Title: THE SHARP END
Description: Fighting on a battlefield isn't romantic, it's bloody hell - and Master Author David Drake gives his stories a realism as only someone who has been there can do.  Here we have some top people in their various fields who, one way or another, have been through that hell - some injured enough for retirement, others with mistakes they wish to atone for.  They are grouped together as a survey team on a planet specializing in the production of gage - a most potent drug.  The civilians are at the mercy of two criminal syndicates who make their lives as miserable as they can - and take great pleasure in doing so.  What can a small survey team do about it?  Quite a bit, actually.  A terrific read.
Subjects: Imaginary wars and battles, Fiction, Fiction, general