit faster/farther. Roger's development continues, especially the romatic side, but much change was already accomplished in March Upcountry by the same authors. Weber used to write tight, related, but good stand-alone novels. I think that the publisher's impetus toward marketing may have helped tilt to serialization. This tends to slow the main plot and provide more emphasis on character dialog and development. Very good detail. Gives a good flavor of the infantry. One of the better books in the area of advanced civilization stranded among primitives. Weber has one like that that pretty much strands, changes a world, and gets the survivors back in one well-paced book. I can't wait to see the major subject in this one finally get home and get involved in the modern world and court available. Much potential. But then, I like the strategic flow from a naval fleet perspective rather than a small unit infantry perspective.

Rating:
Summary: I hope I can stay on this vocation planet forever!
Review: The above statement is not something that Roger and company would be glad to hear. In fact they might just tear your head off for saying it in their presence. Marduk is hell. The temperature goes from really hot (110F) to really cold. It is filled with four-armed Mardukans who are savages and Mardukans who are at least slightly civilized. Then there are the savages who pretend they are civilized. All in all, not a world that Prince Roger Heir Tertiary to the Empire of Man would have preferred to be stuck on. This is the second book of the series and continues where the first left off. Roger and his steadily dwindling marine bodyguards have crossed the mountains in the middle of the continent. Now they must journey "to the sea". As they get close to their objective, they meet with increased hostility and increased level of technology. This will test Roger's leadership ability as he trains the Mardukans themselves to fight for their cities.

Roger and his bodyguards are in a race against time, entropy, and casualties. Their vitamin and protein supplements are dwindling, their ammo is almost used up, and little by little Roger loses the friends he has made in his Company.

The final battles will be faught for something we all are familiar with, freedom. Freedom of expression and freedom of the pursuit of individual happiness. Except it will not be humans who will carry the fight, rather it will be the Mardukans themselves. Yes, the mucus covered savages have something similar to the United States and if they don't fight those barbarians off, Roger will be unable to cross the Great Sea and will eventually starve.

Roger continues to exemplify his leadership skills and continues to learn. Once this book ends, the journey will have one more leg to travel before Prince Roger is sent into the stars from which he was born and dazzles all who thought they knew him.

Rating:
Summary: a long but interesting journey....
Review: These gentlemen have a way with battles. Not being a militairy history buff like the writers and, it appears, most of the readers, some of the references are a little obscure, but the story is wonderfully represented and the decisions made understandable even to a non-militairy mind. Most important, to me, is that the characters are alive, real people who make mistakes and have to live with the consequences.

Mr. Weber's personal demon - bogging down in technical details - appears to have been successfully reigned in for this tale. Both writers' unfortunate tendency to relate every scene from the viewpoint of several different characters actually manages to enhance this particular story.

This second installment in the series - the first begin 'March Upcountry' - brings more battles, and ups the romance and social development, as well as adding new worries. I won't tell you what happens - the idea is to read the book, after all, and there are others who have highlighted the more salient points - but for those who like Weber's and Ringo's other books, or just like militairy science fiction, this is a definite must-have. Personally, I can't wait for book 3....

Rating:
Summary: Weber and Ringo ROCK together!
Review: This book took off exactly where the first left off! The Marines, with a bunch of new recruits, continue their march to the sea in hopes of purchasing ship transportation across the monster filled ocean.

Getting to the city near the coast was as hard as getting transport. Of course, battles for both had to be fought and won. But with each battle the challenges get harder. Ammo was not unlimited and few of the original Marines were left.

A bit of romance was thrown in for the fast maturing prince. And the readers get a few surprises thrown at them!

***** Not as many battles as the first book in the trilogy, but just as great! I do not know which author subtly alluded to the "Nancy Bell" poem near the ending, but it was done so smoothly that I can not help but wonder how many people noticed it. This is the best Sci-Fi series I have read all year! I am eagerly awaiting the third book. Highly recommended! *****