A Desert Called Peace: A War on Terror Novel That Doesn’t Read the Same Anymore
Rereading Tom Kratman’s A Desert Called Peace in 2026, when the world doesn’t feel nearly as black and white as it did back in 2014.
Rereading Tom Kratman’s A Desert Called Peace in 2026, when the world doesn’t feel nearly as black and white as it did back in 2014.
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester won the very first Best Novel Hugo in 1953. A telepathic murder, an ending that punishes without killing, and a huge legacy.
By Schism Rent Asunder trades naval battles for politics and theology. Still good, still growing its cast, but this is where the brakes go on.
By Heresies Distressed is where Charis starts hanging churchmen and the naval war turns into a ground war. The momentum is well and truly back.
A review of Beyond the Rift by John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer. The series finale sticks the landing, mostly, then runs out of pages to close it properly.
A review of Behind the Veil by John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer. Book three is where the alien plot finally pays off, and it’s the best entry yet.
Off Armageddon Reef opens with humanity losing an extermination war, then hides the survivors in a fake Dark Age. A book I’ve reread several times.
A review of Through the Storm by John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer. Great Lynn material, but the middle book trades the alien plot for fame, bullying and doxing.
A review of Into the Real by John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer. The AR gaming premise is fine, but the hidden-identity story underneath is the real reason to read it.
The Hot Gate (Troy Rising Book 3) by John Ringo delivers the best space battle of the trilogy and the one argument I no longer buy. Full review.
Citadel (Troy Rising Book 2) by John Ringo replays Book 1 from a new POV and buries its best material under paperwork. Worth it for the last third.
Live Free or Die (Troy Rising Book 1) by John Ringo, on a reread: maple syrup economics, the SAPL, and inflating an asteroid into a fortress.
Blood of Heroes restarts the Gray Death Legion saga twenty-eight years on, with cadets defending Glengarry. Fun battles, familiar plot, different Keith.
Heir to the Dragon is a BattleTech novel with almost no BattleMech combat. Charrette’s Theodore Kurita biography is the best thing in the classic line.
Falcon Guard closes Robert Thurston’s Legend of the Jade Phoenix trilogy with Tukayyid from inside a losing Clan. A good ending, if a slightly tidy one.
Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers is a seminal science fiction novel that delves into themes of military service, citizenship, and duty. The story follows Juan “Johnny” Rico as he evolves from a naive recruit to a seasoned soldier in the Mobile Infantry, battling the alien Arachnids. Heinlein’s vivid portrayal of futuristic warfare and his exploration of societal structures make this a thought-provoking read.
Lost Destiny is the best of the Blood of Kerensky trilogy. Tukayyid earns its reputation, and the Clans lose to their own certainty as much as to ComStar.
Blood Legacy is the middle of the Blood of Kerensky trilogy and it refuses to be a bridge. Luthien is one of the best battles Stackpole ever wrote.
Lethal Heritage by Michael A. Stackpole drops the Clans on the Inner Sphere and rewrites BattleTech overnight. Great book, wrong place to start.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a science fiction novel by Walter M. Miller Jr., first published in 1960. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world, centuries after a nuclear…
My The Matrix Resurrections review: friends said it repeats the first film, and I liked that. Fewer effects, a rekindled love story. Better than 2 and 3. 3.5 to 4.