Amazon.com
It's not merely a task that's thankless--it's impossible. How can you hope to pick out the best of anything, let alone from such a contentious category as SF (and military SF, at that)? But this 13-story collection really does pull together at least some of the best short stories penned for the genre in the last century. Thanks to editors Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg, you'll find some of science fiction's biggest names--and most influential shorts--in this expertly chosen anthology.

Chronologically, the entries range from '50s pieces like Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" and Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" to more modern ruminations on war like "The Scapegoat" by C.J. Cherryh and "To the Storming Gulf" by Gregory Benford. But rather than quality (all these stories are of inarguable pedigree) or even breadth, what might recommend these most to readers new to them are the ideas and other works they later inspired: Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" both gave rise to phenomenally successful series, Joe W. Haldeman's "Hero" preceded The Forever War, and Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" became the SF thriller Screamers. The collection also gives you a glimpse of what dark thoughts were rattling around the heads of prolific writers like David Drake and George R.R. Martin in the '70s. --Paul Hughes Book Description
Explosive and provocative battles fought across the boundaries of time and space--and on the frontiers of the human mind.

Science fiction's finest have yielded this definitive collection featuring stories of warfare, victory, conquest, heroism, and overwhelming odds. These are scenarios few have ever dared to contemplate, and they include:

¸  "Superiority": Arthur C. Clarke presents an intergalactic war in which one side's own advanced weaponry may actually lead to its ultimate defeat.
¸  "Dragonrider": A tale of Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern, in which magic tips the scales of survival.
¸  "Second Variety": Philip K. Dick, author of the short story that became the movie Blade Runner, reaches new heights of terror with his post apocalyptic vision of the future.
¸  "The Night of the Vampyres": A chilling ultimatum of atomic proportions begins a countdown to disaster in George R. R. Martin's gripping drama.
¸  "Hero": Joe Haldeman's short story that led to his classic of interstellar combat, The Forever War.
¸  "Ender's Game": The short story that gave birth to Orson Scott Card's masterpiece of military science fiction.
. . . as well as stories from Poul Anderson o Gregory Benford o C. J. Cherryh o David Drake o Cordwainer Smith o Harry Turtledove o and Walter John Williams

Guaranteed to spark the imagination and thrill the soul, these thirteen science fiction gems cast a stark light on our dreams and our darkest fears--truly among the finest tales of the 20th century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

the beginning of a lifetime love...
I'll always have a special place in my heart for this book. This was the book that got me hooked on a subject that I'd previously despised. I'd hated Science Fiction until I got bored and read Joe Haldeman and OS Card's short fiction presented in this compilation.Now I am hooked.The rest of the stories are enjoyable also, just nowhere near the two mentioned.If your a newbie this is the place to start, if your a veteran SF reader you might pick up a new author you didn't know anything about, and if your a full fledged SF geek this might not be for you.

Not military, sometimes not even scifi.
Don't judge a book by it's cover is an aphorism that cuts both ways. I was fooled by the graphics on this one, but I hope you won't be. The book is edited and introduced by Harry Turtledove, an excellent author is his own field. Unfortunately, that field has more to do with alternate history and far less to do with military combat: gripping or otherwise.

The introduction itself is an excellent survey of the genre: highlighting the notable contributions to this corpus by such authors as Heinlen, Pournelle, Drake, Card and Webber. I have the feeling, however, that to make the list you largely had to have several credits to your name. One hit wonders such as John Steakley's "Armor" don't make the cut, although neither is David Feintuch's "Seafort Saga" to be found.

The stories themselves are varied, but rely mostly upon a military backdrop for a more pedestrian space-opera tale. There are a few exceptions. David Drakes's "Hangman" is a treatment of tank combat and "Ender's Game" presents Card's classic story in its short form. Halderman's "Hero" is also presented as the short-story that gave birth to "The Forever War." However, if you buy this book you've probably read "The Forever War," in which case you've wasted some cash as "Hero" is merely the opening chapters of the larger tome.

Turtledove's own contribution,"The Last Article" is an excellent example of the nature of this anthology. It is an alternate history story wherein the Germans are winning World War II. Somehow we must assume that this makes the story "scifi." The only combat that occurs is between German soldiers and unarmed civilians engaged in passive resistance. But, since there are guns involved, I must suppose that this is why it is considered "military."

The strangest inclusion is actually the one given the most space: a hundred+ page novella by Anne McCaffrey set in her Pern universe. Although the story is about dragon riders who write in ink on hide dried hide skins and who never engage in a single military act, this has been included apparently because a long, long time ago these people were 'space colonists' and because the story's 'bad-guy' is a meteor shower. Perhaps an excellent addition to her canon, but here it seems to have little purpose but to sell copies with a powerful name.

In conclusion, none of these stories were bad. In fact, they were all quite good judged in their own right. But judged by the standard of military science fiction they almost universally fall short of the mark. This is a dud that appeals to you with powerful industry names and a nice cover. Don't be fooled.

Those looking for superior offerings would be wise to cull the science fiction works from the Marine Corps (or Navy) recommended reading lists.

Fair Collection of Early Military SciFi Short Stories
BEST MILITARY SCIENCE FICTION OF THE 20TH CENTURY (2001), contains 13 short stories, mainly of a military SciFi theme, and mainly written in the 50's, 70's, and 80's.

HERO (1972, Joe W. Haldeman), ENDER'S GAME (1977, Orson Scott Card), and HANGMAN (1979, David Drake) are all excellent examples of the ground-breaking work done by these leading authors in the Military SciFi field.HERO and ENDER'S GAME were eventually expanded to full-length novels by their authors.

In SECOND VARIETY (1953, Philip K. D.), the Robot Warrior technology was way ahead of its time (too far ahead in the context of the story, however), but the spaceship technology was anachronistic.SUPERIORITY (1951, Arthur C. Clarke) is a very short story that presents an interesting example of a culture trying to press new leading edge military technology into service too fast.In NIGHT OF THE VAMPYRES (1975, George R. R. Martin), the American political environment that is described in this story is really quite fascinating, although the technology is anachronistic, given the story's target year of 1987.

The rest of the stories are either out-of-date, not specifically Military SciFi, or are simply mediocre; and are not worth mentioning in this review... and bring the overall quality of the book down to average.

Some great stories, but not really military
This was my first jump into Science Fiction in about 10 years and I was hoping to get a taste of a genre I havn't really explored before.While many of the stories were great, to say this is a collection of pure military stories is a stretch.

