Against the Tide / John Ringo

Against the Tide

category: military science fiction, author:

John Ringo

book 3? of Council Wars
original copyright 2005,
read in December 2010 (and before, in April 2006)

Agamedes' opinion: 6 out of 10

First time I read this book I had never heard of "military" science fiction. I thought, entertaining book -- but too many characters, too little excitement, not enough result...

As "military" science fiction, it makes a bit more sense:

This is war in a different environment. And war is about numbers, chain of command, clever strategies, small numbers of leaders and large numbers of cannon fodder.

Not, an independent scientist battling to solve a scientific problem. Not, humans battling an alien environment and each other. (Nor, vice versa.) Not a what if, taking one scientific possibility and exploring its possible impact.

Unless you take that last and say, military science fiction is taking a scientific possibility and exploring its impact on war... But really, it's not even that.

Against the Tide sets up a post-apocalyptic world -- where the apocalypse is post a far future society. In this world there is war. And the war is, really, fairly standard.

The strategic leader of Tide is a military genius who constantly refers to strategic lessons from history's great generals. War in this far distant future is just war. Perhaps with different types of troops, with some fancy weapons and steeds. But -- as an example of the standard nature of this future war: it's the cavalry which rides in to save the day!

It's an entertaining novel with plenty of unbelievably macho characters. And tough yet girly women. Breast beating and breast baring.

There's an interesting insight into the (possible) core beliefs of the author: The general uses great strategies based largely (so he says) on lessons learnt from past wars. He very seldom explains his plans -- waiting to reveal them when they actually happen. Then there's the status of women in various areas of this future society: one character spends several pages explaining why women are always subservient. Then another couple of pages explaining that his role in sex is always as a strongly dominant male.

Battle strategies -- the core of the book -- are implemented but not explained. The relative roles of men and women, in society and in bed, are explained -- in glib detail and with inaccuracies in the reasoning.

Still, that's just a few pages of the whole novel!

If you like your battles violent, your heroes superior and your heroines tough yet subservient -- this is your book. And yes, I did enjoy the book! It was just a bit embarrassing when the underlying machismo was discussed as though it were an undeniable truth.

Interesting science with defined limits. Wars which ultimately are settled by mass battles. A satisfactory conclusion: one battle won, more to come.

An enjoyable novel of military science fiction.

..o0o..

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