"WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE . . .
With the Earth in the path of the rapacious Posleen, the peaceful and friendly races of the Galactic Federation offer their resources to help the backward Terransโfor a price.
Humanity now has three worlds to defend.
As Earth's armies rush into battle and special operations units scout alien worlds, the humans begin to learn a valuable lesson: You can protect yourself from your enemies, but may the Lord save you from your allies.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management)."
**
From Booklist
Michael O'Shea, a fireplug of an iron-pumping ex-soldier, leaves game design behind to train and then lead power-armored infantry in a merciless battle against the equally merciless, centauroid Posleen for the sake of Earth's allies. Several subplots show Ringo's fondness for special ops types and marines, and his experience as a paratrooper shows in the way he handles military small-group politics and disciplinary problems. The subplots point up the potential grimness of Earth finding itself under siege, if not actually under assault. (Don't worry, that will probably come; this book has series written between all the lines.) The interstellar skulduggery is thick, and the final action sequence, occupying a third of the book, juxtaposes power armor, aliens, lasers, and leopard tanks, and is practically impossible not to read in one sitting. An exceedingly impressive first novel is what we have here. Standard military sf based on a standard premise--humans as the desperately needed warrior allies of alien pacifists--it may be, but it is executed with skill, verve, and wit. Roland Green
Copyright ยฉ American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
John Ringo brings fighting to life. He is the creator of the Legacy of Aldenata series, which has become a New York Times best-selling series with over one million copies in print. The series contains A Hymn Before Battle, Gust Front , When the Devil Dances , Hellโs Faire, and Eye of the Storm. Ringo created nationally best-selling techno-thriller novels about Mike Harmon (Ghost , Kildar , Choosers of the Slain , Unto the Breach , A Deeper Blue, and, with Ryan Sear, Tiger by the Tail). His techno-thriller The Last Centurion was also a national bestseller. A more playful twist on the future is found in novels of the Looking-Glass series: Into the Looking Glass , Vorpal Blade , Manxome Foe, and Claws That Catch , the last three in collaboration with Travis S. Taylor. His audience was further entranced with four collaborations alongside fellow New York Times best-selling author David Weber: March Upcountry ,March to the Sea , March to the Stars and We Few. There are an additional five collaborative spinoffs from the Posleen series: The Hero , written with Michael Z. Williamson, Watch on the Rhine , Yellow Eyes, and The Tuloriad , all written with Tom Kratman, and the New York Times bestseller Callyโs War and its sequels Sister Time and Honor of the Clan , all with Julie Cochrane. In addition, Ringoโs Princess of Wands and Queen of Wands broke new ground in contemporary fantasy adventure. And his science-based zombie apocalypse Black Tide Rising series includes Under a Graveyard Sky, To Sail a Darkling Sea, Islands of Rage and Hope , and Strands of Sorrow. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, Ringo brings first-hand knowledge of military operations to his fiction.