John G. Hemry

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by JoeD

I've got the Pournelle Continuumin my shopping cart atm. $20 for 10 books, that's much better value as a pack than individually, and worth taking a chance on an author I've not read before, samples seemed interesting enough though

I have hemmed and hawed about buying the Pournelle collection. I've tried a couple of his books in the past and not liked the writing. OTOH, the deal is a great deal and perhaps I'll like them if I try them yet again. OTOH, I'd rather spend the money on some books I am certain I will like. OTOH . . .

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by rhadin

I have hemmed and hawed about buying the Pournelle collection. I've tried a couple of his books in the past and not liked the writing. OTOH, the deal is a great deal and perhaps I'll like them if I try them yet again. OTOH, I'd rather spend the money on some books I am certain I will like. OTOH . . .

Bookmark.

I'll have to look into this. I have never been hugely fond of his books, but I loved his Computing From Chaos Manor column which appeared for many years in Byte magazine.

Plus his creations were staples in science fiction wargames and boardgames throughout the Seventies and Eighties.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by Phogg

I'll have to look into this. I have never been hugely fond of his books, but I loved his Computing From Chaos Manor column which appeared for many years in Byte magazine.

I forgot about those columns in Byte. I also thought they were well done. Byte was an excellent magazine.

[rhadin]

I just finished the fist two books in the JAG in Space Series, A Just Determination and Burden of Proof. I give both books 5 out of 5 . In fact, I'm a little bleary-eyed this morning as I started reading Burden of Proof late yesterday afternoon and couldn't stop. Finished it early this morning.

I had never heard of or read Hemry before learning of the bundle deal here on MR, but I have to say it was worth the $30 gamble. The books are well-written and interesting.

[julia103]

John Hemry also has some good short stories for sale on Fictionwise (multiformat).

[rhadin]

Another long night. I started book 3 in the JAG series and couldn't stop. This one is equally well written as the first 2 volumes but the storyline is not as good and, unlike with the first 2 books, you know how it will turn out long before the end. In terms of s, this book gets 4.25 out of 5 (it would have been 5 out of 5 but for the storyline). I am definitely a new Hemry fan -- at least of the JAG in Space series.

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by rhadin

In terms of s, this book gets 4.25 out of 5 (it would have been 5 out of 5 but for the storyline). I am definitely a new Hemry fan -- at least of the JAG in Space series.

Thanks for updating to the thread rhadin. WDE. (still deciding if I should get them all now, or wait and get them one at a time later) WDE.

[rhadin]

I spent another late night reading the 4th and final book in Hemry's JAG in Space series. I hope he starts writing more in this series. It really is excellent. The 4th book gets 5 out of 5 from me. The storyline is excellent and the writing riveting.

Something I didn't note in my earlier comments about this series is that I am an attorney (well, I used to be one; I stopped practicing law in 1984). I rarely enjoy a "legal" thriller; I find most of them inane. But Hemry's books are well-crafted with very plausible plots (except for the third book in the series which had a real stretch ending). They aren't technical, but they are realistic.

Final evaluation of Hemry's JAG series is

BTW, anyone interested in law-oriented novels should try the Rumpole of the Bailey books written by the late John Mortimer.

[Xenophon]

D*MN YOU RHADIN!!!!

You see, I'd been trying to decide whether to buy the Hemry bundle for a while. I bought it a few days ago, in part on your recommendation.

Now I'm sitting here at work having had about 3 hours of sleep last night because I just had to finish the JAG in space novel I started after the SuperBowl.

On second thought, maybe I should change that first line to "D*MN YOU JOHN G. HEMRY!!!!" Couldn't be my fault, could it? Naaaaaah....

Xenophon

[rhadin]

Xenophon, there is some hope. I started yesterday the Stark's War series that comes in the bundle, which series is also written by Hemry. If you like John Ringo's writing style, you'll probably like this series. If you are closer to my taste in reading, you'll wonder if Hemry was struck by lightning that caused a change in craftsmanship.

I struggled through the first "chapter" of the first book in the series (I put chapter in quotes because it really is more a long part than a typical chapter, comprising about 25% of the ebook) and am debating whether to even bother continuing to read the series. It is not an engrossing read like the JAG in Space series -- at least not to me. I find I could care less about the characters and even less about the plot. I was able to easily and quickly put the ebook down.

I may continue reading the story tonight, but if it doesn't rapidly improve I will be simply deleting the Stark's War series and moving on to some other author. Right now I give the ebook 1.5 out of 5 .

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

D*MN YOU RHADIN!!!!

You see, I'd been trying to decide whether to buy the Hemry bundle for a while. I bought it a few days ago, in part on your recommendation.

Now I'm sitting here at work having had about 3 hours of sleep last night because I just had to finish the JAG in space novel I started after the SuperBowl.

On second thought, maybe I should change that first line to "D*MN YOU JOHN G. HEMRY!!!!" Couldn't be my fault, could it? Naaaaaah....

Xenophon

Since I started the thread, could I be at fault?

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Since I started the thread, could I be at fault?

I was once told by a very wise person that if things go right, a man made the decision; if things go wrong, look for a woman behind the scenes. Of course, I was told this by a then 73-year-old man and the year was 1954, before the years of enlightenment (1960s). These days my wife insures I know better.

[rhadin]

I finally gave up. Couldn't read another word of the first book of the Stark's War series by Hemry. I've deleted the 3 books from my Sony and moved on to another author. Based on the third of the way I got through the first book in this series, I would give the book at most 1 out of 5 .

I hope he writes more of the JAG in Space books.

[Robotech_Master]

I rather liked the Stark's War books.

But then, I guess there's no accounting for taste (or lack thereof).

I'm also fond of the "Lost Fleet" series, which he wrote under the name of Jack Campbell. Interesting milSF that turns on a couple of neat premises.

One: a young officer sacrifices himself to block a "Pearl Harbor"-type attack and is subsequently canonized for it (and "posthumously" promoted to captain)—then a hundred years later he turns up in suspended animation in an escape capsule whose homing beacon malfunctioned. He's picked up by a fleet leading a sneak-attack deep into enemy territory, which turns out to be an ambush—and all the fleet's higher-ranking officers are murdered when they go to "negotiate." Having 100 years' seniority in rank to the other fleet captains (thanks to his "posthumous" promotion), it falls to this officer to lead a ragtag fugitive fleet home from the heart of enemy territory—while trying to deal with the fact that a century of hero-worship which he feels he could never live up to has grown up around him.

Two: During the time this officer has been drifting around, naval tactics on both sides have degenerated into brute-force slugfests, and this officer is the only one who remembers anything at all about real fleet maneuvering tactics—not to mention the articles of warfare, which have also been largely forgotten.

Three: No FTL communication or sensors, so all encounters and engagements are limited by what can be seen and known and guessed over ranges of light-seconds or light-minutes. This sort of restriction on fleet maneuvering and battle has been rather rare in most milSF that I've read, and it brings a sort of almost submarine-warfare feel to the story at times.

Good stuff.