The Compleat Bolo [Mass Market Paperback]

Keith Laumer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Even in the future, the classic mercenary dilemma remains: can you trust your servants not to turn on you? The servants protecting mankind and the Terran Empire are the Bolos -- gigantic battle tanks with robot brains. When the alien Deng expand into human space, the Bolos counter-attack. But they seem to have a war plan all their own, one that doesn't take humanity into account....

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baen (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671698796
• ISBN-13: 978-0671698799
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tanks with an attitude and honor., January 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Compleat Bolo (Mass Market Paperback)

Keith Laumer, in the book "The Compleat Bolo" (ISBN 0-671-69879-6) takes the tank, which was first deployed during World War 1 and uses the advances in technology (computers, armor, and weapons) to develop the most powerful combat vehicle known to man called a Bolo. There are eight stories that describe the evolution of the Bolo. His first story covers a Mark II and Mark III as man begins the first deep space mission and recovery from a war eighty years in the past. Next in the series, he describes how the first self-aware and self-directing Mark XX Bolo enters service with the military during another war. This Bolo, named Denny, scares many of the military brass, because of the potential for the gaint combat machine to attack its own creators. Denny's actions in battle and the results make good reading. Each of the other stories build on the honor and devoted service of these giant creations. This book is well worth the read for any science fiction addict.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the Bolos, May 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Compleat Bolo (Mass Market Paperback)

Anyone wishing to become familiar with Keith Laumer's Bolos should start here. It collects many previously published and widely scattered stories into one handy volume, and the writing is terrific. The stories cover many different eras, from the mid-21st century to the far future. A great all-around collection of SF stories, and the perfect starting place for the universe of the Bolos.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Combination of 1976 Bolo & 1986 Rogue Bolo, January 2, 2006

By 

Antinomian (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Compleat Bolo (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a combination of previously released works. The 1976 Bolo was a collection of short stories of the computer-controlled tanks called Bolo. Rogue Bolo is a novel from 1986.

1976 Bolo:
o A Short History of the Bolo Fighting Machines (intro)
o The Night of the Trolls
o Courier (aka The Frozen Planet)
o Field Test
o The Last Command
o A Relic of War
o Combat Unit

Combat Unit, written in 1960, was Laumer's first Bolo story. The Night of the Trolls is from 1968. The Last Command: 1971. A Relic of War: 1972. Field Test: Mar 1976. Don't let the 1990 date of Compleat Bolo fool you, these stories have been out for a while. However, that is not to say they are not worth reading if you haven't read them, They are considered classics and are the originals by Laumer. This is just to let those that follow the Bolo series that they may have already read some or all of these stories.

If you don't already know, the Bolo stories are of computer-controlled, extremely armored and weaponed tanks (think of the tanks in beginning of the movie `The Terminator') that typically act with a strong sense of integrity and honor. In a sense it is like mechanized human engineering since these tanks are programmed with these qualities, but nevertheless the Bolo's are at times, if not always, to be admired for their actions. To be fair to us human beings, it's easier to be a bad-ass when you're surrounded by several tons of steel and quite formidable fire power.

I suppose the Bolo series would fall under the category of Military science fiction, which is considered a contentious issue in the present day Speculative Fiction `cutting-edge' world. These stories are classics though and came out before I even heard the term Military SF, and are some of the originals of that entire subgenre. Not being familiar with Military SF, I cannot say how these stories compare to more modern works. To me, I found the stories just OK. The concept behind them was a lot more appealing than stories themselves. You can consider the stories to be a glorification of war as the speculative fiction writers would say or you can consider them to be the best representation of human emotions in extreme conditions.