"Hero", a story of a unit preparing for absolute zero battle, was an interesting story that left me wanting more, and it's ending left if wide open.

"Ender's Game" ends up being a something of a philisophical excercise in responsibility in wartime.

One has to question why "The Last Article" and "Dragonrider" where in the book.They were good stories but TLA belongs to alternate history and Dragons fighting Threads, while a good story, it isn't what you would expect from a collection of stories about the military.

Ultimately, many of the stories fall short because they seemed like they belonged in a SF magazine and I would almost suggest searching out the full length versions these stories if they exist because I left feeling a bit unfulfilled.

More of an Intro than a "Best of"
While the thirteen stories in this volume are, for the most part, well done, a couple aren't really military SF at all and others are glimpses into still better works by the same authors. A couple aren't even strong enough to be considered in a "best of" collection.

There are some gems here. Orson Scott Card's classic "Ender's Game" definitely deserves to be a volume with this title. I highly recommend the novel-length expansion of the story and it's sequels (most notably the companion novel, "Ender's Shadow" and "Shadow of the Hegemon"). David Drake's "Hangman" is an excellent introduction to his Hammer's Slammers series which also requires inclusion in a volume such as this. Walter Jon Williams's "Wolf Time" is one of the best stories in the volume, taking place in the same universe as "Voice of the Whirlwind". And Joe Haldeman expanded "Hero" to become "Forever War" (and its sequels).

Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" was, likewise, the beginning of a large franchise, but it's inclusion as an example of military SF is quite a stretch. Similarly, Harry Turtledove's "The Last Article" is an excellent story, but it would have fit much better in his "best alternate history" collection than in this volume.

Other classics include Poul Anderson's "Among Thieves" (an intro to his Polesotechnic League universe), Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" (recently made, like so many of his stories, into a movie), and C. J. Cherryh's "The Scapegoat". I also enjoyed George R. R. Martin's "Night of the Vampyres".

Gregory Benford's "To the Storming Gulf" is not military at all; it would, instead, fit quite nicely in a collection of post-apocalyptic fiction.

While touted by some as a classic, I have never been impressed with Cordwainer Smith's "The Game of Rat and Dragon". And Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" is merely clever. Any number of other stories could have replaced either of these tales in a "best of" volume. ... Read more

Book Description
Abrams tanks, three-story tall robotic fighting machines, and vampiric assassins. A strange combination, but one that will keep reader's noses buried in the binding as they bore through this darkly erotic, yet grittily detailed, military science fiction thriller. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Sparse, but well done
The book hooked me immediately. This, even though I felt that the characters and story line could have been filled out a little more. There was so much going on, that this book could have easily have been 100 pages longer and should be part of a trilogy. But this attests to the enjoyment of the book. Fast and fun to read. Lastly, I felt that the writing style became better towards the end of the book, more descriptive and colorful. But this could also be, because the story line changed more into a descriptive battle mode, a topic which Mr. Walker seems to excel at.

A Craving for Blood
I don't read much militry sci fi - but this one kept me hooked from the start! The way it's written made me feel like I couldn't wait to see what happened next. From the mech warriors to the assassins - I could "see , think and feel" with the characters- understand why they were doing what they did. I wanted to be in the middle of the action!
... Read more

Book Description

The forces of annihilation

Customer Reviews (6)

cool genre fiction
Day after tomorrow stuff - lots of suspense without alot of gore.Good for adults and young adults. Good price.

This is not a horror story
This is not a horror story but the villains are as horrible set of monsters as you can find or imagine.
The hero's sort of are a militant alliance of many human star systems are are just as onery and hard to get along with as any other competeing sets of Politicians.The story is about a group of professional soldiers fighting with inadequate everything and how they win against the odds by thinking, planning, training and then standing fast against serious danger.
a great read spent all night.
I have read 2 books in this series and I recommend both.
I am waiting for a third.
I am waiting for anything by this author

Action filled by author Clayton L. McNally To The Stars, Galactic Star Force series
The remor are mankinds worst fears realized. Humanity must rely on an officer thought inferior in abilities or honor, but he delivers results. Moved to the far fringes of humanity, he faces a struggle that his mixed fleet of almost advesarial h=umans, results happen and humanity may not perish. The book keeps you on the edge and the ending is not what I expected, but it was well done.

Much Improved on the First in the Series
I enjoyed The Face of the Enemy enough to buy this sequel and I am glad that I did.From a literary perspective, it is an improvement on almost every level.The character development is more rich, the plot tighter, and the battle scenes more compelling.

Picking up shortly after the first book, the focus of The Nature of the Beast is direct military confrontation with the Remor.Humanity is launching its first real counteroffensive, but its commander and his troops are not exactly the cream of the crop of the Interstallar Defense League.At least on the surface.To make matters worse, the IDL force has to deal with a large contingent of civilian volunteers from a a star nation whose human governmenthas refused to sign up with the IDL.They are eager, but naive, underequipped, and undertrained.

In addition to following the IDL's preparations, you learn about life on a Remor occupied planet.Which is kind of surprising because you got the impression from the first book that there would be no humans left after the Remor got done with them.But it seems that the Remor have their uses for humans which makes the Remor far more heinous than had they simply just exterminated them all.

Fawkes follows both narrative threads in a balanced manner, giving each sufficient attention so that when the narratives converge, the story moves along smoothly and naturally.

The battles in space and on the ground are more detailed and developed than in his first installment, though not as global as you will find in other science fiction.Though in the first book, the IDL characters sometimes seemed a little one dimensional, here they have more depth.More honor.And certainly more justification.

In the first book you learned more about humanity and its varied governments, motivations, and space nations.This book tells us a lot more about the Remor and, perhaps, their motivations.In my opinion, Fawkes has done a good job of "setting the board" for future books about this universe.

