Customer Reviews

The Stars at War (Starfire)

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

 

 

I pre-ordered this book thinking it was a continuation of the series; it's not! this is the novels 'Crusade' and 'In Death Ground' combined into one hardback book. Now it's nice to have these novels in hardback form and I probably would have bought it just to replace the old paperback copies, but there's no reason for this book not to be listed for what it is.

Like the first reviewer, I pre-ordered this book thinking it was a NEW work by the authors. I am a fan of both, but I already have both Crusade and In Death Ground. If you haven't read the two books included therein, this would be a good purchase. Otherwise, save your money. Baen books and Amazon should have disclosed that the book is a reprint, but I guess to do so would hurt their sales.

I am usually a big fan of omnibus editions in general and of Baen's omnibuses in particular. But in this case, I just don't understand the pricing ($25.00). Crusade and In Death Ground are both readily available as paperbacks. You could pick up the two paperbacks for $15.98. Hopefully Baen will put The Stars at War out as a paperback in the near future. If so I will pick one up for sure.

Be aware that Stars at War II is also a republication containing Insurrection and The Shiva Option according to the Baen website. I believe that Insurrection was the first book written in the series but takes place after the events in The Shiva Option. (Reviews option not available yet on Stars on War II record.)

The Stars at War is actually two separate but related books under one cover. Both have been previously published. This has caused some consternation from some people who believed they were getting something new and instead got something they already had. If you have not read either of them, however, it's a great deal.

They two included books are CRUSADE and IN DEATH GROUND. Individual reviews appear below:

CRUSADE
I am hooked on the Honor Harrington series. I have spent so much time reading them that, when I was done, I was disappointed because I had nothing else from Weber to read until the next one comes out. I forgot to check for some of his other works. I wouldn't have thought he would have time to write anything else. WRONG!

CRUSADE pits the human federation against a new alien species which considers itself saviors dedicated to saving Terra and humanity for the evil Orions who just happen to be uneasy allies of humanity. It takes a while to figure out how this strange turn of events came to be but, when it finally comes out, it makes sense. Religious zealots are at work promoting a jihad for personal advantage. Their only contact with humanity came at a time when it was at war against the Orions.

A major problem is that the Orions are a warrior culture and their alliance with humanity is an uneasy one. When the new aliens, the Thebans, are first encountered, it is the Orions they attack and they do so in the name of humanity. Resolving this is left up to humanity but the Orions are keeping a suspicious eye on the situation.

The battles are well thought out and fans of space battles will appreciate the book. Just as interesting are the political battles. For me, they are even more interesting to read. It's a good book worth the time.


IN DEATH GROUND
Humanity and its allies face a deadly enemy. That enemy is one so different that even communication is impossible with them. Only a few things are really known. They look like giant spiders. They attack without warning. They are very powerful. They eat most of their victims. The rest they raise as livestock for future consumption.

The naval commanders charged with protecting humanity, and later the rest of the alliance, face terrible choices with frightening consequences. They can't save everybody. That means that the ones who are not saved are going to be eaten. They realize that throwing themselves into battle anyway just increases the odds that all of the allies will lose. Before they can fight the big battle, they must fight rearguard actions and marshal their forces. Whatever they do, people are going to die, people are going to be eaten and the nightmares will come. This book and its sequel do the best job I have ever encountered of pointing out the pain that can come with major commands.

Its not a fun read but it is a good one. Its also a cliffhanger.

The Stars at War (2004) is an omnibus edition of the Starfire series, including Crusade and In Death Ground. Crusade is the earliest novel in internal chronological sequence within the series and should be read first. In Death Ground is the second novel in internal sequence following Crusade. This is the first hardback publication of these novels.

