Hammer's Slammers

Rating:
Summary: great futuristic military
Review: David Drake takes the struggle of warfare and the soldiers own feelings regarding war giving them life to the reader, while giving it a futuristic setting without loosing the the thrill of war and horror. I rate as a must read military sci-fi.

Rating:
Summary: Promises More Than It Delivers
Review: I bought this book in '84 because, well, because the cover was way cool...and it still is. The cover is just rad!

So looking at the cover I thought: out of control mechanized space mercenaries go on a rampage, way cool!

Anyway, the story, sort of took a long time getting started, and the Slammers are just talking all this pap about how tough they are, and I'm going: "Welp, the stuff is like going to really hit the fan soon man!' while looking at the cover and reading the book.

Then other people quip about their reputation and stuff, and I'm goin like these guys are like caged tigers!

Then there's more politics, and Hammer (he's like the general of the Slammers, has a huge desk and an office...and I'm goin why does this guy need this huge desk and office, he's a mercenary!)

Then, finally they get a contract to pacify some boondock planet.

And basically, they just beat up these defenseless settlers with their space tanks, and the other guys got like...rifles!

Anyway, that is like their big battle, killing these poor boondock guerillas, just sitting on them, and then some other two cent mercenary outfit with armored cars or something.

The whole thing was just disappointing.

I read another book about the Slammers later, and it had like teleporting naked aliens with spears or something...boy what a challenge.

All the Slammers do is beat up defenseless people with their mechanized space brigade or whatever it is they got.

And Hammer's henchman, Joachim, is like a pervert or something...and well...tell me who you are with and I'll tell you...

The book reminded me a lot of Falkenburg's Legion, which has a big battle with Falkenburg's guys slaughtering masses of defenseless people at a stadium...boy what a feat of arms.

The whole problem with this book is the Hammers just don't do enough hammering and slamming against worthwhile foes.

Rating:
Summary: This collection of short stories is balanced, yet dynamic.
Review: The emotions of warfare are experienced, through narrative, without passing judgment upon the human tendency of waging war. The technical background of the stories is presented between the novelettes. This provides a context for the technical and social issues addressed without interferring with the dramatic flow of the story. I strongly recommend reading this book because Mr. Drake writes a great story. A good book for the traveler, especially during lunch or after supper. Speaking from personal experience. Don't loan this book to anybody, not even your best friend. You probably won't get it back. And it is out of print.

Rating:
Summary: Where it all begins...
Review: This book is short stories, starting from when (and why) the Hammer's Slammers were formed to when Colonel Alois Hammer finally came home. These stories show us a little more than later stories of the Hammer himself, a man who is ruthless towards his enemy yet loyal towards his own men (and women). The stories are; But Loyal to His Own, The Butcher's Bill, Under the Hammer, Cultural Conflict, Caught in the Crossfire, Hangman and Standing Down. It also has tiny interludes inbetween the stories that explain a lot about the background of this universe and also has an introduction by Jerry Pournelle.

Rating:
Summary: Where it all begins...
Review: This book is short stories, starting from when (and why) the Hammer's Slammers were formed to when Colonel Alois Hammer finally came home. These stories show us a little more than later stories of the Hammer himself, a man who is ruthless towards his enemy yet loyal towards his own men (and women). The stories are; But Loyal to His Own, The Butcher's Bill, Under the Hammer, Cultural Conflict, Caught in the Crossfire, Hangman and Standing Down. It also has tiny interludes inbetween the stories that explain a lot about the background of this universe and also has an introduction by Jerry Pournelle.

Rating:
Summary: The first of the outstanding Hammer's Slammer's series.
Review: This is a collection of short stories that begin the almos t legendary Hammers Slammers series. It is must reading for any one who loves military science fiction. Mr. Drake has a deep understanding of his material. If any one wants to know the truth of combat and how one must behave to survive this is the book. Many of the technological aspects of his stories are very prescience, considering it was written between 1975 and 1979. His use of computers, digital communications links and instantaneous target aquisition is comming true today. I can't recommend anything better

Rating:
Summary: Favorite Series
Review: This is one of my all time favorite books. David Drake is the author and this is a collection of short stories that started a whole series of books about an elite mercenary outfit called "Hammer's Slammers". This series is an exercise in reading for me as I start off well in the books, always struggle to read in the middle, but am always satisfied with the end result. I have a compulsion to buy these books whenever I find one I don't already have, even though it may take me seemingly forever to get through it.