The Rods And The
Axe
Tom Kratman
Baen, Jul 1
2014, $25.00
ISBN: 9781476736563
After leading his adopted country Balboa in
victory against the more powerful Tauran Union, Duque of the Legion del Cid
Patricio Carrera knows the war is not over even if the enemy was forced to
humiliatingly retreat. He also accepts
his side does not have the logistical capability to bring the combat to Tauran
and expects the adversary to invade again within two months, but wants it on
his terms. Thus he and former general
turned elected President Raul Parilla argue over what to do with the
overwhelming number of POWs besides using the uninjured to dig anti-tank trenches.
Carrera believes Tauran will bring an ally with
them in the next battle; but he wants to select who. Based on the theory that “my friend’s enemy
is my friend” he angers the Zhong Guo Empress so she deploys her troops as an
unreliable ally of the Tauran. The countdown
to the final battle begins with the Zhong knowing they must seize the Isla Real
fortress as the first step in their final solution.
With a nod to a premise
of Reddington (Black List) that “…and
sometimes the enemy of my enemy is just an enemy”, this exciting, action-packed Carrera military science fiction is an entertaining thriller. In order to fight under his terms and thus reduce
the chance of defeat, once again Carrera executes the same general principal he
successfully used previously to bait foes; who never learned Einstein’s definition of insanity: “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results." Series fans
will enjoy this entry while looking forward to the continuation of the latest
battle in the next tale.
Harriet Klausner
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