Cally's War (Posleen War Series #4) [Hardcover]

John Ringo (Author), Julie Cochrane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2004

Cally O'Neal was trained from childhood as a premier killer. Officially listed as dead, for the past forty years she has lived a life of aliases, random lovers and targeted assassinations. This has led her to become the top in her profession, undefeatable, invulnerable. And in the process, she has lost her soul. Now she, and the man she loves, must battle to reclaim it. But Cally will find that leaving her dark world of shadow identities, murder-for-hire, and deadly secrets will be more difficult than any of the many lethal operations she carried out in the past. Her employers think she knows too much to live, and the scores of enemies she has made still have her at the top of their hit lists. The real question is, will she win her soul only to lose her life?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Ringo is author of the New York Times best-selling series so far comprising A Hymn Before Battle, Gust Front, When the Devil Dances, and Hell's Faire, and co-author with David Weber of March Upcountry and March to the Sea, the first three books in the popular Prince Roger series. He had visited 23 countries by the time he graduated high school. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, he brings first-hand knowledge of military operations to his fiction. His latest solo novel is Emerald Sea, the sequel to There will be Dragons.

Julie Cochrane was born in Ohio and and made her first attempts at novels in junior high and high school. Initially studying Chemistry at Georgia Tech, she got her bachelors in psychology and promptly decided that computer science was a better way to earn a living. She lives in the Atlanta Metro area with her husband, their daughter, one very enthusiastic German Shepherd, and the gerbil custodian of the secrets of the universe. Her hobbies include pistol markmanship, history, criminology, Irish language, and folk music. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From AudioFile

As the most effective assassin on earth, Cally takes advantage of being "officially dead" by living on the fringes of an underground movement that continues its fight against invaders. But her last assignment threatens to break through her seemingly impervious personal shield. Christine Marshall and William Dufris team up as narrators. Their personification of characters is vivid, strong, and distinct, whether they're presenting humans or humanized voices of artificial intelligence devices and a smattering of nonhuman characters. In segments with both narrators, they work well together; their dialogue is quick and sharp. Marshall and Dufris are a well-matched team. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Baen; 1St Edition edition (October 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743488458
• ISBN-13: 978-0743488457
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #569,149 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

180 of 204 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked it :-), October 25, 2004

By 

John Ringo "Fleetstrike 6" (Chattanooga, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cally's War (Posleen War Series #4) (Hardcover)

Wow, there are some ticked fans out there.

First of all, I created the plot to Cally's War so don't bother blaming Julie. What people have been complaining about is "all my fault." No, it's not Posleen Carnography. Neither are the TWBD books, and the future Mike O'Neal books won't be either. Deal.

I'd originally envisioned doing the book myself, but having dealt with Julie Cochrane for a time and being booked up (pardon the pun) I gave it to her. I think she did a better job than I could have, if for no other reason than the very real female touch in her writing.

Second, yeah, it's a love story. Wah. My favorite Shakespeare is the Taming of the Shrew, not Henry the Fifth.

Reactions have been mixed, from very good to very terrible without much in between. I never promised to do all Posleen all the time (in fact, I don't think I've ever _promised_ to do anything but try to write good books that people enjoy) and I won't. Into the Looking Glass in June or July 2005 will be close but mostly I'm going in directions that don't involve huge quantities of bodies being blasted into yellow goo. (Shrugs) I can only write what _I_ like. If you want more yellow goo, write it yourself.

Oh, speaking of which, Watch on the Rhine (sometime 2005) is a good old fashioned Posleen carnography story by someone that's maybe a tad better at it than I, Thomas Kratman, LTC, USAR, currently an instructor at the War College. Of course, it's about the German response which is to, among other things, rejuvenate and recreate the Waffen SS. So I'm sure the reviews to that will be mixed as well.

If you read nothing else in the book, be sure to turn to the end and read the Author's FAQ.
:-)

Y'all take care now.

John Ringo
Commerce, GA
Oct 2004

As I said above, in response to further reviews, I don't agree. I liked Cally's War, both in detail and in spirit and the other books in the spin-off series will be similar. (Perhaps with a bit less sex, for reasons that make sense.) And I'll also say that if Cally's War truly turned your stomach as a "John Ringo" book, then like the gentleman who was throwing fits on Megan's Tale, you're probably better off reading the Webscriptions or picking it up, used, in PB. I don't guarantee _anything_ in my writing except writing what _I_ enjoy reading. I enjoyed writing the Posleen carnography, but the term is "past tense." As of a conversation this evening, there may _may_ be some additional carnography books coming from myself and Tom Kratman. We'll have to see.

John

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Departure from the Usual..., April 8, 2005

By 

Amerigo Vespucci (Fairbanks, Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cally's War (Posleen War Series #4) (Hardcover)

Despite the names on the cover, this book was primarily written by Julie Cochrane, (at least according to Ringo.) With that being said, the reader has a somewhat different picture of what to expect. It's not written like the previous books in the "Posleen" series. There are no large-scale carnage-fests. Instead, Cally's War is a far personal look into the world Ringo created several years ago. The story is set many years after the defeat of the Posleen invasions, and the young (in previous books) Cally has grown into a cold and ruthless killer. She, among others, are members of a resistance group, the Bane Sidhe, fighting the Galactic-dominated American/Earth government. Cally must take the role of a military officer, and infiltrate the Terran military base on Titan.

The world itself is dark and pessimistic. It's not a nice place. Cally herself is a manifestation of that world, and thus a cold killer. She's a typical anti-hero, albeit in female form. For me, the pessimism and darkness of the book was really a turn-down. The world is detailed, and realistic, given the considerations of the story. The side trips Cally makes, while distracting from the plot, break even as they make the world more dynamic in my eyes. This book is far more suited to a fan of the Posleen series specifically, rather than a Ringo fan in general, due to the dual authorship. I recommend the prospective reader look for the book at their local library, the Baen electronic versions, or in a used bookstore. I felt it was worth the five dollars I spent on the Baen Websubscriptions electronic version, but it probably would not have been had I spent the full cover price.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting change of direction for the Ringoverse, October 4, 2004

By 

Keith Glass (Winchester, VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cally's War (Posleen War Series #4) (Hardcover)

The Posleen War is over: the good guys won. . . or did they ??? Set in the 2040's, Cally's War is the tale of Cally O'Neill, who, along with her grandfather, Mike O'Neill Sr., "died" in "Hell's Faire". But the Darhel and their agents are still trying to control the human race, who they see as a threat to their control of the galaxy.

Jump to Cally O'Neill: last seen as a heavily-armed teenager during the latter days of the Posleen War on Earth, she's now an accomplished assasin for the Bane Sidhe, the combined Indowy-Human resistance against the Darhel. . . Cally changes outward personalities and appearances the way the rest of us change clothes. We follow her on a trip through post-Posleen America, on a hit, and on to her most dangerous mission: find out who the Darhel spy in the Bane Sidhe is. . .and stop the leak.

All in all, a most entertaining read, with the most dangerous woman in SF I've seen in a LONG time. . . .the continuing adventures of Cally O'Neill should prove to be interesting, as it's quite obvious this is NOT her last story. . .

Like the Himmit. . . . I'll be watching the continued adventures of Clan O'Neill. . . .