Scan barcode
jmkemp's review against another edition
5.0
I was recommended this from reading Charlie Stross's blog as the Linda Nagata is guest blogging while Charlie is down under. Military Sci-Fi is something that I tend to enjoy, so much so that I've written some of it and regularly wargame in that genre.
This one was a very compelling near future story, told in a first person narrative by a not entirely volunteer US Army Lieutenant. The protagonist is the leader of a 'linked combat squad' who are a sort of specialised infantry with an exo-skeleton controlled by an external skull cap that can read (and affect) their brain states. From what I know of current and proposed military capabilities this is an entirely believable future, just a little into future from now (perhaps a decade or two, but happily non-specific so that we don’t fall into the trap of outdating the story when the technology doesn't go mainstream by the date given).
The premise is that there is something nudging people to make decisions, and influencing the options that they are being presented with. We first see this in the person of the protagonist, Lt Shelley, who gets premonition flashes about the presence of an enemy which allows him to react just in time. In particular one of the more overt interventions of this unexplained presence is a loss of contact from 'guidance' at a crucial moment.
Avoiding spoilers (below the cut), the story was very tightly written and kept me turning pages, to the extent that I stayed up late reading, got the bus from the station to the office so I could keep reading and only put it down when I got to my desk and had to start working (I read in the lift and walking along the corridor). It was told at a good pace, with a few good twists and turns to keep it interesting and having you wonder what was happening next.
Happily there is a planned sequel, which I'll be acquiring when it comes out.
The story follows a US Army Lt who has enlisted to avoid a jail term. He's got some physical enhancements at the start of the story, an overlay over his eyes that connects him to the cloud and also some nodes embedded in his head that help the skullcap to monitor his brainwaves and also to control his moods. The story is in three distinct episodes, which become clear towards the end of the first one when the story of his squad patrolling in Africa's Sahel region is released as a two hour broadcast TV programme. This is somewhat disconcerting for him as he didn't know it was being made (it uses a combination of his overlay footage, which permanently records everything he sees and transmits it back to the Army and also the helmet cameras of him and his squad members).
The Linked Combat Squad concept is a good one, and well thought out. The premise is that all the members of the squad have a common network and head up displays inside their helmets. This is augmented with drone and weapon cameras and Guidance (a human remote controller monitoring all the feeds and making suggestions to the soldiers on the ground). In addition, a feature of the narrative (The Red of the title) is an unknown actor who is nudging the decisions of the protagonist (and others it turns out later on) to help optimise their decisions for its preferred outcomes.
This one was a very compelling near future story, told in a first person narrative by a not entirely volunteer US Army Lieutenant. The protagonist is the leader of a 'linked combat squad' who are a sort of specialised infantry with an exo-skeleton controlled by an external skull cap that can read (and affect) their brain states. From what I know of current and proposed military capabilities this is an entirely believable future, just a little into future from now (perhaps a decade or two, but happily non-specific so that we don’t fall into the trap of outdating the story when the technology doesn't go mainstream by the date given).
The premise is that there is something nudging people to make decisions, and influencing the options that they are being presented with. We first see this in the person of the protagonist, Lt Shelley, who gets premonition flashes about the presence of an enemy which allows him to react just in time. In particular one of the more overt interventions of this unexplained presence is a loss of contact from 'guidance' at a crucial moment.
Avoiding spoilers (below the cut), the story was very tightly written and kept me turning pages, to the extent that I stayed up late reading, got the bus from the station to the office so I could keep reading and only put it down when I got to my desk and had to start working (I read in the lift and walking along the corridor). It was told at a good pace, with a few good twists and turns to keep it interesting and having you wonder what was happening next.
Happily there is a planned sequel, which I'll be acquiring when it comes out.
Spoiler
The story follows a US Army Lt who has enlisted to avoid a jail term. He's got some physical enhancements at the start of the story, an overlay over his eyes that connects him to the cloud and also some nodes embedded in his head that help the skullcap to monitor his brainwaves and also to control his moods. The story is in three distinct episodes, which become clear towards the end of the first one when the story of his squad patrolling in Africa's Sahel region is released as a two hour broadcast TV programme. This is somewhat disconcerting for him as he didn't know it was being made (it uses a combination of his overlay footage, which permanently records everything he sees and transmits it back to the Army and also the helmet cameras of him and his squad members).
