[Books] David Drake - Northworld Trilogy

[Deficineiron]

I like all of this author's stuff pre-long-fantasy-series.

the northworld trilogy (now an omnibus) is parts of the prose edda and other myths or legends out of north germanic history set into a sci-fi setting.

Drake did a number of classic-to-sci-fi adaptions including Cross the Stars (the odyssey) and The Jungle (jason and the argonauts iirc). THis particular story, though, is one of my favorites, period. I reread it every few years.

Any drake fans here?

[Stormcall]

I like all of this author's stuff pre-long-fantasy-series.

the northworld trilogy (now an omnibus) is parts of the prose edda and other myths or legends out of north germanic history set into a sci-fi setting.

Drake did a number of classic-to-sci-fi adaptions including Cross the Stars (the odyssey) and The Jungle (jason and the argonauts iirc). THis particular story, though, is one of my favorites, period. I reread it every few years.

Any drake fans here?

His Hammer's Slammers is some of the best military sci-fi out there. Cross the Stars is actually set in the same universe as the Hammer's Slammers, in fact.

[Deficineiron]

His Hammer's Slammers is some of the best military sci-fi out there. Cross the Stars is actually set in the same universe as the Hammer's Slammers, in fact.

I somehow managed to mention the author without mentioning the set of short-stories and novels for which he is most well-known (and which made his name early on). I have read mil sci-fi I liked as much or better, but have read a LOT more mil sci-fi I liked a lot less.

[Stormcall]

I somehow managed to mention the author without mentioning the set of short-stories and novels for which he is most well-known (and which made his name early on). I have read mil sci-fi I liked as much or better, but have read a LOT more mil sci-fi I liked a lot less.

Yeah...I haven't actually read a ton of his stuff beyond the Slammers stuff(which I have read all of). Aside from those, I've read a book with 3 stories about a big game hunter who goes after dinosaurs(the book was called Tyrannosaur, I believe), his Vettius short stories(fantasy set in the days of ancient Rome, all of it was collected in an anthology creatively called Vettius and His Friends), Killer(co-written with Karl Edward Wagner, excellent sci-fi/horror also set in ancient Rome), Ranks of Bronze(sci-fi involving aliens who kidnap a Roman legion, because galactic law forbids an alien race from conquering planets using tech higher level than the planet's native tech, thus they need to recruit an army trained in Bronze-age warfare), plus his stories in the Bolos anthologies(cybertank mil sci-fi based on the original Bolos stories by Keith Laumer). I actually HAVE the Northwind series, just haven't gotten to it yet.

[Deficineiron]

Yeah...I haven't actually read a ton of his stuff beyond the Slammers stuff(which I have read all of). Aside from those, I've read a book with 3 stories about a big game hunter who goes after dinosaurs(the book was called Tyrannosaur, I believe), his Vettius short stories(fantasy set in the days of ancient Rome, all of it was collected in an anthology creatively called Vettius and His Friends), Killer(co-written with Karl Edward Wagner, excellent sci-fi/horror also set in ancient Rome), Ranks of Bronze(sci-fi involving aliens who kidnap a Roman legion, because galactic law forbids an alien race from conquering planets using tech higher level than the planet's native tech, thus they need to recruit an army trained in Bronze-age warfare), plus his stories in the Bolos anthologies(cybertank mil sci-fi based on the original Bolos stories by Keith Laumer). I actually HAVE the Northwind series, just haven't gotten to it yet.

ranks of bronze is one of those that really has stuck in my mind. he did the anthology about it later (with a small piece by eric flint? about the post-return of the legion to earth), and david weber then did a story about a 14th century english unit taken which provides some resolution to the overall story arc.

I like ranks of bronze best of all that.

Laumer I didn't discover until the last year or so. I am not sure I have read any bolos stories, but have read a lot of the quantum universe-type stories.

I must have read 30+ books/collections by drake but every time I look closely at his bibliography I find something else I haven't read, so still reading new stuff. that said, once he got into lord of the isles incorporated, I really lost interest. also only read first few of the master and commander series. i have gotten partway through the legion of fire first book and have a lot of the same reluctance to continue as I do with his more recent series. older self-contained titles I cannot put down, even rereading.

I have no idea why david drake is not in my signature. there are authors I like less in it, and northworld is one of my very favorite series.

drake has produced a lot of outlines that ended up with his name being on the cover of something he may not have had much to do with beyond the initial plotting. the original general series I thought was OK, but the belisarius series I dropped pretty quickly - others have been mixed as well. there are quite a few others. the implication is he has more book ideas than he can or wants to write?

[Stormcall]

ranks of bronze is one of those that really has stuck in my mind. he did the anthology about it later (with a small piece by eric flint? about the post-return of the legion to earth), and david weber then did a story about a 14th century english unit taken which provides some resolution to the overall story arc.

I like ranks of bronze best of all that.

