The Two-Space War [Hardcover]

Dave Grossman (Author), Leo Frankowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2004

It is six hundred years in the future and mankind has learned to move between the stars ... by going into Two-Space, the vast realm where sentient wooden ships travel beneath canvas sails in a universe that is corrosive to technology. As they charged headlong into the galaxy, humans discovered others who were already there: The elven Sylvans who live in the vast forests of low-gravity worlds, the dwarven Dwarrowdelf who thrive deep in the mines of high-gravity worlds, and other, far more alien races. The ancient Sylvan race is enchanted by the human culture, embracing Tolkien as prophecy and taking "classic" human science fiction as a guide. Against this stellar backdrop, Lt. Thomas Melville's ship is mortally wounded in a cowardly surprise attack. With his captain killed, Melville must capture a feral, sentient enemy ship, then fight his way across the galaxy to warn of the vast invading armada. In an odyssey of turmoil and battle he forges his ship and crew into a mighty weapon of war and earns the love of an alien princess. Now, if he can only survive the attacks of two very angry alien empires, and avoid being court martialed by his own nation of Westerness for getting them involved in a vast intergalactic war, he might live to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This wish-fulfilling tale left me with a grin as I devoured it in a night. His description of a future in which time travel has produced people who never expect any problems is interesting and worth the read."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Baen (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743471881
• ISBN-13: 978-0743471886
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #953,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A former army Ranger and paratrooper, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman taught psychology at West Point and was the professor of Military Science at Arkansas State University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What a Fun Book, July 2, 2004

By 

Rusir-10 (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Two-Space War (Hardcover)

It took me a chapter before I began to grasp the concept of the universe that Grossman and Frankowski had created. Basically, interstellar travel is accomplished by entering into two dimensional space where other planets are much closer. Also the nature of two-dimensional space requires that only low technology items are used including old style sailing ships as a means of transportation. Thus, the book represents a rather curious melding of Horatio Hornblower and Captain Aubry books (FYI - Aubry was the source for the "Master and Commander" movie) with Honor Harrington space opera science fiction. The resulting product is just fun to read.

Fun things about this book include many, many references to classic books in science fiction - Tolkien, Weber, Heinlein, Hokas, Asimov just to name a few. There's quite a bit of poetry which adds to the story but which can be easily skipped over if its not your thing. Finally the story really delves into the impact of war on the soldiers who engage in it - what it does to them to kill, how do you train for it, why one person is better at it then another, etc. (my understanding is that this is an area of expertise for one of the authors - Grossman I believe).

Bottom line - definitely worth a read. Its set up to be the beginning of a series so don't expect complete closure at the end of the story.

Enjoy!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Two-Space War, June 14, 2005

By 

Sgt. OB (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Two-Space War (Hardcover)

I am a retired career police officer (mosly in SWAT) and Army Vietnam veteran. I just finished reading "Two-Space War", and although not usually a "sci-fi fan", this was a page turner that I cound not put down.

I am a big JRR Tolkien fan, and quickly realized I was reading a sci-fi meets fantasy story, with JRR Tolkien himself as the "editor".

But it is the masterful way LTC Dave Grossman & Leo Frankowski 'educate' the reader about the warrior spirit and the true nature of warriors - ordinary people who subscribe to a higher code of beliefs, and rise to the occasion - standing firm in the face of danger, when most people would opt to run away from the danger - that makes this book so significant.

The authors have captured the essence of what the true warrior is, and how the rest of "us" can become warriors in our own right. It is this warrior spirit woven throughout the book that I found most inspirational.

I wish to thank Dave Grossman & Leo Frankowski for "educating us" about warriors, and what "we" are really all about, in the oldest form of 'education' -- story telling.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a story is worth many times that "thousand".

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new "find!", October 21, 2004

By 

Reb Bacchus (Georgeotwn, Tx United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Two-Space War (Hardcover)

I've never written a book review. I love to read blurbs but I hate to have a reviewer tell me the plot of a book. Thus I'm at a bit of an loss about how to discuss one of the most original books I've read in a long time. TSP's concept of FTL is so original that you have to sit and think about it for a while. That's almost a distraction from a book that reads so smoothly. Tie that originality to a level of realism depicting combat, and roll it in the tradition of Napoleonic Sea warfare (More Alexander Kent than Forester) and you have a very different book.

Frankly, having read this book will make me look at combat in other books differently. Any author who is interested in learning more about the true stress of combat and what it mean to kill, would do well to read TSW and ponder it. This is the hard stuff.

As a long time fan of science fiction, it's always a treat to "discover" a new author. I will be waiting anxiously for the next installment. I just hope it doesn't take as long as Mr. Frankowski took between his first and second book. I'm older and don't have that kind of patience any more.