Customer Reviews

Stark's Crusade (Stark's War, Book 3)

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

 

 

I started with Stark's War, chheezy cover art and all. The story itself kept my nose glued to the book all evening. I couldn't put it down if I tried. The Third one was a fitting end to the trilogy. The storyline and plot were good, and Hemry gave his characters flesh and personality. It was more enjoyable than Tom Clancy. I am really sorry to see it end.

A good friend loaned me the book. At first I didn't plan to read it. The cover and comments on the back of the book indicated it was just one more book with a focus on lots of fighting. I ended up being pleasantly surprised.

This is the third and final book in a series about some Americans up on the moon. Stark leads the military and is working with American colonists. Some nasty things have been happening to them. There is lots of excitement. There is lots, and lots of fighting. We have a sneak raid, a double cross, a threat from a new deadly weapon, and an internal rebellion.

In some ways this book is similar to the Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but much more emphasis on lots of fighting, with less details about the politics and other issues of a colony on the moon.

I got this book in the mail earlier today, at about, oh, 2:45 in the afternoon. It's 9:51 right now. Minus a few hours of work I had to do, I read the whole book straight through. Nonstop. I couldn't stop! I'm just glad I didn't end up losing any sleep!

Stark's Crusade is a fitting end to the trilogy. I don't know what more I can say, honestly! It was a great book. If you've read the other two books in the series, you *MUST* read this one. If you haven't read the other two, then GET THEM and READ THEM! SOON!

But make sure you have plenty of free time to do that in.

The Stark series, and in particular this final book, cemented Hemry as an author I admire. He managed to create a believable resolution to a complex and realistic situation. Even more, he created characters who face similar problems to what I face every day and whose decisions I look up to.

Throughout the books, the characters are faced with leaders who only lead for their own selfish interests and profits, at the expense of those beneath them. Sound familiar? It did to me. Stark's people are able to develop a better system, where the people on the front lines are given latitude to make their own decisions, rather than being micromanaged. In Stark's system, leaders function as broad decision makers who are there to facilitate the "grunts" and provide a buffer against outside repercussions.

I actually feel like a learned a lot from this series. While Hemry does not depict a Utopia, his solutions to the leadership problems facing us today--political, social, and military--are incredibly reasonable. I wish all the management at my work would read these books and take them to heart. The theme is not hard to pick out (it is still a bit preachy in this last book), but I think it is worth preaching: Leaders should serve the people, not themselves.

As I stated in a previous review, I was introduced to Hemry's writing when I bought the first two books in his "Lost Fleet" series (under the pen name Jack Campbell) and enjoyed them so much that I had to go out and find some of his previous works. I've never been a huge fan of military science fiction, with the exception of Haldeman's books. But, I've been enjoying myself getting to know Hemry's writing. My only disappointment is that I am now finished with the "Sgt Stark" series and have to wait until later in the year for the next "Lost Fleet" installment. Overall, I'd say that each book in the "Stark" series was an improvement over the last. The final installment was a definite page-turner and the best written of the three books in the series. Well worth the time spent reading it. Highly recommend all three books.