The Linked Combat Squad concept is a good one, and well thought out. The premise is that all the members of the squad have a common network and head up displays inside their helmets. This is augmented with drone and weapon cameras and Guidance (a human remote controller monitoring all the feeds and making suggestions to the soldiers on the ground). In addition, a feature of the narrative (The Red of the title) is an unknown actor who is nudging the decisions of the protagonist (and others it turns out later on) to help optimise their decisions for its preferred outcomes.
jwolfsthal's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. I had expected much more scifi and this is basically a combat novel with a thin layer of tech and engineering. And not all that complex or innovative either. Could not wait for this one to end.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this concept of wars being determined by the armament companies, that there were fine lines to follow for what was too much and what wasn't for profit and business alliances.
I also liked the hero of the story, he was portrayed as reckless but brave and a man to inspire loyalty, but not invincible. I thought it was a good mix.
This was not stellar, mind blowing, we've never seen it before military scifi, but it was a great solid story with some original aspects and lots of action.
I also liked the hero of the story, he was portrayed as reckless but brave and a man to inspire loyalty, but not invincible. I thought it was a good mix.
This was not stellar, mind blowing, we've never seen it before military scifi, but it was a great solid story with some original aspects and lots of action.
garunar's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nigelbaker's review against another edition
5.0
This is the third of the sword and laser book picks for June I have read. The first two I didn't finish. But it's third time lucky. This is military science fiction and about tech-enhanced soldiers in the future. The closest to this I have read is Timothy Zahn's first Cobra series. Fortunately this is hard-SciFi, the story is heavily dependant on the tech and it drives the story forward. That's not to say that the characters are badly written, they may be a bit stereotypical, but come across a fully rounded characters. The only disappointment was the 'villain' of book. There is little explanation of the villain's motivations and not much to understand. The story is told in first person and keeps going at a good pace. There isn't too much internal monologue that can slow the story.
abmgw's review against another edition
5.0
Military SF with a brai an interrestaing phasing.
But i'm not sure if I read the follow ups.
But i'm not sure if I read the follow ups.
jarichan's review against another edition
3.0
Als Fan von Military Sci-Fi dachte ich eigentlich, dass ich diesen Titel mehr mögen würde, als dass ich es schlussendlich tat. Ob meine Erwartungen zu hoch waren, kann ich nicht sagen, da ich mir keiner Erwartungen bewusst bin. Vielleicht aber war es eine unbewusste Sache.
Was ich wirklich mochte und auch die drei Sterne rechtfertigt, ist das Thema der Geschichte und wie sich Nagata damit auseinandersetzt. Bereits jetzt werden wir von Apps und Programmen überwacht und erste Stimmen machen sich gegen die Überwachung laut. Nagata geht sogar noch weiter - in ihrem Buch können die Helden nicht mehr genau sagen, ob sie nun von sich aus handeln oder ob sie gesteuert wurden.
Eine sehr, sehr beängstigende Zukunftsaussicht.
Leider haperte es bei mir mit dem ganzen Darumherum. Vor allem mit den Figuren. Sie wirken flach und austauschbar, keine ging mir nahe. Zwar versucht es Nagata und für viele Leser wird dies bestimmt kein Problem darstellen, aber mir persönlich sind die Charaktere sehr wichtig. Und hier kam mir leider zu wenig Leben rüber.
Deshalb packte mich auch die Handlung weniger. Deswegen meine leichte Enttäuschung.
Die Reihe wandert auf die "Wird vielleicht fortgesetzt"-Liste. Wer weiss, was noch alles passieren wird?
Was ich wirklich mochte und auch die drei Sterne rechtfertigt, ist das Thema der Geschichte und wie sich Nagata damit auseinandersetzt. Bereits jetzt werden wir von Apps und Programmen überwacht und erste Stimmen machen sich gegen die Überwachung laut. Nagata geht sogar noch weiter - in ihrem Buch können die Helden nicht mehr genau sagen, ob sie nun von sich aus handeln oder ob sie gesteuert wurden.
Eine sehr, sehr beängstigende Zukunftsaussicht.
Leider haperte es bei mir mit dem ganzen Darumherum. Vor allem mit den Figuren. Sie wirken flach und austauschbar, keine ging mir nahe. Zwar versucht es Nagata und für viele Leser wird dies bestimmt kein Problem darstellen, aber mir persönlich sind die Charaktere sehr wichtig. Und hier kam mir leider zu wenig Leben rüber.
Deshalb packte mich auch die Handlung weniger. Deswegen meine leichte Enttäuschung.
Die Reihe wandert auf die "Wird vielleicht fortgesetzt"-Liste. Wer weiss, was noch alles passieren wird?
dakkster's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of action and fast-paced, exciting drama. I thought the main character was wonderfully realized, with a nice mix of character traits. He's got flaws and is certainly no Mary Sue character. It's a gritty world. The audio book narration is done well and I look forward to the next part in the series.