Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: A group of soldiers is brought to a primitive planet, Tran, populated by humans by an alien race called the Shalnuksis, that are part of an interstellar confederacy. The population on Tran consists of the descendants of humans brought to the planet by the the Shalnuksis every 600 years at least since 1000 BC. Humans are part of the Confederacy as slave soldiers and administrators, bred for loyalty. Earth is used by the Confederacy as a source of strains of wild humans to crossbreed with their Janissaries. The story is about the fate of the soldiers, fighting against and with the local humans, working against a deadline, and of course for the survival of the human race, on and off planet.The greatest flaw however is as only too frequently that the story is far too short. But I guess that's why there are the sequels.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: A group of soldiers is brought to a primitive planet, Tran, populated by humans by an alien race called the Shalnuksis, that are part of an interstellar confederacy. The population on Tran consists of the descendants of humans brought to the planet by the the Shalnuksis every 600 years at least since 1000 BC. Humans are part of the Confederacy as slave soldiers and administrators, bred for loyalty. Earth is used by the Confederacy as a source of strains of wild humans to crossbreed with their Janissaries. The story is about the fate of the soldiers, fighting against and with the local humans, working against a deadline, and of course for the survival of the human race, on and off planet. The greatest flaw however is as only too frequently that the story is far too short. But I guess that's why there are the sequels.
Rating: 
Summary: Top class. Military detail fascinating and intricate plot
Review: Classic work by a great author. The initial part of the book does not grab you, but persevere and you shall enjoy. I have read this twice after picking it up at random in a second hand book shop and I am well pleased that I did. The quality of the style of writing is exceptionally high. This book really awakened me to Jerry Pournelle and I am searching for the two sequels (both sadly out of print). All this on the basis of one book. The edition I have has worse artwork than the one now available.
Rating:
Summary: What might happen if...
Review: Ever wander what aliens do with people they abduct - and
don't bring back?
It's the 1980's, in the middle of a guerilla war. Just when
all hope seems lost for Rick Galloway and his mercenaries, a
savior appears in the sky - a UFO! They are saved, and then
offered a deal they can't refuse.
Sometime later, they are dumped on a cold planet inhabited
by humans, to raise drugs for an interstellar empire. As they plan the takeover of the world, they slowly learn that
they are on a suicide mission, whose success could mean their
death!
The drug, called madweed by the locals, only grows once every
1600 years, spurred on by the appearance of the Demon,a rogue
star. Once it's been harvested, the aliens will A-bomb the planet back to the Stone Age!
Rating:
Summary: Unweird, believable science fiction.
Review: Facing almost certain death at the hands of Cuban military forces in the civil war in Angola, Captain Rick Galloway and his small band of mercenaries are suddenly given the opportunity for life -- by the intervention of a alien spaceship. Rick and his band eventually end up on the planet Tran where they discover the reason for their rescue. When I read this book on its first publication in the 1970's, it was great. I recently obtained a new copy and find it's still a great science fiction story, well worth the $5 or $6 monetary outlay and two or three evening investment in time. If you like unweird, believable (within obvious parameters) science fiction you'll probably like Janissaries. P.S. I discovered Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven as writers in their classic end of the world tale, Lucifer's Hammer. Forget about Armegedden and Deep Impact! Lucifer's Hammer was one of the first comet hits world stories and is still one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: As good as the first time
Review: I first read this book in its original printing in 1982 and then went on to the next two in its series. The concept is fresh and the writing well done.
It is nice that they are re-printing this series, (also I've lost my original 3rd book!), but am desperately awaiting for the authors to finish the series. That's right, after three books, they leave you hanging. So if the authors read these pages, please finish the Jannissaries series.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Sci-fi
Review: I was impressed with the author's knowledge of history, as well as his attention to detail. The story hooked me, and kept my attention through to the conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I've re-read this book many times. The theme is an old one but no one executes it as well as he does. The characters are believable and 3 dimensional. JEP's military understanding is good. The action sequences are authentic. I've read all 3 books but the other 2 are progressively worse because Roland Green wrote them. The next two books have incredibly boring and inane dialogue and that's what killed the series. To top it off, my Storms of Victory ended without any explanation of what happened next. If I could find another copy of this book I'm gonna turn it to the back page to see if I had a bad copy.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Classic
Review: The original issue did far better than expected. Apparently, while both Pournelle and his publisher hoped for the best when it came out, the reception was superb. Thence came the demand for a sequel and later, after that, for the next one. In the mid 1980s, Pournelle was asked about this at a Los Angeles SF Convention, and he replied "Soon". Indeed, the third volume was soon published. But, like any good author who knows how to write well and milk a successful series, dangling threads were left. It is from these that other reviewers here have asked for a fourth volume. It has now been 15 years since the 3rd volume! Frustrating. Sadly, it appears that Pournelle's productivity has fallen in recent years. Still, we can only hope... And also hope for a reissue, maybe in hardcover, of THIS first volume. As you may recall, the first publication was in an extra large paperback format, with illustrations. It has been sufficiently long that perhaps now a hardcover with the lovely drawings might be justified.
Rating:
Summary: Alternate history / Galactic Background
Review: The true motivation for this series of books (so I believe) is not the superficial one you can read about in the other reviews. Jerry Pournelle likes to experiment with "what if" notions of military history - on the planet Tran you find a mixture of Roman legions, Celts, medieval knights, mongol hordes etc... plus the newly added American mercenaries. Thus what you get is essentially a series of battles between armies that could never have faced each other historically - and it makes fascinating reading. If you like this kind of thing, see also Pournelle's "King David's Spaceship". The book has quality beyond the military element. I particularly liked the "historical" accuracy of the characters suffering from saddle-sores, poor water, and worrying about their teeth without any knid of modern dentistry. I liked too the way they resort to getting the idea of germ theory across to the natives - there are tiny demons in the world that can be purified with the ritual washing using boiled water. Over and above this world, there is an important sub-plot. This world of colonists is part of a black market drugs business by certain powerful alien interests - and it could become vital as there is a debate going on that the earth should be sterilised before the feral humans get out of hand... so Tran could become the last outpost of humanity. However, the American mercenaries realise that Tran has been periodically bombed back into the Stone Age... so at the same time as fighting their wars, they endeavour to prepare for a nuclear assault as best they can. The only thing that might ultimately save them are human sympathisers who work for the aliens. The series goes on for 3 books so far - alas with declining quality... but still enough to be engrossing. I join the call for a 4th book - I desperately want to see how this story concludes.
| 