Crusade (1992) begins fifty years after the Third Interstellar War, in which the Terrans and Orions formed the Alliance and exterminated the Rigellians. An Orion squadron in the Lorelei system is puzzled when an unknown fleet is discovered coming out of Charon's Ferry, the sixth warp point, since no ship had ever returned from there. Also, the bogies are using a very old Terran Federation Navy code in their transmissions. The squadron commander speculates that these ships could be remnants of TFN forces that had fled the Orions 90 years before during the Second Interstellar War.

When the bogies identify themselves as TFN and refuse to believe that the Orions are allies, the TFN onboard liaison contacts them and explains the Treaty of Valkha. The bogies agree to parlay and, as the main party stands down, the vanguard comes to the Orions. Shortly thereafter, however, the bogies attack with missiles at minimum range and then with X-ray lasers. The Orions release their Omega drones and fight back, but three ships are soon lost. The Orion flagship is then boarded, but self-destructs before being captured.

After studying the available information, the Khanate of Orion decides that the invaders are Terrans. The Strategy Board wants to attack the Federation, but the Khan agrees with the squadron commander's idea of lost TFN forces escaping through Charon's Ferry. He tells the Federation Ambassador that Orion will not attack the Federation or the unknowns, but that the Federation must exact suitable vengeance upon their errant fellows. The Federation agrees and the politicians send a Peace Fleet to Lorelei upon invitation by the unknowns. Under secret orders, the TFN is subordinated to the diplomatic corps with disastrous results as the bogies repeat their underhanded tactics.

In Death Ground (1997) is the first in a duology with The Shiva Option. This story takes place 60-odd years after the Theban War. The enemy ambushes Survey Flotilla 27, destroying or severely damaging the survey cruisers and their escorts. The enemy then pursues the survivors through warp point after warp point. The Terran Federation Navy diverts two nearby task forces to reinforce the survivors of SF27 and sends all available freighters and transports to evacuate the colony planets.

TF58, under Admiral Anthony Villiers, is the first task force to reach the SF27 survivors in the Golan system. He holds the warp point for a while, bleeding the enemy and evacuating part of the population, until forced to withdraw to Erebor. TF58 has a month to prepare, receive reinforcements, and to start evacuations, but the enemy then attacks through the warp point with devastating tactics, mass, and a new weapon. Villiers is forced to commit his battleline to slow the advance, losing his battleships, and leaving Admiral Jackson Teller in command of the withdrawal into the K-45 system.

This story describes the desperate battles to stop the enemy advance. Since the warp points are bottle necks, the fighting is more separated than surface naval combat. Each warp point is defended and the TFN makes the Bugs pay dearly despite overwhelming odds against them, but more Bug ships keep coming through. TFN reinforcements are still arriving, but will they be enough to stop the Bugs?

These stories have many similarities to historical conflicts. The genocidial destruction of the Rigellian Protectorate in the Third Interstellar War parallels the actions of Rome in the Third Punic War. The actions of the Thebans reflect the fanatical behavior of both sides in the long conflict between Christianity and Islam, particularly in the Eastern Roman Empire and in Spain.

The Bug advance is similar in many ways to the Japanese campaign in World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor destroyed or severely damaged every US battleship in the Pacific, the US Navy was forced to rely on aircraft carriers and escort ships. Therefore, the strategy was to harass the enemy with destroyers, PT boats, and submarines, while the carrier task forces struck at enemy concentrations and tried to destroy the Japanese carriers. At the Coral Sea, aerial attacks by US carrier planes severely damaged three Japanese carriers and destroyed several escorts. Then, at Midway, the US carriers destroyed four of the remaining Japanese carriers. These two battles effectively stopped the Japanese advance.

This book is recommended for all Weber & White fans and anyone who enjoys tales of spatial battles with a touch of political intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin

If you've never read any books in the "Starfire" universe but are a fan of either David Weber or military Sci-Fi/space opera, you will not be disappointed.
The book consists of two separate novels taking place 50-60 years apart in the near future, each describing a separate interstellar war between Terran Federation and an alien enemy (in the second book, "In Death Ground", humans fight as part of an alliance with the honor-driven and aggressive Orions and several other races). As is common for Weber, military operations and politics are described absolutely superbly with a lot of technical background but the main characters and different races involved are also described with surprising quality if not always depth. I would actually rate these books well above the more popular "Honor Harrington" series.

