Better to Beg Forgiveness . . . [Hardcover]

Michael Z. Williamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2007

Celadon, a poor nation on a poor planet, engaged in civil war and a haven for every type of villainy in space, is ripe for cleanup. The military could pacify it handily, but it would take a statesman to fix it.

But some statesmen have ethics, which politicians and megacorps find inconvenient. President Bishwanath compounded the sin by being astute, ambitious and capable. Something had to be done, because a working nation isn't much use for pork and graft.

When the word comes down that he is dead, the politicians move on with a new plan, re-allocating resources, and finding a new, more pliable president to put in place.

There are three problems with this solution. Bishwanath is not dead. His mercenary bodyguards are more loyal than the politicians. And if they're not on contract, there are no rules.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Z. Williamson was born in Birkenhead, England and raised in Liverpool, and Toronto, Canada, before moving to Columbus, Ohio. An 18-year veteran of the US Army and US Air Force, he is a state-ranked competitive shooter in combat rifle and combat pistol. His other books include Freehold (Baen), the Target Terror series for Harper-Collins, so far including Targets of Opportunity and The Scope of Justice, and Hero, a collaboration with New York Times best-selling author John Ringo for Baen. He currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife Gail, their two children, and various cats that are not to be trusted.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Printing edition (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416555080
• ISBN-13: 978-1416555087
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Z. Williamson is retired military, having served twenty-five years in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. He was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Desert Fox. Williamson is a state-ranked competitive shooter in combat rifle and combat pistol. He has consulted on military matters, weapons and disaster preparedness for Discovery Channel and Outdoor Channel productions and is Editor-at-Large for Survivalblog, with 300K weekly readers. In addition to these activities, Williamson tests and reviews firearms and gear for manufacturers. Williamson's books set in his Freehold Universe include Freehold, Better to Beg Forgiveness, and Do Unto Others. His novel The Hero - written in collaboration with New York Times best-selling author John Ringo-has reached modern classic status. Williamson was born in England, raised in Liverpool and Toronto, Canada, and now resides in Indianapolis with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars biff-bam-boom, without the duh....., October 23, 2007

By 

Mackey Chandler "Mac" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Better to Beg Forgiveness . . . (Hardcover)

Mad Mike tells a fast paced good story that entertains without using the cardboard cut-out characters so common in action stories. No firm jawed jocks, the team members here have issues, scratch when they itch and even worry each other from time to time. The projection of what we see in the UN as a swill pit of special interests is dead on sad to say. The fact the good guys are mercenaries says a lot about how bad the bad guys can be. I mean mercenary usually has such a negative connotation, right? Don't be scared to buy it. A good vacation book, but if you read it midweek you may be yawning a lot at work one day. You won't want to lay it aside to finish.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better To Beg Forgiveness, October 25, 2007

By 

Steel (Clarksville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better to Beg Forgiveness . . . (Hardcover)

A well written, fast paced book. Extrapolates what happens when the UN gets involved in space. If it can be screwed up, get the UN involved with lots of money confiscated from people who don't have a choice. Mix in the greed and corruption the UN is famous for now, and you have something Mr. Williamson describes in this book.

Excellent detail on the problems encountered by protection details that care about their principal and doing the job well. It also does a good job describing the friction involved when operating with the military. Good soldiers are not always good bodyguards. They can do the job, but never as good as people who do it for a living. They're also subject to mutiple task masters. When one of the task masters is the UN, it can tear a military unit up with conflicting priorities/orders.

Mr. Williamson also takes into account the fatigue factor that many characters don't seem to have in other books. Food and rest have a large impact on performance. Mr. Williamson gets it.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halfway between now and Freehold...,, October 23, 2007

By 

Dexter C. Guptill (Centreville, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Better to Beg Forgiveness . . . (Hardcover)

... New Caledon is a mess. This book is set around 250 years from now. The setting for MadMike's first couple of books, Grainne, is still Grainne Colony, and not yet the Freehold. The UN is out among the stars, in all its festering putridity. The diplomats and bureaucrats are worthy of Keith Laumer's (Retief!) bitterest mockery. The military forces guarding the mission are encumbered by political correctness, stifling rules of engagement, and "smart" guns. So, who can handle the job of keeping the incoming president alive? Contractors, of course.

When reading MadMike's material, I have a checklist. I expect any of his books to contain certain items, and here I've found them. Food for thought? Check. Humor? Check. A gorgeous lady or two? Check. Explosions? Check. Satire? Check. In-jokes? Tons. Suspense? You got it.

Favorite quote? "Oh -- there's no friendlies left in the palace, then..."

Persons who have had the dubious pleasure of spending part of their lives in various hell-holes around the world, will thoroughly enjoy parts of this book. Specifically, there's lots of noxious people getting shot, and lots of nasty real estate getting blown up. If you liked Freehold and The Weapon, You'll like this one.