An anthology of stories dealing with people in times of war, either as citizen soldiers and those caught up in the effects of war or professional soldiers who lived and war. We travel from Keith Laumer's earthbound Bolo to alien colonies fallen to the unexpected effects of local wildlife in Murray Leinster's Exploration Team (on of my earliest introductions to science fiction) to Heinlein's The Long Watch where one man's loyalty to a core belief put him at fatal odds with the conspirators on Moon Base with its nuclear tipped missiles.

While some of the technology around which some of these stories has dated, the basic sociology driving them, rather regrettably hasn't... ( )

A collection of military sci-fi from some of the genre's greats. My favorites are probably Keith Laumer's BOLO entry and Heinlein's The Long Watch, but Eric Freer's contribution is a welcome tone lightener, and John Ringo's offering is a reminder of why I like his stuff. Otherwise, it's typical anthology fare - either short enough to plow through, or just long enough to wet the literary taste buds and leave you wanting more. ( )

This book is a collection of 15 military sci-fi short stories. I like some sci-fi and I like military history, so I thought the combination could be interesting. Each of the contributors is a military veteran, several are well known sci-fi authors. The stories include military engagements, genetic mutations, alien invasions, and self-sacrifice for the highest cause. There was a good balance between serious, sad, and humorous stories. I think my favorite had to be "The Question" by Patrick A Vanner. Basically inter-galactic relations with a new species were ruined due to human allergies. The whole story ends up being an answer to 'the question,' and it's just amusing. There were a couple of stories I didn't enjoy as much, simply due to the level of violence for no apparent reason. They just seemed under-developed. But overall an enjoyable book. ( )