Baen, 2001, $7.99, ISBN: 0-7434-3525-7, paperback, 722 pages

In this second book, the Posleen land a bit ahead of time, and our friendly "allied" aliens are draining off the best human troops to defend their planets.

This book starts a bit slower than the last, but as Ringo "gets on with it," the Posleen invaders land all over the globe and eat most of the humans. The US/Canada territory is the most intact, with the lines holding at the Appalachians and Rocky Mountains, though it seems most of the Great Plains are gone. Still, we Americans kick some Posleen butt, mostly because the BEMs continue to launch centaur-wave attacks. On occasion, one of the smarter Posleen commanders tries to do something different, but that doesn't seem to work very well, so they go back to the same ol' mass attacks.

I'll still give the book a tentative thumbs up, but it is even more tentative than the last one. It just seems a little repetitive, but at least there's an awareness of tactical evolution. Still, how many times over the vast battles over numerous planets does it take before the Posleen understand the concept of artillery?

Well, I guess we'll see in the next novel.

The Posleen Series

Ringo, John: A Hymn Before Battle (Book 1)
Ringo, John: Gust Front (Book 2)
Ringo, John: When the Devil Dances (Book 3)

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