The Prince

Rating:
Summary: DONT BE FOOLED
Review: Based on the title, inside jacket synopsis, and first couple of pages of the book one would think they were going to read about a 21st century Richard "Dick" Sharpe.

One would be totally wrong.

First of all the title character is barely even in the book. Second his 'Legion' is barely discussed also. Essentially the book is about other characters/organizations besides Faulkenbergs Legion.

I thought I was going to be reading about a "military genius", a master of military tactics however, Pournelle gives no basis [that might not be totally accurate, his fater was a military historian, but Pournelle didnt have Faulkenberg remembering lessons from ancient battles to win current battles] or examples of the title characters military "genius". One of the major shortcomings of the book is that according to the story when the fate of "civilization" hanged in the balance and could only be decided by a 'battle' the main character was not even present. Furthermore, he was barely even mentioned in the last book.

I guess one could say that the book was not about 'Faulkenberg' but about his 'Legion'. That would be a fair argument except once again when the battle for civilization was to take place Faulkenbergs Legion was not present.

Who was present?

The non-combatants, families, children, and the aged[members close to retirement]. That is hardly a "Legion".

Pournelle did not center the books around one character which is ok [i guess] but he didnt give any examples of how characters got their skills. Characters start off as new Lieutenants and are not mentioned again until they're Lt. Colonels.

The book probably would have been better if Pournelle would have showed how Faulkenberg learned the battle skills needed to win a battle to save civilization. However, he did not. Even if it wasn't Faulkenberg, at least show a specific soldier go from green recruit to battle tested veteran.

For all those familiar with the Sharpe Series and who have read this book, could you imagine the scenes with Sharpe and Harper training the Spartans?

For all those looking for books that show/follow a military career from the ranks to command (and battles in between)look at the Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Finally, all of the Falkenberg / Sparta stories in one volume. This is classic Sci-Fi and also excellent fiction. Read it and you might learn something! Hopefully this will encourage Pournelle and Stirling to write more together.

Rating:
Summary: Good Military Sci-Fi
Review: I'd read the Falkenberg books here-and-there years ago. When I saw them all together in one volume, I snapped this book up immediately.

The stories are well-written. Pournelle & Stirling write excellent military sci-fi. However, I did not enjoy this read quite as much as I remember. It wasn't so much the point-of-view (1st vs. 3rd) that others mention, or even the odd pacing (where the action builds to a climax, and stops short). Instead, it was the setting that was mildly annoying.

I have no problem with the CoDominium, even though it has been passed up by history. I read enough Alternate History fiction that the CoDo falls into that category in my mind. What was irksome for me was the technology controls (and other plotting decisions) that were designed to create WWII-style battles, clearly Pournelle's favorite. The alien worlds were vaguely detailed, with Tanith being the best. But really, the worlds were designed only to have different locations for battles. You could drop any one of the battles onto some Earth location, with no difference. What about tainted atmospheres, truly alien fauna and flora, odd rotational effects, etc.?

That said, it was good reading -- and Stirling's contributions are definitely a plus.

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books / Krakow RPGs

Rating:
Summary: Good Military Sci-Fi
Review: I'd read the Falkenberg books here-and-there years ago. When I saw them all together in one volume, I snapped this book up immediately.

The stories are well-written. Pournelle & Stirling write excellent military sci-fi. However, I did not enjoy this read quite as much as I remember. It wasn't so much the point-of-view (1st vs. 3rd) that others mention, or even the odd pacing (where the action builds to a climax, and stops short). Instead, it was the setting that was mildly annoying.

I have no problem with the CoDominium, even though it has been passed up by history. I read enough Alternate History fiction that the CoDo falls into that category in my mind. What was irksome for me was the technology controls (and other plotting decisions) that were designed to create WWII-style battles, clearly Pournelle's favorite. The alien worlds were vaguely detailed, with Tanith being the best. But really, the worlds were designed only to have different locations for battles. You could drop any one of the battles onto some Earth location, with no difference. What about tainted atmospheres, truly alien fauna and flora, odd rotational effects, etc.?

That said, it was good reading, and Stirling's contributions are definitely a plus.

Wayne Gralian
Wayne's World of Books / Krakow RPGs

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Military Sci--Fi
Review: It was Coleridge who coined the term, "...the willful suspension of disbelief", and it is this concept, I think, that marks successful fiction of every genre. It is the element that gets the reader "into" the story, and it is hardest to achieve in epic fantasy and military science fiction. This is because the writer has to do more than create believeable characters and plot; he/she has to create the very worlds in which the characters exist, including geography, politics, economics, etc. All of this comes across in superb manner in "The Prince". Originally published several years ago as four separate books, this is the story of the death of one civilization, and the gritty birth of another, from the standpoint of Falkenburg's Legion, a mercenary unit whose origins include such seemingly disparate military models as the Roman Legion and the French Foreign Legion. I would have given this book a 5 star rating but for a stylistic aspect that I have always found to be off-putting, because I find that it interrupts the story: in the first book, the writers switch between first person and third person narrative. It may be simply a personal quirk of mine, but there it is. On the other hand, the writing is of a consistantly high quality, and the plot move with a good pace and some very intense action. If you like the genre, read this book. Jim Baen of Baen Books has the inside track on military sci-fi, with a cadre of writers which includes David Weber (my alltime favorite), Eric Flint, David Drake and many others.
"The Prince" is a worthwile addition to the Baen Catalog and is sure to please most readers.

