The Anvil (The Raj Whitehall Series: The General, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

by S.M. Stirling (Author), David Drake (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
With the aid of a sentient battle computer, Raj Whitehall and his band of sworn Companions struggle to reunite the entire planet of Bellevue and find their mission impeded by Barholm Clerett.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Baen (May 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671721712
• ISBN-13: 978-0671721718
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #668,020 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #66 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Stirling, S.M.
  #81 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Drake, David

• This is item 3 in The Raj Whitehall Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 5 Book Series, September 27, 2000

By	silliman89 "silliman89" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This is the standard by which I judge all military fiction. I have never found another that was it's equal. Even when the same author's got together again for books 6 and 7 (which I have reviewed separately) they couldn't recreate the magic of this series.

THE GENERAL series is about a fallen interstellar society which has climbed it's way back up to the technological level of the American Civil War. The hero, Raj Whitehall, has to reunite the planet in order to reach the stars again some day. This involves a lot of fighting and empire building. What gives Raj his edge is the pre-fall computer he has linked with that can see through his eyes.

This series has outstanding character development, a solid and well thought out overall plot line, and good story resolution in each book. The two things that really make the series the top of its genre are the interaction between the computer and the hero, and the realism of the situation. The interaction is a delicate balance that the authors perform magically. If the computer (Center) contributes too much, then the hero has too much of an edge, he doesn't have to try, and the story becomes boring. Without the computer, the hero is just this god like superhuman character that can do no wrong. The computer assistance makes Raj identifiable to the reader, even after he overcomes overwhelming odds to defeat the enemy. The realism comes from the fact that Raj is based on the life of a real person. The whole story is very similar to the story of Byzantine General Belisarius who conquered most of the Mediterranean world for His Emperor after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. That makes it very believable. The characters are very real. Their actions really happened a millenium and a half ago.

This is a must read for any fan of military fiction or empire building.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent story in the General series., November 18, 2008

By	EricS "Eric Scott" (Schenectady, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This is the third in the General series. I recommend reading them in order.
It is an excellent book, as are all the books in this series. It is a mixture of 19th century methods and tactics, with underlying political machinations.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent 5 Book Series, September 12, 2000

By	silliman89 "silliman89" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This is the standard by which I judge all military fiction. I have never found another that was it's equal. Even when the same authors got together again for books 6 and 7 (which I have reviewed separately) they couldn't recreate the magic of this series.

THE GENERAL series is about a fallen interstellar society which has climbed it's way back up to the technological level of the American Civil War. The hero, Raj Whitehall, has to reunite the planet in order to reach the stars again some day. This involves a lot of fighting and empire building. What gives Raj his edge is the pre-fall computer he has linked with that can see through his eyes.

This series has outstanding character development, a solid and well thought out overall plot line, and good story resolution in each book. The two things that really make the series the top of its genre are the interaction between the computer and the hero, and the realism of the situation. The interaction is a delicate balance that the authors perform magically. If the computer (Center) contributes too much, then the hero has too much of an edge, he doesn't have to try, and the story becomes boring. Without the computer, the hero is just this god like superhuman character that can do no wrong. The computer assistance makes Raj identifiable to the reader, even after he overcomes overwhelming odds to defeat the enemy. The realism comes from the fact that Raj is based on the life of a real person. The whole story is very similar to the story of Byzantine General Belisarius who conquered most of the Mediterranean world for his Emperor after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. That makes it very believable. The characters are very real. Their actions really happened a millenium and a half ago.

This is a must read for any fan of military fiction or empire building.