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Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) (Hardcover)

by John Ringo (Author), Tom Kratman (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. An axiom of military science is that an army reflects the society it protects, but what happens when that society is confronted with a crisis its dominant ideology can't solve? In this provocative addition to the Posleen War series, a galactic civilization genetically predisposed toward pacifism offers humanity advanced technology so that we can defend ourselves (and them) from the only other sentient species capable of violence—think "Mongol horde in space." After the first enemy landings in 2004, the German chancellor decides, despite fierce opposition, to rejuvenate survivors of the Waffen SS. Eager to redeem their tarnished honor, these veterans display the same steadfastness and fortitude that they did in Russia and Normandy. Ringo (Hell's Faire) and Kratman (A State of Disobedience) pull no punches in this audacious and deliberately shocking effort, contrasting the ruthlessness of the (mostly) former Nazis with the contemporary politicians' disastrous insistence on forcing reality into a politically correct mold. Readers who can overcome their ideological gag reflex will be rewarded with an exciting view from "the other side of the hill." (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
The invaders are coming¿the Posleen, a seemingly unstoppable horde who have conquered one star system after another, literally feeding on their conquests. Earth¿s dubious allies, the Darhel, have given the humans a number of highly-advanced technological devices, including a process for rejuvenating the aged, including trained and proven soldiers who otherwise would be too old to fight. Rejuvenation may give a critical edge, since to survive, the Earth must use every resource at hand. Every resource . . .

In the dark days after the initial Posleen attack, but before the primary invasion, the Chancellor of Germany faces a critical decision. Over the years, with military cutbacks, the store of experienced German military personnel had simply dwindled. After the destruction of Northern Virginia, he realized that it was necessary to tap the one group he had sworn never, ever, to recall: the few remaining survivors of the Waffen SS. Has he made a devil¿s bargain, or is this a chance for the reviled SS at last to fight the good fight? And, perhaps, gain redemption. . . ?

Watch On the Rhine, a new chapter in the New York Times best-selling Posleen War saga, is perhaps the most unbiased, and brutal, look at the inner workings of the Waffen SS in history. Meticulously researched, it explores all that was good, and evil, about the most infamous military force in history using the backdrop of the Posleen invasion as a canvas.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (August 2, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743499182
ISBN-13: 978-0743499187
Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #485,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Citations (learn more)

1 book cites this book:

Into the Looking Glass (Looking Glass, Book 1) by John Ringo in Front Matter

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	74% buy the item featured on this page: Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) 4.0 out of 5 stars (55)
	7% buy Hell's Faire (Posleen War Series #4) 3.4 out of 5 stars (36) $7.99
	7% buy Sister Time (The Posleen War) 4.2 out of 5 stars (20) $7.99
	6% buy Cally's War (Posleen War Series #5) 2.9 out of 5 stars (86) $7.99

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Customer Reviews

55 Reviews

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4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
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4.0 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kratman improves as Ringo's Posleen series gets darker, July 27, 2005

By	Walt Boyes "Walt Boyes" (Aurora IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tom Kratman's first book, A State of Disobedience was good but filled with first novel issues. Some of his characters weren't fleshed out, and some were intentionally cardboard. It was a didactic novel in the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein, but Kratman did not have the technical skills to bring it off at the level that the Master could.

Now, with John Ringo (it appears that Kratman did most of the writing), he has written a mature second novel, Watch on the Rhine.

His characters are excellently well drawn, and his writing style has matured considerably since his first book. He also stays unblinkingly <u>real</u> in his portrayal of humans in desperate straits.

His Greens and Watermelons are so bad that I kept asking myself, would they really do that? And I kept sinking back into the novel when my answer came back to me as "yes." And finally, his Posleen appear as more than evil BEMs...they have feelings, a culture, and are 'people' too.

I was very put off by the idea of resurrecting "Nazi Supermen" to fight the Posleen. Kratman and Ringo rang some surprising changes on the theme, with enough skill and daring to make you really think over what the Waffen SS really was, and if they were tarred with the Nazi brush somewhat mistakenly...and then they hit you in the face because even good people can fight for evil causes. When asked, one of the characters replies, "Oh, yes, there is one real Nazi here, and we all hate him, but he is a really good tank driver." Sometimes needs must, when the devil drives.

-----WARNING! SNERK ALERT!----

One subplot that just sticks with me, and is pivotal in the plot of the novel, is the death of Gudrun and especially the last scene in which we see her head. Kratman's writing is uncompromising and even though the scene bears all the hallmarks of the grotesque, it forces the reader to care about not only the humans, but in a strange sort of way, for the Posleen too. They are, after all, victims of the Aldenata and the Darhel, too.

Kratman (and Ringo, who must be an excellent teacher) have scored big this time.

Walt Boyes
The Bananaslug. at Baen's Bar

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44 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars, July 25, 2005

By	Amerigo Vespucci (Fairbanks, Alaska) - See all my reviews

Watch on the Rhine is an excellent book for both veterans of the Posleen series as well as new readers. Far more graphic and dark than Ringo's four original books, and far more battle-intensive than Julie Cochrane's "Cally's War," Watch on the Rhine covers the German response to the evil alien invasion of the Posleen.

