Tactics of Mistake

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Summary: This is one of the Dorsai Series. It is a must to read!
Review: If you are a fan of the infamous DORSAI!! You must read this book!

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Summary: The Cycle picks up speed
Review: The apparent second book in the Childe Cycle (I've never seen a really definitive version of the order) is a notable improvement over Necromancer, which while interesting overall wasn't exactly engaging at times. We shift ahead some years here and encounter humanity that has begun to splinter into several groups, most notably the Exotics, the Friendlys, and the warrior Dorsai. Into this walks Cletus a slightly crippled military scholar who is writing a series of books on tactics and strategy and decides to prove just how right he can be. What follows a series of battles where Cletus wins easily due to his better powers of manipulation and strategy, although in every instance nobody seems ready to believe things are the way he says they are. Eventually he takes on the task of remolding the Dorsai into a more efficient fighting force, setting the stage for more fun stuff to come. Like Paul Formain from the last book Cletus can be a bit insufferably in that he's always right which kind of sucks any dramatic tension from the novel since basically Cletus explains what is going to happen and then you get to watch as it turns out just as he said (though there's a nifty sequence that shows this from the other guy's perspective) but thanks to Dickson's talent he manages to make every sequence memorable and entertaining. Also, it helps that unlike Formain, Cletus has a sense of humor and you find yourself rooting for him even as there's really no doubt. What makes this book so exciting are the constant manipulations and manuverings, which can be hard to follow at times. The charactization still suffers somewhat, Cletus is a little more developed than most but the only other major female character is a total cipher, existing only in the beginning to say "You're wrong! Whatever you say is wrong because . . . because it just is!" to which she looks silly every single time. And yet from the first "I hate you!" you know where her heart belongs. Their relationship never feels real and it's clear Dickson doesn't know what to do with it either, bringing her up only when convenient (Melissa's last line in the book however, is neat). Fortunately it's not the heart of the book and the novel skips along nicely, laying out the varied Universe (far more interesting now than in the previous book) and intermingling philosophies. We're still in the "ground laying" stage here but it stands well on its own and makes for fast, entertaining reading (I finished it while waiting at jury duty). Not a classic, but an integral part of the cycle in its own right.

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Summary: Continuing the Childe Cycle
Review: The continuing adventures of the Dorsai. One of the best military adventures in science fiction.

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Summary: Continuing the Childe Cycle
Review: The continuing adventures of the Dorsai. One of the best military adventures in science fiction.

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Summary: An outstanding piece of military science fiction
Review: The main character starts the fireworks almost from the first page and proceeds to rewrite the book on small unit tactics, as well as stratetic planning. A great insight into the roots of the Dorsai. I read this book several years ago and I still find myself using it as a 'ruler' by which to judge other scifi offerings. Most don't measure up.

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Summary: Changed my life
Review: This was the book that got me hooked to the 'childe cycle'. I believe this to be the most inspirational book I have ever read. I urge you to try this book, if you don't like it, don't read the rest of the series. If you do like it then I'm not worried, I know you're hooked.

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Summary: Cletus Grahame: Precursor to Miles Vorkosigan
Review: When I reread this book a couple of years ago I was completely dumbfounded. I slapped my head and laughed out loud. If any of you out there have ever read any of the Miles Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold (which are great fun reads) - and then pick up this novel and read it - you will meet Miles precursor in the form of Cletus Grahame. Anyway - The Childe Cycle novels stand right up there with the best that Science Fiction has to offer alongside the Dune series by Herbert. Classic novels of the genre and Tactics of Mistake is a classic of the Childe Cycle.