Subject: Review: Apocalypse Troll by David Weber

From: [email-masked] (P.D. TILLMAN)
Date: 11 Jun 1999 11:48:36 -0400

Apocalypse Troll by David Weber	
	Review copyright 1999 Peter D. Tillman

Rating: "A" -- Well-written mil-SF/romance, fast-paced & fun. 
Highly recommended.

As Apocalypse Troll opens, 25th-century humans have been at war with the
alien Kanga for centuries. The Kanga are on the ropes; in desperation they
send a battle group into Terra's past, to cut off the foe at the roots.
BatDiv 92, Terran Navy, is soon in hot pursuit. The two task forces
virtually annihilate each other. Col. Ludmilla Leonovna shoots down the
last Kanga ship -- with some help from the US Navy of 2007 -- but is
herself shot down by the last cyborg Troll's fighter. She falls to Earth,
and into the arms of USN Capt.  Richard Aston:

  "Take me to your leader", she said with a perfectly straight face.

The last Troll is at large, with 25th-century weapons and a bioengineered
compulsion to waste humans. Ludmilla must convince 21st-century Earth of
the terrible danger they face...

About here I got worried that Weber was cloning SM Stirling's DRAKON, but
he deftly switches to Tom Clancy mode: a technical military-political
procedural, but with a lighter touch and better-drawn characters than
Clancy manages. Milla is demonstrating her sidearm: < *BIG* flash-bang
here >

  "What the hell *is* that thing? What d'you call it?"

  "I'm afraid we call it a 'blaster'," she said apologetically...

It's all good, clean fun and brother, do those pages turn -- this one kept
me up til 2 AM. Everything *works* here -- the people, the aliens, the
future technology, the battles, the romance .... I had a great time, and
so will you.

Apocalypse Troll is Weber's 18th novel. He's developed into a much more
polished and effective writer than he was the last time I sampled his
wares -- I read a couple of the early Honor Harringtons and was
underwhelmed. With Apocalypse Troll he's firmly in the first ranks of
military-SF authors. Fans of David Drake or Elizabeth Moon -- or Honor
Harrington -- won't be disappointed.  I'm going to have to pay more
attention to David Weber.

%T Apocalypse Troll
%A David Weber	
%D 1999
%I Baen
%O $22
%P 312 pp

Read more of my reviews:
http://www.silcom.com/~manatee/reviewer.html#tillman