Bolo Strike [Hardcover]

William H., Jr. Keith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bolos | Publication Date: August 28, 2001

"TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILS...."

And this Victor is fully capable of raking them in, a Bolo Mark XXXIII of the 4th Regiment, Second Brigade, First Confederation Mobile Army Corps, in the vanguard of an all-out Bolo strike against the planet Caern. The enemy is the Aetryx, shadowy, unknown beings who enslave other species with nothing less than the promise of immortality. As a savage, interstellar war begins, Colonel Jon Streicher prepares to lead Victor and the rest of his regiment in that most difficult of tactical evolutions -- a planetary invasion.

But D-Day turns into a disaster, and Caern is a deadly trap. Colonel Streicher and his command team find themselves stranded on the target planet, desperately attempting to survive the hellfire chaos of modern warfare, as Bolo faces Bolo-human hybrid in a cataclysmic showdown that will uncover unexpected truths, reveal hidden secrets, and even call into question the loyalty of the Dinochrome Brigade itself.

For just what will happen if the Aetryx aren't slavers after all, but literal gods who can make good on their promise of eternal life?

The Dinochromes are about to find out.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following Bolo Brigade and Bolo Rising, Keith serves up a military SF adventure with the exciting complexity of a good computer war game and about as much depth. Keith Laumer was the first to write about the Bolos, immense tanks that develop enough intelligence to become partners rather than mere tools of flesh-and-blood warriors. Since Laumer's death, other writers have carried on the concept, so that a Mark XXXIII Bolo weighing 32,000 fearsomely-armed tons can ponder its relations with humans in leisurely fractions of seconds when it isn't deflecting nuclear missiles or outmaneuvering swarms of other tanks. In this novel, the Bolos' Confederation commanders have seriously bungled a planetary invasion intended to free human slaves from mysterious aliens. Unfortunately, the aliens are smarter and more ruthless than anticipated, and they control earlier-model Bolos that are almost as formidable as the Mark XXXIIIs. The pace of conflict escalates constantly, especially after Confederation personnel crash-land in the battlefield. The human characters themselves are pretty rudimentary, but their presence does serve to further complicate the action. The result is fast, furious and clever. It would be a mistake to call this kind of fiction "mindless" fun, since readers have to keep track of damage reports, ammunition status and battlefield tactics; the enjoyment simply requires that you turn off the part of your mind interested in people. An old pro at action series (Warstrider, Seals and Battle Tech), Keith does his part to keep this franchise profitable. (Sept.)Act with Babylon 5 star Peter Jurasik.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

When the colonists on the planetary satellite Caern fall prey to the Aetryx, a conquering race of genetic engineers, the Confederation sends its Bolo-enhanced forces to liberate the world. Complications arise when the attackers realize that the Aetryx also possess Bolo-technology and maintain a territorial advantage as well. This latest installment in the popular "Bolo" series (Bolo Brigade, Bolo Rising) features more nonstop action involving sentient war-machines in a far-future of galactic exploration and colonization. For libraries where military sf is in demand.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (August 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671318357
• ISBN-13: 978-0671318352
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,442,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They just keep getting better., March 3, 2002

By 

Orion "orionca" (Riverside, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bolo Strike (Hardcover)

How can you argue with a 32,000 ton Mk XXXIII Bolo Planetary Siege Unit? Veeeerrrry Carefully. Action, adventure, drug abuse and recovery, are there any bases Keith hasn't covered here? Well worth the read.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Take out the human element., September 22, 2001

By 

M. A. Ramos (Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bolo Strike (Hardcover)

If there was no human element in this book, it might be 4 stars. It has a slow start. The star of the book,is Victor a Bolo Mark XXXIII of the 4th Regiment, Second Brigade, First Confederation Mobile Army Corps, in the vanguard of an all-out Bolo strike against the planet Caern. The enemy is the Aetryx, shadowy, unknown beings who enslave other species with nothing less than the promise of immortality. As a savage interstellar war begins, Colonel Jon Streicher prepares to lead Victor and the rest of his reigment in a planetary invasion. But the landing falls into a trap. They find themselves stranded and desperately attempting to survive the hellfire chaos of modern warfare as Bolo faces Bolo-human hybrid in a cataclysmic showdown that will uncover unexpected truths, reveal hidden secrets, and even call into question the loyalty of the Dinochrome Brigade itself. Should have only had the Bolo elements in this book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caern was once a human planet,, December 15, 2002

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bolo Strike (Mass Market Paperback)

colonized during the Concordiat age. Cut off during the Melcon Armageddon the planet was absorbed by the Aetryx, an alien race who believed they were a race of Gods. The humans of the Cofederation Mobile Army Corps decide to launch an invasion to free the enslaved populace. But there seems to be a few problems. One, many of the people of Caern seem to be loyal towards the Aetryx. Two, the Aetryx seem to have Bolos within their ranks who are just as loyal. Three, the Aetryx may really be GODS!

The book is packed solid with good battle action, with savage space combat and lots of Bolos fighting on their own. Yes, sometimes the humans get in the way, but without humans the Bolos have no reason to fight, to reach for victory and to overcome their own limitations. Anyway the Bolos spend a good first-third of the novel on their own, fighting for their lives, before the humans even make land-fall. THEN things really get rough!