Ace, 2001, $6.99, ISBN 0-441-00834-8, 300 pgs., paperback

Sgt. Bart Drak, war hero and one of the few survivors from the initial enemy attack, gets assigned to a new special forces unit: 1st Combined Regiment. Far from being pleased, but having to follow orders, he's deposited on a jungle planet for several months of training with his new unit. But there's a catch--the "combined" part means combined from allied units, and the allies of Earth consist of lizard men, monkey men, flying men, and others from the hodge podge lodge of bipedal species around the galaxy. It's enough to make a Star Wars bartender weep with joy.

It's vintage Shelley throughout, with tight action, squad and platoon level tactics, no-nonsense explosions, and NCO vision. The author melds a simple storyline into a reasonable plot akin to his DMC series.

If you want to pick a nit, it seems that the Army has gotten incredibly efficient, with line unit commanders selecting only the very best soldiers for this new 1st Combined Regt. Most commanders, when faced with a choice between sending one of their best men or a complete screw-up, might pass off the screw-up. But not here-all are medal-winning men. And only one of them seems to be a species racist (specist?). Ah well, when bullets fly, it's only "us or them" anyway.

I suspect this is another series in the making. It has an excellent pedigree, as well as a good start. Let's see if Shelley can keep up the quality.

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