Glen
Moderator
I hope this will fit here, especially now that 'future history' is official.
I recently read Road to Damascus by John Ringo and Linda Evans.
First, a disclaimer: I am a rabid fan of Bolos. I also loved A Hymn before Battle and the other books in the Posleen series by John Ringo.
Well, the book had its good and its bad points.
I am about to discuss some, so be warned, there will be spoilers after this point....
SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY!
One big problem I had with the plot was that this world is set up as a place with a big pro 'second amendment' bias in the constitution, specifically to keep the government in check, and the constitution itself is clearly THE last word in the government.
They have the Granger culture, that clearly is a big believer in the constitution and the arms clause. Also this is a culture that recovered from a Deng attack many, many decades before and kept itself held in readiness for all that time for the next attack, which materializes at the beginning of the book.
Now then, I can see there being some schism between the Urban and Rural/Granger culture. I can even see a charismatic, smart, well-financed demigogue managing to take the election after the Deng attack, especially with the tricks they pull. And I can see them trying to subvert everything to their own crazed dark 'utopian' ends.
What I can't see is it taking over a decade and a half for the Grangers to take up arms against it! This should have happened probably have happened well within five or so years. These Grangers weren't push overs, as our author takes pains to express. And they knew their rights. The moment the POPPA movement started trying to trample them, especially when they packed the Supreme Court and got it ruling their way, clearly and flagrently against the constitution, that would have been the last straw, or close to it.
These Grangers weren't going to let these nut jobs take their kids and try to indoctrinate them like that, and they weren't going to let them into their homes for regular 'inspections', either. And they sure weren't going to let them take their land. There would have been blood and rebellion long, long before.
On a more specific note, with the characters, I do not see Simon and Kafari letting it go as far as it did with their daughter, Yalena. I think they would have moved her, maybe the whole family, out into the countryside and commuted to work, or if that didn't work, I think Kafari would have taken her offworld, years and years before. These people are shown in the beginning and the end of the book as tough as nails, but in the middle they are suddenly cream puffs. It just didn't ring true to me.
Also problematic was the depiction of the Mark XX Bolo, Sonny. He seemed a little more rigid than I would have expected of a Bolo of that mark. I know that's just the start of 'official' autonomy, but Bolos again and again in the books are clearly more self aware and intelligent then their creators seem to realize. Perhaps that is because they can't read the Bolo's mind, and they tend not to give answers unless queried. I find it hard to believe that Sonny wouldn't have kept on guard for sabotage of his Commander's aircar during that point, when on Full Battle Alert and recently after a threat on his life. That is a simple tactical matter well within his capacity. I know I was expecting it a mile away, why wouldn't the bolo?
As to the role Sonny played after his commander, Simon, was removed. While I can see the Bolo discharging some of the tasks assigned, Bolos tend not to be so literal in their execution. They are tactical, and oftentimes strategic, geniuses, even a Mark XX. This Bolo clearly knew that he was not completely bound to the strict letter of the commands of the President, as he notes to himself from the beginning, and that he has a great deal of latitude in what he may do in furtherance of his primary mission. He is also well aware of the history of his own previous commander's interpretation of their mission and what constituted proper and improper use of the Bolo. But then he goes and does whatever stupid thing the President tells him, just internally bemoaning its stupidity.
However, even worse is his inaction in allowing his performance to be degraded by clear failures by the POPPA controlled Jeffersonian government to aid him in his maintenance and mission. They provide substandard support, equipment, and little to no proper ancillary support, this despite being required to do so. I would think that after a few months of this crud, there would be a SWIFT report to Command clearly showing the failures of the Jeffersonian government to keep their obligations. And while Sector Command might have been somewhat slow in response, it wasn't going to be THIS slow. That Bolo Mark XX, antiquated as it was, still could have been used any number of places in hard pressed Human space with the continuation of the Melconian war. Especially with the main fronts having shifted, they would be more than happy to move that Bolo somewhere it would have been appreciated and maintained properly, rather than in POPPA controlled Jefferson.
Well, that's the first part of the rant. I guess one of my biggest problems is that there were so many wonderful characters in the book, but then they seemed to lose their way for an improbably long length of time.
