Customer Reviews

Carnifex

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Carnifex (2007) is the second SF novel in the Carrera series, following A Desert Called Peace. In the previous volume, Patrick got another lesson about family vengeance. Then the FSC gave him responsibility for Pumbadeta and lent him FS troops to hold his old ZOR. First, the Legion took out the bridges and surrounded the city.

The Legion let out the sick and injured, pregnant and nursing, and small children, but everybody else was kept in the city to consume the food. After the dogs and cats and rats became scarce, the Legion let out the remaining women and children. At the request of a friendly imam, Carrera allowed the local populace to organize a revolt against the mujahadin and then the Legion el Cid took the city.

In this novel, Fadeel al Nisa is tortured onboard the Hildegard Mises after his capture at Pumbadeta, but he provides little information until his parents are brought aboard. While still holding some things back, Fadeel does perform a scripted interview for the TV cameras. The primary message is the foolishness of those who are blown to bits while taking out innocent bystanders.

Using one item of information from Fideel, a Legion assassination team takes out three Ikhwan chiefs and leaves calling cards implicating the Tauran press. Then an Ikhwan team takes out a Tauran News Network truck and everyone inside it. The press is now becoming disillusioned with the terrorist cause.

On the UEPF Spirit of Peace, Captain Wallenstein returns from Terra Nova with a distinct aversion to ever going back again to visit Mustafa ibn Mohamed ibn Salah min Sa'ana. She briefs High Admiral Robinson on the situation down below. Sumer is basically lost to the Ikhwan, but they might be able to stretch out the defeat. Still, the Ikhwan seems to be doing well in Pashta, although they need more time to rearm and train new leaders.

In this story, the Progressive Party has ousted the Federalists in the last election within the Federated States of Columbia. Ron Compos is no longer the Secretary of War. Instead, James K. Malcolm now occupies that position.

Carrera knows that the FSC will not employ the Legion much longer in Sumer, but he has a plan to tide over his troops for the next year or so. Shipping in the Nicobar Straits and along the Xamar Coast is suffering severely from piracy. Patrick has acquired several surplus Anglican Navy ships, including an aircraft carrier. He intends to use the carrier and auxiliary vessels to provide protective services to any shippers willing to pay his price.

One side theme of this novel is the strains on marital relationships. The couples featured in the story include Carrera and his second wife Lourdes, but this marriage also has the ghost of his first wife Linda lurking in the background. Mendoza is a blind and legless veteran of the Legion who is strongly dependent upon his wife Marqueli to read his textbooks. Cruz is a serving legionnaire whose wife Cara is very anxious about his time in combat and would rather that he leave the military.

This story continues the tale of the Carrera's revenge on the Sulafi Ikhwan. In his fight against the Ikhwan, he also has to attack various factions that explicitly support these terrorists. In this volume, the media have learned the hard way -- including some assassinations -- to avoid explicit attacks against the Legion or tacit support of the terrorists.

The story is a quite explicit relating of the horrors of war. As Sherman said, "War is hell". This series develops that theme very strongly, but it also points out the necessities of a war on terror. The best commander in such a war is ruthless as needed. As stated elsewhere, a butcher of the enemy.

Highly recommended for Kratman fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of anti-terrorist warfare, military training and tactics, and marital relationships in the military.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This book is a continuation of A Desert Called Peace, at least one more follow up is planned. This book takes Carrera to leading his mercenary troops, The Legion, to defeating the immediate enemies who destroyed his family. His allegiance is now only to the Legion and his adopted country. He carries out military operations which forces three times his size are unable to do. Making enemies and new allies as he does so. Of interest is also the blurbs which detail the Earth now under the governance of the United Nations, controlled by the transnationals (tranzis). An the UN's attempts to control the colony world. An excellent read and I highly recommend it.

The sequel to "A Desert Called Peace", Carnifex dives into the increasingly open warfare between the United Earth and the Terra Novans. The Legion, formed by Patrick Carrera and allies in Balboa, continues the fight against the radical Islamics. The good guys experiment with a naval contingent, and take on both Salafi pirates and the shipping conglomerates supporting them.

