David's adventures in the aftermath of the Kentucky retreat. General Martinez continuing to undermine Valentine and his efforts. Valentine's story still fascinates, read it straight through.
( )

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars because I have enjoyed the series so much over the years. In a way, it's very realistic, perhaps too much so. It's not going anywhere very fast. Valentine is becoming a beat up, used up, old man & still hasn't hit 30. Considering what he's facing, that does make sense, but it's not making for a great story especially after the build up of the first few books where he gained extra powers. I keep expecting to see some more of that to help the story along, but I've been waiting for at least 3 books now. He started as a Wolf, became a Cat & seemed like he'd go Bear, like his father, but then took a different direction to become a reviled hero.

That's another thing that's getting a bit old. As heroic & good at his job as he is, he's still not recognized as such & is falling further into disrepute with every book. Again, it's almost too realistic.

BUT, the seeds have been planted in each book for things to turn around. I keep hoping they will & in this book he finally has gotten what may turn out to be the impetus for a break through. It looks like he now has a soon-to-be powerful press behind him. He's been shoved off the Southern Command grid into a command that is a new Foreign Legion & is surrounded by good allies with plenty of opportunity to raise hell with the Kurians in any direction he chooses. There's also a possibility that he might gain some new powers.

I'm sure hoping that things get back on track soon. The last few books have been a real downer. It probably hasn't helped that so many years & books have gone by since I read the first one in 2003 without a reread, but without something popping soon, I may just give up. ( )

More of a 3.5 or a bit better. Knight handles quite a few different themes & plot lines in this book, as the rest. We're back in Kentucky with the leg worms & their clans. Not as much about them, but he has a lot of other issues to deal with, especially at the end. Wow. Nonstop.

I didn't like a couple of things. Don't read further if you haven't read the previous books.
---------- Danger, spoilers for earlier in the series ------

Complaint: He got half-assed turned into a bear. He's a wolf, cat, & now kind of a bear, but that isn't mentioned much in this book. Again, he's too self-effacing. He gets his ass kicked early on. I don't buy it. Yes, it was raining. No, he wasn't expecting it, but he's a cat & jumped 11' straight up in the last book. He beared out too. He can't get free of a rope & 4 guys?


Excellent: He also faces something else that we've met before & it's a spoiler to say more, just want to say it's very well done. Ravies - the Kurian version of human rabies - is such an awesome disease. It turns people into something similar to zombies - with rabies - YEAH! Seriously, you can't get meaner than that.

In this day of too many vampires, zombies, & paranormal powers, usually with a ridiculously clad, kick-ass heroine (Hey, I read a lot of them & like them too, but it is pretty ridiculous.) Valentine is a hero worth noticing & Knight's world is so grittily real that it hurts, but still has the PNR/UF fun to it. Excellent. ( )

Winter Duty. This is the story of Southern Command making a disaster out of Javelin.
And it is a story of David Valentine making lemonaide out of lemons.

A lot of our favorites characters are back, including the return of a character not seen since Way of the Wolf (if my memory is correct).

We once again are treated to some great action, characters, and dialogue. ( )

Valentine, licking his wounds from betrayal fights his way across Kentucky to pick up whats left of his wounded. A good balance of intrique and action makes this book very readable. ( )