Laumer I didn't discover until the last year or so. I am not sure I have read any bolos stories, but have read a lot of the quantum universe-type stories.

I must have read 30+ books/collections by drake but every time I look closely at his bibliography I find something else I haven't read, so still reading new stuff. that said, once he got into lord of the isles incorporated, I really lost interest. also only read first few of the master and commander series. i have gotten partway through the legion of fire first book and have a lot of the same reluctance to continue as I do with his more recent series. older self-contained titles I cannot put down, even rereading.

I have no idea why david drake is not in my signature. there are authors I like less in it, and northworld is one of my very favorite series.

drake has produced a lot of outlines that ended up with his name being on the cover of something he may not have had much to do with beyond the initial plotting. the original general series I thought was OK, but the belisarius series I dropped pretty quickly - others have been mixed as well. there are quite a few others. the implication is he has more book ideas than he can or wants to write?

Yeah, I started Belisarius but was not hooked and never really finished.

As for Laumer, his classic work is the Retief stories which are very fun(and draw a lot of his own career in diplomacy) and often quite funny, kinda a satirical look at the bureaucracy and politics of diplomatic dealings, but he did several Bolo stories(you can get the lot of them collected in The Compleat Bolo), and his Bolo stories were a big inspiration to a lot of other later mil sci-fi guys(there are 6 "Bolos" short story anthologies out there, featuring stories by Drake, Weber, Flint, and a lot of others, Weber has even wrote a couple of standalone Bolo novels), as well as Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games(his OGRE game was hugely influenced by Bolos). If you like mil sci-fi, the Bolos stuff is definitely worth checking out. Aside from the 6 anthologies plus the Laumer collection, there's also another volume that collects some of the stories considered among the "best" from the other anthologies...with a few exceptions(David Weber's "Miles to Go" was a notable omission, but it's also a novella rather than a short story) I am inclined to agree with their choices. If you want to sample the Bolos stuff, look for Bolos:Their Finest Hour, it features 3 Laumer stories(including "Combat Unit", my favorite Laumer Bolo story), 2 by David Weber, as well as 1 each from David Drake, Mercedes Lackey, S.M. Stirling, Linda Evans, and William H. Keith Jr. Well worth a read, IMO.

[Deficineiron]

Yeah, I started Belisarius but was not hooked and never really finished.

As for Laumer, his classic work is the Retief stories which are very fun(and draw a lot of his own career in diplomacy) and often quite funny, kinda a satirical look at the bureaucracy and politics of diplomatic dealings, but he did several Bolo stories(you can get the lot of them collected in The Compleat Bolo), and his Bolo stories were a big inspiration to a lot of other later mil sci-fi guys(there are 6 "Bolos" short story anthologies out there, featuring stories by Drake, Weber, Flint, and a lot of others, Weber has even wrote a couple of standalone Bolo novels), as well as Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games(his OGRE game was hugely influenced by Bolos). If you like mil sci-fi, the Bolos stuff is definitely worth checking out. Aside from the 6 anthologies plus the Laumer collection, there's also another volume that collects some of the stories considered among the "best" from the other anthologies...with a few exceptions(David Weber's "Miles to Go" was a notable omission, but it's also a novella rather than a short story) I am inclined to agree with their choices. If you want to sample the Bolos stuff, look for Bolos:Their Finest Hour, it features 3 Laumer stories(including "Combat Unit", my favorite Laumer Bolo story), 2 by David Weber, as well as 1 each from David Drake, Mercedes Lackey, S.M. Stirling, Linda Evans, and William H. Keith Jr. Well worth a read, IMO.

thanks, I will pick up some of laumer and later author's bolo stories.

william keith, of course is now writing mil sci-fi under Ian Douglas. I enjoyed his 9-book series (heritage trilogy started it). He was one of the old battletech authors!

[Stormcall]

thanks, I will pick up some of laumer and later author's bolo stories.

william keith, of course is now writing mil sci-fi under Ian Douglas. I enjoyed his 9-book series (heritage trilogy started it). He was one of the old battletech authors!

Yeah, I remember reading some of Keith's BTech stuff years ago. He's also written a couple of full length Bolo novels, though I have not read them.

[Deficineiron]

Yeah, I remember reading some of Keith's BTech stuff years ago. He's also written a couple of full length Bolo novels, though I have not read them.

iirc he also wrote a non-BT mech (warstrider i think) series as well, under his real name iirc. read bloodstar last night, enjoyed enough to go ahead and pick up the rest of that series too. he does well with human encounter (more advanced) aliens overall, though you have to suspend disbelief about the baddies not waxing earth in chapter one since they are millions of years ahead in tech. this isn't limited to him of course.

a criticism of his ian douglas stories (except warstrider) is that they all more or less have earth suddenly encountering galaxy-spanning big baddies who are millions of years established, etc.

the heritage 9book series was entertaining at first as he took nearly every mystery/fortean topic and turned into a factual UFO/ET event in the book story/backstory.