Lets talk about Tanks! Not your average WWI Big Willie, or WWII Tiger but a 32.000 ton Bolo. Bolo rising is a story about such a monster tank that out thinks and out wits it’s human masters and machine enemies in the space of a few nanoseconds. In short it is classic tale of military space opera and for what thats worth it is as good as the genre gets. The human cast leaves something to be desired though. In the first half of the book it is cleverly centered around  former military support and command personnel with a clear highlight in the Bolo’s new commander.

However the cast is quickly expanded in the latter half causing some structural confusion. It even includes a young boy so we can get a few of his perspectives on the giant monster tank. At times that left me feeling that I was watching a bad Hollywood movie not a military SF tour de force. One thing that the book did succeed on was creating that important emotional bond between the reader and the main character. It actually did that better than most space opera themed SF that I have read. When the main character is a tank, well thats not such a bad job is it? I had lots of fun reading it, kept turning pages only pausing to interact with reality when I had to. So fans of the genre pick it up, everyone else could use this story to check out the genre. For me? I think I want a tank.

Written by William H. Keith Jr., published by Baen through Webscriptions

A photograph can express a multitude view points by cropping. Recently I have been experimenting with 1:3 crops.

This is the last piece of the Cobra Trilogy and so far my favorite of the bunch. The first book covered Johnny Moreau’s life spanning several years which left me feeling somewhat fragmentet. In the this book we follow Jin, daughter of on of Johnny’s sons. The rest of the Moreau family is still present but their involvement is kept in balance so you get the rejoicing of seeing them again but allowing for the main character to evolve. The character development of Jin is expertly done and in a way that you can not help but feel hugely involved in her actions and dilemmas. The book also directly follows the predecessors story line which helps knot the two books together, something the first and second lacked a bit. The action and subterfuge is also of a high standard, well crafted and believable. The book is also very well balanced in that the character building and action is nicely entwined. In other words you do not have to wait long before the story amps up. It is a fitting end to the Cobra Trilogy however it left me wanting more. A great read!

I think that this ends my trip to the Cobra for now. Thimothy Zahn have written two more books in a new series based upon his old 80′ies work called Cobra Wars. Check them out at webscription.net here and here.

The second installment into the Cobra Trilogy by Thimothy Zahn takeonyszko on a journy further into the perils of the newfound Cobra worlds. A new threat on an unfamiliar horizon is the perfect settimg for another Cobra mission. This time around the tale is spun not only from the viewpoint of Johnny Moreau but also from several other members of the Moreau family. This expansion of the main cast is both a highlight of the novel but also removes the focus and depth you get by following a more singular main character. A good portion of the book is used to setup the Moreau family and the various mechanisms driving them in the forthcoming adventure. When the action finally appears Zahn delivers in style bouncing neatly of the character building and plot threads done earlier in the book. After reading the book I tried to recall other works about man making first contact with potentially dangerous worlds and in comparison I feel that this part of the story was the weakest point. However it does not overshadow that this is a good and solid read, easily recommended to fans of the first book.