The Defiance

Author: Bill Baldwin

Year: 1996

Abstract:
Admiral Wilf Brim is sent to Atalanta, a run down military base, to get things back in operation for his dying Empire. He is faced with nearly impossible odds, nearly killed several times, and risks losing his life and his career even if he does succeed. The Torond, a mighty galactic empire conquering all of known space, know he's coming, and will throw everything they have to stop him.

Advanced Mind
Exploration/Quest
Military/Fighting
Horror
Magic
Advanced Technology
Time Travel/Alternate History
Science
Aliens/Beasties
Contemporality

Other books in this series: The Helmsman
The Helmsman [1985]
Galactic Convoy [1987]
The Trophy [1990]
The Mercenaries [1991]
The Defenders [1992]
The Siege [1994]

Spectre's Review
If you can wade through the horribly difficult to manage invented jargon, bad grammar, and very poor technical editing, you'll love this book. I liked the first person perspective. It was broad enough to help the reader see the big picture, but personal enough to maintain the right feel of being thrust into the thick of the action. The author is somewhat inconsistent (case in point: describing a robust blonde as having shortly cropped black hair. That didn't make much sense to me), but aside from that, it was quite enjoyable. You can see Mr. Baldwin's Air Force experience in the book, and I think that adds a nice edge. Way too many invented terms, way too many difficult to read terms, and a little too unrealistic. However, the action was great, and the technology cool. My favorite saying from the book was something along the lines of this: "We in the military have only two responsibilities: To break things, and kill people."

Spectre's Rating
Strap your safety harness on!

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