What do You think about Passage At Arms (2007)?
Just read this book completely out of order. I liked it. All the reviews saying it's "Das Boot" in space are accurate. Very well done from the perspective of a "deep dive" into a cramped, dangerous vessel during wartime.Had some complaints, though. Maybe because I haven't read the other books, but chapter 1 was confusing. It seems chapter 2, and maybe 3, should have come first ... that's where you actually get some introduction to what's going on. Also, with all the stuff happening on and around the story of this vessel, no real questions get answered about the greater conflict. Maybe that's intentional, but it just leaves me wondering what the rest of the story actually is.
—Andy Mac
This was an interesting one. I started it a while ago and got part way through the first chapter before putting it down. I picked it back up last week and still found myself struggling a bit. The problem I found was that the first two chapters and chronologically reversed. We start right in the story and I had trouble understanding exactly what was going on. I am a huge Glen Cook fan especially the Black Company, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave it persevered. Once the book got moving it became much better and readable. I like the narrator, who though different from Croaker, has a number of traits that will remind familiar readers of him. It's very different than the black company, but still well worth the read. This story follows a ship of elite soldiers as they carry out increasingly dangerous orders without understanding the reason behind it. The narrator tells about the different characters on the ship and how they react to the dire circumstances the ship finds itself in. This is not a book about giant space battles or advanced technology. Instead it is about the people who operate the ship, and their relationship with each other, their commander, and the higher command system. It's an interesting read and pretty short as well. Well worth it for any Glen Cook fans or general Science Fiction fans
—Tz
This is Run Silent, Run Deep of interstellar warfare. It is a terrific book. I actually would like to give it 4.5 or even 5 stars instead of four for two reasons (1) Chapters One and Two are reversed. It starts with Chapter Two and then goes to Chapter One, then goes the Chapter Three. Recommend you begin the book with Chapter Two, then read Chapter One, then go to Chapter Three. It will make much more sense. (2) it is written in the present tense ("The personnel carrier lurches through the ruins under a wounded sky. The night hangs overhead like a sadist's boot.") instead of in the past tense. Every time I read this book that drives me crazy for the first couple of chapters and then, somehow, I manage to tune it out and enjoy the story. If Glen would just revise this to read: "The personnel carrier lurched through the ruins under a wounded sky. The night hung overhead like a sadist's boot." it would make me very happy.Still, this is a great, classic, interesting, novel. Highly recommended.
—David Grace
