March to the Sea
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
SOME DAYS IT JUST DOESN'T PAY TO
GET OUT OF YOUR SLEEPING BAG.
The successor to March Upcountry
It wasn't so much that Prince Roger and his surviving remnant of elite bodyguards are marooned on a barbarian planet. Or that they have been on continuous operations for so long they are getting shocky. Or that they still have half a planet to cross. Or that they are basically out of ammunition for their plasma and bead rifles and just about out of cash. Sure, those are all problems, but they're not the real problem.
No, the problem is Roger is in love. With one of his bodyguards. And the romance is not going well. Damnbeast Sure. Vampiric moths Okay. Screaming waves of barbarians No problem. But when you have Nimashet Despreaux and Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock at sword's point, that's real danger.
And it's just the beginning.
To get to the distant port that is their only way off the planet, they'll be forced to battle enraged monsters, displaced mercenaries, religious fanatics and a barbarian horde to shame the Huns. Along the way they'll have to recreate the Reformation, the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. And do it all in a context their four-armed, horned, grizzly-bear sized native allies can handle.
It will strain all their experience and knowledge, as the most elite, the most multitalented and above all the toughest bodyguards in human space. But the really hard part will be keeping Roger and Nimashet from killing each other.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this admirable continuation of the authors' March Upcountry (2001), Prince Roger McClintock and his diminishing band of Royal Marines are still on the soggy, hot planet Marduk and still having an interesting time. Their way to the sea and their ultimate goal is barred not only by jungle, swamp, weird wildlife and local politics, but also by a wandering barbarian horde known as the Boman. In addition, the Marines' technological advantage is shrinking faster than their numbers, their vitamins may run out before they reach safety and the course of true or any other love for the prince and female sergeant Nimashet Despreaux is not running smoothly. However, human and Mardukan are able to combine resources including the engineering skills of the city of Diaspra, the wealth of the port city of K'Vaern's Cove, and the military talents of Marine Captain Pahner, exiled Mardukan prince Raster and formidable general Bistem Kar to generate both weaponry and tactics to defeat the Boman. The development of a Mardukan combined-arms force will fascinate sophisticated readers (the manual of arms for a four-armed, 10-foot soldier is a thing of beauty), while the overthrow of the Boman will grip straightforward action lovers in spite of the staggering body count. And there's the distinct hint of at least one more volume about Prince Roger's homeward journey at the end of this one, a hint that will please many.
