The Last Centurion by John Ringo

[Scout26]

It's like Xenophon and Ayn Rand had a baby.  It's Anabasis meets Atlas Shrugged.


Good Read, the military parts are a little farfetched, but the John Galt parts aren't preachy (or long winded) like Atlas Shrugged.

Great story, well told, with a message.  5 stars and two thumbs way up.

[AZRedhawk44]

Wishlisted.  Thx.  I'll probably kindle it.

[just Warren]

Cool. Thanks for the review.

There is a series called Hostile Takeover that is very libertarian/anarchist and gets into how a planet formed on those ideals would operate.

Very fun series.

[Jocassee]

The Anabasis writ anew. Basically Ringo-style conservative pr0n but very fun.

[gunsmith]

I listened to an audible version, really good.
my friend thought it really dissed organic farmers but it really just says know what the heck you're doing - it also made me like getting vaccinated - bring on the flu shots please.

[MrsSmith]

I loved The Last Centurion and have it on my nightstand to read again. I think it was here that some of y'all commented on Ringo being a bit out there and with a negative attitude toward women - I didn't see that much in this one, but it's the only one of his I've read.
Does he have anything else that's similar to this?

[Scout26]

I've read the Legend of the Aldenata, good read.  I'm working on the March to the.... series.  None are as Jocasse put it "Conservative pr0n" but at good reads.

I also discovered that the library has Terry Pratchett, so I'm going to start those.  Anbody got a list of what order to read them in?

[Viking]

I've read the Legend of the Aldenata, good read.  I'm working on the March to the.... series.  None are as Jocasse put it "Conservative pr0n" but at good reads.

I also discovered that the library has Terry Pratchett, so I'm going to start those.  Anbody got a list of what order to read them in?

Check this: http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg
It doesn't list the latest fiction book though (Snuff, in the City Watch series), nor the latest The Science of Discworld book.

[Scout26]

Check this: http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg
It doesn't list the latest fiction book though (Snuff, in the City Watch series), nor the latest The Science of Discworld book.

So where do I start?  With the Rincewind novels ??  Sorry, linear thinker here, although I did enjoy the side stories in the Legend of the Aldenata Series.  Cally's War, Sister Time, etc, being somewhat of an exception. They were okay, but not as good as say Watch on the Rhine or Yellow Eyes.

[Viking]

So where do I start?  With the Rincewind novels ??  Sorry, linear thinker here, although I did enjoy the side stories in the Legend of the Aldenata Series.  Cally's War, Sister Time, etc, being somewhat of an exception. They were okay, but not as good as say Watch on the Rhine or Yellow Eyes.

In hindsight, if I were to re-read everything with a blank slate/brain, I'd read them in the order they were published, just to be sure I knew what was up in a particular storyline from the previous book.

[Hutch]

So where do I start?  With the Rincewind novels ??  Sorry, linear thinker here, although I did enjoy the side stories in the Legend of the Aldenata Series.  Cally's War, Sister Time, etc, being somewhat of an exception. They were okay, but not as good as say Watch on the Rhine or Yellow Eyes.

Tom Kratman wrote those last two.  He makes Ringo look like Phil Donahue.  I never miss one of his books.

[dogmush]

I loved The Last Centurion and have it on my nightstand to read again. I think it was here that some of y'all commented on Ringo being a bit out there and with a negative attitude toward women - I didn't see that much in this one, but it's the only one of his I've read.
Does he have anything else that's similar to this?

I really liked the first four of the "Legacy of the Aldanata".  A Hymn before Battle, Gust Front, When the Devil Dances, and Hell's Faire.  Watch on the Rhine and Yellow eyes were pretty good as well.  The Cally's War series starts to go dark porn a bit (Kinda rapey) but has some important points if you are going to pick the Hedron War series up.

"Empire of Man", (mentioned up thread) with David Weber is pretty good (5 books, The first four start with March, and then We Few)

I really like the "Through the Looking Glass" series and the stand alone Von Neumann's war.  They have a redneck rocket scientist thing going on that's a lot of fun.

Stay away from the "Paladin of Shadows" series.  That's where he delves into his Dom-Sub fantasies with a harem of "owned" women from some obscure tribe (Caucasian maybe?) weird and creepy.

As the other thread mentions Under the Graveyard sky is cool, but a departure from the future sci-fi stuff he normally writes.

Larry Corriea says he's got a joint venture with Ringo in the works that should be good.

[MrsSmith]

Thanks Dogmush. I've added your suggestions to my read list. I have been a little hesitant to pick up anything else of his because of what I've heard about the dark porn stuff. Good to know that to avoid and what's safe.

I also haven't read Larry Corriea's MH series yet and plan to get to it, but before I do that, want to read Devonai's books first - gotta support our own!

[dogmush]

David's books are good.  Go for them.

