[The Dark Truth]

Which of the novels in poll do you feel is the best military Sci-Fi novel? I thought Armor was the best but have not read Old Man's War yet. If the novel you liked best is not listed post it.

[ArthurFrayn]

Starship Troopers and Forever War are classics.
Old Man's War is enormously entertaining.

[SgtSpaceWizard]

I voted for Forever War, but to be fair I haven't read Armor or Old Mans War, but of the three of those I have read I like Haldeman's take best. Though I dig Heinlein and Cards books too. The way those 3 books deal with the theme of soldiers and war is about as perfect an example of the continuing dialogue of SF as any I can think of. Contrasting and comparing them would seem to be a worthy subject for a college class, or at least a convention panel...

[Ouroboros]

It's a case of different strokes for different folks.

I identify most strongly with Heinlein's approach in 'Starship Troopers', because I think some of the underpinning social and political themes and ideas he elaborated on are as much a part of Military SF as the action and adventure component. The impact is had on me in terms of determining the direction my life took is hard to underestimate- I think probably only David Gemmell had as much of an influence on me.

With that said, for strong contemporary Military SF there are a plethora of authors who are turning out stuff which is, in my opinion, gold standard. Baen is the main clearing house for these authors, and the likes of David Drake, John Ringo, David Weber and SM Stirling have all penned Military SF which should be regarded as must-read material.

In particular, I think a very real contender for the finest Military SF ever written is probably David Drake's original 'Hammer's Slammers' novels. These are about as pure Military SF as you will ever read, among the first major mythos Drake created based on his experiences in Vietnam.

I'm a fan of Steakley's 'Armor', but he's something of an anomaly in that since this cult classic he's produced nothing else apart from the horror / fantasy 'Vampire$'. I think 'Armor' is best enjoyed as an adjunct to 'Starship Troopers'- It's like an all-action flip-side of the same coin, a sort of "What if Johnny Rico was a hong kong action star with the blues?".

Haldeman is one of those guys who I academically rate highly, but in practice whose books I don't really fall in love with. I've enjoyed 'The Forever War', but I find it an unremittingly depressing novel. I can't fault the writing, it's Haldeman's ideology that I take issue with. Its sequels are worth reading, if you're a fan, though.

Scalzi and Buettner's efforts are enjoyable, but I see them as being sort of 'Lite' Military SF, lacking either the gravitas and purpose of Heinlein or Haldeman, or the gritty authenticity of Drake or Ringo. I think the upside of this is that they're more readily accessible to casual readers who aren't necessaril majorly interested in the subgenre of Military SF- And therein lies their success.

[bigbry]

I picked Armor. What a fantastic ride. I still have my rubber-band bound copy from college that my friends and I passed around. We also made a rollplaying game based on the book and I was able to show it to the man himself several years ago. He was verily impressed.

There was some chapters from Armor 2 floating around the interent some time back. If it ever appears I will be ALL OVER IT.....:D

[ArthurFrayn]

I never,ever, hear this book criticized, and it's driving me nuts:


Armor's action scenes are all very well done, and it's certainly worth reading in that regard,but it's not a very well structured novel at all. It reads like a short novella stretched very unconvincingly to a novel of overlong length. The B story is a mess.

With regard to the book as character fiction :I don't find Felix a very convincing character. When it's revealed that he is royalty from a warrior planet running away from lost love, all the everyman aspects of the character that have been developed through the beginning of the book, are thrown out the window.
His final incarnation isn't very convincing either.

The business with the dog in the well is gratuitously, and supiciously, hideous (Archren, whatever you do, keep away from this one!). I completely understand the point the author is making, but considering that Felix is NOT just some hapless grunt f**k (he's royalty from a warrior planet ), the point doesn't really fit. He's not the loser with tremendous heart who doesn't know when to quit. He's a superman from the get-go; he's not made exceptional by his trials. His exceptional background makes him the only likely candidate to survive in the capacity that he does.


After hearing how awesome this book is almost nonstop for years, I was suprised just how dissappointing it turned out to be.
It may be a compelling read, but it's certainly not the serious examination of the subject that both Starship Troopers and The Forever War are.

[toriphile]

Forever War