Customer Reviews

The Napoleons of Eridanus

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

 

 

I first ran into this book about 1979; I was intrigued by it because on the back they had called out in big letters: Attention Wargamers (I was/am one). I picked it up, read it, and lost the book (sorry, young and dumb then). Anyways, I was relaxing one day and remembered this book and decided to pick it up to see how well I remembered it.

The Napoleons of Eridanus is a quaint little story where an advanced people (the Fortrun's) come to earth and take soldiers from a situation where they wouldn't be missed (ala Janissaries and Misplaced Legion) to save their world and empire from others in the galaxy. There are many interesting aspect Mr. Barbet brings out, societies and warfare controlled by computers, the reading of minds, the ability to artificially increase knowledge, and probably most importantly the idea of earthlings being used as mercenaries by other planets (this book was originally published in 1970 in France, while I don't know that this was the first time a writer had humans being used by aliens, it's the earliest occurrence I know of. While these ideas are nicely brought out, Mr. Barbet's writing style and story development were lacking. There's the added problem that the main character is only a captain (in the Dragoons) yet is able to fight like a corp commander. I know that Napoleon felt that every soldier had a Marshal's baton in their knapsack, but I think this was a little extreme. This complications is show by the fact that there are only three combats (a minor ground skirmish, a space combat, and a major space engagement) that rapidly turn the Fortun situation from an Empire ready to be destroyed to a victorious one; this is the type of "captain" Napoleon needed on his staff. Other problems included that Mr. Batbet's writing style is a little abrupt; part of this could be due to the era the story was written in, some is due to his nationality (his perspective is different than many US writers I've read) and that the story's flow is choppy. My initial reaction is to call this one 2.5 stars but I'm rounding it up to three because of when this book was written and it's contributions to SF (the Janissary idea and computers controlling things).

I recommend this book for the casual reader who desires amusement and plenty of it. "The Napoleons of Eridanus" is a fun-filled military romp through the star systems of yesterday's galactic empire, featuring as main characters eight Napoleonic(obviously) officers who hire out as mercenaries to defend an alien empire. The story resolves into one rehashed Napoleonic battle after another (but at least the cribbed battle is named each time), and the technology of the alien civilization is entirely made up of old SF cliches, which are brought out one at a time to amaze and delight. Monseiur Barbet seems not to have thought out any of the social implications of his technology, other than their overall hedonizing influence. While the hard science and careful planning may be lacking, this is not only a good light read, but a gem for Napoleonic enthusiasts.

retreating from the Russian front these lucky soldiers are whisked away by friendly aliens, and given control of a gigantic space fleet. The fun, and hyginks ensue from there. A must read for anyone who is really bored, and looking for something different.

I will admit to not having read this book in over 30 years, yet it still maintains a special place in my heart as the worst book I ever read. It may well be the worst science fiction novel ever published.

I have actually stopped reading bad books, but somehow it this one was so bad it was impossible to put it down. Reading this book can best be likened to watching a train wreck in slow motion: you know things are bad and going to get worse, but you just cannot tear your eyes away.

Spoiler alert: every plot complication is solved by an Ornio-"something".