Run-of-the-mill mil-sf
Not a bad series, and has a well-placed climax, but the world-building suffers from one particularly uberstalwart human culture and the need to balance humanity against a species that technologically should be kicking their behinds.The combat scenes were also not up to the standards of some of the more widely known works in the genre, lacking in detail and an overview of the tactics and strategy employed.Nonetheless, there was appealing characters and the plotting was well-handled enough to make finishing it no chore.Mildly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description
The fourth edition of this classic text continues its popular interdisciplinary approach to the topic of leadership, by examining the elements of military leadership from the perspective of contributors in the fields of history, business, religion, politics, and education. The fourth edition presents a broad spectrum of ideas and perspectives relating to military leadership in the current environment. It includes multinational views reflecting the global military stage. This new edition synthesizes classic pieces from the second and third editions with contemporary readings to provide the reader with important insights into the concepts of military leadership throughout the vagaries of regional conflict and maintenance of peace. The resulting synthesis stimulates the reader to understand the complex dynamics of effective leadership in the context of military history, values, and culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Historical Examples of Cunning Strategy
I'm not a military historian of any type and am in fact just starting to read up on the subject for a project I'm working on.I'm finding descriptions of battles rather boring, but this book is different.

It's mostly 20th century stuff but the first chapter talks about the psychology of what we choose to believe and how to convince the enemy of what you want them to believe. Really interesting stuff. Chapter 2 is examples from pre-WWI history (which is what I was looking for.) Things like the Duke of Marlborough in 1711 tricking the French into destroying one of their own forts for him (he took it, then let the French win it back. The French destroyed it, assuming it was vital to his plans. What was vital to his plans was it's destruction, but he didn't want the French to know that because then they would know what he was up to.) I've laughed out loud at some of the cunning, conniving tricks.This side of strategy and tactics is far more interesting to me that battlefied maneuvers. ... Read more

Book Description
The field of Operations Research (OR) grew out of World War IIoperations to improve the effectiveness of newly introduced weaponsand equipment, and to solve logistical problems for the war effort.Since its beginnings, OR has rapidly become a robust set ofdecision-making methodologies widely used in business, engineering,and governmental sectors. Nevertheless, many of OR's military anddefense contributions have remained confined to classified reports.This book is a systematic, state-of-the-art treatment of militaryoperations research (MOR). It has been written for those interested inlearning about the applications of OR techniques to military problems,and within these discussions theoretical concepts needed for analysisof military issues are presented. The book examines issues that relateto both tactical and strategic levels. Several examples have beensolved in each chapter to illustrate the application of the techniquesof MOR to military systems. The data used in these examples arehypothetical. They do not correspond to any existing weapon ormilitary situations. They are used strictly to illustrate anapplication of MOR in defense decision-making. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Land Power Military Operations Research
Jaiswal provides the most recent land power-focused military operations research volume.He provides a basic survey of the field, beginning with a very brief discussion of the origins of OR in the military.His topics include search and detection, military simulation, cost effectiveness analysis, optimization, the Analytic Hierarchy Process, Lanchester equations, and a quantified approach to intelligence analysis.The reader should be aware that his coverage of various specific military simulation models is a bit dated, as one should expect in a book, and limited in scope.Beyond that topic, his treatment is broad and therefore less sensitive to the passage of time.The book is a survey, so depth of treatment is not present.But it fills the intended role of pulling together disparate topics of land-based military OR.It also provides some perspective on non NATO defense issues.It must be challenging to decide what to exclude, but surprisingly there is no coverage of network flows, queuing theory, decision analysis, or game theory which have clear military applications.The focus is also on operations rather than the logistics of military analysis.

Excellent and Only Text on Military OR
This book is by far the only book that comprehensively deals with Military Operations Research (MOR). The OR/SA field despite its origins in Military Operations has not seen as many books and texts as the business OR or Theory of OR. This can be attributed to the confidential nature of work the practitioners of MOR carry out.

The book by Dr Jaiswal fills a huge gap by covering major areas of MOR field. What is really appreciable about this book is that the author covers areas such as analytical modeling, simulation, wargames to complex theories of Combat Modeling as reflected in two chapters on Lanchester Theory. However the icing on the cake are the chapters on Strategic Decision Making and Threat analysis. The coverage is comprehensive and remarkably lucid. To include so much variation and to control the overflow that normally happens to knowledgable authors, Dr Jaiswal is able to give us a book that will serve the cause of MOR field for years to come.The book has already shown its importance and is already on its way to becoming a classic, as exemplified by adoption of the book in various universities teaching MOR around the world.

This reviewer salutes the author for coming out with an excellent text which fills up a yawning gap in the field. ... Read more

Book Description

Operational Logistics: The Art and Science of Sustaining Military Operations explores military logistics in terms of the theoretical foundations of operational logistics (OpLog) and its applications. The theoretical foundations are examined with regard to two dimensions. First, the artistic or qualitative aspects of contemporary logistics are looked at in the context of the operational level of war. These OpLog aspects include principles, imperatives and tenets, which are stated and analyzed. The second dimension relates to the scientific aspects of logistics. It is manifested by a formal network model that represents the structural and operational features of an OpLog system. Hence the book examines both artistic and scientific dimensions of military logistics and integrates the respective qualitative and quantitative aspects into a unified and definitive presentation of operational logistics.

Book Description
From the creator of the Terrohuman Future History and the bestselling Fuzzy novels come all the classic Police Paratime stories in one volume. Includes the original Paratime, which introduced the elite time-traveling police force, and Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, the story of a state trooper's conquest of a parallel Earth. The Complete Paratime is a grand science fiction experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

OK but felt ripped off
This book includes LAST ENEMY, TIME CRIME, TEMPLE TROUBLE, HE WALKED AROUND THE HORSES and POLICE OPERATION. I would have saved my money for another book as I had read the others. Amazon should list titles of stories in a book they have for sale.
Still great Beam reading.

A treat for Alternate Historicians
Eric Meeks - Author of the Author Murders says:

I never knew this author before I read these stories but the premise of sliding sideways through timelines was a unique enough concept. It reminded me of the string theory of time whereby there are many alternations of the same timeline.

H. Beam Piper wrote a captivating storyline which held my attention throughout a week a reading and it usually takes me three weeks to finish a book. It's actually a collection of short stories centering on a single storyline and one main character.

Good police work, good science fiction all wrapped into one. I'll definitely look for more books by this author.

Eric Meeks
The Author Murders

Policing Realities
"The Complete Paratime" collects all the works from H. Beam Piper that deal with paratime, i.e. the existence of alternate universes and people either accidentally or purposefully crossing from one to another.This collection, published in 2001, contains a previous collection called "Paratime", which was published in 1981.The previous collection included five stories.Also included is the novel called "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen" which was originally published in 1965 and itself was a collection of two previously published stories along with a new one.

