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This novel begins in a nearly-vacant hotel almost forgotten
since the beginning of the war. The remaining inhabitants include
a care-taker prone to migraines, an aging alcholic woman, a
hen-pecked husband, other assorted characters, and a Prince who
(at first) appears to act a lot like some of my less-desirable
neighbors here in Texas. That is, he like to shoot guns a lot.
They've been passed by for seven years now, while the war
rages elsewhere, but the war is soon going to be paying them
a visit. The king suspects that his brother is still alive, and
sends along a crack team of commandos to get him off-planet.
The commandos have a rough time of it, and Lieutenant David
Spencer has a rough time keeping his men alive. Just when it
seems they should be able to rest a bit, disaster comes creeping
in on little cat feet to ambush them. At all costs he must
protect the Prince and the other civilians.
While this book doesn't seem to have any gratuitous violence,
there is plenty of action. Its a good soldier's story in the
tradition of British writers of an earlier era. The timeless
story of fighting to protect the innocents, of trying to make
it through another day alive - of combat - is clearly and
simply detailed here.
There's also another story line here, about the King's other
brother. He's been sent on a diplomatic mission to try to end
the war.
Although this book is part of a series, I wasn't familiar with
it. Still, I was able to understand all the characters, who they
were, and what relationship they bore to each other. I'm sorry
I didn't notice Rick Shelley's work earlier. Based on this sample
of his work, I'll be buying more!
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