Hammer's Slammers

J

Johnny Got His Gun.1

New member
Yesterday, I finished reading my first David Drake novel, Cross the Stars from the Hammer's Slammers series. First off, I enjoyed Drake science fiction spin of The Odyssey; it was a treat to discover which parts of his plot mirrored Homer's plot. Great pacing of the plot in general and decent, quick characterization. It's always fun to get to know a character earlier than later in a book.

Obviously, Drake writes pro-gun science fiction, and I've seen the Hammer's Slammers name come up in none too few posts on TFL. For the record, how many Hammer's Slammers fans are out there?

Personally, I'd like to have one of those powerguns, but, alas . . .

I believe I'll be reading more of Mr. Drake (as soon as I finish reading Louis L'Amour's Catlow).

[This message has been edited by Johnny Got His Gun.1 (edited July 18, 2000).]
 
You should read all of Drake's books if you liked the classics revised as he does. See his "Lord of the Isles" series.

Drake is one of my fav authors. He is a vietnam vet who took classical Greek and latin works with him [in greek and latin] to Nam for R&R.

Except for some of his Slammers stuff he usually uses a classical work, mythology, or historic events as basis of his plots.
 
Drake got his start writing military science fiction when his contemporary stuff didn't sell. But he's also one heck of a horror/fantasy writer and his book ALL THE WAY TO THE GALLOWS has some hilarious stories.

Drake makes his mark with his unflinchingly graphic portrayal of violence and it's effects upon society. He is not a pacifist but he believes that before we let slip the dogs of war we should carefully consider the effects upon both the combatants and the people who order them onto the sharp end. Drake has seen first hand how horrible war is and doesn't try to glorify combat. He shows killing for what it is; brutal, nasty, dehumanizing, and sometimes necessary.

BTW, Joachim Steuben is one of the most chilling fictional characters I have ever encountered in print. See if you don't agree.
 
Not a big Hammers Slammers fan... or David Drake for that matter.

You want good cutting edge scifi?
Try the Stainless Steel Rat series and Phules Company... Both much more enjoyable.
 
One of my treasures is my ACE 1979 first printing of Hammer's Slammers.
Rolling Hot is probably the most intense Slammers book. The entire book covers roughly a two day period.
Favorite Drake quote:
"When you send out a man with a gun,
you create a policymaker.
When his ass is on the line,
he will do whatever he needs to do.
And if the implications of that bother you,
the time to do something about it is before
you decide to send him out."
-David Drake
from Afterword to Counting the Cost
 
Guilty as charged. Got'em all.

Others you need to read in the military-related Speculative Fiction category:

"Created by Larry Niven" Man-Kzin Wars Series.

Jerry Pournelle "Janissaries" series. Also the "War World" series. Really just about any of Pournelle or Niven/Pournelle stuff.

William R. Forstchen "The Lost Regiment" series.
 
Also: David Weber's HONOR series or the MUTINEER'S MOON trio of books.

Alan Cole and Chris Bunch's STEN 8 volumn novel is pretty good also.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
Check out "Redliners" by Drake.

Not set in the Slammers universe but its one of the few books I have read more than 4 times.
 
Have all of the "Honor" and "Mutineer's Moon" books (funny that nobody mentioned "Path of the Fury"...GREAT book, and I wish he'd hurry up and get the sequel out!) I have all of the "Vorkosigan" books ("twisty little genius)and quite a lot of Drake's books... and they all have (to a degree) a historical underpinning...read them and see...

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Mike
mnealtx@yahoo.com
 
For more fun military sci fi, I recommend S.M Stirling. the General series, written with David Drake, His work with Jerry Pornelle, and his Draka series and his Nantucket series. Enjoyable, but graphic.

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Rob
From the Committee to Use Proffesional Politicians as Lab Animals
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She doesn't have bad dreams because she's made of plastic...
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bad Kiki! No karaoke in the house!
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Larry Flynt is right. You guys stink!!!
 
Did not like Drake or Hammers Slammers (although more than donaldson books) am reading David Webbers "on Basalisk Station" and am enjoying it quite a bit.
 