Ringo's probably a better technical writer then Larry, but Larry's are more fun to read.  If you haven't started on much of Ringo yet, I'd read MHI and Grim Noir Chronicles first.  Both are better entertainment.  Ringo requires you to keep a bunch of charecters and story threads going, and never gives you satisfaction.  As far as I remember every John Ringo book ends in a cliff hanger leaving you wanting more, and he has yet to wrap up any of his series'.  Even the Posleen books, Which number 12 with all the spin offs, he cant stop.  12 books, the end in sight, can we get some closure?  No, open a new Galaxy and start another fraking war.  sigh.


Read Larry and David first.

[Jocassee]

Have to agree, I believe Larry is the better story-teller. I was never a "fantasy" person...at all...but Larry has this incredible mixture of alt history and awesome characters going on. And each of his books has a phenomenally satisfying conclusion.

[Balog]

http://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html

[RevDisk]

http://hradzka.livejournal.com/194753.html

This.

Ringo is a bit rapey, hooker addicted and makes you want to hit him upside the head with a rolled up newspaper. Guy can write, very well infact. He just needs an adult to smack him and scream "John Ringo, no!" as necessary (ie a lot). Kratman is essentially a Nazi, and not shy about it. Like, Heil Hitler, "I love the Nazi Party, the uniforms are just so FABULOUS!", "race/religious wars are teh awesome" Nazi, not the "like a Nazi because I think Reductio ad Hitlerum is the bestest argument winner since the Race Card".

Ringo is apparently manageable. Books he cowrites with others tend to be great. His new zombie book? No strippers, hookers, unconsenting or underage (or both) nookie, etc.

[Scout26]

Yes, the Paladin of Shadows is weird.  I read A Deeper Blue not knowing anything about the series (nor that it's in the middle of the series. 

There were some parts that gave me the hebbie-gebbies.  And definitely pegged the WTF meter.

Haven't read anything else from that series and probably won't.  The sex parts in books mostly seems gratuitous and never seems to advance the plot or the story.

"X and Y had sex"  Now there's tension between them...  I don't need the play-by-play of what they did.   

[gunsmith]

This.

Ringo is a bit rapey, hooker addicted and makes you want to hit him upside the head with a rolled up newspaper. Guy can write, very well infact. He just needs an adult to smack him and scream "John Ringo, no!" as necessary (ie a lot). Kratman is essentially a Nazi, and not shy about it. Like, Heil Hitler, "I love the Nazi Party, the uniforms are just so FABULOUS!", "race/religious wars are teh awesome" Nazi, not the "like a Nazi because I think Reductio ad Hitlerum is the bestest argument winner since the Race Card".

Ringo is apparently manageable. Books he cowrites with others tend to be great. His new zombie book? No strippers, hookers, unconsenting or underage (or both) nookie, etc.

what is the name of this zombie book?

[dogmush]

what is the name of this zombie book?

Under a Graveyard Sky.

[Jocassee]

Started Graveyard sky...love it so far. Typical Ringo combination of achievement porn and action. Works for me :)

[freakazoid]

Achievement porn?

[Jocassee]

Achievement porn?

Ringo's characters aren't just action heroes. They're builders. They are faced with a massive problem with combined cultural, logistical, and security facets. They come up with a plan, and work it. They adapt to problems and bring in key people as they find them. You see this in the Keldara books, Graveyard Sky, Last Centurion and the other books which I cannot recall the name of but it's about the battle station in space. I love reading them. They are formulaic after a fashion but pretty engaging for my mind.

EDIT: Someone wrote a blog post about it once. It may have been Tam.

[Boomhauer]

This.

Ringo is a bit rapey, hooker addicted and makes you want to hit him upside the head with a rolled up newspaper. Guy can write, very well infact. He just needs an adult to smack him and scream "John Ringo, no!" as necessary (ie a lot). Kratman is essentially a Nazi, and not shy about it. Like, Heil Hitler, "I love the Nazi Party, the uniforms are just so FABULOUS!", "race/religious wars are teh awesome" Nazi, not the "like a Nazi because I think Reductio ad Hitlerum is the bestest argument winner since the Race Card".

Ringo is apparently manageable. Books he cowrites with others tend to be great. His new zombie book? No strippers, hookers, unconsenting or underage (or both) nookie, etc.

The Ghost series was *expletive deleted*ed up in all manner of ways.

His other books generally don't have that *expletive deleted*it. The Posleen War series is pretty good.

[MechAg94]

This.

Ringo is a bit rapey, hooker addicted and makes you want to hit him upside the head with a rolled up newspaper. Guy can write, very well infact. He just needs an adult to smack him and scream "John Ringo, no!" as necessary (ie a lot). Kratman is essentially a Nazi, and not shy about it. Like, Heil Hitler, "I love the Nazi Party, the uniforms are just so FABULOUS!", "race/religious wars are teh awesome" Nazi, not the "like a Nazi because I think Reductio ad Hitlerum is the bestest argument winner since the Race Card".

Ringo is apparently manageable. Books he cowrites with others tend to be great. His new zombie book? No strippers, hookers, unconsenting or underage (or both) nookie, etc.

All of what you say applies only to one series by Ringo and one book by Kratman and it isn't even close to true with Kratman.