A decent story but nothing to write home about. This one is not breaking any new ground that I could illicit from reading but it did have some enjoyable characters and is not short on action. Still undecided on continuing further in this series.

3 stars for a decent story.
( )

A good yarn about a good man driven to the extremes by the complete incompetence of his superiors.

I gave a 'hurrah!' when he commissioned a Jolly Roger flag at the end ( )

Above all else, this is a fun read. Resnick manages to insult governments, bureaucracy, upper military brass, and the press all without taking himself too seriously. With the feel of a science fiction Catch-22 and reminiscent of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Resnick draws readers into the world of Commander Wilson Cole.

Cole is a hero of the war and the most decorated soldier alive. He is also regularly demoted due to his tendency to save millions of lives by ignoring stupid orders and acting in a rational manner. His perspective is fun and witty, as Resnick describes the Theodore Roosevelt, Cole's latest ship assignment, and its rag tag group of misfits. After he turns this ship full of addicts and disillusioned veterans into a functioning crew, a superior officer who takes orders far too literally forces Cole choose between all out mutiny and watching her destroy a planet and its colony of millions of civilians.

The characters are not particularly deep, stories are not poignant, and, yes, the heroes are far too lucky/clever/etc. This is sci-fi military comedy in the tradition of Joseph Heller and Douglas Adams and should be taken as such. If it is, readers can expect an exciting adventure aboard the Theodore Roosevelt. ( )

Above all else, this is a fun read. Resnick manages to insult governments, bureaucracy, upper military brass, and the press all without taking himself too seriously. With the feel of a science fiction Catch-22 and reminiscent of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Resnick draws readers into the world of Commander Wilson Cole.

Cole is a hero of the war and the most decorated soldier alive. He is also regularly demoted due to his tendency to save millions of lives by ignoring stupid orders and acting in a rational manner. His perspective is fun and witty, as Resnick describes the Theodore Roosevelt, Cole's latest ship assignment, and its rag tag group of misfits. After he turns this ship full of addicts and disillusioned veterans into a functioning crew, a superior officer who takes orders far too literally forces Cole choose between all out mutiny and watching her destroy a planet and its colony of millions of civilians.

The characters are not particularly deep, stories are not poignant, and, yes, the heroes are far too lucky/clever/etc. This is sci-fi military comedy in the tradition of Joseph Heller and Douglas Adams and should be taken as such. If it is, readers can expect an exciting adventure aboard the Theodore Roosevelt. ( )

288 pages Have your local library buy this book for you. Fun breezy light military scfi book. Part of a larger 48 book universe called the Birthright universe. This story is the 1st of 5 books in that universe. The story is mildly creative. The characters are not complex but the dialog keeps the stry moving. Hyper compentent hero and side kick against a dumber officers. I wish someone would write a story where the hero falls on his face and has to admit that institutional wisdom has its merits. This is not that story. But its a fun read none the less.

Resnick the author is writing the history of mankind from its gaining of FTL to its end 15 centuries later. He sees mankind politically starting out as a Republic evolving to Democracy ,Oligarchy ,Monarchy and ending in Anarchy, This set of stories is set in the era of the Republic.

I