Rating: 
Summary: Why's Everyone Buggin'?
Review: Hey, maybe it's just me, cause everyone else who read this book said it was a failure. But i'm a huge David Drake fan, and this book, after Caught in the Crossfire was another great novel in the Hammer's Slammers series. I wasn't annoyed by the admittedly bad editing, and I felt that the sotry had many wonderful aspects, along with the amazing tank technology. Maybe it's just me, but I'd reccomend this book to friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Good stories, bad editing.
Review: I enjoyed reading the stories. There were two reprinted that I had not seen before, and the new one was extremely interesting. The major flaw, however, was the poor editing. Someone had obviously gone through the text with a spell checker, but had not taken the time to read the stories to see if the correctly spelled words made any grammatical or contextual sense. While that may be (barely) acceptable for one or two instances, it is not acceptable time after time after time. Whoever the editor and proofreader were for this book should either be fired or at least have their pay docked for each error. If I were David Drake I would be upset to see my writing trashed by the publisher in this way. The book would have received a 9 or 10, were it not for the painful reading caused by the errors.
Rating:
Summary: It's in the Hammers Slammers Series, what more do you need?
Review: I love this seies, the only reason this book didn't get 5 stars is because some of the stories are repeated in other books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Different edition, Less typos.
Review: I seem to have acquired a better edition that the other reviewers here. Anyways, this collection of short stories and almost serialized stories was a good read.Definately for the action/conflict oriented sci-fi reader.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of time
Review: The author of this book seems to have made pretty sure that the word "cyan" appears at least three times on every page. If that is all that you require from your reading material, this book will satisfy you. Otherwise, it stinks. No plot, no characters, no conflict, no interest.
Rating:
Summary: What a waste of time
Review: The author of this book seems to have made pretty sure that the word "cyan" appears at least three times on every page. If that is all that you require from your reading material, this book will satisfy you. Otherwise, it stinks. No plot, no characters, no conflict, no interest.
Rating:
Summary: What a waste of time
Review: The author of this book seems to have made pretty sure that the word "cyan" appears at least three times on every page. If that is all that you require from your reading material, this book will satisfy you. Otherwise, it stinks. No plot, no characters, no conflict, no interest.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing
Review: The only reason I don't give it 5 is because it is a reprint in a different format, with all stories previously published.
Spoiler alert for the main story.
That said, Rolling Hot, the prime story, is one you simply must read if you want to grasp the military mindset. It ranks up with Heinlein's Starship Troopers (the novel, not the stupid movie with the same title) and Haldeman's The Forever War.
Drake always manages to impart wisdom under the horrific gore. It's actually incredibly subtle in its own perverse way. Drake loads on the blood as a cautionary tale. He served with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam, and it still shows in his writing and occasionally in his talk. This isn't gore to titillate, this is gore to revolt, just in case you start to develop the theory that violence is a neat thing. It's harsh enough it will probably override years of stupid shootemup computer games in the current generation. Yes, it's THAT grisly.
But the characters are where the story is. Along with a decrepit, burned out, wrung out bunch of leftovers from previous engagements, a civilian reporter rides along. His goal was to investigate the "Waste" of money on the mercenaries that could be spent on additional indigenous forces. All he sees at the beginning is the rough, crude exterior of the unit.
On post during an attack, he winds up dragging along during a hell for leather chase across the continent, a desperate attempt to relieve the capital with the only troops available--the Slammers' sick list. It's that or be left as fodder, and the enemy doesn't care that he's a "noncombatant." Violating the non-interference concept reporters try to embrace, he mans a gun and offers his best military skill--shooting a grenade launcher as he learned as a reservist years past. "That's it, Turtle! you flush 'em, we'll shoot 'em!" one of his squad mates advises through a burst of fire. Even more than the Slammers, this is the last place he wants to be, and there's simply no choice.
At the end of a brutal, casualty-ridden drive across a hostile wasteland of enemy action, bad roads, "friendly" fire and inadequate supplies, he has the answer to his question. Why spend money on professionals? Because they're the only ones who can accomplish the impossible. As Montesquieu said, "A rational army WOULD run away."
That's when the story took a twist. Upon relieving the town, the mercs are shunned and ridiculed for their "disgusting and unprofessional" appearance by the alleged professionals of the local army and government. Our reporter reacts with righteous indignation and murderous rage that troops brave enough and dedicated enough to pull off the impossible are regarded as trash by pretty boys with no trigger time...
...and is stopped by one of the gunners, who tells him, "It don't mean nothin'."
I was appalled by the ending. I was outraged. It seemed to not be an ending in any fashion. It was six months later, during a discussion where I was trying uselessly to explain the concept of military duty to a civilian who simply CANNOT understand what it means. Some can, some can't. Those who can't never will. That's when I understood. "It don't mean nothin'."
Nineteen years of service. A few hours to read. Six months for it to make sense. And a story I will never forget.
And sadly, most civilians will never get it. That's not an insult, it's a cultural observation.
Bravo, Dave.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read
Review: The only thing going for this book is the tank technology. As for plot, character development, purpose, themes, etc., it had none. Also, the typographical errors were distracting.
Rating:
Summary: Only one new short story. Many, many typos.
Review: The Tank Lords brings many of the Hammer's Slammers stories into one book, but only one new story. The many, many typographical errors make me wonder where else the publisher cut corners
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