The Reformer (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

by S.M. Stirling (Author), David Drake (Author) "The High City of Solinga had been the core of the ancient town once; first a warlord's castle, then the seat of the city council..." (more)
Key Phrases: King Casull, Prince Tenny, First Spear (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Getting military sci-fi right is tricky. As with any genre fiction, there are certain rules to be followed. When you pick up a book with a cover depicting a sword-wielding Roman-type firing a primitive cannon under the shadow of a swirling nebula, you have certain expectations and woe unto any author who fails to meet them. Fortunately, S.M. Stirling and David Drake are both decorated vets (Stirling for the bestselling Anne McCaffrey collaboration The City Who Fought and Drake for the well-loved Hammer's Slammers series, about "the meanest bunch of mercs who ever nuked a world for pay.")

The Reformer continues their Raj Whitehall series, with its intriguing schtick of the cloned consciousnesses of a military commander (Raj) and a battle computer (Center) becoming voices in the head of a would-be hero on a primitive world who is trying to coax humanity back--one planet at a time--to the level of progress it had acheived before a crippling galactic civil war. In The Reformer, Raj and Center are guiding a clever, scrappy philosopher named Adrian and his studly soldier brother Esmond, helping them introduce gunpowder and civic order (eventually) to the quasi-Roman civilization on Hafardine. Fast-paced, but not quite as meaty as earlier installments in the series, Reformer still gets the job done with believable battle scenes and knowing descriptions of early weapons and technology. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
Military SF experts Stirling and Drake move into hardcover for the seventh entry in their General series (The Chosen, etc.), about soldier-statesman Raj Whitehall and the sentient computer, Center, influencing the course of civilization in a far-future galaxy. This time, the discarnate minds of man and machine do their good work on a planet that has regressed to a level of technology resembling that of the Roman Empire; there's even an equivalent to Rome (Vanbert), which has conquered the local version of Greece (Emerald, with its capital of Solinga standing in for Athens). Aided by Whitehall and Center, Adrian Gellert, a Solingian law clerk working in Vanbert, becomes involved in a rebellion, along with his warrior brother, Esmond. Before they have to flee, they introduce gunpowder grenades to Vanbert. They also equip King Casull of the Isles with arquebuses, cannon and steam-driven ironclad rams. The climax, occupying a third of the novel, involves the Islanders' assault on Vanbert's coastal city of Preble, and is told with the knowledge of military tactics and hardware, and the vividly described action, that readers expect from Stirling and Drake. There's not much originality on display here, and the ending is indecisive, but devotees of military SF should enjoy themselves nonetheless.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baen (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067157860X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671578602
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #558,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 7 in The Raj Whitehall Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Reformer, January 12, 2000

By	Edward H. Merry (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Reformer (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 7) (Hardcover)

Agree that this book is not in the class or breadth as The Chosen.

But it was never intended to be. Rather, The Reformer is more along the lines of the first books of the General's series. -- The Forge.

Also the authors followed their trend of translating ancient engagements into this new science fiction military context. The Forge and what followed tracked with a Byzantine general's , Belasarius, actual exploits.

In The Reformer, Stirling and Drake examined Alexander the Great's actual siege of Tyre and created a plausible alternate ending.

Still a good read. I'm looking forward to the next one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars does not belong on the same shelf with their other works, April 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Reformer (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 7) (Hardcover)

Hey, guys, what happened? The two of you are my favorite authors. But this book bears little resemblance to the preceding series, either in style or in entertainment value. It would be fun to watch Raj and Center and two cronies rip through the Roman Empire . . . but I have absolutely no sympathy for either of the main characters, and Raj/Center play only a tiny role in the story.

You also didn't give us a book! This thing is hardly four chapters of material, and ends in roughly the first third of what I would otherwise consider a novel.

I read it at my local bookstore. It was short enough to read in the store. I'm very disappointed and did not buy it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars OK,but I expected better, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Reformer (The Raj Whitehall Series, Book 7) (Hardcover)

I have to place this one purely in the middle of the pack. I was expecting something like the others in the series (The General, The Steel, The Chosen, etc.) and instead I get something more like a novella than a novel. Yes, it does clear 200+ pages, but the book feels like it was part of a larger one and set out before it was fully finished and polished. After all the first 10 of 14 chapters are available for reading on Baen's website. What I liked - seeing Drake and Stirling work with a pseudo-Roman empire. The peek into the world of the mind. What I didn't - Not enough development of characters. Felt too rushed in reading. And it was too short for a hardcover.

All in all I'd have been happier buying this in paperback, and I suspect you will too.