"He Walked around the Horses" is Piper's first paratime story, and doesn't directly fit with the other stories collected in this book.This novelette was first published in April of 1948, and is the story of a British envoy to the court of Austria who vanished while en route from Vienna to Hamburg in 1809.The story is cleverly told as a series of statements from witnesses as being reported by the Minister of Police.

"Police Operation" is the first story to feature Verkan Vall, a Paratime policeman who in tracing someone, learns that they have broken the law by bringing along a pet from another time-line, which ultimately threatens to reveal the existence of paratime.This is another novelette which was first published in July of 1948, and it serves as a good introduction to the Paratime Police and Verkan Vall, both of which are present in the rest of the stories in this collection.

"Last Enemy" is perhaps the best of the stories in this collection.This novelette was first published in August of 1950.This novelette brings in the character of Dalla, and is an interesting story involving a time-line where reincarnation is considered an established fact.This is his only story which involves a Second Level time-line, which means a civilization nearly as advanced as that of the First Level. This story was nominated in 2001 for the Retro-Hugo for novelettes written in the year 1950.

"Time Crime" is the novella story, which was first published in February and March of 1955.The story involves a criminal slave ring operating out of the First Level.This is the longest individual story of the series, although the joining of the three Lord Kalvan stories did create one longer work.Much of this story deals with the First Level, which makes it very different than the other stories.

"Temple Trouble" is a novelette which was first published in April of 1951.In this story the Paratime Police are called in to help fix a problem with a commercial venture, only to find that there may be a bit more to the problem than they originally thought.

"Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen" is a novel created out of three pieces of shorter fiction.The first was called "Gunpowder God", in which Corporal Calvin Morrison is accidentally taken from the "Earth" time-line to a Fourth Level time line.There his knowledge of how to make Gunpowder makes him looked at as a powerful sorcerer, and a potential threat to the Paratime Police.This novelette was first published in "Analog" in November of 1964.The second part is "Down Styphon", which picks up the story where it was left off, and covers the war between Hostigos and Nostor.This novelette was first published in "Analog" in November of 1965.The last section, as far as I know, was never published apart from being the conclusion of the entire novel.Here Kalvan becomes the great King Lord Kalvan in pursuing his war against Styphon.

This is an interesting series of stories, and there is a good variety of themes explored in them as well.I would definitely recommend this to fans of Piper, as it is an interesting blend of science fiction and fantasy.

Classic SF still worth reading
H. Beam Piper's Paratime stories are considered today to be classic SF of the old school.This book prints all these stories, in chronological order, under one title at last.The best known story today is "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen", and having read all these stories it is easy to see why it strikes such a positive note with many people - especially if you like war stories in parallel universes.

This book contains the following short stories and novellas:

He Walked around the Horses
Police Operation
Last Enemy
Time Crime
Temple Trouble
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen

These are a fine collection of classic stories that are worth taking the time to read and they easily keep you entertained for the length of this book, and while they are dated to some degree (It would be hard to credit so many characters in one book which smoke today) they have not dated to the extent that they are no longer enjoyable.

lateral time travel
I first met H. Beam Piper in the pages of Analog in the mid-'60's. The 3 installments of the Pennsylvania State Trooper series are in this volume and their merit as storytelling is obvious.

This volume re-unites those three stories about Corporal Calvin Morrison, later Lord Kalvan, who but for the sideways time travel aspect is pretty much in a late medieval story, albeit in the Susquehanna River country of Pennsylvania -- at, least, in this new time-line.

Other (non-Kalvan) stories in this volume are an undiscovered joy, notably the first, "He Walked Around the Horses," which is one of the best SF short stories of this genre I've seen -- indeed, worthy of an Ursula LeGuin in its plotting and concept.

And it is an original concept: _lateral_ time travel, in which multiple histories exist on parallel timelines. So it can be that someone from modern Pennsylvania -- Cpl. Morrison of the Pennsylvania State Police -- winds up in a timeline in which the Aryan peoples migrated east across Asia and the Pacific rather than west into Europe, a civilization roughly equal to Europe ca. the Thirty Years' War. The scenery may be the same but the kingdoms may not be -- especially as the dominant religion has monopolized the formula for gunpowder.

This author was a master, really, and we shall not see his like again anytime soon.

Down Styphon! ... Read more

Book Description
Today's military technology has advanced far beyond the weaponry of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.Today's demands on the military are far different than two short decades ago.And with the incredible progress of technology in the past 20 years, the military hardware of today ( and tomorrow ( is more sophisticated than ever.The military experts at Popular Science take you on a guided tour of this technology in the accessible format that millions of Popular Science readers appreciate every month.From the JDAM smart bomb to the CRW Dragonfly helicopter to the bio-sensor, you'll read about and see photographs of the most technologically proficient weapons being used in the field today, and being developed for tomorrow's conflicts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

"Get there fast with the most men"..Confederate Cavalry General Nathan Bedford Forrest

While General Forrest's tactics have been a wise approach for many years;they need to be modified for modern times.Having the best training,motivated personnel and most advanced weapon systems are also mandatory for success.
At first glance,it may appear that this is a light weight or superficial book of modern weaponry and state of art gizmos.Even the title tends to sell this book short.
The authors,Frank Vizard and Phil Scott have done an excellent job of summarizing how and where the military got to where they are today,what are the newest weapon systems being introduced today,and what can be expected in the future.
We see where weapon systems have progressed at a continually accalerating pace since WWII;and as the saying goes; "You ain't seen nothing yet!"
What this book does especially well is its treatment of the people who will be using these weapons.Now ,and in the future,the "soldier" will be far better trained,motivated,protected,equipped and fewer in number than ever seen in the past.
The book not only covers the soldier but also the weapon systems of all branches of the military;the Army,Marines, Air Force and Army and personnel.We see the latest and projected Aircraft,Armor,Ships,Weaponry,Gear and Tactics supported with clear and concise text and photographs.
I have been attending Air Shows and following military documentaries for a number of years.However;the huge advancement in weaponry was never brought home more to me than this summer when I witnessed a display of the new F-22 Raptor.It showed capabilities that were simply breathtaking;and many of its capabilities are still being kept secret.This new plane clearly shows that this plane,its pilot,support systems,weapons,and stealth proclaim;it's a new era in war planes.
This book is going to be a very invaluable aid when following present and future conflicts.
If you want to know what's going on militarily,don't by-pass this book.

