Manxome Foe by John Ringo and Travis S. Taylor
Cover art by Kurt Miller
Published by Baen Books
Reviewed by Leigh Kimmel
After its nearly fatal mission to the world of the Cherrik, the Vorpal Blade had returned to Earth for what was supposed to be an extensive rest and refitting period. But as Clausewitz said, the first casualty of battle is always the plan.
And the battle against the Dreen has only been dormant, like a cancer in remission. That suddenly changes when the human exploratory team on a distant world is suddenly attacked by the Dreen. Because the Gate through which they traveled is now suspect, the crew and Marines of the Vorpal Blade must go there the long way. Which means that their leave is suddenly cut short, much to the surprise of several members who were just getting reacquainted with their families.
Ringo and Taylor provide yet another satisfying helping of realisticly portrayed combat and futuristic technology, flavored with a dash of often ironic humor. A few touches are a little questionable, especially a character who is directly lifted from the series Ringo his been writing with David Weber, but on the whole it works. In fact, the only element I really found jarring was the revelation that the Dreen ships have a piloting system startlingly reminiscent of the Shadow ships in Babylon 5 (most of the other media references and in-jokes seem to come entirely from the Star Trek franchies).
Review posed December 14, 2008
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