Empire of Man-David Weber and John Ringo

Empire of Man David Weber and John Ringo Baen, Feb 4 2014, $14.00 ISBN: 9781476736242 “March Upcountry.” The Empress of Man Alexandra VII sends her spoiled youngest son Prince Roger MacClintock to waive the flag at the planet Leviathan's Net-Hauling event. Roger protests about having to visit a backwater orb that smells for light years around, but does his duty. On the trek through space, terrorists disable Roger’s ship forcing an emergency landing on the dangerous planet Marduk that makes Leviathan look like the center of civilization. Accompanied by Royal Marines, Roger needs to grow up rather quickly if he is to survive the hostile planet whose low-tech natives prove as deadly as any species in the universe. “March to the Sea.” With many of the elite soldiers already dead and more expected to follow while still stranded on the hostile planet Marduk, Prince Roger and his remaining protective Royal Marines desperately march to the sea where their only hope of rescue lies. To reach their goal, the outsiders must trek through dangerous terrain filled with deadly unknown species while also avoiding the feral Boman. However, the endangered humans have native allies like exiled Mardukan Prince Raster and General Kar assisting their hellish journey while also finding some surprising higher than swamp-level technology in the cities of Diaspra and K'Vaern's Cove. This reprint of the first two Prince Roger military science fiction tales contains plenty of action on a fascinating “backwater” world. “March Upcountry” is a delightful coming of age saga as Roger transitions from spoiled royal to responsible team member. “March to the Sea” is a fast-paced survivor thriller, which looks deeply at a superpower struggling out of its element while allied with a backwater contingent against a native bloody horde. Harriet Klausner