The Chosen (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 6) [Mass Market Paperback]

S.M. Stirling (Author), David Drake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

Planted by interstallar probes on hundreds of human-occupied worlds, the downloaded personalities of Raj Whitehall and the ancient battle computer known as Center work for planetary unity, preparing those worlds for membership of the Second Federation of Man. Excepton Visigar. On Visigar their work is to prevent unity, for on Visigar a nation-state of vicious militarists is about to start the final war to unite their world. If they succeed then it will only be a matter of time before they turn outward, taking their fatal racist infection with them to the stars. John Hosten is the son of a high general of the Chosen. Jeffery Farr is the son of an admiral of the only nation on Visigar that might be able to halt the march of tyranny. A strange twist of fate has united them in their hatred of all that the Chosen hope to do. Only they - with the aid of the disembodied voices of their mentors from the stars - stand between eternal tryanny for their world and eternal war for the galaxy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Drake is best known for the 'Hammer's Slammers' series which effectively created the subgenre of military SF. S.M. Stirling is the author of the 'Draka' parallel universe series. Together they are the authors of the bestselling 'General' sequence which charts the alternate history of Byzantine hero Belisarius, the finest military genius of his time.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671877240
• ISBN-13: 978-0671877248
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft -- I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Appealing to those familiar with Stirling and Drake's works., June 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Chosen (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

A continuation of the General series is a pleasant surprise. The Chosen continues David Drakes' penchant for molding a military fiction around actual history. S.M. Stirling contributes a strategical view of the situational plot which is usually lacking in Drakes' novels (not to the detriment of his stories, though). The S.M. Stirling/David Drake tandem achieves a notable work in this novel. Granted, I enjoy both authors, but rarely am I compelled to start and finish a book in one day. This one was an exception. The military action holds your interest while the promise of the resolution of the strategical situation keeps you turning pages. This novel is a worthy continuation of the General series, although the character of the CENTER computer is much more muted and almost non-existent. In past novels the computer was an integral part of the story; in The Chosen it is much farther in the background. In summary, the story could easily stretch over five novels as the previous series did. The story felt a bit rushed, with far less detail than I had hoped for.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skips through the characters lives too much, August 18, 2000

By 

silliman89 "silliman89" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chosen (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

This entertaining book was very different from the GENERAL series with Center and Raj Whitehall. Raj only has a bit part in this story, although his reminiscing about his life after the general series ended was satisfying (but short).

This is a World War I technology level war story, with very interesting battle scenes, but poor character involvement. The story skips in and out of the hero's life over a period of decades. As a reader, I never really connected that much with the people. I was interested in the final outcome of the war, but the nations were just as interesting as the people in this story, and just as identifiable.

This is a good solid read. If you are a big Raj Whitehall fan, it's fun to think that Center has given him a sort of immortality. If you want to see two of the greatest military authors have fun with World War I, this book is definitely for you. Maybe, as some reviewers have mentioned, if this were expanded into a whole series I would have felt more involved with the characters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really have to disagree with the other reviewers, September 27, 2008

By 

Paul O'Connor (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chosen (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is perhaps the single most brilliant book of the entire "The General" series.

The other reviewers complain that there isn't much character development and that we don't get to see much of the character's lives when they aren't being shot at. This is a valid complaint and is the result of cramming about 2-3 books into a single volume but misses the point of the book completely.

This book is a wonderful illustration (or more accurately, set of illustrations) of the old military maxim that a war is usually won before it starts.

The authors start the book at the late Victorian/WWI technological level and rapid ramped it up to Spanish Civil War level; showing the stresses that drove the technology forward and its effect on both the strategic level and from the point of view of the soldiers who do the shooting and dying.

Yes, there's tons of interesting military action but that's not the point of the book. Watch the weapons and strategies evolve. Watch the economies and policies of the various nations change over time. Marvel at how Center, the Farr family, and the redoubtable Raj Whitehall set a trap for the Chosen over a 20 year period. And then realize at the end of the book that the worst is probably yet to come as the peace will probably be more difficult to win than the war.

The scope and breadth of this book is astonishing. It was written by two men who have a deep understanding of history, not just military history, and have learned some of its hardest lessons. I would almost argue that it should be required reading for anybody who wants to be a high government official.