Gust Front

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The aliens had arrived with gifts, warnings, and an offer we couldn't refuse...

Our choice was simple: we could be cannon fodder, or we could be...fodder. We could send our forces to fight and die (as only humans can) against a ravening horde that was literally feeding on its interstellar conquests—or remain as we were—virtually weaponless and third in line for brunch.

We chose to fight.

Thanks to alien technology and sheer guts, the Terrans on two worlds fought the Posleen to a standstill. Thank God there was a moment to catch our breath, a moment, however brief, of peace—

Now, for the survivors of the Barwhon and Diess Expeditionary Forces, it was a chance to get some distance from the blood and misery of battle against the Posleen centaurs. A blessed chance to forget the screams of the dying in purple swamps and massacres under searing alien suns.

For Earth it was an opportunity to flesh out their force of raw recruits with cambat-seasoned veterans. Political, military and scientific blundering had left the Terran forces in shambles—and with the Posleen invasion only months away, these shell-shocked survivors might be the only people capable of saving the Earth from devastation.

If the veterans had time to lick their wounds.

Because the Posleen don't read schedules.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fans of Hollywood-style blood-and-guts sci-fi as exemplified in the film Independence Day will enjoy this sequel to A Hymn Before Battle (2000). Ringo's army background gives his series all the flavor and excitement of the liveliest military SF, illustrating both the tactical and strategic levels of a near-future war that started on distant worlds and has now come to Earth. In A Hymn Before Battle, resourceful Captain Michael O'Neal almost single-handedly defeated the vicious centaurlike Posleen in battle, but with Earth hanging in the balance in this book, it will take more than one man to turn the tide. Ringo begins with long and detailed human preparations for the expected invasion, introducing an immense cast of civilians, veterans, grunts and high-level officers. But when the Posleen forces arrive earlier than expected, improvised plans must be launched without delay. The humans fight for the most part with modern-day weaponry, assisted by advanced artillery from the Galactic Federation allies who got them into the fight in the first place. The resulting carnage will please those who relish high body counts. Ringo's characters often walk a fine line between heroic and stereotypical, while his extended expository passages slow the story. Still, this novel should cement Ringo's reputation as one of the best new practitioners of military SF. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

As part of the Galactic Federation, human armies help battle the aggressive aliens known as the Posleen, meeting them in a catastrophic war on the planet Barwhon V. When the Posleen begin an invasion of Earth, however, the humans ignore the fact that the invaders outnumber them and wage an unorthodox and surprising form of warfare. Ringo's sequel to Hymn Before Battle displays the author's talent for combining fast-moving battle scenes with vignettes of individual courage and sacrifice. A good choice for most sf collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The predicted sequel to A Hymn Before Battle (2000). The backdrop: the predatory, expansionist, centaurlike Posleen threaten a multispecies, pacifist galactic confederation. So the confederation's dominant Darhel race decides to enlist the help of warlike Earth against the Posleen, with humans doing most of the fighting, the galactics supplying spaceships, advanced weapons, etc. Why should Earth get involved? Well, a Posleen invasion fleet's in the offing-and in this installment it actually arrives. Another problem for the devious Darhel: if and when Posleen are defeated, how to stop humans from taking over the confederation? It's all plausible enough, with a ton of military style and stirring action: fans of the previous book will plunge right in. If you're merely curious-don't start here.