military Archives - The Y Logs

Yzabel / February 24, 2019

Review: Lakes of Mars

My rating: [rating=2]

Blurb:

Aaron Sheridan doesn’t want to live anymore. His entire family had just died in a shuttle crash and he’d been the one flying it. Unable to deal with the guilt, he signs up for the Fleet expecting a fatal deployment to the Rim War, but instead ends up at their most prestigious command school, Corinth Station.

Initially, he’s detached from the brutality of his instructors and the Machiavellian tactics of the other students there, but after he sticks up for his only friend he makes himself a target of the most feared cadet on the station, Caelus Erik. Unsure of whom to trust and worried that anything he does will make others on his flight team targets as well, Aaron retreats deeper and deeper inside himself. However, when he discovers that officer training is not the station’s only purpose, it becomes increasingly clear that risking everything is the safest thing he can do.

Review:

[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

2.5 stars? (As in, between “it’s OK” and “I kinda liked it.”) The story is interesting, and it clearly has its good moments, along with mysteries for the main character to unveil, as he is confronted with layer upon layer of uncertainties about who’s lying, who’s an ally, who’s a friend, and who’s only pretending and getting ready to stab him in the back.

I had trouble to connect with the characters in general, though. The only one we really get to know is Aaron, and partly Seb, but due to all the conflicting hints he had to wade through, his position remained on the fence and made him somewhat passive for a while, which in turn made the narrative confusing and muddled in parts as to what was going on. There’s also what looks like a complex world-building underneath, but difficult to properly grasp. While I mostly prefer when stories unfold “in medias res”, they also have to contain enough hints from the start to help the reader get into their concepts, and here, what was clear for Aaron wasn’t always clear for me (for instance, the Box is mentioned from the first chapters onwards, but it takes a while to fully get what is is and what it’s used for).

I found the pacing lacking between the first 20% and the last chapters, too, and I had to push myself several times to pick up the book and keep reading. The ending is quite intense, though, and with a couple of surprises as well.

Yzabel / August 16, 2018

Review: Strategy Strikes Back

Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict by Max Brooks

My rating: [rating=3]

Blurb:

The most successful film franchise of all time, Star Wars thrillingly depicts an epic multigenerational conflict fought a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But the Star Wars saga has as much to say about successful strategies and real-life warfare waged in our own time and place. Strategy Strikes Back brings together over thirty of today’s top military and strategic experts, including generals, policy advisors, seasoned diplomats, counterinsurgency strategists, science fiction writers, war journalists, and ground‑level military officers, to explain the strategy and the art of war by way of the Star Wars films.

Review:

[I received a copy of this book through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.]

A collection of essays relating real-world strategies to examples from the ‘Star Wars’ franchise. As usual with this kind of book, some were good, and some not so good, and there were a few that didn’t do much for me, and/or seemed to repeat themselves (as well as be repeats of others). Still, I found it interesting, and a good starting point for more reading, since many of the essays don’t only rely on Star Wars, but also on actual strategy theories (Clausewitz, modern strategy-related articles, and so on).

Having only watched the movies, and not the animated Clone Wars series (and not having laid my hands on more than a couple of books from the former SW extended universe), I can’t speak for the accuracy (or not) of the essays discussing, well, other aspects of SW. From what I know, though, these essays are fairly accurate in their interpretation and depiction of the chosen excerpts from the movies.

Rating: 3.5 stars. Apart from the couple of points I made above (mostly the redundancy), I think it’s more interesting in terms of Star Wars than in-depth military strategy, and I’d have appreciated seeing more examples of real-world situations contrasted with the SW ones.

Yzabel / October 22, 2015

Review: Storm Fall

Storm Fall by Tracy Banghart

My rating: [rating=2]

Blurb:

Aris Haan gave up everything to join the Atalantan Military: her family, her boyfriend, even her identity. In the end, though, it didn’t matter that she was a war hero. When the all-male Military discovered that she was actually a woman, she was sent home and erased from history.

Now she has a chance to go back to the battlefield—as herself. But as hard as it was to be a soldier in disguise, it’s even more difficult now. The men in her unit undermine her at every turn. The Safaran army has spies everywhere, perhaps even on Aris’s stationpoint. And she’s falling for her mysterious superior officer, Milek. But their relationship is forbidden, just stolen moments between training sessions and missions. There’s no room for love in war.

Then Aris discovers that Safara’s leaders have set their sights on her, Atalanta’s hero. And she must find them before they find her . . .