I recently read Road to Damascus by John Ringo and Linda Evans.
First, a disclaimer: I am a rabid fan of Bolos. I also loved A Hymn before Battle and the other books in the Posleen series by John Ringo.
Well, the book had its good and its bad points.
I am about to discuss some, so be warned, there will be spoilers after this point....
SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY!
One big problem I had with the plot was that this world is set up as a place with a big pro 'second amendment' bias in the constitution, specifically to keep the government in check, and the constitution itself is clearly THE last word in the government.
They have the Granger culture, that clearly is a big believer in the constitution and the arms clause. Also this is a culture that recovered from a Deng attack many, many decades before and kept itself held in readiness for all that time for the next attack, which materializes at the beginning of the book.
Now then, I can see there being some schism between the Urban and Rural/Granger culture. I can even see a charismatic, smart, well-financed demigogue managing to take the election after the Deng attack, especially with the tricks they pull. And I can see them trying to subvert everything to their own crazed dark 'utopian' ends.
What I can't see is it taking over a decade and a half for the Grangers to take up arms against it! This should have happened probably have happened well within five or so years. These Grangers weren't push overs, as our author takes pains to express. And they knew their rights. The moment the POPPA movement started trying to trample them, especially when they packed the Supreme Court and got it ruling their way, clearly and flagrently against the constitution, that would have been the last straw, or close to it.
These Grangers weren't going to let these nut jobs take their kids and try to indoctrinate them like that, and they weren't going to let them into their homes for regular 'inspections', either. And they sure weren't going to let them take their land. There would have been blood and rebellion long, long before.
On a more specific note, with the characters, I do not see Simon and Kafari letting it go as far as it did with their daughter, Yalena. I think they would have moved her, maybe the whole family, out into the countryside and commuted to work, or if that didn't work, I think Kafari would have taken her offworld, years and years before. These people are shown in the beginning and the end of the book as tough as nails, but in the middle they are suddenly cream puffs. It just didn't ring true to me.
Also problematic was the depiction of the Mark XX Bolo, Sonny. He seemed a little more rigid than I would have expected of a Bolo of that mark. I know that's just the start of 'official' autonomy, but Bolos again and again in the books are clearly more self aware and intelligent then their creators seem to realize. Perhaps that is because they can't read the Bolo's mind, and they tend not to give answers unless queried. I find it hard to believe that Sonny wouldn't have kept on guard for sabotage of his Commander's aircar during that point, when on Full Battle Alert and recently after a threat on his life. That is a simple tactical matter well within his capacity. I know I was expecting it a mile away, why wouldn't the bolo?
As to the role Sonny played after his commander, Simon, was removed. While I can see the Bolo discharging some of the tasks assigned, Bolos tend not to be so literal in their execution. They are tactical, and oftentimes strategic, geniuses, even a Mark XX. This Bolo clearly knew that he was not completely bound to the strict letter of the commands of the President, as he notes to himself from the beginning, and that he has a great deal of latitude in what he may do in furtherance of his primary mission. He is also well aware of the history of his own previous commander's interpretation of their mission and what constituted proper and improper use of the Bolo. But then he goes and does whatever stupid thing the President tells him, just internally bemoaning its stupidity.
However, even worse is his inaction in allowing his performance to be degraded by clear failures by the POPPA controlled Jeffersonian government to aid him in his maintenance and mission. They provide substandard support, equipment, and little to no proper ancillary support, this despite being required to do so. I would think that after a few months of this crud, there would be a SWIFT report to Command clearly showing the failures of the Jeffersonian government to keep their obligations. And while Sector Command might have been somewhat slow in response, it wasn't going to be THIS slow. That Bolo Mark XX, antiquated as it was, still could have been used any number of places in hard pressed Human space with the continuation of the Melconian war. Especially with the main fronts having shifted, they would be more than happy to move that Bolo somewhere it would have been appreciated and maintained properly, rather than in POPPA controlled Jefferson.
Well, that's the first part of the rant. I guess one of my biggest problems is that there were so many wonderful characters in the book, but then they seemed to lose their way for an improbably long length of time.