The Hammer

by David Drake and S.M. Stirling

Raj Whitehall and his hard-bitten troops must conquer a continent of barbarians descended from the crews of a squadron of starships. But Raj's biggest problem is the cowardice and envy among his own officers.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671721054
• ISBN13: 9780671721053
• Release Date: February 1992
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Excellent 5 Book Series

This is the standard by which I judge all military fiction. I have never found another that was it's equal. Even when the same authors got together again for books 6 and 7 (which I have reviewed separately) they couldn't recreate the magic of this series.THE GENERAL series is about a fallen interstellar society which has climbed it's way back up to the technological level of the American Civil War. The hero, Raj Whitehall, has to reunite the planet in order to reach the stars again some day. This involves a lot of fighting and empire building. What gives Raj his edge is the pre-fall computer he has linked with that can see through his eyes. This series has outstanding character development, a solid and well thought out overall plot line, and good story resolution in each book. The two things that really make the series the top of its genre are the interaction between the computer and the hero, and the realism of the situation. The interaction is a delicate balance that the authors perform magically. If the computer (Center) contributes too much, then the hero has too much of an edge, he doesn't have to try, and the story becomes boring. Without the computer, the hero is just this god like superhuman character that can do no wrong. The computer assistance makes Raj identifiable to the reader, even after he overcomes overwhelming odds to defeat the enemy. The realism comes from the fact that Raj is based on the life of a real person. The whole story is very similar to the story of Byzantine General Belisarius who conquered most of the Mediterranean world for his Emperor after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. That makes it very believable. The characters are very real. Their actions really happened a millenium and a half ago.This is a must read for any fan of military fiction or empire building.

Excellent military science fiction

This book is one of the best military-science fiction works I have read. The description of battlefields, defenses, and the confusion on the battlefield is some of best sci-fi literature I have read. I recommend this book (and its predecessor: The Forge) to anyone who enjoys warfare in a science fiction setting.