military sci fi suggestions

[bjergtrold]

I second the Vorkosigan series, it is excellent.

For the grunt aspect I recommend the Valor books by Tanya Huff (Valor's Choice, The Better Part of Valor, The Heart of Valor, Valor's Trial).

[deanstow]

I know that you said Weber puts you off, but if you haven't tried it, you might like the Starfire books that he wrote with Steve White.

One of them is available for free on the Baen website. The title is Crusade. These definitely have a different feel than the Honor Harrington books.

Admittedly, Crusade is not the first book in the series, but is worth a try IMO. If you don't like it, all you have lost is some download time.

Dean

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by stustaff

My guesses which are probably wrong are that the harrington series is fvery military tactic and large battle based? Im looking for more the story of the grunt within taht larger battle.

And Weber in the brief look in I have had seems to me to be a bit the Ateam in space?

The Harrington series is the Napoleonic wars projected into the future. The protagonist, Honor Harrington, is the daughter of doctors and yeoman framers on the planet Sphinx, which it part of the three world "Star Kingdom of Manticore". Manticore is a constitutional monarchy with a large merchant marine that trades through most of the galaxy, and the Royal Manticoran Navy to protect Manticore's interests.

At the beginning of the series, Honor is a junior officer in the RMN, which is preparing for a conflict with the neighboring Republic of Haven. The Republic has problems. The founders made a deal with their colonists: "You let us run things, and we'll take care of you!" Centuries later, Haven is a hereditary oligarchy with several billion Dolists on the capital planet, living on government welfare payments and expecting an ever increasing standard of living. Haven is going broke trying to cover the costs, and has started conquering and looting smaller star nations nearby to cover their expenses. Manticore is next in line. It's much smaller than Haven, but it has a higher tech base and it's navy is much better.

The series follows Honor's career from midshipman through fleet admiral and peer of the realm in two star nations, with lots of action along the way. Her career parallels both that for C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower, and the real life Admiral Lord Nelson.

Manticore is roughly Britain, and Haven is roughly France, especially after a revolution makes it the People's Republic of Haven, run by a "Rob S. Pierre". Weber has fun with the physics underlying his space drives, so that he can have massed fleets of ships of the line drawn up stationary relative to each other in space and whaling away with lasers, grasers, and missles.

Highly recommended.
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Dennis

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I would hesitate to recommend "Forever Peace". Not because it's not an excellent book - it undoubtedly is - but because one shouldn't buy it expecting that it will be like "The Forever War". It really isn't military SF at all, and it's nothing like "The Forever War".

I thought it was a bad book and I did not like it at all. "Forever Free" was a much better book than "Forever Peace".

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

especially after a revolution makes it the People's Republic of Haven, run by a "Rob S. Pierre".

You know, I've read this series more times than I can count, and of course I was aware of the parallel with Hornblower and Haven = France, but that particular "pun" had entirely escaped me. Thanks for pointing it out .

[DMcCunney]

Note that all of the Baen Free Library titles are available through
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/

Aside from the stuff on Baen's web site, Baen offered a number of titles on CDs bound into selected hardcovers, including all of the Honor Harrington novels and a number of other offerings.

The Fifth Imperium has all of them available as ISO files and large Zip archives, as well as torrent files if you have a bit torrent client installed.

The site has a feature to let you extract specific books of interest from the CDs they appear in.

Go poke around. There's an extraordinary amount of good stuff there.
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Dennis

[HarryT]

... but whatever you do, AVOID Mr. Ringo's Ghost series. Believe me, you DON'T want to read that . If a more deeply unpleasant book has ever been written, I don't know what it is.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by HarryT

... but whatever you do, AVOID Mr. Ringo's Ghost series. Believe me, you DON'T want to read that . If a more deeply unpleasant book has ever been written, I don't know what it is.

I could probably think of a few.

I've read the Ghost series, and don't agree with your assessment.

But from the standpoint of this thread, the main objection is that while they're military, they aren't SF.
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Dennis

[Bald Eagle]

Once you reached the Baen CDs you can try the Books by Dave Freer, esp. the Rats, Bats and Vats series (on the The Baltic War CD).

[Jack Tingle]

I recommend Michael Z. Williamson's "Freehold of Grainne" books. The first one, "Freehold" is a freebie from Baen, so you have no cost to try.

WRT the Honor Harrington books, many people think the quality declines after the nth book. "n" varies with the person. I can recommend the first six, but some people only liked the first four. A few say read the first one and quit. In addition, the David Weber/Eric Flint collaboration "Crown of Slaves" with the same background is good, IMO.

One other book I haven't seen mentioned is L.E. Modesitt, Jr's, "The Parafaith War". I have no idea if it's available in ebook form. Whatever you do, DON'T READ THE SEQUEL!

Happy Reading,
Jack Tingle

[derrell]

Haven't seen any mention of the Starfist books by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. That series peters out towards the newer books but if you want boots on the ground they fit the bill and the early books are enjoyable.

Also you might check out Ringo's Posleen books but like the Starfist books the newer ones I don't care for.

Freehold is definitely worth reading as well and Steakley's Armor which is one of my favorite books.

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by derrell

Haven't seen any mention of the Starfist books by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. That series peters out towards the newer books but if you want boots on the ground they fit the bill and the early books are enjoyable.

They're drawn "from the life" - David was a Marine in Vietnam. He started as a painter and sculptor, and turned his hand to writing later.

Also you might check out Ringo's Posleen books but like the Starfist books the newer ones I don't care for.

Ringo did some collaborations with other authors set in the Posleen universe. I find them less satisfying than the solo efforts.

The setup is that Earth has been visited by the alien Darhel. The Darhel control what is essentially a galactic empire, and have a problem. The Darhel's holdings are being threatened by the hermaphroditic, centauroid Posleen. The Posleen are a bit like a swarm of interstellar locusts, conquering and totally destroying any worlds they encounter. The Darhel are incapable of fighting, and for practical purposes, so are the other major races in their empire. They need mercenaries to take on the Posleen. They offer a deal humanity can't refuse - advanced technology to Earth, in return for the creation of a fleet and ground forces capable of taking on the Posleen - because Earth is in the Posleen's path.

But the Darhel are also aware that humanity offers what may be more of a threat to their empire than the Posleen. They need a race of warriors, but warriors who are properly subservient and pose no threat to their masters. So the Posleen invasion of Earth may not be humanity's biggest problem...
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Dennis

[emellaich]

Originally Posted by derrell

Haven't seen any mention of the Starfist books by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. That series peters out towards the newer books but if you want boots on the ground they fit the bill and the early books are enjoyable.

The first Starfist is available for free right now. Here is the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Starfist-First...IC/ref=ed_oe_k

but, I believe its also free from Sony (and others?)

[DMcCunney]

Originally Posted by emellaich

The first Starfist is available for free right now. Here is the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Starfist-First...IC/ref=ed_oe_k

but, I believe its also free from Sony (and others?)

Yes. http://www.suvudu.com/freelibrary/
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Dennis

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DMcCunney

I could probably think of a few.

I've read the Ghost series, and don't agree with your assessment.

But from the standpoint of this thread, the main objection is that while they're military, they aren't SF.
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Dennis

That's very true. My concern was that someone might think that, since Mr. Ringo (who has written a number of excellent SF novels, let me add) wrote it, and Baen publish it, that it is SF, and make the mistake of reading it.

Sorry, but for me, stories involving sadomasochistic porn, rape, and ultra-xenophobia are not what I choose to read for pleasure. Of course, not everybody shares my dislikes, but people should, I think, be warned about this book.