Review: It's getting better - Picking Up The Pieces
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2013
I might have been a little bit harsh on Chris Nuttall when reviewing Patriotic Treason but the sequel Picking Up The Pieces deserves a lot of positive feedback. I really liked it and I almost gave it 5 stars but Nuttall is still somewhat of a newcomer and I couldn't give him 6 stars if I liked his next book even better. This novel is obviously influenced by Jerry Pournelle's The Mercenary and Prince of Sparta which don't bother me a bit because I love Pournelle's writings and I miss him. That said this novel also stands firmly on its own feet. Picking Up The Pieces is an apt title for this novel since it takes place some years after the end of Patriotic Treason and the Unite Nations are breaking up. The planet of Svergie has been abonded by the UN and is threatened by political Chaos and civil war. Enter the mercenary Captain-General Andrew Nolte and his Legion of the Disinherited. Nolte appeared as a minor character in Patriotic Treason but here he is the main character and a very good one of almost Hornblowerian proportions complete with selfdoubt and all. This makes him quite different from John Falkenberg of the Mercenary but more human and believable. Nolte's mission is to support the government of Svergie in avoiding a bloody civil war but nothing is as simple as it first seems and Nolte also have other plans that the government is unaware of. Well, as I usually say, if you want the whole story, read the book. As I mentioned at the start the quality of this novel is considerably higher the the prequel Patriotic Treason. Steep learning curve? Formalities as correct grammar and spelling are now quite alright. Facts about military training and tactics feels right (I spent 40 years in the army). Especially the tactics used by Nolte in the final battle of New Copenhagen shows that Mr Nuttall has done some serious studying of tactics like deep battle or has some competent military advisors. Mr Nuttall even has the spelling of Swedish names correct down to the dots over O and A exept for the spelling of Svergie. That's the way the name of my country is pronounced but it's spelled Sverige. I'll have to ask Mr Nuttall sometime if it's by design or by mistake. So to round of this review I have only one request of Mr Nuttall, I would really like a third and final novel in this series called Martial Law. Could I tempt you with a fifth star?Yours sincerlyHans