Yellow Eyes (Posleen War) [Mass Market Paperback]

John Ringo (Author), Tom Kratman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Posleen War | Publication Date: August 26, 2008

The Posleen are coming and the models all say the same thing: Without the Panama Canal, the US is doomed to starvation and defeat. Despite being overstretched preparing to defend the US, the military sends everything it has left: A handful of advanced Armored Combat Suits, rejuvenated veterans from the many decades that Panama was a virtual colony and three antiquated warships. Other than that, the Panamanians are on their own.  Replete with detailed imagery of the landscape, characters and politics that have made the jungle-infested peninsula a Shangri-La for so many over the years, Yellow Eyes is a hard-hitting look at facing a swarming alien horde with not much more than wits and guts. Fortunately for the human race, the Panamanians, and the many veterans that think of it as a second home, have plenty of both.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this breathless page-turner, the latest in the Posleen military SF series from Ringo and Kratman (Watch on the Rhine), Latin America falls to the reptilian alien invaders without much struggle, except for Panama. There, members of the U.S. military enlist local forces and desperately resist. The terrain aids the defenders, as do the local flora and fauna, but it's the fighting men and women's brains and guts that make the real difference. Interestingly, the hideous, hungry Posleen, who are helplessly following their racial instincts, come across as more sympathetic than the cowardly traitors—i.e., diplomats and politicians—who obstruct the human warriors; the aliens get to die with more dignity. Characterization generally is exaggerated but vivid, and the battle tactics are worked out in satisfying detail. Readers who can forget the authors' right-wing politics and approach it all like a professional wrestling show will have fun. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The latest Posleen War novel's title comes from an old song about yellow fever in Panama, site of the battle in it between the alien Posleen invaders and both Americans defending the canal and Panamanians defending their homeland with growing assurance and skill. The usual many good action scenes are on hand, along with sometimes overly political but often intelligent lectures on military science and the expected charming superweapon, here the old heavy cruiser Des Moines, fitted with a number of advanced systems, including an AI named Daisy. The series already has a number of fun books in it. This is another. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: Baen; Reprint edition (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416555714
• ISBN-13: 978-1416555711
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Saga Just Keeps Getting Better, April 27, 2007

By 

Geoffrey Kidd (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yellow Eyes (Posleen War Series #8) (Hardcover)

John Ringo and Tom Kratman are among the writers Baen has added to my must-buy list over the past few years, and this, their second joint tale of the Posleen War, is the best yet.

There's a difficult dramatic problem with the Posleen: you can't hate them. As another reviewer here commented, they, too, are victims of the Aldenata. And with their nature twisted into their genes by the "galactic do-gooders", they are a force of nature, like a forest fire or a hurricane. A thing to be feared, but not hated.

So where DO we get the conflict that drives every really good story? From among the humans, between "those who protect" and "those who only look out for number one," between the Warriors and those who have "other priorities" than defending their countries.

This is a very well-told tale, with lots of the action, both military and political, that Ringo and Kratman's readers have come to expect. I recently discovered what are called "The Eight Deadly Words: 'I don't care what happens to these people.' " They do NOT apply here. The characters are well-drawn, on both sides of the good-evil divide, and the reader can care deeply about all of them, rejoicing in the victorious, mourning the fallen, and taking grim satisfaction at the justice of some of the desserts served up to the baddies.

As for complaints about the "authors politics intruding on the story", I say "Feh!". For myself, I appreciated a cold dose of truth, that the universe does *NOT* guarantee humanity a safe or comfortable berth. It made a refreshing change from what one author recently called "a profoundly delusional view of reality."

One warning: there's some MAJOR comic relief at points in this story, and since comedy is always a product of the unexpected, I recommend that, should you need to take food or drink, stop reading the book, eat/drink, and swallow before continuing. The humor is VILE, and I'm glad I've gotten into the habit of following the advice I've just given you. The only downside to this humor is it's very hard to continue reading while you're laughing so hard that tears are rolling down your face.

This book is worth reading more than once, and, as my reading load grows, that's becoming high praise indeed.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Panama Is So Lovely, Yet So Deadly, July 2, 2007

By 

Arthur W. Jordin (Smyrna, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yellow Eyes (Posleen War Series #8) (Hardcover)

Yellow Eyes (2007) is a standalone novel in the Legacy of the Aldenata universe, following Watch on the Rhine in the Posleen War subseries. This volume takes place in Columbia and Panama, with most of the action taking place within Panama.

The Po'oslenana'ar -- the People of the Ships -- were fleeing from others of their kind in a time of orna'adar. The lesser clans crowded into a globe, each occupying their own area. In one such was the clan of Guanamarioch, a lesser Kessentai. Elsewhere in the globe was the greater -- but still relatively small -- clan of Kessentai Binastarion.

In this novel, pentagon simulations shows that the United States -- indeed, the whole world -- needs the shipping capacity of the Panama Canal. The President has rejuvenation treatments provided to almost every soldier who ever served in Panama, mostly survivors of the 5th and 10th Infantry Regiments and the 193rd Infantry Brigade (Canal Zone). Now the brigade has been reformed as the 193th Infantry Division.

