What a career! And it almost ends on a sour note! Lieutenant Colonel Ryck Lysander, UFMC, signed his resignation from the United Federation Marine Corps when unloaded a punch square on the jaw of the Commandant of the Marine Corps! You don’t read about that happening every day!
Lysander, as you’ll remember, was the commander of a battalion sent in to do a job which was not suited for the Rangers. He had argued with his superiors long and hard that they were using the wrong troops, but it did nothing but antagonize his superiors; especially the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The mission went forward and Lysander wound up leading the Brigade when his friend, mentor and Boss, was buried under tons of rubble. Under Lysander’s leadership, the Rangers won the day, but he lost a lot of men.
So when the after action reports were written up, his was decidedly different than what the top brass wanted to see. Even when it came time to review the actions before a board, Lysander continues to argue against the position held by the Marine Corps Commandant. One thing led to another and in particular a certain bar, where both Lysander and the Commandant were clearly under the influence, and something was said by the Commandant. The next thing anyone saw, was the Commandant of the Marine Corps lying unconscious on the floor. Rick calmly went back to drinking his beer.
So, that’s how this book starts. Yeah, Lysander is a Lieutenant Colonel with a seemly short, very short career ahead of him. But, things have a way of turning out much different than you would think, especially for usual guys like Lysander. He’s got a charmed life, that’s for sure!
It seems the Trinoculars, which the United Federation Marine Corp fought with Lysander in the lead, won a steady peace of sorts. The Trinoculars had drawn a line in space, “The Blue Line”, which marked their territory versus Federation territory. No one was to cross the line without permission. But, the Trinoculars had somehow captured a movie showing Lieutenant Colonel Rick Lysander as the hero of the war and a mighty warrior. They asked for him to come meet with them not telling anyone their reasons.
So, Lysander has a wonderful turn around in his almost destroyed Federation Marine Corps career. You have to read the book to find out what happened. Stuff like this is pure fantasy and that’s just too darn bad.
If you’ve been in the military, these books bring back memories of the deep camaraderie you shared with a bunch of other guys and gals who shared a common situation. I liked that feeling of belonging to something larger than just you. This book deals with some of those feelings. I really enjoy the writing. The editing is excellent and I especially like the absolutely natural and common place slang used through the book. There is a language only know to military personnel and it comes through in this and all Colonel Brazee’s books.
Please start at the beginning of the series with “Recruit (United Federation Marine Corps, 1)” if you really want an exciting and great military science fiction read. You won’t be disappointed.
Oh, yeah. I was afraid that this would be the last book in the series, but it doesn’t appear so. I think there’s going to be one more book. That’s great, but I’m really sorry to see the series end.