Review: The Civil War in Space
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 16, 2012
This predecessor of Hawk Seven follows ex-Professor of History John Chamberlin as he fights for the Unio- err Federals, rising through the ranks while developing new tactics of war that focus on minimizing losses and looking towards the future.  He'll be met with fierce opposition from both sides who retain bitter emotions, corrupt politicians, and those set in their ways.  John will have to overcome these while facing strict limitations on time, resources, and relation to his growing family, all the while experiencing distrust and resentment for his actions.There are many similarities between the American Civil War and this book's focus on the war between federals and rebels.  There are so many parallels in fact, you'll be hard-pressed to be surprised by any of the military or political happenings that occur, though it seems the author plans to take the reconstruction in a different direction so we'll hopefully get some unique situations out of that volume.  I did not like it as much as Hawk Seven, mostly because the dialogue was not as humorous, the situations the characters found themselves in not as well-crafted, and the protagonist not as young or involved in the technological process (and IMO not as innovative or deserving of praise).The one thing that absolutely needs to be addressed is the editing. Not just the grammar/spelling, but the fact that characters are repeatedly called by the wrong name (not a mistyped pronoun, just a random, unexplained/unrelated/never-used-before name thrown in to address them).  Additionally, the name Orleans is used for two different planets as well as a city for one of those Orleans, and the capital city of another unrelated planet, which is confusing as hell.  Also, some facts or statements are thrown out there with no background or transition made, as if the author suddenly remembered he was supposed to talk about it and copy/pasted it into the middle of a chapter.If you can gloss over such obstacles, you'll find a fast-paced, action-packed military scifi with an engaging and diverse cast of characters in an interesting, if familiar, war-torn setting.