Customer Reviews

The Morcai Battalion

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is definietely Diana's writing and her wit but a new genre for most of her fans. It was a little difficult at the beginning to read and understand all the plot and characters but it gets better as it moves through the story. I am looking forward to reading more about these characters.
Ms Palmer writes that she started this book when she was a teenager and this is a dream for her to get the book out and in a way she wanted. I liked the story and want to know more.
One thing I think I should mention, I read the other reviews and here is my take, Diana Pamler is very up front about this is a different story then her normal (its sci-fi not western romance) and that she started this one as a teenager. Review the story on those merits not against her other work, she says it is different. They are not comparable, dont try. This is a pet peeve of mine if you feel you must judge something do it on its merits not against something that is irrelevant.

As referenced by another reviewer. Ms. Palmer is probably thinking danged if I do danged if I don't. If you are looking for a typical boy meets girl, they suffer through trials, and end up happy, or a western setting... you are bound to be startled by this book. It IS a departure. That said, I was an old time Diana Palmer boy meets girl fan for many many years but I do admit that after a while I became accustomed to her writing style and left to seek different pastures. I was slow to return to Ms. Palmers world but I believe in trying different things so I checked this one out from the library. I was VERY happy I did so. Yes, the book does show its age from its original publication era in the technology area (lots of modem references) but being from the age group who remember modems first being introduced I was not bothered. I think you should approach this book from the standpoint of, it isn't the same old Diana us Harlequin girls new and this is not the hard core sci/fi novel you may be expecting. It is delightfully in the middle. I agree that there was some fact repetition and some passages could have been eliminated but I read this with the following in mind. It was a first sci fi effort (I believe) it is a quick refresh of a much older book and don't expect a boy & girl cowboy story. With that in mind. I enjoyed it. I look forward to the next books.

This book was written when the author was 17 years old and has now been republished. The story is interesting - strong female doctor and strong but silent hunk who reminds me of Mr.Spock. However the writing is childish and repetitive. Apparently there are more to come in this series with updated story lines so things may get better with the next books. But who knows how long we have to wait to find out what happens next. Borrow this book or wait for the paperback, it is not worth the hardcover price.

There is much confusion about this offering from Susan Kyle, aka Diana Palmer. Though she explains in her letter to the readers that this book is not a romance, readers, reviewers, and even my local library, see the name "Diana Palmer," and label the book as a romance. This misconception is aided by the book jacket, lauding the author's award-winning romances complete with hot and sizzling reviews of her other novels. Nowhere does it refer to the book as science fiction. But if the letter to the readers does not tip you off, certainly this line on page 81 should dash all hope of romance: "Fraternization was the only offense left on the books that carried the death penalty."

In the Kindle version of this novel, the author is listed as Susan Kyle, and being a reworked effort of hers from her teen years, I understand the need to promote the book with Diana Palmer's fame. Finding this book in the Romance section of my library, I, too held out hope for the blending of my two favorite genres. The Kindle version of the sequel, The Recruit, by Susan Kyle is now available. I'm hoping for a great futuristic tale with the great character development and romance that the author is famous for.

As science fiction, I found the book interesting and readable, but no match for the best in the genre. A little romance couldn't hurt. With a more experienced writer in Susan Kyle and the great romantic stylings of alter-ego Diana Palmer, I have high hopes for the sequels. But again, folks, this first book is science fiction, pure and simple. In spite of the name on the cover, you won't find romance within.

I love Diana Palmer's writing for her vivid descriptions that make you lose yourself from the reality where you sit, and feel transported to a new and different place! The phrase "couldn't put it down" is overused, but I literally couldn't put it down to eat or go to bed! Her delightful main characters are well-developed and the relationship between them is what makes the story run, for me. Her plot and conclusions were well-thought out. Her wonderful sense of humor permeates the work, as well as her sensitivity and caring nature.

If you like Diana Palmer's other works, remember that this is a different genre and so the plot has to be different. But, if you put aside the usual romance paths and open your mind to a new experience, you will not be disappointed. As usual for a Diana Palmer book, this one is researched to the hilt to give a realistic feel.

One of the best things about this book, in my humble opinion, is that it is rated G to PG if you count the "h" or "d" words and mild violence, since there are battles and aftermath and torture. It ranks up there with Robert Heinlein's young adult books, though Diana Palmer's style is much different.

I encourage readers who didn't rank it highly to give it a second read. Without the expectations, you might find it deserves more stars.

If my children were still children, I would encourage them to read it. My now college-age daughter did, and loves it! She's an avid Diana Palmer fan like me and loves romance. We also enjoy science fiction/fantasy.

A writer can write well regardless of genre. Just because Diana Palmer excels at romance doesn't mean she can't also excel at science fiction. Many of her romances involve mercenaries or have a police connection. There are many technical points in most of her books; an early one had a survivable small plane crash and a well-researched plausible cause for it: a magneto failure. It is a logical extension of her talents to imagine plausible tech for a future war, with medical tech and living computers. As Diana can give beautiful and vivid descriptions of the land and small-town people in her romance books, so she gives wonderful descriptions of technical points in Morcai Battalion that are clear to laymen.

Anyone can find mistakes in an author's works, if you look hard enough. Good writing shines despite. So does the love that goes into it. I love the Morcai Battalion, and can't wait for the sequels!!

