Captain Alexandra "Alex" McLaughlin is not a woman to be underestimated. Under her petite exterior is a spine of solid steel and a disposition to laugh in the face of impending death. A former member of the Terran Navy's elite force, the Dead Jokers, electronic-warfare pilots with a mortality rate to match that of old Japan's Kamikazes, Alex is a born survivor. But sometimes survival can be a curse.
Humanity is locked in a war of survival with the Xan-Sskarn, an alien race that refuses to acknowledge the rights of "weaker" creatures to live. It is a war that will not end with a peace treaty, but only the complete subjugation of one species to the other. And right now, the alien side is winning.
However, the enemy on the outside is not the only one to be faced. As the battles take on an eerily familiar pattern of no-win scenarios, Alex realized the horrifying truth; humanity has a traitor, and it's somebody close. As each battle brings more death, Alex's ghosts grow and so does her desire for vengeance. There is only one way for this to end, and Alex is just the human to take it there—to Ragnarok.
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Too jumpy hard to finishCharacters has no depth. Story jumped around.
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Product ReviewI will quote Harry R. here, they not once but twice set up rules and then break them. The character is paper thin, the admiral who acts just out of spite and costs lives. The Traitor for no purpose. This book is a mess that left me angry at almost all of the characters for being just flat out stupid.
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Product ReviewIt was not up to Baen standards. Had to force myself to finish it.
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Product ReviewGreat action but shallow characters. As mentioned by other reviewers the traitor didn't make sense.
As an additional nitpick - Why did Alex have to smoke? Was this the author's way of making her "one of the boys". After 10 rounds of 50/50 missions as a Loki pilot she shouldn't need to smoke to fit in.Posted on
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Product ReviewI'm getting pretty tired of a few things, but only a few. GOOD new tech ideas, BAD excution of them. I totally GET the 'women can serve in combat' but does every single one of them have to be some kind of mutant bio-enhanced killing machine? Some of the military stuff doesn't ring true, having someone who WAS navy or special forces to consult with could have changed this book for the better. But in all it was good enough space opera to want to read the follow-on. I think the whole "earth forces are wiped out" scenario could have been done quicker with less ambiguity and loose ends. Argh, such promise, and this guy's editor totally let him down.
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Product ReviewWeber, Ringo, Kratman, etc... Yes, this is very similar, but Thank Goodness that Vanner has gotten back to where these others began. All my favorite authors drifted off into political science, who cares about imaginary politics on imaginary planets! I'm reading to get away from politics! We want ACTION!! Cowboys and Indians in Space with cool Toys! Heros! Hack and Slay! No doubt about who's the Good Guys and who's the Bad Guys! Thank You Patrick Vanner!
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Product ReviewThis reads like fan-fiction with the serial numbers filed off. Unfortunately, the "serial numbers" are probably what would have made it interesting. The whole Norse pantheon naming structure was interesting, but totally unexplained. Why are they using that for their military craft and station names? It's not like it's a huge part of our culture now. And as mention by everyone, the traitor makes no sense. I kept waiting for the word "frak" to show up.
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