Ace, 1995, $5.99, ISBN 0-441-00230-7, 284 pages

The lucky 13th Spaceborne Infantry Regiment draws all the dirty work. This time, the mission takes them to a ungodly hellhole of a planet where the enemy has constructed a massive supply base and marshalling yard. The 13th, this time accompanied by other regiments, mounts an assault to take out the base and the bad guys to pre-empt a enemy strike against the good guys.

Shelley's prose seems to have improved. His descriptions vibrate until you feel you need a cold drink. If he errs on one aspect, it's using the literary device of a wonder weapon with a quirk--in this case, anti-grav belts that have a very limited charge, but magically recharge in four hours. That's worked in multiple times, although to be fair, some unit somewhere has to field test new wonder weapons. No doubt the WWII German armor unit that drew the first Panthers cursed the engineers as the tanks broke down again and again.

Of course, you know the 13th will come through, but how close they come to failure, and the consequences therein, make the book hop from skirmish to skirmish and battle to battle. I always enjoy reading a book where the officers and NCOs actually know what they are doing in tight situations. That's what good officers and NCOs do--overcome obstacles known and unexpected. And that's what good authors like Shelley do--insert obstacles known and unexpected to heighten the drama and develop the character.