Review:

[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Sequel to “Rebel Wing” (which I read back when its title was “Shattered Veil”), this novel sheds light on Aris Haan’s life after she escaped Elom and helped free the Ward of Ruslana: on her fears at first (her love of flying tainted by her harsh experience), on her decision to go back to the Military, on the daily fight to be accepted in a sector where women are just newly accepted—even though quite a few, disguised as men, already proved that girls can do it just as well as boys.

Like its predecessor, “Storm Fall” deals with this issue of acceptance, in a different way since the whole “women in the army” is now in the open, but still as something worth fighting for, and difficult to accept for some. Aris and others are faced with insubordination, snide remarks, sexual harassment, and it’s painfully obvious that even proving their worth as flyers and fighters isn’t enough for some. And it’s not only the men being reluctant: other women outside of the Military aren’t so keen about this new opening. Aris still has to fight, still has to assert herself, and she does it with conviction and with open eyes: she knows she has to fend for herself if she doesn’t want to be seen as a damsel in distress—and yes, it’s something she definitely doesn’t want. She counts on other people’s help in circumstances where anyone would expect and need help, but not because she’s a woman in need of males to save her: because she’s a soldier in trouble, who needs the help of her fellow soldiers, period.

This was definitely a part of the story I enjoyed, because it was portrayed in quite a believable (if depressing) way. However, I wish it had been more a focus: I found it more interesting than the romance—but then, anyone who’s read my reviews must know by now that I’m not a huge fan of romantic subplots for the sake of romantic subplots only. No surprise here.

Calix here turned out to be a pretty decent guy, who did the right thing(s) and showed he had learnt to respect other people’s choices. He genuinely likes Aris, and I think that having him as a friend rather than a potential remaining love interest is a good move here. Also, very loyal guy, to the point of risking demotion or worse in order to help the ones he cares about: not only Aris, but her family as well. While at first, I wondered if this didn’t send the wrong kind of message (“women are men’s downfall”), it still seems to lean much more towards themes of friendship and loyalty, all the more because Calix cares about Aris’s parents and their grief—it’s not just about the girl, so to speak.

In general, there were good plot point and ideas, that would have deserved more spotlight: Elom’s role, the women’s struggles in the military (maybe seeing more of them “in action”, to find out the various range of possible reactions there)… The three romantic arcs were too heavy handed, and detracted from the really interesting parts.

Also, the relationship between Dysis and Daakon wasn’t always handled well. In the first book, the tension was understandable because Daakon thought she was a guy, and he was interested in guys, and Dysis actually being a woman made things complicated. But here, they ran around in odd circles. I’m thinking of one specific turning point here (spoilerish, so I don’t want to explain it too much), where something happened that doesn’t make much sense if Daakon’s not interested in women at all… but reaching that point, seeing it through the end, and then still being torn about loving a woman was kind of… illogical. Whether he was torn about finding himself bi, having to reconsider where it stood (hey, it happens), or torn about liking Dysis in a platonic way but not in a physical one, both were handled poorly.

Ultimately, I still liked this story, and may check the third book in this series, all the more because 1) the last chapter opens up on an even more dangerous situation, and 2) I keep expecting a twist when it comes to Elom, and would like to know whether I’m right or not. But I would welcome less romance, especially the thorny part about Milek and Aris, since it could very well undermine the latter’s efforts as a woman in the military.

2.5 stars (because of the romance), 3.5 or 4 otherwise.

Yzabel / October 13, 2015

Review: Ashstorm

Ashstorm by A.D. Starrling

My rating: [rating=3]

Blurb:

The Hunter who should have been king.

The Elemental who fears love.

The Seer who is yet to embrace her powers.

Three immortals whose fates are intertwined with that of the oldest and most formidable enemy the immortal and human societies have ever faced.

1599. While hunting a deadly adversary who has eluded him for two hundred years, Asgard Godard falls into an icy tomb that leaves him frozen in time.

1969. After more than a century on the run, Ethan Storm finds himself at the mercy of the man who ripped his family apart and sent him into exile.

2013. Following a hundred years of solitary existence, Olivia Ash wakes from a nightmare to find the home where she has lived her entire life under attack by a deadly foe.

Linked by an incredible destiny and with time very much against them, Asgard, Ethan, and Olivia must keep ahead of their common enemy and the rogue branch of the US army at his command. When an unlikely ally crosses their path, they come into possession of a set of clues that help them unearth their opponents’ devastating plans.

With the future of the whole world at risk, the three immortals and their allies must draw on all their skills and unique abilities to defeat the man who has inflicted so much loss and misery upon their lives.

