The First Casualty [Paperback]

Mike Moscoe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Two green draftees of the Society of Humanity. Two career soldiers invested with the cause of the United Colonies. These four soldiers on opposing sides of battle are about to discover the true nature of this terrible war--a quest for profit--from the high command of both sides. What they will risk is nothing less than their lives. For although truth is the first casualty of war, it won't be the last.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As the Society of Humanity and the Unity Party wage a war in the far reaches of space, soldiers on both sides of the battle realize the bitter truth that underlies a conflict based on profit and power. Moscoe's (Lost Days, Ace, 1998) fast-paced military sf adventure presents a grim look at the reality of war and the cost to those who risk their lives for the causes of others. A good choice for most sf collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Ace Books; 1st edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441005934
• ISBN-13: 978-0441005932
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #784,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good war story in space., April 5, 1999

By 

Sparta (IOWA CITY, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Casualty (Paperback)

Moscoe has a nice clean writing style that provides just the right level of detail to form his universe and the fighting situations. I enjoy a good sci-fi war story and the author provides it. The central characters are divided between a ground based marine fighting unit and a ship based "naval" unit, and the two story lines merge to climax a good tale.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Seemed "average" to me....., July 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The First Casualty (Paperback)

Good space battles between ships, but some of the physics involved seemed "wrong" to me. Maybe I shouldn't gripe about physics in a book involving FTL space flight, but when a ship accellerates at 3 gees for several days, it should have to decellerate at the same rate for the same time as well. Too often the ships just seem to come to a stop, or at least the author doesn't describe that several days of braking were involved. Minor gripe? Possibly, and I for one could have done without the sappy and cliche drama of Major Longknife and his wife as well. It's an okay book if you're just looking for some mindless entertainment, but thought-provoking, it is not.