First to Fight (Starfist, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by David Sherman (Author), Dan Cragg (Author) "What does your middle initial stand for?" the recruiting sergeant asked..." (more)
Key Phrases: garrison utilities, comm man, third platoon, Wad Mohammad, Tulak Yar, Bos Kashi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
"Marines, we have just become a low-tech deep recon patrol . . ."

Stranded in a hellish alien desert, stripped of their strategic systems, quick reaction force, and supporting arms, and carrying only a day's water ration, Marine Staff Sergeant Charlie Bass and his seven-man team faced a grim future seventy-five light-years from home. The only thing between his Marines and safety was eighty-five miles of uncharted, waterless terrain and two thousand bloodthirsty savages with state-of-the-art weapons in their hands and murder on their minds.

But the enemy didn't reckon on the warrior cunning of Marines' Marine Charlie Bass and the courage of the few good men who would follow him anywhere--even to death. . .

"HARD TO PUT DOWN . . . Any book written by Cragg and Sherman is bound to be addictive, and this is the first in what promises to be a great adventure series. FIRST TO FIGHT is rousing, rugged, and just plain fun."
--Ralph Peters, New York Times bestselling author of Red Army

From the Inside Flap
"Marines, we have just become a low-tech deep recon patrol . . ."

Stranded in a hellish alien desert, stripped of their strategic systems, quick reaction force, and supporting arms, and carrying only a day's water ration, Marine Staff Sergeant Charlie Bass and his seven-man team faced a grim future seventy-five light-years from home. The only thing between his Marines and safety was eighty-five miles of uncharted, waterless terrain and two thousand bloodthirsty savages with state-of-the-art weapons in their hands and murder on their minds.

But the enemy didn't reckon on the warrior cunning of Marines' Marine Charlie Bass and the courage of the few good men who would follow him anywhere--even to death. . .

"HARD TO PUT DOWN . . . Any book written by Cragg and Sherman is bound to be addictive, and this is the first in what promises to be a great adventure series. FIRST TO FIGHT is rousing, rugged, and just plain fun."
--Ralph Peters, New York Times bestselling author of Red Army

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (August 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345406222
• ISBN-13: 978-0345406224
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 3.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #307,621 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Military sci-fi at its finest!, March 31, 2000

By	James K. Lowry "RabidAlien" (Hurst, Tx USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First off, I'd just like to say that, as a former military manmyself (Navy, not Marines), this book sticks pretty durn close to whatactually goes on (with the exception of the plasma weapons and chamelion suits, that is....) in the military. The comraderie, which the reader is immediately drawn into, the joking and prank-pulling, the immediate shift to serious professionalism when the situation calls for it, yup, Dave Sherman and Dan Cragg have definitely "been there, done that!"

The storyline itself is amazingly addicting. I admit I was a bit leery when buying the first book, but was hooked after the prologue. The characters are complex, but not too much so, and you really begin to find yourself sympathyzing with them as the plot unfolds. You get this intense hatred for "military intelligence" from the start, and that doesn't let up through the three books I've read so far! The authors do a superb job of explaining the relevant parts of history and technological breakthrus leading up to the present situations, cleverly disguised as mission briefs instead of a few paragraphs taken out of the general flow of the tale in order for the author to explain. I liked that. Maintains continuity.

On a down-note, there are a few places where the action seems to jump, such as a patrol heading into a combat situation, then the scene changes, and when we get back to the patrol, they're cleaning their guns and checking for survivors. In most cases, this felt like a cheezy crop-job by the editors in an effort to cut out "needless and redundant violence"...which is one of the better parts of the story! This doesn't happen often, though, so I decided not to lop off the fifth star in the rating.

Overall, an excellent series, well-worth the money and shipping time! The universe in this series is huge and complex, so I can't forsee an end to the series....thankfully! I eagerly await the next installment. END

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jarheads Never Change, June 4, 2005

By	John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As military science fiction goes, this one is very readable. It is not crafted as tightly as some others, Weber's Honorverse comes to mind, but it is a good read that will provide several hours of enjoyable entertainment.

The story concerns a group of marines. These are not US Marines but are their ideological descendants. In the first part of the book, we a treated to the life of a recruit from his initial enlistment through boot camp. He is then assigned to an infantry unit which gets deployed to a backwater planet on a peacekeeping mission. Through the medium of best wishes, the high brass decide that a peacekeeping mission does not rate a full complement of combat equipment so the unit is somewhat at a disadvantage when it hits the fan. Under the tutelage of the more experienced men around him, the young marine gets his first taste of combat.

This is what Melville called a "potboiler". It may not stick in long term memory as a great work of literature but it was well worth the effort. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series to see what happens.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More realistic than Starship Trooper and smoothly written, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

When it comes to writing military SF the combined talent of David Sherman and Dan Cragg is hard to surpass. The writing and plots are virtually seamless with no flip flopping between unrelated materials.

In First to Fight we are treated to good background information without being bored. We learn about the main characters backgrounds and what drives their motivations. Such as the Joe Dean who came from an Army household and his motivations for going into the Corps. We Get to understand why SSgt. Bass mistrust the UPUD's. There are glimpses into what future military boot camp might be like. Almost every detail in this book tied into something else and nothing stood out as frivolous.

The book begins a year or so before the main story, on the introduction of a new piece of military hardware and the problem associated with it. With that background in place we move onto the main story.

Part one includes the story of a young man's desire to perform military service and his trials through boot camp. This part sets up the training and function of the Corps. and the mindset.

Part Two is the new private as he intereacts on his first duty assignment and how the newbies are brought into the fold by the old salts. To some this might seem boring but it gives some insight into the traditions binding together a band of warriors and how it affects them.

Part three begins the mission of providing humanitarian aid on an alien world and the requirements needed. This section like the rest concentrates on the people involved and not the science or the logistics. It provides a glimpse into how humanitarian missions or other non combat missions might turn into combat.

Part four is the resolution to this crisis and how all the previous parts come together. Sorry if this seems vague but I don't want to give the story away. All in all David Sherman and Dan Cragg are outstanding in this series. It brings to SF another aspect of the future. This series doesn't concentrate on spaceships, giant robots, single heroes/heroines that can do everything or unrealistic ground warfare.

The setting could be placed in any modern warfare arena because the tactics are real and practical. The interactions make sense and I cannot think of any other writer who can bring the futuristic elements of ground combat better than these two authors.