Face of the Enemy [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Fawkes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 1999

The Pleasure of the Kill

They strike without warning out of the interstellar depths, their only communication a burst of static--and then death. They are called the Remor, and they kill for the pure joy of killing.

The brave fighting men and women of the Interstellar Defense League eagerly take up the call to arms against the Remor and their grinders--monstrous war machines that leave a trail of death and desolation in their wake. But to win, the League warriors must get inside the machines'-and the mind of their foe. Who--or what--is this mysterious enemy? Where do they come from? And why are they determined to destroy humankind?

Mere courage won't uncover the Remor's secrets. Something else is needed. Something that can only be found in the untamed spirit of a renegade who long ago "went native" with the most primitive species in the known universe...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Face of the Enemy is space opera for thinking readers. Fawkes creates a universe where governments conspire, scientists discover, and soldiers struggle, not just with the enemy, but with the moral dilemmas of duty andhonor. This book makes an excellent addition to the ranks of military SF. Even better, it's good science fiction." -- Bill McKay

About the Author

Richard Fawkes grew up surrounded by books and developed an early fascination for military history that continues to this day. Occasionally, he can be cajoled into admitting, without details, to time spent as a small unit commander and a close combat specialist. At the present time his martial activities are confined to the practice of historical European martial arts. When not devising stories of the Eridani and Humankind's War with the Remor, Fawkes works as a designer of icons for manually controlled tactical simulations.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; First Edition edition (June 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061057959
• ISBN-13: 978-0061057953
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,069,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 30, 2004

By 

John Markley (Oak Lawn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Face of the Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an excellent book, especially for a new author. Fawkes tells a great military science fiction story with lots of intrigue, a very interesting and well-realized setting, and a strong sense of mystery and dread as the characters probe into the mysterious aline menace, the Remor. The characters are very good,and Fawkes does a good job of keeping you interested in them even though some of them are extremely unpleasant people. Highly reccomended.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a shoot-em-up!, July 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Face of the Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)

The foreground story is more complicated and interesting than most military sci-fi. The people have believable, individual motivations, and the issues aren't black and white. There seems to be a LOT going on in the background, and not just the peculiar war against the mysterious aliens. I wish Fawkes had done more than just sketch in some of the governments, personalities, other interests that complicate things with their private agendas. Maybe this was deliberate, to whet our appetites for the rest of the trilogy (series)? If so, it worked for me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex military sci-fi with a few extras, February 3, 2002

By 

Edward Alexander Gerster "miamibooks" (South Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Face of the Enemy (Mass Market Paperback)

The first 150 pages of this novel are overly complex, but don't let that deter you from reading on. The storylines finally do intersect and begin to weave together with varying rates of success. The socio-anthopological complexity that is inherent in both the human and alien cultures is strange and sometimes hard to understand, but the overall concept is fascinating, if disgusting at how mankind can be so "in-human."

There are a number of mysteries generated that are not resolved until the last few pages, and there are several storylines that go unresolved making you wonder if a sequel is pending. The writing is solid, the characters well defined (if somewhat unlikable), and the pace/action moves along briskly. Recommended for those who enjoy reading a bit of military sci-fi mixed with a bit of hardcore and sociological sci-fi.