For military SF, count this as another vote for Forstchens' "Lost Regiment" series. Good descriptions of Civil War era tactics and weaponry against hordes of . . . well, you'll have to read it yourself! Also, Harry Turtledove wrote a great series, "World War:" based on an alien invasion taking place on the eve of WWII. (Talk about uneasy alliances being formed!) He's now working on a follow-up series, "Colonization:". Turtledove also has a series based on the Confederacy winning independence, with WWI eventually being fought partially in North America...Interesting how he weaves historical figures into "alternate" history, and includes Custer, T. Roosevelt, Patton, Molotov, Stalin, Goering, etc. into his novels.


[This message has been edited by HankB (edited July 19, 2000).]
 
Drake is one of my favorite authors. His epic, The Voyage, sort of a "sequel" to Cross the Stars, uses Jason and the Argonauts as a model for its structure.

A number of Drake's period, contemporary and futuristic fiction, all of it with an element of horror, can be found in the out of print collection, From the Heart of Darkness. Several tale stand out, especially the brutal Than Curse the Darkness, which mixes the setting and structure of Conrad's Heart of Darkness with Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and populates the story with some really tough "goodguys" (cannibals, vicious arrogant Imperialists and a deadly frontier American gunner).

Joachim Steuben or a genetic fascimile made a murderous appearance in The Sharp End, set in the Hammer Slammers universe but toying with the type of storyline revisited in Dashial Hammet's Red Harvest, Yojimbo, Fistful of Dollars, Last Man Standing, etc etc etc.

Drake's Lacy and His Friends is a collection of science fiction tales, with the first few being set in a no longer futuristic world without walls where surveillance cameras are everywhere.

The period collection Vettius and his Friends and Drake's Roman novels (not to mention the post Roman era King Arthurian epic, The Dragonlord, one of my faves) are very interesting as well.

Redliners is a tough, formidable novel, one of the most impressive I read regardless of author.

Am familar with several other authors on this list and have purchased (but not yet read) David Weber's On Basilisk Station.
Jeff
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>For more fun military sci fi, I recommend S.M Stirling. [/quote]

Drat!! My pen name's been stolen (Timothy Stirling)! :( Though, after reading everyone rave about all these other authors, it makes me wonder if it's even worth it for me to attempt to pursue a literary career... My poor babblings will most likely never be so well crafted. Darth, I need some more of your encouragement!! :(

For a good tale about a people who decide to divorce themselves from tyranny and despotism, and make themselves their own nation, and about what happens when that tyrant doesn't want to let them go, try George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. It's intended to be a 6 part series :eek:, but only two are out so far-Book I: A Game of Thrones Book II: A Clash of Kings. Book III will either be A Storm of Swords or A Dance With Dragons.

Sorry if this is OT, as most titles cited are sci-fi, war stories and the like. I'm a sword & sorcery buff (avid AD&D junkie :cool: ), and given my moral proclivities, this series really appeals to me.

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Pray as though it's all up to God, act as though it's all up to you.

Aim small- miss small...

If it isna Scottish, it's CRAP! RKBA!

[This message has been edited by Jedi Oomodo (edited July 21, 2000).]
 
I've read a lot of Drake, (and a lot of other sci-fi). My personal favorite was The Voyage. The scene where they are kicking the crap out of the rock throwing aliens is pretty darn good. The Sharp End has a great scene towards the beginning where one of the characters is so incredibly lethal that a grizzled slammers veteran is reduced to just reloading guns and passing them back to the guy.

Not really a military book but Dan Simmon's Hyperion series has one of my personal favorite warrior characters: Kassad. And the follow up Endymion series has some really cool Vatican Guards. I highly recommend them.

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"One of my treasures is my ACE 1979 first printing of Hammer's Slammers..."
My God! Was it that long ago? I do recall readin it & liking it.
If you want the grandaddy of all RKBA SF stories, look for "The Weapons Shops of Isher" by A.E. VanVogt ( 1930-1940 era! )
It's a tad archaic, but well worth the effort.
 
Stephen King's pyrotechnic thriller Firestarter may owe a debt to John Farris' earlier The Fury but alluded to Van Vogt's Weapon Shop (in fact, the covert organization in Firestarter was referred to as "the Shop").
Jeff
 
My favorite Drake is The Forlorn Hope, set in the Slammers universe but featuring a different mercenary unit. Not sure if it's still in print, but it's an excellent military novel.
 
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