As several reviewers already said, this is not an actual new book but rather a compilation of two previously published and available in paperback novels, "Crusade" and "In Death Ground". "In Death Ground" is also rather not a complete read (cuts off halfway through the war) and requires you to read one more novel, "The Shiva Option" (which is available either separately or as part of "The Stars at War II" together with the last novel in this universe, "Insurrection" which takes part about a century later). The universe is derived from a "Starfire" RPG

This is actually two novels in one (called a megabook). This volume includes both Crusade and In Death Ground. Those familiar with David Webber's other books will not be surprised at the large emphasis upon the military, strategy and the role of technology in warfare.

Crusade is a very intense book, about an alien race's invasion of human space. Their goal, actually, is to "rescue" the human race from their apostasy and return them to their true faith. White and Webber have crafted a rather intense narrative. Though there are breaks from the intense action and warfare for some political maneuvering as well as military strategizing, a bulk of the book is taken up with the battles. The author's do not skimp on the intensity or harsh reality of war, at the same time, though, they maintain a pace and energy throughout which keeps you completely enthralled with what is unfolding therein.

In Death Ground runs much the same gamut, taking place roughly 50 years (or so) in the future from the time the events chronicled in Crusade happened. The action, though not the same, is of equal or even more intense nature. And the stakes have been raised. Now the humans and all their allies are being attacked and invaded by an alien race, referred to as 'Bugs'. The Bugs have one thing in mind for their enemies: annihilation. Well, annihilation as well as finding them to be a food source. Though slightly more advanced in their technology and weaponry, the Bugs more than make up for their lack through brute numbers and a total disregard to sacrificing its own for its purposes.

Please note that In Death Ground starts a story that is actually concluded in The Shiva Option, which is also the first of the two novels in the megabook which follows this one: The Stars at War II.

Both novels are filled with compelling and intriguing characters. Be forewarned, though, unlike the Honor Harrington series, there really are no central characters. This is more a universe based series of novels. Though there is definitely some continuity between characters from one book to the next - but all bets are off as to who survives and who doesn't.

All in all, an excellent pair of novels, though I would recommend getting the second megabook of the series so you don't have to wait for the conclusion of the storyline started in In Death Ground. I highly recommend this to any fan of science fiction, especially those who like the more strategic oriented narratives of the Military Sci-Fi genre.

I got this book with a gift certificate I was given for Christmas. A friend of mine suggested David Weber, because he knew I enjoyed military science fiction. I was a little hesitant at first; I'd never read any David Weber or Steve White before. Boy, I could kick myself for not trying this stuff out sooner.
"The Stars at War (I)" is really two books "Crusade" and "On Death Ground" both are prequels to the books in "The Stars at War II". I just started "The Stars at War II", and I really appreciate knowing some of the background of the universe Weber and White have created. It helps when they mention the Theban Jihad against humanity and how that brought the humans and Orions closer together (circa Crusade) and also how the war with "The Bugs" began and how even the heroes of "Crusade" were not enough to stop the juggernaut of the bugs (On Death Ground).
I really enjoyed reading both books, and the detail and description of space combat is excellent. The only main thing I can find wrong with the stories is because of my family's military background, and the constant calling of women "sir" in science fiction has always bugged me. I could be wrong (my background is army) but I believe the navy uses "Ma'am" also. This however is a minor detail and does nothing to take away from the action packed plot, and all in all it is a great read.

It is not a new book, it is a combination. If I had not picked it up in a brick/mortar Barnes & Noble (and put it back even faster!) I would have bought it at full retail. It is labeled on the back cover in small print-Crusade and In Death Ground. I would prefer In Death Ground be combined with The Shiva Option, honestly!