Weber, David
WE FEW
David Weber & John Ringo
BAEN 2005
Hb 392 pages
ISBN#
0-7434-9881-X
Though WE FEW is for fans of MARCH UPCOUNTRY, MARCH
TO THE SEA, AND MARCH TO THE STARS, it can also stand alone because the
background is filled in well. If you like war game-styled stories, this
series is definitely for you. Weber & Ringo delight in the nitty-gritty
details of world-building to present the reader with a war-story
extraordinare.
WE FEW rewards readers who have been waiting to see
what is going to happen next to Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander
Chiang MacClintock. When we last left him at the end of MARCH TO THE
STARS, he'd only just made it to "the stars." At the beginning of the
saga, his mother the empress sent her foppish son on an insignificant
diplomatic mission so as to get him out from under foot. She felt
trouble brewing close to the throne. She did not know if Roger was part
of that trouble or not. No one in the Empire trusted Roger because of
who fathered him. But, being the third in line for the throne, Roger
paid no attention to politics. Then. But the revolution blew his ship
first before hitting the throne. Seems good old dad and his compatriots
didn't trust Roger either. All Roger knew at the time, however, was
that he and his guards crashed on the back side of an unforgiving world
very far from home. Over the course of eight months, Roger not only
grew up, he also lost over ninety-five percent of his guards and staff.
It took three action-filled books to get him off Marduk.
Now Roger has to plan the complex infiltration of
his mother's conquered empire. The masses believe false rumors that
Roger attempted and failed in a coup and that he's now dead. The
truth is that Roger's biological father and his friend Prince Adoula
Jackson have Empress Alexandra MacClintock as their prisoner and are
running the empire in her name. Roger's challenge is to get across the
galaxy undetected and rescue his mother from a very highly fortified
palace. Entering dangerous territory and surviving is Roger's
specialty. But winning enough people to his side to get the job done
right is a challenge in itself. And, of course, the clock is ticking. Adoula
ensured that a new heir is forming in a uterine replicator, and once
it's born, Alexandra will no longer be needed. Roger's primary goal,
however, is the stability of the empire. He tells his crew that if the
rescue attempt fails, he does not want his history known, for the public
knowledge would start a civil war.
Roger and the FEW who survived Marduk with him get
body-mods (modifications) for disguise, then visit the alien star system
of Althari to ask for assistance. Meanwhile, Roger's girl friend
Nimashet Despreaux gets a lecture from the other females in the group
who insist that Despreaux's attachment to Roger must grow in order to
keep him balanced out of total ruthlessness. He'll need it too, once he
finds out what the "bad guys" are doing to his mother. Roger's plan is
grand in scope and laden with tricky details. While Sergent Julian
attempts to convert the navy, Roger and his Mardukans make it to Earth
and set up a restaurant near the palace. Of course, things just get
more complicated then, and much more dangerous.
WE FEW focuses entirely on the coming battle with
Adoula's forces. The details of Roger's plan are meticulously
outlined. The restaurant scenes are intriguing. Though Roger's
relationship with Despreaux is rather dry reading [no mushy mushy
romance here], there's enough tension in other matters to keep the pages
turning. The climax is three pronged: Roger's attempt at the palace,
the naval battle in space between diverging factions, and a separate
team's charge into gangster territory to rescue Despreaux from
kidnappers.
A sample of the text: "'My point,' Roger said, 'is
that during our time on Marduk we had, by careful count,
ninety-seven skirmishes and seven major battles, one of
which had us in the field, in contact, for three days. We also had over
two hundred attacks by atul, atul-grack, damncrocs, or other
hostile animals which penetrated the perimeter.' He paused and looked
at the three NCOs for a long, hard moment, and then bared his teeth.
'You may think you're the shit, Sergeants Major, but you aren't worth
the price of a pistol bead compared to one of my
troops, is that clear?' 'Easy, Roger,' Elanora said (from
behind). 'No, I won't be easy. Because we need to be clear on this
from the beginning. Elanora has been in the middle of more
battles that all three of you put together. From the point of view of
combat time, I've got everyone in this room--except
Eva--beat. Yes, we took on a Saint commando company. In
their ship. And we smashed their ass. They didn't have enough
people left to bury their dead. And compared to a couple of things we
did on Marduk, it was a pocking picnic. Don't try to treat us
like cherries, Sergeants Major. Don't.'"
Good high-action science-fiction. Between one and
ten, with ten the best read, I'd give this one a nine.
Return to Reviews