Customer Reviews

The Butcher's Bill

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the third book in the series. An introduction by David Drake is followed by: But Loyal to His Own, At Any Price, The Butcher's Bill, Hangman, The Irresistible Force, Cultural Conflict, Liberty Port and Standing Down. Many of the stories are important to the Hammer's Slammers' universe. But Loyal to His Own and Standing Down are about Hammer himself, as a man and a commander. The Butcher's Bill is the first story written about the Slammers. The new story is Irresistible Force which continues the story of Lamartiere, who we met in The Immovable Object - which makes TWO stories set in the Hammer's Slammers universe about a character who was never trained to drive or fire or do anything with a tank!
This book is a must because many of the repeat stories are in books that have been out of print a very long time.

David Drake does it again. This book is must reading for the military science fiction enthusiast and should be read by every combat officer in the US Army as a primer for what to do and what not to do as a leader. "Every leader thinks he can lead his men into heaven" but not all do. Read this book and understand why.

Drake has done it again. In this work he captures the feeling of the front line troops and the human effect of war. As always, a well done work.

This was the first David Drake book I read and I may give one of his complete novels a look. This book was ok. It didn't capture me with either the military fiction or the character development. It seemed like a passable way to spend some time when there was nothing more pressing to read. Of course, I am judging novel type character development on a collection of short stories...but it seemed flat. It certainly didn't compare to Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" (The book, not that wretched movie), or to Card's "Ender's Game".
I've heard that Drake's books are pretty good, it maybe that this compilation of short stories doesn't do his work justice. If you're interested in this genre, I'd start somewhere else to get something really captivating.

One of the best of David Drake's works. Definatly recomeded for Slamars lovers or if you are interested in military/science fiction.