The Navy is also represented in Panamanian waters: the battleship USS Texas and the heavy cruisers USS Des Moines and USS Salem. The officers and crew of these vessels have all served on the ships in the past, but now are rejuvenated and retrained in new weapons. Captain Jess McNair feels at home on the CA-134 (Des Moines), but he has a truly startling experience when Daisy Mae winks into existence on the bridge.

The Galactic AID provided as the cybernetic center of the ship was left on during an entire interstellar voyage. In its own time, the AID has been alone for thousands of years and has gone quite insane. It has developed an unusual admiration for the crew of the ship and can project its holographic presence anywhere on the ship and elsewhere for at least a mile.

The US authorities have also provided rejuvenation to former Panamanian veterans. The Miranda clan is angry when their dying grandmother is whisked off in an ambulance, but bemused when their rejuvenated abuela is returned to them. Her rejuved son Hector is particularly amazed and worried about Mama Digna's good looks.

Bill Boyd is an unusual rejuv. As an involuntary veteran of World War II, he had made sergeant before he was discharged. Now he has been selected as the Major General in command of the Panamanian logistical effort. While he doesn't know how to be a general officer, he has extensive experience as CEO of the Boyd Steamship Company and knows a lot about logistics.

The US and Panamanian troops are also supported by the 1st Battalion of the 508th Mobile Infantry (ACS). The survivors of B Company, commanded by recently promoted Captain Scott Connors, have just returned from the swamps of Barwhon, where hot and cold running Posleen seem to be everywhere. Although the company is happy to be home, their deployment to Panama is only slightly better than Barwhon. At least the PTSD victims are getting treatment in a secure facility.

Meanwhile, Posleen globes are approaching Earth and are attacked by Terran vessels. The globe carrying the clans of Guanamarioch and Binastarion is hit by a Terran hyper-velocity round, but both clans manage to get out and to land on Earth in Columbia and Panama. Then things start to get sticky.

In this story, the Darhels have bought out the State Department en masse, but Posleen land very close to Washington. Many people fail to evacuate Foggy Bottom before the Posleen arrive and are killed and eaten (not necessarily in that order).

However, other State Department weenies elsewhere are still disrupting the flow of supplies and weapons to Panama. The President of Panama and his staff are also cooperating with the Darhels and planning family vacations at Galactic resorts. Logistics is even more difficult than usual in Panama and General Boyd is earning his pay.

Abuela Digna has acquired some 85mm artillery and other useful war surplus equipment. Unfortunately, they only have two radios, so most communications are carried by old fashioned methods. Digna sets up ambushes south of the city of San Jose y David. The priest of the ancient church on the Parque de Cervantes has also planned a Quixotic surprise for the Posleen.

Lieutenant Julio Diaz is a glider pilot. As a student, he had wondered at the gringo statement that air transport is suicide within line of sight of Posleen forces. He speculated that an unpowered glider would be sighted -- but not seen -- by Posleen forces. He told his theory to his dad -- the Panamanian G-2 -- and volunteered to try out his theory personally. As it turned out, the most dangerous part of the experiment was telling his girl friend that he had joined the army; Paloma Mercedes -- daughter of the President of Panama -- took this news rather personally.

This story is more about the fauna, flora and people of Panama than about the invasion itself. There is plenty of action, but the soldier ants and other predators get equal billing in this novel. My brother really enjoyed the caiman incident; "Get it off me" is a running joke throughout the book. Having some personal experiences in Panama, he also appreciated the description of the black palm by a Posleen Kessentai.

The Panamanian people are equally divided in this book between the corrupt and the responsible. The corrupt tend to grow close to the Darhel representatives, although there are several who are too dumb to conduct their own negotiations. Yet there are a remarkable number of the corrupt who never get offworld. The responsible may be killed and eaten, but they usually go down fighting. Sometimes they take a few Posleen with them even after death (with a little help from their friends).

Note: The authors have played an inside joke with the 1st of the 508th. This designation is historically associated with Task Force Red Devil during the Panama invasion of December 1989.

Highly recommended for fans of Ringo & Kratman and for anyone else who enjoys tales of close combat against overwhelming odds, remarkable heroism, and wartime romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On reviewers and Yellow Eyes..., April 11, 2007

By 

James S. Cochrane (Marietta, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yellow Eyes (Posleen War Series #8) (Hardcover)

Of course, Phillip Mcgregor fails to mention that he got in a urination contest with Tom Kratman on Baen's Bar and was booted for same, which might color his views...

As for the book, I enjoyed it. Tom's knowledge of Panama and the people there really shows through and he explored some areas that John hadn't really covered, such as interactions amongst the Posleen, some more about the Darhel treachery, and about the AID's and their capabilities. I think this is Tom's best writing yet and essential to understanding the full Aldenata-verse. You'll get to see Daisy Mae again in the next Mike O'Neal book...