Alan McLean left the New Brittain police service under a cloud: he killed a man under questionable circumstances. His need to belong to something, anything, drives him to accept Colleen's offer of employment--to help train the Interplanetary Brigade--despite his natural disgust at the endeavour and his dislike for the Pagayans. It doesn't hurt that she believes in him where all others have turned their backs.
Though he signs on to train men in weapons and tactics only, he finds himself drawn into the conflict and his growing hatred of the brutal Damargs--as well as his unrequited feelings for Colleen--holds him on Pelgraff even as politics makes the prospect of eventual victory increasingly unlikely and his bigotry towards Pagayans makes equally unlikely a relationship with Colleen. Others may leave, but McLean is determined to stay to the end, however it turns out.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Still can't beleve how much I loved this...., February 8, 2011 This review is from: PELGRAFF (Kindle Edition) I've never written a review before but, as I couldn't get this little gem out of my head, so I decided to do it. I usualy only read romance and bought this because I thought it was one, but it was so much more. The main character is an unwitting hero who grew from being a narrow minded bigot, to the hero of the planet he was willing to die for-including the aliens he had hated. All along he never seems to understand that he is loved by the people(human and alien) of this inbattled world and has become a symbol of hope for them.
I immediatly bought all this authors books and He/She? did not disapoint. From the slightly disturbing to the awe-inspiring I have loved them all and can't believe these are not getting more attention. I believe they should be on the best-sellers lists. I hope to see them there soon, and I hope this author is a quick writer!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars War on a distant planet..., March 11, 2011 This review is from: PELGRAFF (Kindle Edition) ...how many times has *this* been done?
Tally another one and this is a winner.
Boulter brings the classic trope down to the personal level with his main character - Alan "Mad Dog" McLean. Starting with being drummed out of the police force on his home planet, McLean undertakes a journey of redemption on the battle field of a distant planet. The view from the ground blends personal with political, technical with tragic, and even manages to add a pinch of humor.
The story does have a couple of things that bugged me.
The Foreword didn't do anything for me and nearly made me put the book down before I got to the first chapter. If I hadn't already been a Boulter fan from reading Courtesan, I might not have pushed thru and that would have been a mistake. The story starts at chapter one. I thought the book should as well. I think I know why that foreword is there, but I don't think it's needed. Just my opinion.
McLean - as a character - is flawed, and that's cool, but he's also stupid and that's not supposed to be his flaw. Yes, he's a testosterone poisoned male at times, and I'm ok with that, but he hangs on to his bias and bile long after it seems appropriate. The change, when it comes, is abrupt and, while perfectly logical and handled well at that point, it jarred. McLean is also not a terribly reliable narrator - the limitations of first person point-of-view notwithstanding - or perhaps it's the "stupid" part of him that insists on missing the clues to the relationships changing around him. In any case, I found myself saying "Oh just get over yourself, ya putz!" to the character more than once. Eventually I realized that the only time I do that is when I care about the characters ... and that Boulter had sucked me in very thoroughly.
So, in spite of the problems I had, I still rate the book 5-stars. It'll be one that sticks with me for a while and one that I enjoyed a great deal.
This is a darn good "military sci-fi" yarn that focuses more on the people than the weapons, but works very well indeed. If that's your cuppa, then this is worth a shot. Grab a sample and see if you like it.
But.. I'd skip the foreword.
Thanks, Mr. Boulter, for another great read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A John Wayne-moment, February 14, 2011 This review is from: PELGRAFF (Kindle Edition) I like everything Doug Boulter has written.
And most of it is slightly different from the others.
Courtesan is great.
But I like this book the best.
It is about a man's man.
Mad Dog McLean.
If you enjoyed the movie Gunga Din or any John Wayne movie, you will like this book. The tone is "right". McLean is unjustifiably hounded. And looks for redemption. But a hero he is.
I love the quote that the author uses when he describes the book:
"I have often been asked, had I the chance to do it again, if I would. I have never answered that question and have ignored those who asked. But I answer it now. In a heartbeat. For her. I pay my debts. If she were to call I, and all the others, would answer that call. But she will not call; for she knows we have given enough.
Alan (Mad Dog) McLean"
Just read it.
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