Proves Transformation requires M113A3 Gavin combat vehicles
If there is a single book that captures exactly what is going on right now in DoD, this is THE book. Not only do the authors survey all of the major air, land and sea weapons systems under development, they write from a context framed by the past. This makes this work exceptional in contrast to most books that gush over future gadgetry while ignoring the physical world we live in which requires platforms that are robust, durable and mobile.

The book details how real transformation in land combat requires splicing new technologies like hybrid-electric drives, band tracks and advanced armor and weaponry to combat proven tracked M113A3 Gavin type vehicles not expensive lav3stryker rubber-tired armored cars. The authors explain how 5 combat effective 10.5 ton tracked M113A3 Gavins can fly in a single C-17 and easily in smaller C-130 aircraft while the overweight 19-ton wheeled lav3strykers can only fly 2-3 at a time in a C-17 and stripped down of fuel/ammo inside a C-130. The authors dilligently point out that spending billions on inferior equipment and losing capabilities is not transformation---gaining capabilities by upgrading M113 Gavins into Brigade Combat Teams is the way to victory.

Another excellent segment of the book is its depiction of efforts to lighten the individual Soldier's load and give him greater mobility (4-25 mph) by means like folding all-terrain bikes (ATBs) and carts. This book is a fascinating look into the future of U.S. warfare and should be a must-read by every Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or marine. ... Read more

Book Description
This book explains why the weapons purchased by the U.S. Department of Defense cost so much, why it takes decades to get them into production even as innovation in the civilian economy becomes more frenetic, and why some weapons don't work very well despite expenditures of many billions of dollars. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Textbook on War
This is Gen. H. W. Halleck's instructional textbook on the art and science of war -- used in military institutions in the Nineteenth Century including West Point. Don't be alarmed about the cover title -- the misspellings were due to a mis-scan of the title page. I've alerted the Univ. of Michigan to the problem.

Halleck (1815-1872) was a lawyer, publisher, businessman -- and soldier.He was sometimes called "Old Brains" for his scholarly pursuits.See the www.Wikipedia.org article to get more information on Halleck.

I was looking for a book that went beyond "maxims" and sayings of famous commanders -- and this was it. It thoroughly covers all the aspects of waging war in an introductory level.It covers the reasons for waging war, strategy (on a grand and operational level), tactics, logistics, fortifications, infantry, artillery, engineers. Everything is here for training would-be commanders of war.Again, it's the introductory course on war, so the author doesn't get into any detailed "prescriptive" analysis of any of these topics.Other courses would have taken the student into the detailed aspects of each trade.

Halleck doesn't hesitate to vent his spleen against a sluggish government that wouldn't fortify its coasts and keep a standing professional cadre on hand -- he goes to great length to describe what existed in his day and what ought to be done.The book is terribly dated for that reason; we don't rely on coastal fortifications any more. It may not be necessary for us to read whole chapters on the details of the problem in Halleck's day.But the idea is still sound: we don't need brick and mortar forts to protect us now (except in Arizona!), but we do need flying "super-fortresses" doing the same job against incoming invaders.That's an aspect of war that makes books like Halleck's old textbook so valuable -- there are ideas in the art and science of war that never change, though the technology will.

For this reason, Halleck's book would be a better read for the initiate than the current Army Field Manuals just to get an overall sense of the problem of war.Here you get it all in one volume in a conceptual framework; with modern works, you must use many volumes to get the same scope of the problem and must also delve deeply into the technical aspects.In fact, though de Jomini's book was also a standard work at West Point and justifiably more famous than Halleck's work, Halleck covers all the bases whereas de Jomini likes to hover around strategy and tactics.

Gen. U.S. Grant and Halleck didn't get along very well -- Halleck (rising to General-in-chief) was the old-school type, the "grand marshall" of the US Army and he knew it. (You can tell by his portrait on Wikipedia!)He expected others to know it too. He was thorough, by the book, and slow to move on the offense. Grant, however, was one of the newer generation - he didn't much care for doing things "by the book" (he threw away Hardee's "Tactics" when he saw it was just common-sense maneuvering).And when he saw an opportunity to grab the enemy he was gung-ho for jumping on it before it dissolved away. (His brilliant and certainly unconventional Vicksburg campaign was a case of "it's easier to say I'm sorry than to ask permission!") Hence Grant felt sure that Halleck let some opportunities to attack the Rebs slip away for no good reason, and he felt that these incidents needlessly extended the war (see Grant's Memoirs). I mention this only to show that even in his day, Halleck's textbook approach to war was not always appreciated by newer commanders who were more resilient to the changing face of war in modern culture.

But there are basic aspects of war that never change from age to age -- strategy, the commander's mind and character, the need for tactics, the work of engineers, the vital aspect of logistics.And to someone who hasn't had any more exposure to the ideas of war than movies and picture books, Halleck's textbook is a welcome relief for the rational mind.It takes most of the mystique out of the subject, reduces it to manageable scientific principles, and trains the mind for a workable approach to dealing with battlefield realities. But Halleck also points out, as he should, there will always be that last 5% about the art of war that will depend on the character and creativitiy of the commander, which no textbook can train for.Not even his. ... Read more

Book Description
Third in the national bestselling series-military science fiction on the edge.

Rogue clone Wayson Harris is stranded on a frontier planet-until a rebel offensive puts him back in the uniform of a U.A. Marine, once again leading a strike against the enemy. But the rebels have a powerful ally no one could have imagined. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Good character study`
I like the character, but don't really care for the constantly dark future, no matter what.Not really any hope in the novel.

The Clone Alliance
The Clone Alliance is book three in the adventures of Wayson Harris.As a Liberator clone, he's not your usual replicate soldier off the show-room floor; He's custom designed with more intelligence and butt-kicking power than any of his cookie-cutter cousins.As you might expect, Wayson has a knack of finding his way to the hottest spots in the Milky Way Galaxy and that makes for some really fun story telling.
As the third installment of four books, Alliance has more and more of all the things you want.There are exotic weapons and plenty of hapless victims to use them on; there are huge fleets of battle ships and enough battles for them to fight. Kent takes you further into the unique UA universe. There's a galactic civil war going on and Wayson is in the center of all the action. You get to tag along as he meets his nemesis (the Adam Boyd clones) and gets to lead them on a secret mission to destroy the rebel stronghold. How cool is that?
Ace Science Fiction has turned the Wayson Harris adventures into a national bestseller... and for good reason. Mr. Kent has created a memorable universe filled with characters to care about. These books are well above the quality of what most people see as pulp fiction. The military Science Fiction category is better for the work that Steven Kent has produced. I hope there are more stories to come after book four...