Review:

[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

I read the first three books in this series last year, and found them enjoyable—not the best, but definitely enjoyable, and making me feel like checking if book 4 was out. Which it was.

New characters are introduced here, some of them bearing birth marks (and displaying powers) like the main characters in the previous installments, leading more and more to the gathering of a kind of “league” who, no doubt, will have to fight more and more dangerous odds. Olivia and Ethan complement and enhance each other’s powers nicely, while Asgard is tied to quite a few people among the most important ones, owing to his own birth. If there’s one thing, it’s how little we see of the others as the cast keeps on growing. I can’t help but feel impatient regarding the moment when they’re finally all together (is this book it, or will others appear in the next one?). Such a group is bound to have an impressive dynamics.

The focus was less on Kronos in general, and more on one specific antagonist pursuing goals tied partly to it and partly to his own ambitions. The idea of a secret base and secret experiments was a bit basic, though, so I hope later developments—the kind hinted at by the end of the novel—will go deeper. That Kronos isn’t “only that”. I’m sure it’s not.

I’m a bit torn, too, regarding relationships between the characters. Although the idea of soulmates finding each other is nice, it’s starting to feel like every set of people is meant to find their own love interest in each story. Maybe it’s just me, but at some point I’d like to see something different, bonds that would run very deep without necessary being “couple-love”. We have some of this here with Ethan and Asgard, and I wish we could see more: after all, they fought Jonah for decades, and their loyalty to each other is unswerving. Comrades to death, and all that.

I still enjoyed the blend of action and quieter moments nonetheless, all the more because the characters didn’t completely forget about their predicament (something that tends to happen too often in many books: as soon as the love interest appears, the impending end of the world doesn’t seem so important anymore, and too much time is spent on trifles).

Once again, I’m not rating this novel higher… yet I’ll still seek out volume 5.

Yzabel / September 26, 2015

Review: Ghost Fleet

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P.W. Singer

My rating: [rating=1]

Blurb:

The United States, China, and Russia eye each other across a twenty-first century version of the Cold War, which suddenly heats up at sea, on land, in the air, in outer space, and in cyberspace. The fighting involves everything from stealthy robotic–drone strikes to old warships from the navy’s “ghost fleet.” Fighter pilots unleash a Pearl Harbor–style attack; American veterans become low-tech insurgents; teenage hackers battle in digital playgrounds; Silicon Valley billionaires mobilize for cyber-war; and a serial killer carries out her own vendetta. Ultimately, victory will depend on blending the lessons of the past with the weapons of the future.

Review:

[I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

DNF at 56%. I tried, I really tried, but it’s been weeks and I just can’t get interested in the story or the characters. I don’t mind when there is more than two or three, I don’t mind short chapters in general; only it’s not working at all for me in this novel, and halfway in, I still don’t care about what’s happening to whom, whether the insurgents will survive, whether Carrie will be found out or not, whether Jamie will mend his relationship with his father… I see, strictly speaking, where it is going. Yet it doesn’t matter, because it’s going in a very dry way that makes everything confusing after a while, all the more as reading a few pages, then leaving the book again for a couple of days doesn’t help (not being interested enough to keep trudging through it, that is).

The other, really important thing not working for me is how little is actually given in terms of geopolitics, even though the characters talk about it; that’s info-dumping without actually giving enough information. There is the Directorate (the new China), allied with the Russians, waging a blitzkrieg on the United States by taking down satellite coverage and basically scrambling communications, GPS on board of planes, etc. Clever and efficient plan, yet why exactly? I would have wanted to learn so, so much about how this state of war came to be, what strings of events led to such a decision, why the NATO countries dropped out of it so fast. So many things just don’t make sense without more background here. I think such a book demands additional information (and handled differently), otherwise it’s not believable.

The technological aspect was somewhat OK. A bit heavy-handed, though (nothing really “new”, some devices were pretty similar to ours only with a more “futuristic” name). I didn’t love nor hate it, which is already something, I guess.

I’m rather sad, because this story had potential, especially regarding the level of creativity the insurgents came to (Walmart going to war as an underground supply chain: both funny and oddly logical), but it didn’t deliver on the human and global relationships factor, at least not when it comes to what I expected from it.

Yzabel / September 30, 2014

Review: A Call to Duty

A Call to Duty by David Weber and Timothy Zahn

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Growing up, Travis Uriah Long yearned for order and discipline in his life . . . the two things his neglectful mother couldn’t or wouldn’t provide. So when Travis enlisted in the Royal Manticoran Navy, he thought he’d finally found the structure he’d always wanted so desperately.

