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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Measure of a Marine, December 25, 2002
Valor's Choice is the first novel in a combat SF series. When attacked by the Others, the Confederation is unable to defend itself, since all the member species have evolved socially to the point of being unable to take another sentient's life. So the Confederation invites the Humans to become their defenders; subsequently, the Taykan and the Krai are also invited to join as defenders.One and a half centuries later, Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr, acting first sergeant of Sh'quo Company, is ordered to gather a platoon for ceremonial duty guarding a delegation to the lizard-like Silsviss, a newly discovered aggressive species. This presents some problems since all the platoons are short of troops due to casualties on the last mission, so she is tasked with choosing nine intact fireteams and three squad sergeants from the survivors. The composite platoon rendezvouses with the diplomats on the Confederation Ship Berganitan. The diplomatic party consists of four spider-like Mictoc, four massively humanoid Dornagian, and four bird-like Rakva. When the Confederation mission reaches Silsvah, the marines demonstrate their proficiency at close-order drill, firearms, and standing guard. The hot climate and boring duties soon send a party of six marines sneaking off to town to meet their counterparts. The ensuing bar fight seems to speed up the negotiations, for the Silsviss terminate the visit in Hahraas early and send the Confederates to their final destination. While enroute, the Confederate transport is shot down over a swamp within a Silsviss Wilderness Preserve. After escaping the ship, the party slogs out of the swamp toward two nearby buildings. There is some need for haste, since the Preserve is used to keep the Silsviss adolescent males occupied while their hormones levels gradually drop to civilized levels. The process also gets rid of some of the surplus male population as they fight each other and anything else that challenges them, including Confederation diplomats and marines. Most of the Silsviss adolescent males in the vicinity are headed toward the crash site, but several are near the buildings; these attack the slow moving Dornagian and their escorts, who promptly take cover in some rocks. Torin leads a sortie out to recover the Dornagian party and finds that the Silsviss adolescents don't run from, but rather toward, overwhelming fire. During the night, the marines pick off the remainder of the first group, but the next day thousands of adolescent Silsviss appear on the surrounding hills, some armed with Confederation weapons from the wreckage. The attacks continue for days. Although some might think that this novel is too stereotypical, I find that the characters are fairly true to real life. Soldiers usually are fairly superficial in their discussions; too much intimacy is frowned on for several reasons, not the least that it hurts more when the other guy is KIA. It also doesn't match the macho image that most soldiers try to project; after all, who would want a wimp guarding their back. Depression, on the other hand, is usually close at hand even in the barracks, for a soldier's life is often lonely and boring. Unlike other reviewers, I would not classify this novel as "space opera"; I reserve that term for works like the Lensman or Legion of Space series. This story is much more like the StarFIST and DMC novels, small-unit combat SF. The fight sequences are most convincing; Huff based them on a famous historical incident, yet filled in the details very realistically. The finale was telegraphed by the Silsviss reaction to the bar fight, but does reflect realpolitik as practiced by politicians since the founding of the Roman empire -- and probably even earlier. Recommended for all Huff fans and anyone who likes small-unit combat SF.
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by Tanya Huff
by Tanya Huff
by Jack Campbell
by Jack Campbell
