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Summary: Fresh SciFi
Review: A very good read, interesting characters and locations. David Sherman has a unique style to his story, I can't wait for the next book.
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Summary: A Rare more than "read" once SF novel. Hurray for Demontech
Review: I am a voracious reader of Science Fiction. I probably read two or three books per week. One of the greatest problems I have is in finding enough SF to keep myself busy. This sometimes means reading books more than once. Once in a great while I find a book that I will read more than once, more than twice, and in the case of Demontech: Onslaught, by David Sherman, I have currently read the book Four times since I purchased it. I only wish I did not have to wait until next February the read the sequel. David Sherman has provided a new and refreshing use of Demons. While I don't normally go in for military stories, in this case I recommend it as a read escape novel. James Lee, Simi Valley, CA.
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Summary: A Rare more than "read" once SF novel. Hurray for Demontech
Review: I am a voracious reader of Science Fiction. I probably read two or three books per week. One of the greatest problems I have is in finding enough SF to keep myself busy. This sometimes means reading books more than once. Once in a great while I find a book that I will read more than once, more than twice, and in the case of Demontech: Onslaught, by David Sherman, I have currently read the book Four times since I purchased it. I only wish I did not have to wait until next February the read the sequel. David Sherman has provided a new and refreshing use of Demons. While I don't normally go in for military stories, in this case I recommend it as a read escape novel. James Lee, Simi Valley, CA.
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Summary: GREAT COVER - BORING BOOK!
Review: I have always noticed these 2 writers and have tried the 1st of the STARFIST series - and just like this one, quickly lost interest. I just don't get it, I love action/adventure sci-fi fanatsy stuff - but these guys just don't seem to hold my interest for long. Can anybody tell me what Im missing? It seems that a lot of other people like these writers and their books, perhaps I will try again someday, but there are soooo many other books out there that grab you by the collar and shake you, ya know?
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Summary: A Chanson for Beer Drinkers
Review: I have read everything David Sherman's written, including his Vietnam War novels, and liked all of it. He writes about men in combat from the experience of a man who's been there. Best of all, he doesn't waste his talent on the officer corps but writes instead about the lot of the enlisted man, the lowest of the low. But he's also lived a lot of life in general and that's reflected in the characters and worlds he creates in his novels. Yet "Onslaught" is something different. It follows the adventures of its two protagonists,Frangerian Marines Haft and Spinner (the names of places, people, and things in "Onslaught" are almost as interesting as the story itself!)and there's a good ration of realistic blood and mayhem in this book, as one expects in the novels of Mr. Sherman. Unlike the hoity-toity "knights of the grail" you find in so much high fantasy, these Marines are bad dudes in a fight, splitting guys open with axes and the like. But there is more, an entire world peopled with strange and fascinating characters that stick with you as you turn the pages. Best of all, there's another book coming in this series. I have finally discovered David Sherman's secret: He's a friggin wizard himself and with this book he has thrown an irresistable spell that will separate young men from their beer money. Aha, money well spent, fellas!
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Summary: Good book
Review: I like the interaction between Spinner, Haft, Fletcher and Silent. The actions of the Golden Girl however are rather annoying, though somewhat understandable. Though I would find it hilarious if in coming books, someone takes her down a peg or two. Interesting names. Also a very interesting concept to write about.
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Summary: Good book
Review: I like the interaction between Spinner, Haft, Fletcher and Silent. The actions of the Golden Girl however are rather annoying, though somewhat understandable. Though I would find it hilarious if in coming books, someone takes her down a peg or two. Interesting names. Also a very interesting concept to write about.
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Summary: Equal, but better
Review: I like this book a lot. It's an entertaining read that manages to capture the essence of the military without bogging you down in the minutia of military life, its customs and traditions.Not to mention the beginning of the book is hilarious. The main characters are a likeable duo with strong remniscience of Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser. The wit is supplied by The Golden Girl, whose attitude (I feel) should have gotten her ears pinned back at least once. The careful replacement of weapons of war with magics of war was entertaining to see, and a delight to try to out-guess. I am interested in seeing where a couple of the characters develop - I am interested in knowing more about Wolf, for instance, and wonder where the rest of the Marines could be. The only nit-pick I have is that, considering how important The Golden Girl felt her musician to be, I wonder why neither he nor she tried more stringently to get back together once one or both of them had been freed. This is a nice Sci-Fantasy that you'll romp through with enthusiasm and delight, if you're looking for an adventure story. If you want drama, tragedy and deep-seated psychological thrillers, look elsewhere. This book is a nice bit of fun.
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Summary: Retreat! We're just advancing in a retrograde movement
Review: Niven's Law states: "Any sufficiently advanced Magic is indistinguishable from Technology
First off, let me say, that if Louis Lamour wrote sword and sorcery...this is the kind of story he'd write.
The plot line is pretty standard...an alternate world where Magic is becoming advanced enough to resemble Technology. The eternal War of good and evil has come to a stalemate. The leaders of each side look for help - and the capricious pagan gods of this universe decide to have a good joke. The forces of Evil seek Knowledge of War...and so they recieve a US Army Field Manual Library. The forces of Good ask for Leadership...and they recieve a Gunnery Sergeant of the US Marines.
