The Steel (The Raj Whitehall Series: The General, Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

S.M. Stirling (Author), David Drake (Author)

Book Description

Series: The General, Book IV | Publication Date: October 1, 1993

For five years, the computer in Raj Whitehall's mind has been using him as its instrument to reunite the planet Bellevue as the first step in restoring technological civilization across the galaxy. Now, Raj's mission is to take on hordes of the Brigade and regain territories lost to the Civil Government for centuries.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671721895
• ISBN-13: 978-0671721893
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #936,267 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 5 Book Series, September 12, 2000

By 

silliman89 "silliman89" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Steel (The Raj Whitehall Series: The General, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the standard by which I judge all military fiction. I have never found another that was it's equal. Even when the same authors got together again for books 6 and 7 (which I have reviewed separately) they couldn't recreate the magic of this series.

THE GENERAL series is about a fallen interstellar society which has climbed it's way back up to the technological level of the American Civil War. The hero, Raj Whitehall, has to reunite the planet in order to reach the stars again some day. This involves a lot of fighting and empire building. What gives Raj his edge is the pre-fall computer he has linked with that can see through his eyes.

This series has outstanding character development, a solid and well thought out overall plot line, and good story resolution in each book. The two things that really make the series the top of its genre are the interaction between the computer and the hero, and the realism of the situation. The interaction is a delicate balance that the authors perform magically. If the computer (Center) contributes too much, then the hero has too much of an edge, he doesn't have to try, and the story becomes boring. Without the computer, the hero is just this god like superhuman character that can do no wrong. The computer assistance makes Raj identifiable to the reader, even after he overcomes overwhelming odds to defeat the enemy. The realism comes from the fact that Raj is based on the life of a real person. The whole story is very similar to the story of Byzantine General Belisarius who conquered most of the Mediterranean world for his Emperor after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. That makes it very believable. The characters are very real. Their actions really happened a millenium and a half ago.

This is a must read for any fan of military fiction or empire building.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars General #04 Steel., March 29, 2000

By 

Archie (Norfolk VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Steel (The Raj Whitehall Series: The General, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book move quickly to pull you in to a world of fantasy battles. With the unique mix of old and new technology the story quickly becomes very interesting. Also the use of giant war dogs is just the right twist to really take you off guard. This book and the other is in this series is a must read for a good time.