Captain (Dirigent Mercenary Corps) [Paperback]

Rick Shelley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dirigent Mercenary Corps | Publication Date: March 1, 1999

The year is 2804 AD. Humanity has colonized the universe. But the authority of the Confederation of Human Worlds is spread thin. Where the Army of planet Earth cannot reach, mercenaries must keep the peace--and the Dirigent Mercenary Corps are the best of the best.

Serving with the Dirigent Mercenary Corps wasn’t Lieutenant Lon Nolan’s first choice--it was his only choice. After he was expelled from the North American Military Academy, there was nowhere else to go. He’s finally made a place for himself with the DMC when a girl has to go and throw a wrench in his plans. Sara Pines is beautiful and brilliant, and he’s sure she’s the one.

Unfortunately, Lon’s shipped out to quell a civil war on a distant planet before he has a chance to marry the woman he loves. And now that he’s arrived on Aldrin, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he might never make it home ...

The Dirigent Mercenary Corps books are classics of military science fiction. Rick Shelley was himself a veteran of the U.S. Army, and his experience and knowledge shine through on every page.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Lon Nolan was a green cadet on Dirigent. He won his lieutenant's pips in action on Norbank. No one can doubt his courage; it's been proven in battle. But he meets his match in beautiful Sara Pine, and he knows she is the woman he's waited for all his life. But before Lon can receive official clearance from the Corps to marry, his regiment is ordered out. Their destination: the planet Aldrin, where a fierce civil war has broken out.

On Aldrin, Nolan and his men are caught between two warring colonies, only to learn that the side that hired them has deceived them. With casualties mounting, Lon must lead like never before, or his men may not make it out alive--and he may not make it back to Sara Pine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 281 pages
• Publisher: Ace (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441006051
• ISBN-13: 978-0441006052
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #423,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable military series continues to deliver, March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Captain (Dirigent Mercenary Corps) (Paperback)

Rick Shelly has created an interesting series with his tales of the DMC. I find that his detailed descriptions of combat situations, although some go into such minute detail as eating rations every few pages, they never drag on and add to the ability of Shelly to let you feel the "hurry up and wait" maxin of the military. Although there were few points that seemed improbable, this is fiction after all. When I rate books it is not based on, is it the Great American Novel, but does it deliver what it promises. If you enjoy Military combat stories combined with SciFi, the DMC series delivers.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's in the combat..., March 2, 2000

By 

Kevin Curow (Dartmouth, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Captain (Dirigent Mercenary Corps) (Paperback)

Look, if you are looking for a great story, with evolving characters, then look further. In fact, Shelley's Buchanan Campaign is far better for those things. Shelley is not the world's best writer but when he writes what he knows there is a lot in there. He knows small units tactics. He knows light infantry. His descriptions of combat aren't the best but aren't totally unbelievable. The disappointments in this are: 1) this is the first book in the series where he even mentions that the DMC has tanks and artillery, but they make no appearance, which is strange since even a platoon of armored vehicles might help a lot on a contract; 2) the enemy here are highly-developed, with a large air force, and their is mention of heavy equipment, but it also makes NO appearance (both sides have whole regiments of infantry involved in the combat, but only the enemy manages to muster a handful of light mortars! ); 3) the whole concept of a benign military regime on Dirigent is downright silly; 4) at times the technological superiority of the DMC is inexplicable. Mr. Shelley, please use your knowledge of light infantry to show us what happens when the armor shows up. It would make a pretty exciting story... But if you like to read about combat, you will still enjoy this book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What else can I say? WOW!, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Captain (Dirigent Mercenary Corps) (Paperback)

Oh I love this series. Makes me want to go out and start my own mercenary corps. I was expecting something like hammer's slammers or The regiment series. I'd say it's a little of both. It's written so that humans are not perfect little beings of truth and love, who only use violence as a last act. These guys will fight for whoever pays them, and violence is the first action not the last, unlike the regiment series. On the other hand the DMC doesn't have unstopable machines of mass destruction, like hammer's slammers, or the bolo series. I like it. I also found it was somewhat similar to Chris Bunch's the last legion.