Two decades pass - and the bad guys make their move - a classic blitzkrieg, they sweep across the land like an unstoppable juggernaut. Two young Marines are cut off in a captured city, avoid the swarming evil hoardes, and make their way home, a classic escape-and-evade story. Along the way they destroy a nest of slavers, rescue a Golden Girl from durance most vile, and start collecting the nucleus of an army.
And so you say, I've seen this plotline before...why buy this one?
Well, David Sherman is a fellow that's been out there in the bush, and he can tell the story. He's been out there, playing hide-and-seek with live ammo, and he knows the people and situations that he writes about.
Spinner and Haft are fully fleshed out characters - their spirtual brothers are walking the high deserts of the "-stans" right now. Silent - the quiet giant who lives to fight and wander and see new things - I knew a guy like him in Boot Camp. The under-equipped magician, cursing the cost-cutting bureaucrats that sent him out without the proper weapons or decent intel - yep, just about every GI knows that situation...
And I really like Alyline, the Golden Girl. They find her as a slave dancing girl and rescue her, but she isn't a fairy tale Princess - she doesn't automatically fall in love with her rescuer...turns out she's some kind of aristrocrat back home, more interested in a musician, and kind of annoyed that this boorish young prole won't get the message and keeps on trying to hang around her. She's an interesting character with a whole lot of deep seated issues, traumas and emotional baggage - in short, a real person.
As an aside, one of my complaints about this genre is that most male authors in S&S treat women characters as either side characters, or "Chicks in Chainmail" - male characters with a thin veneer of female traits. The three female characters in this book, Alyline, Doli and Zweepee - all show strength and character. I've got the feeling all three will be central to the series.
I've been reading David Sherman's work for 17 years now - he was the first one to write Viet Nam fiction that rang true to me. The Starfist series is some of the best Mil-Fic you can lay hands on, in my opinion...and DemonTech? Well, my only complaint is, where's the next book!
Write, David, Write!
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Summary: Brains and Brawn On a Long Trek, Part One
Review: Onslaught is the first novel of the Demontech series. On a world elsewhere in the multiverse, the human inhabitants share the planet with little folks and other magical beings, whom they call demons. In Jokapcul, Lord Lackland, the Dark Prince of Matilda, calls upon the demons to bring him knowledge of war and is answered with a stack of US Army Field Manuals. On the same night, in Frangeria, a philosopher calls upon the demons to show their existence, but his pronunciation is bad and the demons think he is asking for leadership, and is answered with a US Marine Gunnery Sergeant in full dress uniform. After the magicians of Jokapcul comprehend the contents of the field manuals, they undertake the invasion of New Bally, a freeport adjacent to the Duchy of Bostia. There they encountered the Frangerian sea soldiers called Marines. Haft and Spinner are having port liberty when they are awakened in the night by very agitated women who insist that they must leave NOW. When Spinner learns that the Jokapcul have invaded, he takes Haft with him out into the night. As they cautiously move toward the sounds of battle, they find a unit of Jokapcul light infantry with prisoners, one of which is Rammer, their lead sergeant. Before they can think of a way to free him, Rammer silently mouths the word "Go". Haft and Spinner then sneak to the docks and board their ship, take weapons, equipment and the manual Lord Gunny Says, and then return to the town. There they note the strength with which the prisoners, including their fellow marines, are guarded and reluctantly conclude that they will not be able to free them. Then they encounter an old man who is a former Frangerian Sea Soldier called Tiger. He feeds them and shows them a concealed way to get to the forest outside the walls. As they leave, they promise him to return with an army to free New Bally. Haft and Spinner must return to Frangeria to warn them of the invasion, but to reach their nation they must travel across the continent and then over the Inner Ocean. As they walk through the tunnel that is the first leg of the journey, Spinner wonders why he has promised Tiger to return. This novel is, in an entertaining way, a demonstration of the large difference between information and knowledge. US Army field manuals contain general information that should be taught to every soldier, but US Marine Gunnery Sergeants contain additional knowledge learned from their own predecessors as well as actual field experience. While the Jokapcul have read the books, the Frangerian Marines have been taught by a man who knows his trade thoroughly, including the parts that never get into the books. This novel is similar in plot to the Mardukan March series by Weber & Ringo, a trek across land and sea, and some of the characters are also similar to Haft and Spinner, but the details are greatly different since there are only two marines, not a company. Thus, as another reviewer pointed out, this is an escape and evasion story with elements of a loooong range patrol returning with vital intelligence, much like most of the action in Saberhagen's The Broken Lands in the Empire of the East series. The characters themselves were obviously chosen to be as fully opposite in personality as would be allowed in a military service. Haft is the impulsive one who acts before thinking very much and Spinner is the pensive one for thinks too much before acting. Haft thinks Spinner is too proud of his brains and Spinner thinks Haft is too proud of his muscles. However, they make a good team, often correcting each other's mistakes, but it is fortunate that Haft's first reaction to dangerous surprises is a hard stroke of his axe. Recommended for Sherman fans and anyone else who enjoys infantry combat in a fantasy setting.
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