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Read Passage At Arms (2007)

Passage at Arms (2007)

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Author
Rating
3.98 of 5 Votes: 5
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ISBN
1597800678 (ISBN13: 9781597800679)
Language
English
Publisher
night shade books

Passage At Arms (2007) - Plot & Excerpts

I actually give this 3.5 stars. Having just finished it moments ago, I can say that I enjoyed the final 1/4th of the book more than all the rest of it combined. Most of the time I felt like you could have replaced "spaceship" with "submarine" and you'd have the same damn novel. Which, I suppose, was sort of the point...but it wasn't all that gripping for me.When things got desperate towards the end is when it got interesting. I love stories of men deteriorating, starving, becoming ragged and horrible...you know, stories of survival. So all that worked for me quite well. As the weapons started to run out I found the combat more and more engaging.I could have done with some idea of what the enemy looked like. Again, I suppose that was the point. The enemy was anonymous--just blips on radar. That doesn't stop me from being curious though.I did enjoy the book for the most part. It made me want to finally watch Das Boot. Claustrophobia is another thing I like in novels, and Passage at Arms had it in spades.Glen Cook, as a prose stylist...not my cup of tea. I didn't find it unpleasant to read, but it did sort of fluctuate randomly between being overwritten and terse and underwritten. Again, part of the point of the book. The writing changes as the character changes. Shrug.So, I if you like military sci-fi more than me you'll probably like this book more than me. A good recommendation from Tim. Not something I would have read on my own, so I appreciate the coaxing.

After conflict breaks up between Earth and Ulant, Earth federation finds itself grossly outnumbered and pushed back all the time. Only people that can stop the Ulant invasion are the men and women crews of new and experimental Climber ships. These ships, capable of blinking out of the existence (by jumping into 'null' space) in order to avoid the enemy detection, stalk him and then suddenly attack him are only edge humans have in order to repel the invaders. Caanan (symbolic ain't it) is the thorn in the back of Ulant advancing force - major strike base from which almost all Climber actions are planned and executed.[return][return]Cook manages to bring that depressing feeling of men under stress, serving under unbearable conditions on experimental ships with no means of getting rescued in case of any problems, always working behind enemy lines and living with average '10-patrol' life expectancy odds.[return][return]Great war book, sort of a homage to the submarine crews in WW II.[return][return]Recommended.

What do You think about Passage At Arms (2007)?

Just read this book completely out of order. I liked it. All the reviews saying it's "Das Boot" in space are accurate. Very well done from the perspective of a "deep dive" into a cramped, dangerous vessel during wartime.Had some complaints, though. Maybe because I haven't read the other books, but chapter 1 was confusing. It seems chapter 2, and maybe 3, should have come first ... that's where you actually get some introduction to what's going on. Also, with all the stuff happening on and around the story of this vessel, no real questions get answered about the greater conflict. Maybe that's intentional, but it just leaves me wondering what the rest of the story actually is.
—Andy Mac

This was an interesting one. I started it a while ago and got part way through the first chapter before putting it down. I picked it back up last week and still found myself struggling a bit. The problem I found was that the first two chapters and chronologically reversed. We start right in the story and I had trouble understanding exactly what was going on. I am a huge Glen Cook fan especially the Black Company, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave it persevered. Once the book got moving it became much better and readable. I like the narrator, who though different from Croaker, has a number of traits that will remind familiar readers of him. It's very different than the black company, but still well worth the read. This story follows a ship of elite soldiers as they carry out increasingly dangerous orders without understanding the reason behind it. The narrator tells about the different characters on the ship and how they react to the dire circumstances the ship finds itself in. This is not a book about giant space battles or advanced technology. Instead it is about the people who operate the ship, and their relationship with each other, their commander, and the higher command system. It's an interesting read and pretty short as well. Well worth it for any Glen Cook fans or general Science Fiction fans
—Tz

This is Run Silent, Run Deep of interstellar warfare. It is a terrific book. I actually would like to give it 4.5 or even 5 stars instead of four for two reasons (1) Chapters One and Two are reversed. It starts with Chapter Two and then goes to Chapter One, then goes the Chapter Three. Recommend you begin the book with Chapter Two, then read Chapter One, then go to Chapter Three. It will make much more sense. (2) it is written in the present tense ("The personnel carrier lurches through the ruins under a wounded sky. The night hangs overhead like a sadist's boot.") instead of in the past tense. Every time I read this book that drives me crazy for the first couple of chapters and then, somehow, I manage to tune it out and enjoy the story. If Glen would just revise this to read: "The personnel carrier lurched through the ruins under a wounded sky. The night hung overhead like a sadist's boot." it would make me very happy.Still, this is a great, classic, interesting, novel. Highly recommended.
—David Grace

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