Rating:
Summary: A Future That Will Not Be
Review: The Prince is an omnibus edition containing the four novels of the Falkenberg's Legion series. These novels are based on the CoDominium universe in which the US and USSR joined forces against the rest of the world and started colonizing planets, mostly with convicts and welfare clients. However, the CoDominium itself was not very stable and could have self-destructed at any time. Only the Fleet was holding together civilization.

In Falkenberg's Legions (1990), the first novel in the series, John Christian Falkenberg the Third joins the CoDominium Armed Services and serves on his first and his last assignments as a CoDominium officer. The novel itself incorporates two previous novels. West of Honor describes the admission of Falkenberg into the CoDominium service and his first field command on Arrarat with the 42nd Line Marine Regiment, where they fought against a former gang, the Mission Hills Protective Association. The Mercenary describes Falkenberg's last field command in the service with a cadre of men from the disbanded 42nd on a mission to stabilize the government of Hadley and the subsequent formation of the Legion. Additional material has been incorporated in this fixup to enrich the backstory.

In Prince of Mercenaries (1989), the second novel in the series, the Legion accepts a contract on Tanith to wipe out some pirate gangs and to quell a tax boycott by opposition planters who have employed another mercenary unit. Then the bulk of the Legion leaves Tanith on a mission to New Washington, where Colonel Falkenberg marries a local women and retires. This novel is a fixup of several shorter pieces with a framing story about a visit from Prince Lysanter of Sparta to discuss a contract for an advise and instruct mission.

In Go Tell the Spartans (1991), the third novel in the series, the Legion sends the 5th Battalion on a mission to Sparta to help train local troops, but they arrive only to discover that they are facing an insurrection.

In Prince of Sparta (1993), the fourth novel in the series, the 5th Battalion resumes its training mission after helping the Spartan troops to defeat the insurrection. However, enemy units are still conducting low level guerilla strikes and the Royal forces are trying to uncover the enemy supply lines.

This series portrays a wide variety of military operations and tactics with units of regimental strength or less; CoDominium unit sizes are limited because of mission parameters and funding whereas mercenary unit sizes are restricted by the CoDominium laws of war. Larger units are allowed or required only in the nationalist forces on Earth.

This series also reveals various aspects of military operations other than combat, including economics, logistics and intelligence. Also, it exposes the limits of military power: the power to kill is not the same as the power to compel. For the most part, these stories were inspired by historical situations; for example, the suppression of the Nika riots by Belisarius in 532 AD.

Recommended for Pournelle & Stirling fans and anyone else who enjoys SF tales of military forces in an alternate future.

Rating:
Summary: A Future That Will Not Be
Review: The Prince is an omnibus edition containing the four novels of the Falkenberg's Legion series. These novels are based on the CoDominium universe in which the US and USSR joined forces against the rest of the world and started colonizing planets, mostly with convicts and welfare clients. However, the CoDominium itself was not very stable and could have self-destructed at any time. Only the Fleet was holding together civilization.

In Falkenberg's Legions (1990), the first novel in the series, John Christian Falkenberg the Third joins the CoDominium Armed Services and serves on his first and his last assignments as a CoDominium officer. The novel itself incorporates two previous novels. West of Honor describes the admission of Falkenberg into the CoDominium service and his first field command on Arrarat with the 42nd Line Marine Regiment, where they fought against a former gang, the Mission Hills Protective Association. The Mercenary describes Falkenberg's last field command in the service with a cadre of men from the disbanded 42nd on a mission to stabilize the government of Hadley and the subsequent formation of the Legion. Additional material has been incorporated in this fixup to enrich the backstory.

In Prince of Mercenaries (1989), the second novel in the series, the Legion accepts a contract on Tanith to wipe out some pirate gangs and to quell a tax boycott by opposition planters who have employed another mercenary unit. Then the bulk of the Legion leaves Tanith on a mission to New Washington, where Colonel Falkenberg marries a local women and retires. This novel is a fixup of several shorter pieces with a framing story about a visit from Prince Lysanter of Sparta to discuss a contract for an advise and instruct mission.

In Go Tell the Spartans (1991), the third novel in the series, the Legion sends the 5th Battalion on a mission to Sparta to help train local troops, but they arrive only to discover that they are facing an insurrection.

In Prince of Sparta (1993), the fourth novel in the series, the 5th Battalion resumes its training mission after helping the Spartan troops to defeat the insurrection. However, enemy units are still conducting low level guerilla strikes and the Royal forces are trying to uncover the enemy supply lines.

This series portrays a wide variety of military operations and tactics with units of regimental strength or less; CoDominium unit sizes are limited because of mission parameters and funding whereas mercenary unit sizes are restricted by the CoDominium laws of war. Larger units are allowed or required only in the nationalist forces on Earth.

This series also reveals various aspects of military operations other than combat, including economics, logistics and intelligence. Also, it exposes the limits of military power: the power to kill is not the same as the power to compel. For the most part, these stories were inspired by historical situations; for example, the suppression of the Nika riots by Belisarius in 532 AD.

Recommended for Pournelle & Stirling fans and anyone else who enjoys SF tales of military forces in an alternate future.