Interestingly, Patrick Carrera, like Edmond Dantés, struggles mightily with the cost of seeking his revenge. The next generation of Carreras looms large as the Legion forges strong ties with the tribal societies of Pashtia to oppose the dominant Salafi mujahideen, as well as their supporters, the United Earth representatives and their allies the perfidious cosmopolitan progressives.

A great read for all military science fiction fans, Carnifex, like ADCP, explores the darker side of warfare against an unprincipled enemy.

"Carnifex" is exactly the right title for this book. If you liked "A Desert Called Peace", you'll like this book. If you think that we're being too nice to the terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, etcetera, you'll like this book. If you agree that the Laws of War only protect those who ABIDE by the Laws of War, you'll like this book.

Neither "ADCP" nor "Carnifex" are for the weak of stomach. There's explosions, and fires, and bullets flying. As Arlo Guthrie said, there's "blood, 'n gore, 'n guts, 'n veins in muh teeth, 'n dead burnt bodies...". On the other hand, watching the bad guys get theirs is truly inspirational. I hope that there's another coming in the series. It's time to go back to Earth.

Baen's military SF isn't for everyone. It's very much an acquired taste. But then, so is Kimchee, or Habanero peppers.

The second book in the Terra Nova series, "Carnifex" is the point in the story where most authors would have ended. With the chaos surrounding him, Patrick Carrera has managed to build the mercenary unit he founded to kill those that killed his family, the Legion Del Cid, into a real military. Every day, he gets closer to the man that ordered the attack that killed the ones he loved...the only question is if the quest for revenge will burn him out before he gets there.

Carnifex expands the universe that Kratman writes in, adding more details about how venal the government of United Earth is, showing how in some ways the United Earth has created it's own worst enemy, and politicians that are the very definition of "if this is the cure, give me the disease".

It's a good book, but one that must be read carefully, lest the reader look too deeply into how much he would love to see Osama Bin Laden hanging from a cross with ropes...

This book is a great sequel to ADCP A Desert Called Peace
The story is well writen and can be read as an alternative history on the post 9/11 world or an traditional Science fiction book.
The authors millitary experience and attention to facts are hard to miss and the book presents a lot of interesting ideas.
Perhaps a good read for all presidential candidates this season ?
I strongly recomend this book and hope to se more stories from this facinating universe created by Tom Kratman.

Carnifex is an excellent read. Kratman continues his exploration of Terra Nova and what is needed to fight terrorism that is aided and abetted by the United Earth forces. There is much more action and less time spent building the background for the Legion Del Cid.

With each book Kratman's writing gets better and smoother. The use of interludes to give snap shots of the history of Terra Nova are very interesting just by themselves, and will hopefully lead to at least one book set in beginnings of Terra Nova society.

The really scary part of the series is having seen events unfold in real life that Kratman had written about before they happen.

If you're looking at this review, you've probably read or are planning to read A Desert Called Peace. You can read my review there. And if you like or liked the first book, you'll like the second one too. Please let there be more.

You will either love or hate this book. If you are a very liberal person, I don't think you will enjoy it very much. Though you might learn something.

Carnifex continues the story of a very bleak future. Earth is a hole (well maybe not literally but close enough). United Earth forces (a successor to the UN) want to weaken and bring about the collapse of civilization on Terra Nova. Patrick Carrera is not going to let that happen.

Salafi (supported by the United Earth Peace Fleet) terrorists killed his family. He creates an army in the first book of this series (A Desert Called Peace) and now he is going to use it. Read along as we all learn what it takes to fight an ideology. Be prepared for an action packed ride that has enough parallels to reality that you just might learn something.

I was sorry there was not more when I came to the end.
There are so few authors that can convey the dedication and extreme determination involved in a no-holds-barred fight to the death. Kratman is one of those authors. He supplys not only scenes of struggles, but the stratey, tactics and philosophy that guide and motivate the struggle.
He outlines techniques that I can only wish we were using in our unfortunate Iraq involvement.