Must have Books - The General Series

Authors | Book Series | Science Fiction | Fantasy | Alternative History | Sign Guestbook | View Guestbook

	The Forge by S. M. Stirling and David Drake The Forge" is the first of a five volume set that details the conquest of an early industrial age planet by a brilliant military commander. The planet Bellevue is a colony world that is sinking into barbarism after an interstellar civil war has cut off all travel between worlds. Each successive cycle of time drags civilzation further and further back. But the one remaining operating computer on the planet has taken on the task of reversing this entropy, and raising man back to his former power - with the help of Raj Whithall, the youngest military commander in the army of the Civil Government.
	The Hammer by S. M. Stirling and David Drake A monolithic computer is using General Raj Whitehall to reunite the planet and start humanity back on the road to technological achievement, but armies of musket- and saber-wielding barbarians stand in the way.
	The Anvil by S. M. Stirling and David Drake With the aid of a sentient battle computer, Raj Whitehall and his band of sworn Companions struggle to reunite the entire planet of Bellevue and find their mission impeded by Barholm Clerett. This series has outstanding character development, a solid and well thought out overall plot line, and good story resolution in each book. The two things that really make the series the top of its genre are the interaction between the computer and the hero, and the realism of the situation. The interaction is a delicate balance that the authors perform magically.
	The Steel by S. M. Stirling and David Drake On a mission to reunite the planet Bellvue, Raj Whitehall and his men must conquer a group of barbarians or else his civilization could plunge into an era of darkness. This is the standard by which I judge all military fiction. I have never found another that was it's equal. This book move quickly to pull you in to a world of fantasy battles. With the unique mix of old and new technology the story quickly becomes very interesting. Also the use of giant war dogs is just the right twist to really take you off guard. This book and the other is in this series is a must read for a good time.
	The Sword by S. M. Stirling and David Drake Stirling and Drake conclude (on Bellevue) their thoroughly engrossing military sf series, the General, with hero Raj Whitehall having largely united the relatively civilized areas of the planet Bellevue. Resumption of interstellar flight is to be the next development. Unfortunately, as Raj combines statecraft with his military prowess, his overlord, Barholm Clerett, becomes even more paranoid than he was before; indeed, he becomes Raj's deadliest enemy. Clerett is overthrown, and Whitehall's candidate replaces him. Stirling and Drake provide their usual superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics (the cavalry on Bellevue rides giant dogs), homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun.
	The Chosen by S. M. Stirling and David Drake Working with an ancient battle computer in order to prepare hundreds of planets for membership in the Second Federation of Man, Raj Whitehall encounters the militarist planet of Visigar, where racial practices are used to prevent unity.
	The Reformer by S. M. Stirling and David Drake Getting military sci-fi right is tricky. As with any genre fiction, there are certain rules to be followed. When you pick up a book with a cover depicting a sword-wielding Roman-type firing a primitive cannon under the shadow of a swirling nebula, you have certain expectations and woe unto any author who fails to meet them. Fortunately, S.M. Stirling and David Drake are both decorated vets. The Reformer continues their Raj Whitehall series, with its intriguing schtick of the cloned consciousnesses of a military commander (Raj) and a battle computer (Center) becoming voices in the head of a would-be hero on a primitive world who is trying to coax humanity back--one planet at a time--to the level of progress it had acheived before a crippling galactic civil war. In The Reformer, Raj and Center are guiding a clever, scrappy philosopher named Adrian and his studly soldier brother Esmond, helping them introduce gunpowder and civic order (eventually) to the quasi-Roman civilization on Hafardine. Fast-paced, but not quite as meaty as earlier installments in the series, Reformer still gets the job done with believable battle scenes and knowing descriptions of early weapons and technology.
	The Tyrant by Eric Flint and David Drake The Confederacy of Vanbert, once the world's mightiest realm, has fallen to decay and internal corruption. Justiciar Verice Demansk, one of its rulers, embarks on a bold course of action to rectify the condition of the land that he loves even if his actions mark him as a traitor and transform him into a tyrant. The authors of the "Belisarius" series join forces to continue a second series (formerly coauthored by Drake and S.M. Sterling) depicting the fall of a society much like the Roman Empire. Set in an alternate universe with connections to the world of the Belisarius series, this exercise in historical and military sf should appeal to fans of alternate history. Recommended, along with other titles in the series for most sf collections.