I just finished this first volume in a series named \u201cThe Stars Came Back\u201d and I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be reading the sequel when it appears.\u00a0 The back cover says that the series \u201ccombines military science fiction with the classic space western\u201d and I will agree.\u00a0 The universe that this book inhabits has humans spread out on over a thousand planets.\u00a0 These worlds were terraformed during an expansion era that ended with a supernova occurring nearby that disrupted faster than light (FTL) travel for an extended period of time and threw these new worlds on their own devices to survive (or perish).<\/p>\n
The various inhabited planets we see or hear about contain bits and pieces of one or more Earth cultures.\u00a0 One of the problems that seems to exist in most of the locales we see is a bureaucracy that preys on the citizens using stifling regulation to punish citizens monetarily and otherwise.\u00a0 The tone of the book shows a preference for more personal freedom and less government interference.<\/p>\n
The main characters become involved in a project to rehabilitate an unusual transport ship that brings together military and civilian personnel in an interesting cooperation that slowly unfolds some puzzling characteristics of this odd \u201cFlying Dutchman.\u201d\u00a0 The cast is a mixture of men, women, a child and even an AI who runs the ship.\u00a0 The military component of the story I found most engaging.\u00a0 The interaction of the NCO with the recruits and his officers is familiar and adds the familial attachment and common cause aspects of the story that makes mil sf so enjoyable for many.\u00a0 There are several battles both on planet and off that I thought were well done.\u00a0 I found most of the characters engaging.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see how the various interpersonal dynamics work themselves out over the course of the series.\u00a0 And, of course, the secrets of the ship will be interlaced with them.<\/p>\n
So, I\u2019ll give an enthusiastic endorsement to \u201cBack from the Dead\u201d and recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic sf and especially mil sf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I just finished this first volume in a series named \u201cThe Stars Came Back\u201d and I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be reading the sequel when it appears.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,237,4,242],"tags":[68,98,50,35,49,12,126,11,44],"class_list":["post-801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-reviews","category-sff","category-sff-book-reviews","tag-book-review","tag-castalia-house","tag-dragon-awards","tag-future","tag-hugo-awards","tag-rabid-puppies","tag-rolf-nelson","tag-sad-puppies","tag-sci-fi"],"yoast_head":"\n