But life in the RMN isn’t exactly what he expected. Boot camp is rough and frustrating; his first ship assignment lax and disorderly; and with the Star Kingdom of Manticore still recovering from a devastating plague, the Navy is possibly on the edge of budgetary extinction.

The Star Kingdom is a minor nation among the worlds of the Diaspora, its closest neighbors weeks or months away, with little in the way of resources. With only modest interstellar trade, no foreign contacts to speak of, a plague-ravaged economy to rebuild, and no enemies looming at the hyper limit, there are factions in Parliament who want nothing more than to scrap the Navy and shift its resources and manpower elsewhere.

But those factions are mistaken. The universe is not a safe place.

Travis Long is about to find that out.

Review:

(I got an ARC courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

Let’s not dwell for too long on the cover, which is definitely a reminder of older SF books design, but didn’t do much for me. (To be faire, I got my share of gorgeous covers hiding stupid novels, though. So I assumed that the contrary might be true as well.)

I must also say that I never read any of the Honor Harrington novels; as a result, I can’t say if it’s true to the Honorverse or not, and can’t compare it to other similar works by those authors. I went into this one not even knowing what I was going into, except that “it seems to be military sci-fi, and I kind of feel like reading this genre at the moment.” Especially since the blurb depicted a somewhat decadent Navy, and that such settings are always ripe for a lot of themes I tend to appreciate.

Travis Long is a young man, even a teenager, whose family doesn’t pay much attention to: his half-brother Gavin is a Lord, and his mother is busy with her work. On a whim, he decides to join the Royal Manticoran Navy, both craving for a discipline he was never subjected to and for a place to be after a stunt that almost went wrong for him. To be honest, I’m still not sure about his motivations: I would’ve liked to see his family problems depicted a little more deeply, perhaps, or to be given more details, because as it is, it seemed just a little “woe is me”. Fortunately, this doesn’t last for long, and Travis doesn’t dwell on it for the whole novel; we only get a little reminder a couple of times. The character tends to be a rule-stickler, which fits as an echo of what he craved. On the other hand, it holds good potential for inner conflict: he sticks to rules, but has a natural tendency to think outside the box, and while the latter helps in tense situations, at some point, I can envision both aspects of his personality getting pitched against each other. Although Travis isn’t a terribly likeable young man in the beginning, there’s definitely room for development here. He didn’t strike me as a character who would forever remain the same.

The novel focuses on two major themes: Travis’s life in the Navy (as well as the problems that it has to face later—not going to spoil), and the game of politics that runs behind the scenes. The Manticore system is an interesting enough setting: a kingdom actually born from what used to be a corporation, Manticore Ltd. (I have no idea how the Board ever came to decide going monarchical was a good idea, but why not. This is also one of those aspects I would’ve want to learn more about. However, as I said, I don’t know the Honorverse, and perhaps this is explained in another book. I still wish there had been more of an explanation here, for readers like me.) In a way, it reminded me a little of parliamentarian monarchies like the UK’s, with a king—and even a former ruler named “Queen Elizabeth”—who holds decisional power… but not so much that he can afford to disregard Parliament’s pressures.

In the novel, the political intrigue runs mostly around the conundrum of “what to do with a Navy that has never known a war, and whose last round of battles was against some pirates, one century ago?” Gavin Winterfall, Travis’s half-brother, plays a minor role in this, but one that might expand in the next novel, perhaps, because he turned out to be more intrigue-savvy than his own allies thought at first. As for the RMN itself, its own people sometimes question their place, wondering if what they do is so useful, and if they’ll be ready the day a real war looms.

The story itself was quite entertaining, though a little heavy-handed on technical and military terms; I could adapt to those, and I enjoyed the atmosphere they created, but they might be a problem for readers who’re not keen on them. The dialogues made me feel like I was really on a spaceship, with operations going on following a given protocol. I also enjoyed how Travis manages to play an important part, thanks to his ideas, yet isn’t the one who completely saves the day all the time (he’s only enlisted, not a captain or another officer, and his being THE saviour who does everything wouldn’t have fit in my opinion). Even the way he gets rewarded reflects how Navy personnel has to traipse around potential political mishaps.

I’m not exactly fond of the ending, though. It seemed kind of… predictable to me.

The novel has its flaws, and I wouldn’t consider it as excellent, but as a beginning to a series, I think it sets the stage for a lot of potentially interesting developments, and I certainly wouldn’t mind reading the next installment. 3.5 stars.