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Bolo Rising | Rating | |
| A | |||
| William H. Keith, Jr. | |||
| Series | Related Books | ||
| Bolos | Last Stand, Old Guard, Bolo Brigade, Bolo Rising, Bolo Strike | ||
On the world of Cloud, humanity is in trouble. Contact with Earth has been lost, thanks to the Melconian war, and the planet has been conquered by a machine civilization, the humans reduced to slave labor or spare parts. Their only hope for freedom is the lone Mark XXXIII Bolo stationed on the planet. But the !*!*! have subverted its programming, making it one of their own. And even if Major Jaime Graham can free "Hector," one Bolo can't possibly take on an entire planet of thinking machines. Can it?
Bolo Rising is chock full of some of the more furious tank battles I've seen in fiction. The fact that this is no ordinary tank only makes it better. Hector and Jaime, and of course the author, show a good grasp of tactics, and some of the ploys they use against the !*!*! are very clever. And the Mark XXXIII is a much more capable model than the Mark XXIVs in Bolo Brigade.
The story as a whole is also interesting, something of a replay of Spartacus' drive throughout Italy in futuristic form. There's plenty here besides merely tank-on-alien fights, as well. Even if freedom is possible, there's no certainty that it's the best course, and Jaime will have to contend with dissent within the ranks and people who feel the best chance of survival lies in not provoking the machines.
There's plenty going on in this novel, and Keith strikes a nice balance between the human side of the story and the Bolo's. He also includes plenty from the !*!*! point of view, which provides an interesting look at humanity. Keith has a good knack for writing nonhuman philosophies that are truly alien, and this is no exception. If you enjoy Bolos, or military science fiction, this is an excellt book to check out.
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