Gripping conclusion to the "Clone Universe" trilogy

This book completes the trilogy telling the story of Wayson Harris. These books are best read in chronological sequence, which is

The Clone Republic
Rogue Clone
The Clone Alliance.

The first book was a story of an individual in an army of clones, trying to work out who and what he was, and why he had both friends and enemies in high places.

In the second book he found himself cast out of his place in that army, but that senators and admirals - including some of those who were trying to kill him in the first book - still had jobs for him to do as a mercenary, spy, and bounty hunter.

At the start of this third book, as the galaxy has collapsed in civil war, Harris is stranded with his partner, super-mercenary Ray Freeman, on a frontier planet. Then they are contacted by one of the factions which initially rebelled against the galactic senate but now wish to rejoin it, and Harris is asked to carry their offer of allegiance. Soon he is back in unform - and comes up against an even more extraordinary enemy than he has met before.

The story is set in a Universe which contains just about every "Star Wars" cliche imaginable, but Kent manages to find new things to say about most of them. The "Unified Authority," originally the central government of the galaxy until several spiral arms declared independence in the second book, uses armies of clones to keep everyone in line. All the clones who provide the grunts for the marines and the other armed services are raised in orphanages: each is told that he is the only natural born real orphan in the institution, and programmed to see himself with different hair and eye colour. Each standard military clone is also programmed to die if he finds out that he is really a clone.

Harris really is different from all the regular marine clones, for example he is four inches taller. But to the generals and admirals, both he and the standard clones are just as much expendable assets as the ammmunition for the fleet's guns.


One of the hardest things to write well is one or more sequels to a book in which the central character spent most of his time trying to uncover a secret and ultimately did so. Much of the plot of the first book in this series, "The Clone Republic" revolved around Wayson Harris's origins, e.g. whether he was a clone, what plans certain admirals had for him, why other admirals were trying to kill him. By the end of that book Harris had found out what he is. So in the second and third books, author Steven Kent had to find new mysteries and challenges for him. Consequently the styles of these three books are significantly different: in my opinion they all work well, but not everyone who likes one of them can be guaranteed to enjoy the others.

As mentioned, they are best read in publication order, so start with "The Clone Republic" then follow up with "Rogue Clone" and finally this book, "The Clone Alliance." The second and third books give away the mysteries that Harris is trying to understand during the first book, and this third book would be harder for someone who has not read the first two to follow.

I found all three books to be good gripping entertainment, and I think most readers who enjoy military SF will like them.

Delightful Read
Semper Fi, Marines...
Colonel Wayson Harris and his partner Ray Freeman return to Earth as representative from Hinode Fleet to pledge allegiance to the U.A.
Harris (demoted from spite) is one of the kind Liberator clones that have been outlawed because of their aggressive behaviors and bloodlust, found himself enlisted to the U.A Marine as a Master Sergeant that entrusted with a secret mission to infiltrate Morgan Atkins stronghold. Once again Harris and his kind were used as a pawn, dispensable soldiers, of highly political game by high-ranking U.A officers.

Personally, I thought the third book did better than the second one. Harris is becoming more mature, finally holding his personal grudge against the U.A when he and his platoon were betrayed by Admiral Brocious, left to die in the hearth of Mogat territory along with 200 million Mogat followers.

Wayson Harris is a likeable character. The dialogues are well-crafted and flow naturally. The story narrated from his point of view, simple and yet, highly addictive.I usually don't like novel written in first person point of view, but with this one, I found myself immerse deeply into the character.

On the down side, I wonder why Harris is distracted from his personal mission to avenge the death of Admiral Klyber and instead, working with Adam Boyd clones that once were sent to eliminate him? Still, I'm curious to see what Steven L Kent has on his sleeve for the fourth installment of the series. I definitely will buy the next book, which I hope, coming out soon...

Just ok
Not as good as the first two.Drags some.If you liked the first two (I did) then get this one and hope that the series does not continue to deteriorate.He mentions in the afterward he was rushed on this book, and it clearly showed.Mr. Kent, if you read this, please send the next one in late rather than give us an unrefined product.Thanks in advance. ... Read more

Book Description
Work on Military tactics from an American Civil War General renowned for his cautiousness and belief in thorough preparations and defensiveness over quick, aggressive action. ... Read more

Book Description
“A planet-stomping space opera that bursts off the page like a tactical nuke.”
–John Birmingham, author of Weapons of Choice

The Hammer Worlds–the most brutal and oppressive interstellar government in the universe–have hijacked the Federated Worlds cruise ship Mumtaz, seizing its valuable terraforming cargo and damning its passengers to mining the moons of the prison planet known as Hell.

For Junior Lieutenant Michael Helfort and the crew aboard deep space scout vessel 387, the mission is clear: infiltrate enemy territory, locate the Mumtaz, and rescue the prisoners.

The odds are appalling, and the damage will probably be fatal, but victory is nonnegotiable–especially for Helfort, whose mother and sister were on the Mumtaz.

And Michael Helfort will be damned if he’ll let his family rot on the moons of Hell. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

It is a page turner
It was a page turner. The author kept the technology within bounds, giving it sufficiently advanced capabilities to make it consistent with the time frame but not so fanciful that it flew in the face of common sense and challenged that oh-so-important willing suspension of disbelief. A very well balanced, thought out and believable extrapolation of modern warfare to the airless void. It did tend to be on the technical side and might not appeal to those who do not appreciate the mechanics of warfare in space but, at the same time, the characters are reasonably 3D and the relationships and story line sufficient to support the technical preoccupation. If I had to criticize, it would be that things were just a bit too uncomplicated to satisfy my personal experience of life. But what the hell, too much reality is a bore. I look forward to the second book in the series.

Good story, bad action
I really liked the first two thirds of the book since they lacked the usual tedious heroics. After that however the book reaches the main battle where the heroes as usual succeeds, against great odds, against the incompetent and technologically inferior enemy. After this boring part the book picks up again with a more interesting ending. Maybe it is a bit sentimental, but at least it showed that there is some cost to war. All in all a weak 4 stars.

Good First Novel
This is a good first novel. The premise is good and the pacing was not bad. The universe is what really made me keep reading, Mr. Paul did a good job there.

The only complaints I have is that it is similar to another famous Space-Opera series. With that said, I will definitely read the second novel.

