Review: Even in space corporate monsters sometimes need a professional soldier to set them straight
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2014
Author Patrick LeClerc perfectly captures the feel of a soldier. I've never been in the military, but LeClerc immersed me quickly through the first-person storytelling of his protagonist Cpl. Michael Collins. It didn't matter that Collins served with a bunch of tough-minded and acting Marines aboard a futuristic starship tasked with saving civilians at a remote mining asteroid during a major strike by angry workers. Collins could have been in any conflict. He's Irish. He's older and more experienced. He's also very cynical. He knows his job. But he's not stupid. His brain processes everything around him. He wants to know what's going on. And Collins figures it out. Something's just not right. The strike has other implications. LeClerc takes most of the book to build up to his climax. But along the way, the reader gets to know the characters. Some better than others. But I could visualize them. I could see them chewing over the gut-wrenching horror after losing fellow soldiers in battle. I could relate. LeClerc is also a pretty gifted writer. His dialogue is excellent. He doesn't waste words. While reading I compared the gritty first-person style to early Mickey Spillane, which I love. Definitely a satisfying read.