The Last Centurion (2008) is a standalone SF novel of the near future. It is set about a decade from the present when two natural disasters hit simultaneously: a virulent disease and solar cooling. It is presented as the draft of an autobiography by the main character, but also has a few comments by his wife (whom we never meet, although some hints are given).
In this novel, Bandit is the scion of farmers. He grows up on a farm in southern Minnesota, is the captain of the high school football team and goes to agriculture college on a football scholarship. Since pocket money was scarce, he joins Army ROTC and receives a small stipend.
Bandit graduates with a degree in Agronomy and is commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. The Army sends him to Infantry Officer Basic course and then to the Third Infantry Division in Savannah, Georgia. Soon his unit is deployed to Iran. He enjoys the tour, although two of his troopers are killed in action.
Returning to Savannah, Bandit is promoted to First Lieutenant and attends the Advance Course and Jump School. Then he is sent to the Ranger course. When he returns to his unit, they are preparing for another deployment. Since he is too senior for a line platoon and too junior to be an Executive Officer, Bandit is assigned as the Assistant Operations Officer of his battalion.
The S-3 himself is a wuss, so Bandit does all the work. He learns a lot about training and operations while holding down the job, but this tour is not as much fun as the previous one. Returning to Savannah, he is still the Assistant S-3, but his new boss knows what he is doing and passes on his knowledge to his subordinates.
The next time he is sent to the sandbox, Bandit is given command of the battalion Scout Platoon. Since the battalion commander is using this platoon as his own special ops unit, Bandit has a really fun tour, kicking down doors and ambushing insurgents. He returns with scars and a Purple Heart.
In this story, the weather is turning cold. Although the President's party is still crying global warming, the Army meteorologists have gotten word that the Sun is cooling down. They start planning for another (hopefully not full blown) ice age.
The Army has also gotten word of a new form of Asian Bird Influenza that can be spread via humans. It can lie latent on doorknobs or other surfaces for up to four days and then show no symptoms in the infected individual for another three days. It is spreading as fast as the refugees from the infected zones.
Worst, the flu mutates rapidly and all current vaccines are mostly ineffective. The Army inoculates all its troops, despite their griping, with an experimental vaccine that uses a different and more effective approach. When the flu hits the USA, almost every soldier (and every other American serviceman) is immune to the disease.
This story is written in the first person, so most of the story is an expression of Bandit's opinions on the Army and politics. And his POV is pure Army, raw and unforgiving. It is also filled with expletives, but what can you expect from Army veterans?
The tale describes the ineffectual approach of the President of the USA in great detail. Unless the reader likes this level of exposition, these segments are going to be boring. In fact, much of the story is filled with such detail.
The President is a female and obviously based on a specific liberal politician. Naturally, this story is fiction, so the author can craft his plot any way that he prefers. However, hardcore democrats may well be offended by this tale. Note that some Democrats are presented as savvy and responsible leaders.
This tale presents a set of theories about politics, cultures and personalities within the story. Bandit's judgment tends to be moral rather than philosophical or political; that is, he judges other persons by how they act toward their fellow human beings rather than by their words. Of course, most sensible people do the same.
The terms "grasshopper" and "ant" -- as told in the wellknown fable -- are used to describe the behavior of some people. Bandit seems to be referring to the two extremes in a moral continuum of relationships, ranging from self-centered to universally acceptive. Bandit tends to overlook the majority in the middle. In this regard, he is very like commentators on talk radio.
Every living human acquires a moral sense after birth (or is not likely to live very long without intensive care). In the beginning, each infant discovers that they are helpless to provide for themself and thus is fully self-centered. This basic state of morality may expand over time to include other people (see
The Psychology of Moral Development).
Such moral development is learned, usually from the parents and other significant persons. Thus, morals reflect cultural influences. Of course, morals differ between cultures and even between subsets and individuals within each culture, but the basic pattern is much the same throughout each culture. Indeed, such beliefs define the culture.
Many readers may be very uncomfortable with the level of action and polemic in this story. Although one may agree with much that the author says, the tale is packed with political and moral commentary (as is this review.) The reviewer is obviously a fan of the author, but this work may be a little too much exposition for fiction.
However, this work has exemplars. It is very much like an updated version of
Starship Troopers, both in the action and the polemic. If you like Heinlein, you will probably love this book. Enjoy!
Highly recommended for Ringo fans and anyone else who enjoys tales of close combat, moral persuasion, and political fables.
-Arthur W. Jordin