Disclaimer: Although, I try to be objective, I am Diana Palmer's sister. Usually, I don't review Diana's books but this one outdid them all, so I couldn't resist. I don't read her books to be nice, I read them because they are excellent! Morcai Battalion is my favorite, because I was 11 when she let me proofread her pages, eagerly waiting by the typewriter for the next page! I saw this book in its original form, and I love the new one even better. Because I had read the original many times, I expected it not to surprise me, but I didn't see the years of edits. All of my comment here is how I really feel about the book:) Literally, when I ripped open the box, I couldn't put it down and read it right there and then. Her dedication brought a flood of pleasant memories from the old days and I thought there was no way she could improve the original. Happy to say I was wrong. It's a mesmerizing read!

The author tells us up front that this was originally written when she was 17, some 42 years ago before Star Trek and Star Wars. Sadly, it sometimes shows. However, if you can forgive it its flaws, it still makes a pretty good read.

The Terravegan starship Bellatrix arrives at a colony that has been ravaged by the Rojok. Lt. Commander Madeline Ruszel is a doctor and is concerned with getting the many casualties cared for and evacuated before the Rojok forces return. She's aided by her friend and ship-mate Dr. Strick Hahnson. A second ship arrives: a Centaurian warship led by Dtimu, commander-in-chief of the Holconcom, the most elite commando force in the three civilized galaxies. They are looking for any survivors of a diplomatic mission that included two members of the Centaurian royal family and a Jaakob Sphere that contains information that the Rojok could use against the Tri-Galaxy Federation. Unfortunately, the Sphere and one of the royals have been taken and the other royal, a young boy, was tortured to death by the Rojok. Dtimun takes his ship through enemy space in search of the kidnapped princess, and along the way rescues the humans of the Belltrix--and although allies, the Centaurians and the humans do not get along well in the close confines of space--AND there may be agents of the Rojok on the ship attempting sabotage.

There is a lot of action, mostly amongst the quarrelling allies at first. Madeline is sometimes a bit over the top as the feisty ship's doctor, ready to throw a punch or fire a weapon almost at the drop of a hat; only somewhat explained by the fact that she used to be a captain of a squad of female warriors before she went into medicine. Dtimun is almost your archtypical mysterious legendary warrior commander. It's still interesting seeing the characters interact, and although they aren't terribly well-drawn, they are still sympathetic. If you want to see romance, there is little here, although things promise to get more involved between several possible couples.

The two biggest problems I had with the book is that they can clone someone almost instantly AND they retain all their memories (clones are made from DNA from the bodies--but no explanation is given about how memories are transferred). Also, there is "heart surgery [that] still demanded this ancient butchery of opening the ribs to access the heart." Even nowadays they are beginning to operate on the heart without doing this, and this society supposedly has advanced technology. Such things definitely shook me out of the story and kept me aware that the original manuscript was written decades ago. It's too bad that a little tighter editing and some more careful re-writing wasn't done to make this a better book. But the basic story, as I said, was still a good one. Not great, but still good enough that I am interested in reading any sequels.

I've been looking for this book (or the original version published in 1980 by Manor Books) for almost 20 years, and I was thrilled when I found out Luna would be reprinting it. This version has been revised to some extent by the author, and is a solid science fiction novel with romantic undertones. I won't delve into the actual story since the preview above gives a good start to the book. Yes, she originally wrote it when she was 17, but it wasn't published until 1980, which the author explains in her introduction. Still, Palmer creates intriguing characters and interactions, a fast-moving plot, and the promise of two more books about the Morcai Battalion. If you like Palmer's contemporary and historical romances, and are a fan of science fiction and fantasy, then give this book a try. You'll definitely recognize her writing style, and hopefully will enjoy it as much as I did. I gave it four stars because it is a solid, fun book, that is slightly better than an average three stars.

This book was a little bit confusing at first but turned into a solid piece of Sciene Fiction. Just don't expect any romance. I think that is why so my other reviewers are dissapointed. This book is all space adventure with no romance. I stayed up all night till I finished this book. You could tell it was written over 20 years ago but it still was a good story and worth reading. I hope we see more of these characters from Diana in the future.

I love Diana Palmer's writing - yeah, I know, it's usually the boy-meets-girl, they fall in love, get in an argument, make up, and live happily ever after - but I really enjoy her writing.

That said, I really think this book was only barely average for her. She said she'd revised and expanded it, but I think it needed a LOT more editing! Yes, it does repeat some issues too frequently (clone "rights," for instance), but I also found it a bit choppy and disjointed in places, which threw me out of the story.

I did find the characters intriguing, and I think (HOPE!) the sequels (I understand this is a trilogy now?) will be better - after all the guys and gals have gotta hook up and live happily ever after, right? ;-)

So, although I have a lot of Diana Palmer's books on my shelf as "must keep forever," this will not be one of them, unless the sequels are truly superior.

I'm giving this only three stars, because it's a "read once if you're bored," AND because it's Diana Palmer (otherwise it would have gotten two).

Who knew Diana Palmer could write wonderful sci fantasy as well as comtemporary. For someting that was written 40 years ago and polished it showes a wonderful imaginative mind. It has elements of lady warrior medic, elite alien commander, honorable bad guy, insane dictator, on the fence leader,alien princess and the moracai battalion.

It was well polished and I finished it in a couple of sittings. For someone who loves a good story this is reminence of star doc(S.L.Viehl aka lynn viehl darkyn series) and a mixture of other wonderful scifi fantasy authors(linnea sinclair, tanya huff etc.

The only problem i had was it ended to fast for me and it is good to know that there are 2 other books in the series. To see what happens to the characters and the hints throughout the book will come true .Thanks to Luna Books in providing a chance for us to read this book again. The reviewer who did not like this book, I know from experience that few people like to switch generes, that is no reason to dis the author and the book. It is a well written book, if it was poorly written than i would understand your anger. Hopefully you will find enjoyment in her other books.