March to the Sea

[leebase]

The second book in the "Prince Rogers" series by John Ringo and David Weber...and just as good. Also free from the Baen Free Library. You can download a DRM free epub (among other versions). I am so glad to have a publisher like Baen producing books I very much like to read. Their ebooks generally cost $6 and are DRM free. I loaded the book via itunes onto my iPad....and alles gut! I'm not sure if these author's use more words I don't know than normal, or that I'm just so used to skipping words I don't know -- but I've used the iBook dictionary feature a lot. And sure enough, these words are real words with definitions that make sense to the story.

Anywhoo -- to the review. Each of these books could stand alone and be good books. There is a story arc, of course, that makes the series worth reading. A spoiled dandy of a prince, third in line to the throne of the empire of man -- gets stranded on a backwater planet with a team of the best of the best of the best marines. To get back home he must cross an entire planet full of warring barbarians and deadly animals to take a space port over, hijack a star ship and get back home.

That's the story arc and you learn of it rather quickly in the first book. The first book "March Up Country" covered the events that lead to the stranding, and the march across a huge and deadly jungle. This book covers the journey from the mountains to the sea. The third book covers crossing the sea and getting to the space port. I'm most of the way through that book now.

Everything good about the first book is in the second. Great characters, great battle scenes. This is "meat and potatoes" military science fiction. Gone is most of the jungle and battling nasty beasties....and in place are cities and mountains, and a whole different set of obstacles. More importantly, Prince Roger is no longer the spoiled prince but has already emerged as a figure with heroic potential. He gets a love interest -- and there are some truly "laugh out loud" sections of the book on this. Like when the Mardukans (natives of the planet Marduk they are stranded on) ask very detailed and funny personal questions about sex and mating. It's a real hoot.

Roger also begins his transformation into a leader in this book The character development of Roger and many others in the book is superb. You really feel the pain of loss as some treasured characters die. You can't have a realistic war story and have all the good guys survive.

Anyone who liked the first book will like the second. It's the type of book that the phrase "military science fiction" tells the tale. If you like military stories in science fiction settings, then you'd like this book. If you like military stories and haven't been much of a sci fi reader -- you'd probably still like this book. If you can take or leave military stories but can enjoy a good book with excellent character development -- you'll like this book. If you simply can't stand war stories, you wouldn't like this book at all.

I'm a good deal through reading the third book "March to the Stars" -- and it keeps up the excellent standard set by the first two books in the series.

Lee

[AnemicOak]

I quite like the Empire of Man series. I wonder when we'll see the next book, which won't be a Prince Roger book but will be a prequel about Miranda McClintock, the founder of the Empire of Man. Anyone heard any recent news? Weber's site doesn't really say and johnringo.com looks like it's been pulled down.

[GlenBarrington]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I quite like the Empire of Man series. I wonder when we'll see the next book, which won't be a Prince Roger book but will be a prequel about Miranda McClintock, the founder of the Empire of Man. Anyone heard any recent news? Weber's site doesn't really say and johnringo.com looks like it's been pulled down.

Hmmmm! I didn't realize it had transcended the really good book with a couple of good sequals stage! I'd have to say I'd be interested more!