Customer Reviews

Kingdom's Swords (Starfist, Book 7)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the previous volume of this series, HANGFIRE, readers were set up for some nastiness by the "skinks" without ever finding out just what they were up too. All we knew was that it would not be good for humanity or the marines. We learn more in this book and it is not good for either.

Once again, Sherman and Cragg demonstrate a liking for pursing widely variant plotlines simultaneously. They did an adequate job of this before but their skills are improving in this one.

The main plot involves the committal of the 34th FIST to action on the world of Kingdom. They think they are headed in to suppress a peasant revolt but it turns out that it is the skinks who are the cause of the problems and they are major problems. To make matters worse, Kingdom is a theocracy and the marines must face a local government that is as potentially dangerous as the real enemy. Just to keep the pot stirred up, there are also dissident elements at work within Kingdom that have a strong desire to hurt the marines, the Kingdom government, the confederacy and anyone one else who disagrees with them. To make matters worse, many do not believe in the aliens the marines are fighting and believe it all to be some sort of convoluted plot.

The second plotline concerns Captain Coronado, CO of L Company. A few volumes back he was involved in a hush-hush operation dealing with another alien sentient species. In that book, he did the right thing, against the cruel and inhumane orders of the scientific leader of the post, and is returning to earth to face court martial. This puts strains on his family situations in ways recognizable to anyone who has ever tried to serve both a family and the military. Needless to say, the gallant captain has his own adventures along the way and improvises, adapts and overcomes....just the way a good jarhead is expected to do.

This is actually probably the best book in the series so far. There are a few surprises and new twists. Its going to take at least one more book and some significant reinforcements to get the marines out of this mess.

I really enjoyed the book. Although, I will have to wait for the next book to conclude my opinion on this book. The cliffhanger is kind of weird since the whole story of the book doesn't seem to end.

Also, for the first time, the authors tried to do more than one storyline and it feels kind of weird. One of the storyline brings nothing to the actual story or the 34th FIST Marine. This could explain on why they did not conclude the story since they had already too much.

Overall, it is still a good StarFist book. Different from the previous one but this is what bring the joy in reading :o)

I am an avid Starfist saga follower, and that will continue, but I thought Startfist 7 was a little weak. The cliffhanger ending needed some more beefing up (Gunny Bass put himself in a dangerous situation without following some simple combat rules he knows very well). Also, many Skinks are flashed (killed), but the 34th FIST never once recovered any of the Skink's acid weapons for analysis. The weapons didn't flash and disappear when the Skinks did, did they? No, of course not! Recovering an acid weapon and analyzing it to develop a defense against it would be the first thing I'd do.

Worth reading to keep the series alive, but I hope Dan Cragg reads this review and takes steps to improve plot quality...

More of a 2 1/2

I enjoyed this book, but did not think it was up to the previous in the series. The main problem was that it was disjointed in its plotting and pace. It felt like they had the basic book together and then created a separate plot line (or two) and wedged it in there. It broke up the main story and created a lack of cohesion that was bothersome. Sherman and Cragg have pulled off parallel plots before with great success, so I know they can do it. They just seemed all over the place in this one.

(Minor spoiler alert)This is also the first book where the major campaign was not completed. I'm not adverse to cliffhangers per se, but there wasn't really any true build up and the termination seemed arbitrary.

I still loved the characters and the writing itself is as exciting as usual. I hope these fine authors can get back on a more cohesive track with the next volume.

I've enjoyed every book in this series. Just marvelous fun. Starfist 7 not only continues the adventures of heroes we've come to know and care deeply about, but it further deepens the characters, which is very hard to do after so many books. And, as always, the authors' knowledge of fighting men--in any time and place--is vividly on display. No armchair fantasist could portray combat, present or future, as well as these two deeply experienced men have done. Very, very good reading. And far more resonance than most science fiction works--really, this has become a classic series. Take a break from the grind and read this delightful book.

The book was very well written. Maybe even better than the one before! There were a few typos with who did what in what book. And the ending! That is a really well done cliffhanger! I would have liked to have seen more of Dean but I like the majority of the characters and I liked the introduction of the new characters!

Great book, part of a great series. I've read them all and loved them.

KINDOM'S SWORDS(5/2002) is the 7th book in the STARFIST series of Military SciFi stories, which follow the exploits in the 25th century of a company of Space-faring Marines.

This book has a couple of intertwining story lines... the main one involving hard fighting on the religious outpost planet "Kingdon", where the Marines meet up with the "skinks" again... the second and third story lines are somewhat lame, and involve Captain Coronado's court martial, and his wife's exploits while he is gone... this is really "part I" of two books, and you will need to read Book VIII in the series to finish what this book starts.

The technology in this first "post 9/11" offering from the STARFIST series is only slightly better than in the first books in the series, but there still is a lot to be desired in a book that supposedly takes place 400+ years in the future. I find these books enjoyable... but, I notice that nobody else has reviewed this particular book since 2002 (this review is written in 5/2008)... so, the idea that the technology in these books has gone somewhat "stale" appears to be a new concept in these reviews.

In this book the 34th is up agienst their old foes from Society 437. They take casualties but then their problems are just begining. A band of terrorists(Have I read this somewhere before) go to earth on a mission and it is up to the marines to stop them. In this case I think the authors draw an interesting parelle. Christian fanatisim can be just as deadly as the islamic kind(Read the book to see what I mean)

The book is a great return to the good old days of Starfist action. Its a great mix of the small but intense action of Gunny Bass and his 3rd platoon on Elneal (Book One) and the Campaign agiasnt Sy. Cyr's corporate armies (book three.) Easily this is the best book of them all yet.