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From Publishers WeeklyCareful plotting and realistically messy detail help lift Dietz's sixth military SF novel (after 2003's For More Than Glory) about the Legion of the Damned, an army of biobod humans, aliens and brain boxes installed in mechanical bodies, which defends the Confederacy of Sentient Beings against any threat. The present enemy, the insectoid Ramanthians, needs more planets to accommodate their queen's billions of eggs. When the Confederacy learns that a Ramanthian research outpost has developed a communications device that could win the war, an expedition sets out to capture the new technology. In particular, a young first lieutenant must lead his troops through the perils of jungle, desert and ambush by psychotic renegades. Meanwhile, a young woman diplomat discovers that one of the Confederacy's alien races is secretly aiding the Ramanthians. Characters attempt to gather information, make political alliances and maneuver skillfully, but often their efforts degenerate into groping, murderous frenzy. Dietz expertly jumps from one theater of combat to another, one side to another, to show the opponents planning but then improvising as plans go awry. Even if the novel's action sometimes is as manipulative as a WWF Smackdown, it still gives a genuine adrenaline rush. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistDietz's new Legion of the Damned novel lands the Confederacy on the chill planet Algeron. The natives' welcome is also chill, for they fear that the alien Ramanthians will pursue the legion across the stars and devastate their home. Meanwhile, legion general Booly gets an intelligence windfall: in a Ramanthian fortress lies the key to instantaneous interstellar communication. The military advantages of this are too obvious to require comment, so the legion puts together a special ops mission to steal the secret or at least keep the enemy from getting it. Leading the mission is hardy, larger-than-life series perennial Lieutenant Santana, whose adventures, and also those of the humans and aliens he leads, constitute the usual fast-paced adventure we have come to expect in this series and from Dietz. Recommended for military sf collections, in particular. Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 4