The story centers on the reconstitution of the SS after the events in Ringo's "Gust Front." Prompted by the destruction of Fredericksburg and the devastation of Washington, D.C. the German chancellor realizes that no measure is too great to defend against the aliens. Kratman writes from a viewpoint that may be too right-leaning for some readers, but his treatment of the SS is very even-handed, and and the larger story is executed quite well. The story is somewhat light on character development, and moves too quickly at times, attempting to cover too much, but the story definitely comes together at the end, with the characters becoming more rounded as the book allows character details to come through. Kratman isn't afraid to kill off characters, and in this story, it aids the story.

Overall, an excellent story, with elements thrown in to delight long time followers of the Posleen series. Although rough in places at the beginning, the story comes together at the end, and is well worth the read.

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well-written but disturbing, April 15, 2007

By	Kevin Grierson (Norfolk, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Watch on the Rhine (Posleen War Series #7) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you have read other books in the Posleen war series, you know pretty much what you'll get--lots of gore, beautiful women, and incompetent leftist politicians, along with well-written military encounters with the ravening hordes of centaur-like Posleen. This book delivers more of the same. Unfortunately, Ringo has reached the point that his politics are interfering with his storytelling--even for me, and my politics regarding the military are probably right of center.

Ringo seems to assume that the most controversial issue in the book would be the reconstitution of the SS, but I thought perfectly logical under the circumstances. Ringo's assertions to the contrary, I don't think many Germans or Europeans would object either, particularly given that a recent poll showed that 52% of them favored armed intervention in Iran--a threat, surely, but hardly one of Posleen proportions. Rather I was bothered a great deal by the epilogue, in which many of the characters are back for a planetary bombardment of the Darhel, the intent being the extermination of the Darhel entirely. I can understand waging war against the Darhel, given their toying with human survival in the face of the Posleen hordes. But the idea of wiping out an entire species because of the actions of some of their members is too akin to Hitler's "final solution" for my comfort. The humans even shoot down civilian transports of Darhel, justifying it with the idea that the laws of war permit shooting civilians escaping from a siege, conveniently ignoring the fact that this principle of war was justified by the need to encourage surrender of the area under siege--and the humans would not accept a Darhel surrender. The fact that the Darhel are more or less incapable of fighting back due to their genetic programming makes it all the more appalling. Unlike the humans, who are described with some sympathy as the Posleen cut them down, the faceless Darhel remain unknown and unnamed, apparently undifferentiated in their collective guilt.

We know from Ringo's "Hero" story that the Darhel survive the attempted genocide, but the fact that the humans are unsuccessful makes the attempt to punish an entire species for the actions of some of its members no less disturbing. What point are Ringo and Kratman trying to make? In the afterword, they analogize the Posleen invasion to a war we won't acknowledge (presumably between the Western democracies and radical Islam). Are they suggesting the only solution to the East-West conflict is the eradication of all Muslims, whether or not complicit in terrorist attacks?

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Posleen War Series
The series written by John Ringo (and a few guests) is not your standard aliens invade earth story. I found it intriguing and entertaining and recommend it to any 16 and up. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Derek Peterson

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Posleen War Series
Not great literature but at times it can certainly be fun.

I have done a complete 180 on John Ringo whatever problem I am have with his other books this book is... Read more

Published 16 months ago by General Pete

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is absolutely unreadable
Do yourself a favor, don't read this trash. And I do NOT refer to the book's subject matter. It's simply that this is one of the worst-written books I ever came across. Read more

Published 16 months ago by PqP

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Worth Your Time
This is a book with a promising premise that's ruined by the author's agenda.

I came to the book, and John Ringo, cold. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Justin Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars A desperate battle in this fast-paced adventure.
John Ringo and Tom Kratman's WATCH ON THE RHINE tells of evil invaders - the Posleen, a space-conquering horde with an insatiable appetite for aliens - and allies of Earth who... Read more

Published 23 months ago by Midwest Book Review

5.0 out of 5 stars Military Philosophy in Action
Watch on the Rhine (2005) is a standalone novel in the Legacy of the Aldenata universe, following Hell's Faire in the Posleen War subseries. Read more

Published on June 25, 2007 by Arthur W. Jordin

3.0 out of 5 stars Certainly not for Everyone
This was the first book I have read in the Posleen War series. I found it full of action and reasonably involving. Read more

Published on June 1, 2007 by David B. Wade

1.0 out of 5 stars Sloppy and boring.
I finally got a copy of this book after reading several negative reviews, to see for myself. Unfortunately they were right. Read more

Published on May 29, 2007 by Guerilla Surgeon

2.0 out of 5 stars Less lame politics and more aliens getting blasted
The real problem I had isn't about the redemption of the SS its how so much of the book is full of ranting about euro-commies and left wingers who are - for some reason - actively... Read more

Published on April 26, 2007 by Paul J. Nutter

4.0 out of 5 stars A Guilty Pleasure
I read this book with great enjoyment. The plot grabs you and never lets go until the last page. Once finished, the book did provide food for thought. Read more

Published on April 19, 2007 by J. Reynolds

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