Good Milirary SciFi
My three favorite books dealing with space combat was Nevin's "Mote in God's Eye" and the two novels my David Weber and Steve White against the Bugs.I believe that the weapon systems depected in Paul's novel are more believeable and realistic.I really like the intruduction of the idea of humans interacting with AIs.I am really looking forward to the second novel.

Battle for the Moons of Hell
Pretty well written in the David Weber style without as much minutiae and boring detail. A lot of good space battle text.
I enjoyed it and it held my attention ... Read more

Book Description
Deception on the battlefield is surely as old as warfare itself. The examples stretch from the very beginnings of recorded military history-to modern times, when technology has placed a stunning array of devices into the arsenals of military commanders. Military historians often underestimate the importance of deception in warfare. This book is the first to fully describe its value.

Jon Latimer shows how simple some tricks have been, but also how technology has increased the range and subtlety of what is possible. He draws examples from land, sea, and air to show how great commanders have always had, as Winston Churchill put it, that indispensable "element of legerdemain, an original and sinister touch, which leaves the enemy puzzled as well as beaten." ... Read more

Book Description
You're only a hero until your next battle.

Legion General Bill Booly knows that peace is just a pause between wars. He's just crushed one uprising, and now a new rebellion is already brewing on a remote world light years away--spawning a web of terrorism that is close enough to catch the vulnerable Confederacy in its grasp.Download Description
"When it comes to military science fiction, William Dietz can run with the best," says Steve Perry. And he proves it once again in his newest novel about the foreign legion of the far future--and the battles no one else can fight but General Bill Booly. Now, in the wake of a great universal war, he's found himself struggling to balance his military, political, and humane obligations. But neither Booly nor his men realize on the remote world of LaNor, another revolution is brewing. There, a career Legionnarie with a reputation for bucking authority and an inexperienced, overly-ambitious diplomat will become key to defending the deadly LaNorian web of terrorism that threatens not only the Legionnaires, but the entire Confederacy ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent Addition to the Series
I have enjoyed all of the Legion Series so far and this is my favorite of the series. The basis of this novel is the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, which has always been a fascinating subject.

The politics of the Confederation and the continuation of the Ramanthian threat was excellent. Continuing with the theme of including Hudathan's in the Legion was very well handled in this story. My favorite character in the book was Captain Seeba-Ka.

My only complaint about the book was some of the back stories, the Ramanthian plot was a good addition but the sections on the Syndicate seemed like filler to me.

With that said I would recommend this book to anyone who has read the other books in the series.

A welcome rebirth of sorts for Dietz's Legion series
For More Than Glory is the fifth of William C. Dietz's Legion of the Damned novels, and it marks a change of direction and in some sense a rebirth of this thrilling military science fiction series. Much has changed since we were first introduced to a futuristic Legion of soldiers evolved from the historical French Foreign Legion.The decadent Terran empire has been overthrown, Earth has taken a leading role in the interplanetary Confederation of Sentient Beings, two massive wars against the militaristic Hudathan race have been won, a far-reaching conspiracy temporarily succeeded in overthrowing the Earth government, and the Confederacy has managed to survive a dire threat from a powerful new alien race called the Sheen.While the cyborg legionnaires who served as the focus of the first novel continue to be important elements in the story, war and diplomacy have long ago taken center stage in Dietz's unfolding of Confederation future history.A fascinating side note to this novel, which the author alludes to in a note at the back of the book, is that Dietz molded, to some degree, the chaotic set of events on the planet LaNor on the Chinese Boxer Rebellion of 1900.

While several of the main characters from previous books retain an important place in this story, For More Than Glory is largely built around a refreshingly new cast of characters.Legion Second Lieutenant Antonio Santana emerges as the new hero on the block.His checkered past of disobeying certain direct orders of a certain superior officer in the previous war cost him a star and secured his posting on the interplanetary backwater of LaNor.This little planet soon takes on great significance, however, as a complicated planetary revolution threatens not only the lives of diplomats and legionnaires on the surface but also, albeit indirectly, the very solvency and future of the Confederacy itself.

An assortment of races has been incorporated into the Legion by this point, including the bug-like and always suspect Ramanthians and the once-hated Hudathans.No one trusts anyone else, and for good reason.On LaNor itself, the vain empress seeks to hold onto power in the face of two powerful threats, one by a revolutionary terrorist group and the other from a royal nephew who wants to guide LaNor into Confederation membership.The diplomatic teams serving on the planet find themselves increasingly in the cross-fire of conspiracies and dangers that reach far beyond LaNor's small region of space.Unbeknownst to their "allies," the Ramanthians are preparing for a new hatching of some five billion new citizens - to allow for this upcoming population explosion, they need dominion over additional planets and a means of transporting their hatchlings to them, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

This story proceeds very well indeed in describing the rapidly deteriorating conditions on LaNor.Santana is a wonderful character, a true and honest soldier trying to take care of his men and protect as many innocent lives as possible.Highly ambitious diplomat Christine Vanderveen complements Santana very well, as she is quite willing to exceed her diplomatic powers in order to get to the bottom of things and knows what to do with a gun in the heat of battle.Legion captain Seeba-Ka completely steals the show in my opinion, though.Until now, the Hudathans have appeared as bloodthirsty, hateful creatures, but Seeba-Ka boasts a well-developed, remarkably subtle sense of humor and an unprecedented commitment to the Legion.

A number of thrilling rescue missions take place, but the best action occurs when the Confederate forces and diplomats are faced with an extended siege of their section of town.The descriptions of military conflict are awe-inspiring, while the roller coaster of political intrigue takes the reader for a wild ride indeed.Surprisingly, it is the small section of the book featuring characters well-known to readers of this series that flounders.Legion General Booly is working on eliminating the small number of mutineers still roaming the Outer Rim, but the manner in which he goes about this really doesn't ring true to my ears.This subplot stood as a significant speed bump in the road of this reader's satisfaction.

The conclusion of this novel is somewhat open-ended, setting the stage for at least one more novel in the series - I don't have a problem with this, but those readers seeking to have all their answers provided in the pages of one book alone should be aware of this fact.I rarely bring up matters of an editing nature, but I also have to mention the fact that the hardcover edition is simply riddled with typos, missing letters, extra words, and other glaring mistakes.I do not blame the author; but it is an unfortunate truth that the extent of the problem in this regard does take a little something away from the reader's enjoyment of the novel - this is a real shame because For More Than Glory is by and large a very engaging, exciting work of military science fiction.

