Tarawa. Iwo. Normandy. Names that shine in the military history of two worlds, places where brave men stormed ashore and fought their way to victory no matter the odds. But then there are other names: Marathon. Malta. Gallipoli.
Balboa’s Patricio Carrera has driven the Tauran Union from his adopted country, driven them out with appalling loss and worse humiliation. That’s not enough though. To finally finish his enemies, Carrera needs to draw them back for a more telling defeat. He cannot take the battle to them because, beyond some long range bombardment capability, he cannot reach them. But when they return, they don’t plan to come alone; they insist on having someone else do most of the bleeding for them.
Carrera understands this. And that’s why he’s provoked the Zhong Guo mercilessly, infuriating their ruling Empress. He needs the Zhong in the war, to buck up the Taurans to continue the war to its bitterest end.
But to get to Carrera, the Zhong must take the Isla Real, the strongest island fortress on two worlds. In the process, they’ll learn why Marines never forget those other names. . . .
Gallipoli... Malta... Marathon.
Carrera’s enemies are about to learn why the expression "blood‑stained water" is not just a literary allusion.
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The Plot SlowsThe book is a decent chapter, showing the beginning of the Zhong/TU invasion. Unfortunantly, that description could also apply to the last two books. It's a well written, interesting story in a world we like...but it doesn't really go anywhere. This seems to be a trend with Baen, and other publishers, ever since Sanderson bailed Jordan out. See Weber, Ringo, etc. We like the world, the characters, the style...that's all given here. But the overall story advances barely a few days. Actually, we're still behind where Amazons left off, though now we know how the first island assault went. It's (another) tasty appetizer for the book(s) I really want to buy.
Note to Mr. Kratman: When you read or remember RAH, do you get the most out of the visual details, battle description details, and character portraits, or the applied philosophy, grand story arcs, and informed world view? You are well able to write all of these. You've done it. But the last few books have focused on the first three. I'm really hoping to get to read the rest of the story. How can Carrera save the EU's subjects from either barbarism or slavery? Can Earth be fixed? Is there a was out of democracy's tenancy towards socialism and amoral familial loyalty, short of a Russia/ Venezuela collapse and hoping to rebuild something better? What would a world of Balboas look like, and is that desirable? These are the questions I really want answered in the next few books. Oh, and if you could get the Mendoza's permission to republish History and Moral Philosophy, that's be awesome.Posted on
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Balboa baits the Tauran Union and Zhong into the war most wanted. The sequel to Come and Take Them.
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the cliffhanger kills the bookI have to admit, i read them all, and I am a Fan.
But this time it was nearly boring. I woul have liked to read more of successes of Carreras long planing for this war, like we did that and they fell for it.
Nothing new and the cliffhanger without any hint when it will be continued was like a cold shower.
I got the Eaarc so i was wondering if I did something wrong and even downloaded the book again. But no I did it right.
I eben think about deducting another star.
So when will there be the next book ? We are waiting !Posted on
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Product ReviewGood style if the author is writing about the history of a old battle, not that great for a novel with the intent of presenting the lives of interesting characters.
Nice to know if the sequel is in the works, this one ended rather abruptly.. the kind of book that if I had known, I would have waited until the final book was out and read them together.Posted on
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Product ReviewI rated this book at two stars, but not for the normal reasons I classify a book as bad (poor spelling/grammar, plot holes, lack of planning). The story is well written, the author strikes a decent balance between action and explanation, and if this had been the first book in the series that I'd read I would probably have given it four stars.
But it wasn't the first one I read; in fact, I've read all the previous entries in this series. And this time, I felt like I might as well have read one of those earlier entries. The Rods and the Axe, to me, added very little to the Carerra storyline and did so in a way that felt more like short story written after the main novels were out to fill in the blanks between them. In fact, I found this book so similar to his previous works that Mr. Kratman succeeded in boring me, which was a first for this series.Posted on
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