Intergalactic War, Aliens In Trouble, Name?

[JStrange]

Long time lurker finally needing help to NAME that book:

Humanity's aid is enlisted by an alliance/confederation of pacifist or near-pacifist extra-terrestrial aliens to help the alliance/confederation in their intergalactic war against very aggressive warlike invaders.

It's humanity's first contact, the alliance has a wolf-like race and a bird-race (among others) and humans are one of the relatively few warlike species available.

This is an older book, maybe for the mid 90s to early 80s.

There is a book by John Ringo (A Hymn Before Battle)with a similar theme (warlike humanity being recruited by peaceful aliens) and this book is what made me recall the earlier book with virtually the same theme.

Thanks.

[tdeanatoz@yahoo]

The book you describe could be one of the Berserker collections of Fred Saberhagen, BERSERKER or THE ULTIMATE ENEMY. The books were narrated by the alien Carmpan race, which were pretty much pacifist/non-aggressive in their culture. It seems to me that the back of one of these books touted the galaxy's need for the "violent" race of Man to deal with the threat of the machine Berserkers...

Hope this helps.

[JStrange]

Although I'm relatively certain it's not Saberhagen or anything from the Berserker universe - thanks for the reply. :)

The enemy in the book I am trying to find (actually it was a series of books, but I read only the first) was not a machine-like race, iirc.

[JStrange]

What luck! After trying to recall some details - and remembering that the author was a prolific writer of relatively casual science-fiction and fantasy - I started thinking Piers Anthony? Andre Norton? Hmmm, it was 3 part name. Alan Dean Foster? Maybe... - that was it!

Alan Dean Foster's A Call To Arms Book 1 (it was a series) pitted an intergalactic alien alliance called The Weave against a telepathic race named Ampliturs who were ruthlessly absorbing the alliance. The Weave employs the more warlike humans to do what they are genetically incapable of: fighting back.

Not saying it was a classic but I was trying to recall the book after seeing Ringo's book and thinking I'd read a book many many years earlier with virtually the same initial premise.

Thanks all.