The Apocalypse Troll [Hardcover]

Weber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

There he was in his sailboat in the middle of the Atlantic, all alone and loving it. Well, there was a US Navy carrier group on his southern horizon, but he was US Navy himself, so he didn't mind. Then came the UFOs, hurtling in from the Outer Black to overfly the carriers at Mach 17. Their impossible aeronautics were bad enough - but then they started shooting at each other. And at the Navy. With nukes. Little ones at first, but winding up with a 500 megatonner at 90 miles that fried every piece of electronics within sight. Richard Ashton thought he was just a ringside observer to these now over-the-horizon events. Until the crippled alien lifeboat came drifting down and homed in on his sailboat; suddenly he had his hands full of an unconscious, critially wounded alien warrior - who just happened to be a gorgeous female, too. And that was when it began to get really interesting...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

David Weber, author of the enormously popular Honor Harrington military SF series, takes to deep space and the high seas in the opening chapters of Apocalypse Troll. The fateful space battle and resulting spaceship crash that bring together Colonel Ludmilla Leonova and Captain Richard Aston, U.S. Navy, set the stage for another rip-roaring, guns-blazing science fiction adventure. When Captain Aston finds out Colonel Leonova's secret, he eagerly offers his help, then finds himself in the middle of an extremely dangerous military situation. Weber's fast plots, nonstop action, and attention to detail are what makes his books so much fun to read, and Apocalypse Troll is no exception. --Adam Fisher

From Publishers Weekly

In the year 2007, two UFO formations?one helmed by alien Kangas, the other by humans?burst into sight over the Atlantic. Both groups are from the future; the humans have been pursuing the Kangas through time in a desperate effort to stop them from showering Earth with biological weapons. Firing nuclear warheads at their enemies, and at a nearby navy carrier group, the Kangas almost win but are finally defeated by a special navy taskforce. One human from the future survives the battle. She is Colonel Ludmilla Leonovna, rescued by an ex-SEAL, Captain Richard Aston. But one of the human-brained Kanga cyborgs called Trolls also survives, and is determined to use his weapons and his ability to control minds to fulfill his masters' highest desire: the destruction of humanity. Aston and Leonovna, who retains one Troll-killing weapon, find themselves leading an international effort to locate and destroy the Troll, who is raising a following among hate groups in the Appalachians. Although not written on the magisterial scale of his recent Honor Harrington volumes, this is worthwhile Weber. The novel's final third is a particular delight, offering nonstop action that's both well executed and emotionally satisfying.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671577824
• ISBN-13: 978-0671577827
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".

Previously the owner of a small advertising and public relations agency, Weber now writes science fiction full time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast and Fun, May 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Apocalypse Troll (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked up "Apocalypse Troll" to see if I liked David Weber. That is, this was a test run before I jumped into his Honor series. The result: I have already picked up "On Basilisk Station".

"Apocalypse Troll" begins with a riveting battle which runs for the first 65 pages or so. You won't want to put the book down for a break during this period. The story then slows down for a while before building to the climax. The book is well paced and rarely boring. It is not deep and thought provoking, so don't expect "Dune". But it is fun.

The book begins in the far future, where an alien race in mortal combat with humans is on the brink of annihilation. In an effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the aliens take a desperate gamble to jump back in time and destroy the human race well before they develop any technologies. It some aspects, this reminded me of Star Trek's "First Contact" movie.

Through the heroic efforts of Battle Division 92 from the future, and a U.S. Carrier group from our present day which finds itself in the middle of the battle, the initial attack is thwarted. However, one part of the alien's forces, nicknamed a "troll" by the humans of the future, survives and begins a plan to carry out his original mission, and maybe more.

But a human from the future named Colonel Ludmilla Leonovna, a fighter pilot with decades of experience but a young hard female body that sci fi writers love, also survives. Now Ludmilla, along with a veteran Navy SEAL from present day, must begin the plan to defeat this Troll before he can destroy mankind.

Not a deep novel, but fast and fun.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dense action. Non-stop adventure. Natural aliens., September 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Apocalypse Troll (Hardcover)

This is a remarkable book. The first 90+ pages are non-stop action. The most continuously exciting "opening" of any sci-fi book I've every read! The science is solid and detailed. The good guys and alien are deep and believeable. The battle scenes are specific and real. With this one book David Weber has replaced Arthur Clarke as my favorite sci-fi author. (Sorry, Artie.) I can't wait to start his other stories.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, not original, but not bad..., January 10, 2000

By 

Chris Summers - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Apocalypse Troll (Mass Market Paperback)

Another fairly solid book by Mr. Weber. The plot to this book is not original by any means, but for what its worth, it is a well written and entertaining little novel. I always like David Weber's ability to create a detailed universe and this novel is no exception. However, if you are looking for a more original plot, stick with his Honor Harrington series, because this book recycles plot elements seen in numerous other sci-fi books. So, if you are looking for a light read, this book should fit...if you're looking for something to stimulate the mind, skip to something else.