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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brains and Brawn On a Long Trek, Part One, March 12, 2003
This review is from: Onslaught (Demontech, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Onslaught (2002) is the first novel of the Demontech series. On a world elsewhere in the multiverse, the human inhabitants share the planet with little folks and other magical beings, whom they call demons. In Jokapcul, Lord Lackland, the Dark Prince of Matilda, calls upon the demons to bring him knowledge of war and is answered with a stack of US Army Field Manuals. On the same night, in Frangeria, a philosopher calls upon the demons to show their existence, but his pronunciation is bad and the demons think he is asking for leadership, and is answered with a US Marine Gunnery Sergeant in full dress uniform. After the magicians of Jokapcul comprehend the contents of the field manuals, they undertake the invasion of New Bally, a freeport adjacent to the Duchy of Bostia. There they encountered the Frangerian sea soldiers called Marines. Haft and Spinner are having port liberty when they are awakened in the night by very agitated women who insist that they must leave NOW. When Spinner learns that the Jokapcul have invaded, he takes Haft with him out into the night. As they cautiously move toward the sounds of battle, they find a unit of Jokapcul light infantry with prisoners, one of which is Rammer, their lead sergeant. Before they can think of a way to free him, Rammer silently mouths the word "Go". Haft and Spinner then sneak to the docks and board their ship, take weapons, equipment and the manual Lord Gunny Says, and then return to the town. There they note the strength with which the prisoners, including their fellow marines, are guarded and reluctantly conclude that they will not be able to free them. Then they encounter an old man who is a former Frangerian Sea Soldier called Tiger. He feeds them and shows them a concealed way to get to the forest outside the walls. As they leave, they promise him to return with an army to free New Bally. Haft and Spinner must return to Frangeria to warn them of the invasion, but to reach their nation they must travel across the continent and then over the Inner Ocean. As they walk through the tunnel that is the first leg of the journey, Spinner wonders why he has promised Tiger to return. This novel is, in an entertaining way, a demonstration of the large difference between information and knowledge. US Army field manuals contain general information that should be taught to every soldier, but US Marine Gunnery Sergeants contain additional knowledge learned from their own predecessors as well as actual field experience. While the Jokapcul have read the books, the Frangerian Marines have been taught by a man who knows his trade thoroughly, including the parts that never get into the books. This novel is similar in plot to the Mardukan March series by Weber & Ringo, a trek across land and sea, and some of the characters are also similar to Haft and Spinner, but the details are greatly different since there are only two marines, not a company. Thus, as another reviewer pointed out, this is an escape and evasion story with elements of a loooong range patrol returning with vital intelligence, much like most of the action in Saberhagen's The Broken Lands in the Empire of the East series. The characters themselves were obviously chosen to be as fully opposite in personality as would be allowed in a military service. Haft is the impulsive one who acts before thinking very much and Spinner is the pensive one for thinks too much before acting. Haft thinks Spinner is too proud of his brains and Spinner thinks Haft is too proud of his muscles. However, they make a good team, often correcting each other's mistakes, but it is fortunate that Haft's first reaction to dangerous surprises is a hard stroke of his axe. Recommended for Sherman fans and anyone else who enjoys infantry combat in a fantasy setting.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Equal, but better, May 4, 2004
This review is from: Onslaught (Demontech, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
I like this book a lot. It's an entertaining read that manages to capture the essence of the military without bogging you down in the minutia of military life, its customs and traditions. Not to mention the beginning of the book is hilarious. The main characters are a likeable duo with strong remniscience of Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser. The wit is supplied by The Golden Girl, whose attitude (I feel) should have gotten her ears pinned back at least once. The careful replacement of weapons of war with magics of war was entertaining to see, and a delight to try to out-guess. I am interested in seeing where a couple of the characters develop - I am interested in knowing more about Wolf, for instance, and wonder where the rest of the Marines could be. The only nit-pick I have is that, considering how important The Golden Girl felt her musician to be, I wonder why neither he nor she tried more stringently to get back together once one or both of them had been freed. This is a nice Sci-Fantasy that you'll romp through with enthusiasm and delight, if you're looking for an adventure story. If you want drama, tragedy and deep-seated psychological thrillers, look elsewhere. This book is a nice bit of fun.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lord Gunny Says " Buy this Book!", February 27, 2008
This review is from: Onslaught (Demontech, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
VEEDMEE!!!! Lord Gunny Says "Del Ray this is a darn fine tome, what are you thinking keeping my marines stuck far away from Frangeria???" A Great story, with Great Characters on a running trek that keeps you turning the pages fast as you can read! Lord Gunny is summoned to Dave Sherman's fantasy setting, and creates a corps of sea solders called "Marines". The story opens right up when two junior Marines land in the port city of New Bali and discover it has been overun by evil doers. They are forced to escape the city and seek aid from others. This small chore sets them on an adventure across the lands of Bostia, Skragland, and beyond. They encounter magics, mayhem, demons and destruction. Dave Sherman's Demontech has an interesting twist on Magic. Demons are subdued, conjured, and summoned to be used in various magical tasks. Healing, Warding, Hiding, Destroying, Laboring, and more are some of the tasks they do.The way he employes them is very fun, along with the "demonspeak" they use. "Veedmee" a demonspeak request, or even demand in some cases that the demons stop their tasks, asking to be fed before they continue. Haft and Spinners adventures grow as they trek along avoiding the Dark Prince and his minions that are rampaging across the continent. The Lands, the characters, the battles are all well defined and developed, you move thru the story fast and furious, left wanting. As Lord Gunny says,"BUY THIS BOOK" you cant disobey orders!! and you wont be disappointed!
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