Good draft of a novel
Characters, story flow, ideas...all make this a fun read.But the repeated, glaring editing problems stick out and taint the experience.It's as if nobody actually read the last proof - there are no less than 50 typos and some other simple errors that you would not expect to see in a major hardcover release.Dietz is a very gifted writer, he just needs someone to proofread before publishing.

Duty and Honor Among the Peasants
For More Than Glory (2003) is the fifth novel in the Legion of the Damned series, following By Force of Arms.In the previous volume, during the retaking of the Clone World BETA-018, Legion First Lieutenant Antonio Santana commanded the anvil forces in a battle and his commander, the Ramanthian Hakk Batth, led the hammer forces.When the attack drove out Thraki females and cubs from the defensive positions, Santana is ordered to fire upon them, but refused and was relieved of command.The subsequent court of inquiry reprimanded Hakk Batth for poor judgement and demoted Santana for disobeying orders.

In the vicinity of Arbulla, the Confederacy infiltrated the Sheen fleet and disabled the Hoon.When the Thraki admiral refused to believe that the Sheen had been neutralized and attempted to launch "the twins", the Confederacy vaporized the ship carrying these weapons.Although the Thraki attacked the Sheen anyway, they encountered no resistance and finally accepted the situation after destroying some of the Sheen warships.

The Battle of Arballa, as the press called it, was followed by extensive negotiations that eventually included the Thraki as members of the Confederacy.The Hudathans had proved themselves as allies in battle, so their home world was opened to commerce with the Confederacy;individual Hudathans had taken a liking to the Legion and remained in service.The Clone Hegemony, however, had withdrawn all its soldiers from the Legion.

In this novel, Legion renegades from the mutiny have formed the Syndicate and are raiding commerce among the Rim Worlds.General Booly leads a raid on Syndicate Base 012 in search for the cruisers Ibutho and Guerrero.After fighting their way in, they discover that the warships had departed only a few hours before their attack.

On the planet Hive, the Ramanthian Senator Alway Orno returns to report to the Queen that he has negotiated successfully for the additional planets needed for the tricentennial hatching, but that he was unable to obtain the ships required to transport the five billion hatchlings to their new homes.When queried as to how such transportation would be provided, Orno stated that they would steal it.

On the planet Hudatha, Hasa-ba is installed as the third member of the Triad and accepts the acclaim of the populace.Unknown to the other Triad members, Hasa-ba is plotting with Orno to steal warships from the mothballed Sheen fleet.

On the planet LaNor, Legion Second Lieutenant Antonio Santana arrives on the tramp freighter Rim Queen.First he reports in to Captain Seeba-Ka, the Hudathan second-in-command, at the Legion barracks in the Foreign Legation compound adjacent to the Imperial City of Mys.Captain Seeba-Ka is fully aware of Santana's prior record and performs an attitude adjustment prior to covering his future duties.Then he informs Santana that his former superior, Hakk Batth, is commander of the Ramanthian detachment in the Foreign Legation.

This novel interweaves the four major plots noted above and numerous minor ones.The main story, however, is the most inconsequential in terms of galactic history.Based on the Boxer Rebellion, it involves a large scale rebellion against a corrupt, yet locally powerful empire ruled by a Dowager Empress.One of the tenets of this rebellion was the pollution of the local religion by foreign ideas and this leads to the slaughter of foreign missionaries and their local converts.The Foreign Legation comes under siege by both the rebels and the imperial troops.

The Boxer Rebellion is one of many smaller conflicts in American and European history.The rebels were numerous but usually poorly armed and trained.The imperials were also numerous and better trained than the rebels, but were not as determined and were not as well armed as the Westerners.The fighting was fierce and bloody, with heavy casualties among the rebels and imperials.The final outcome changed China forever.

This story is a striking portrayal of ordinary people in a crisis that demands more from them than they have ever given before.Even the veteran soldiers are staggered by the situation, despite their familiarity with war and bloody death.The garrison troops soon become veterans or casualties.The civilians quickly learn to strip away the nonessentials of life and to think like soldiers.

Highly recommended for Dietz fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of daring and courage in a SF setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Good, but not his best.
For More Than Glory is a well written piece of Military Sci-Fi. It lacks some of the development of Dietz's former works. Some parts of the book seem rushed. Such as the Ramanthian prespective, which is touched upon, but could have been expanded upon greatly. Then ending seem to just come, it paves the way for another book, but leaves many small questions unanswered. For More Than Glory lacks the completeness and detail of the previous books in the Legion series. This may be due to the failure of Dietz's DeathDay and EarthRise novels. Prompting him to push out another Legion book, due to the previous success of the series.

Although a new main character is introduced in addition to Booly. Dietz's characters seem to be canned. Their great duty to honor is universal, and in this book, so predictable that it's borring. Though Santana has a few black marks in his history, none of them are substantial, and the character could just be another Booly from a previous book.

If you're new to the Legion series, this book may be confusing. Events in the previous books, and even the technology itself isn't explained for those who might not have read a previous Legion book.

This isn't a good book to start the Legion series with, I recommend you start at the beginning with Legion of the Damned. By the time you've come to this book, you'll read it anyway, no matter how negative the reviews are. Just like all the other Legion fans out there.

It's a good book, just not Dietz's best. ... Read more

Book Description

Focusing on MIT and Stanford, Leslie offers a critical look at American science in the making. He reveals a regrettable series of misplaced priorities and missed opportunities that have characterized the recent history of science and technology in this country.

Customer Reviews (1)

Overstated case?
Perhaps the author is overstating the effects of the alliance between the universities and the Federal government, over defense-related funding for research. Granted, he makes several cogent points about possible dead ends in research, that may have arisen due to an emphasis in finding military relevance.

But the US economy was so large and productive during the Cold War, compared to the Soviet Union (and China), that any mis-spent funding was utterly negligible. And even where the research led to a total dead end, perhaps this is obvious only in retrospect. If instead of so much defense funding, the funding had come from other sources, with other aims, then too misdirections and empty results may have arisen.

His descriptions of the anti-science demonstrations at MIT and Stanford are interesting. But let's keep some perspective. These were not Berkeley or UWisconsin-Madison. MIT and Stanford were primarily engineering and science oriented, with most students never taking part in overt political activities. While the demonstrations were due todisagreements about the military funding, little tangible resulted. ... Read more