Review: STRAT
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2013
Well, this was kind of a strange book. For starters, I personally would not really classify this as "military science fiction". The plot does revolve around war, but when I consider "military science fiction", I consider things like strategies, tactics, battle scenes and whatnot. There may be a smattering of that here, but it is far away from some of the mil sci-fi such as Ian Douglas (Semper Mars), Jack Campbell (The Lost Fleet) or the whole StarFIST series.The book opens with a setting that reminded me of nothing more than hillbilly stereotypes, which segued into a medieval caste setting, complete with jousts. As the story continues, it gradually broadens out the main character's POV, where you see more and more of the universe at hand, and things start to sort of fit together.So what is it about? People, or generally, one person, and his experiences in the war. Black and white no longer exists. Who is right, who is wrong? Technology allows people to download centuries of memories that can usually integrate so completely into your own mind, you can no longer tell what is real or what is not. Things which the main character took for granted are challenged and he has no choice but to adapt.Now don't take this that the whole book is a character study; as I said above, there is a bit of action and such in the book. The technology used by the future soldiers is interesting (using "cavalcades" of robot drones). There are a few points on strategy in using these powerful weapons. Beyond the military hardware, there are other interesting uses of technology.I put this as 3-stars, meaning "it's OK". I did read it straight thru without feeling the need to "take a break" and pursue a different book, so I would say it grabbed my attention enough. And that I am taking the time in writing this review is another indication that the 3-star doesn't mean anything negative, but I am not sure I would continue to explore this universe if another volume were published.