This Hardcover Book item from Baen was reviewed on 25-Oct-2008.
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1) Hardcover Book Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by Baen. This now becomes the third series of books by Ringo that I won´t be following. I gave this the benefit of the doubt after the chaotic, pointless story line in "Looking Glass", but this is much worse.
The tale follows the first extra-solar flight of Earth´s one, irreplaceable starship. The ship´s crew puts it continually at risk, and makes a series of incredibly stupid tactical and strategic choices. The ship stooges from one disaster to the next, with no real plot or story line until the end.
While all this is going on, we have 30+ marines, and a couple of dozen army troops, all but two which seem to be sergeants of all different flavors, and we are expected to keep track of them when the authors mix first names, ranks, last names, "team names", nicknames, and abbreviations.
Ringo must have gotten flack for the use of obscenities in other stories, because the troops use replacement words for the common terms, but it they are used so pervasively that it is a pointless substitution.
All this against a backdrop of Taylor´s lecturing on his (very detailed) view of quantum physics. Since you can´t get three quantum physicists to agree on what to have for lunch, any theory he proffers is likely to prove to be wrong anyway. I learned a lot of science from "science" fiction over the years, but I expect the science to have some hope of being accurate. Or at least generally accepted.
When the plot finally congeals, we have intelligent chinchillas with medieval level technology who use flying surfboards that are mysteriously provided, and a Ringo style (albeit slightly muted) carnographic assault by endless hordes of almost unstoppable warrior monsters. The attackers come within inches of killing off all the humans and destroying the ship, when the milquetoast scientist, who somehow instantly speaks their language, saves the day through her equally inexplicable understanding just where to go, and how to take control of the warrior beasts.
Oh, I left out the never explained mystery entity who keeps tossing in thoughts and complaining about the heat.
In the appendix to the book, Ringo says he doesn´t read Amazon reviews. Probably a wise move on his part.
¤ 2) Hardcover Book Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by Baen. This seller responds quickly and ships fast. The books arrive as stated and even sometimes better than expected.¤ 3) Hardcover Book Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by Baen. This book is one that I can honestly say that the story grabbed my attention and held it right to the end of the book. The story line was exciting, the science used was great with explanations for those of with too simple of a mind to fully grasp the physics of matter prior to formation of the helium atom. The idea of using a boomer (missile submarine) as a space craft has crossed my mind in the past but given the weight of the material used in construction of the pressure hull (HY-100) I felt that to power such a vessel would require too great of a power source. Of course the method used here fills that requirement extremely well. I have not always appreciated the writings of Mr. Ringo but feel that with this series he has found the ground to hold my interest and keep my going through the entire book. I am waiting impatiently for the next couple of books in the series to arrive in my mail box! Thank you Mr. Ringo!¤ 4) Hardcover Book Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by Baen. Where the blood and guts go flying, and the Men goes trying. Aliens truly meeting their gods in all so many colorful messy ways! Ringo nails it every time.¤ 5) Hardcover Book Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by Baen. As good as it gets? Not quite, but this second volume in John Ringo´s "Looking Glass" series is awfully close.
First, the science is actually present in a (gasp!) science fiction novel! Get ready for an awesome dose of particle physics in this book. The quantum universe is also present in large doses, too.
Second, be prepared to laugh and giggle your way through the military forms of humor, and figure out what some of the alien words mean. This book, I´m sure, is meant to a spoof of some of the hard(er)-core military SF.
Finally, there is certainly an adequate plot to follow, along with a sufficient amount of bloody mayhem, to satisfy almost any John Ringo Military SF fan.
I stayed up ´till 2:30 in the morning finishing this book. That´s my sure stamp of approval. I give it 5 stars. Read. Enjoy. Laugh. Fun!¤ 6) Hardcover Book Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by Baen. The sequel to Into the Looking Glass. William Weaver, PhD. and SEAL Chief Adams are back and Bill got himself a ship! The former SSBN Nebraska has been converted, using mostly garage mechanics and baling wire, into a warp ship ready to go "out there." But as everyone knows, the people who really are going to bear the brunt are the poor Security guys, Force Recon Marines who are kept in the dark and fed manure all day. That is until they land on an alien planet, get partially wiped out and then load back up again. Ranging in topics from the best gun to kill armored space monsters to particle physics to cosmology to health and beauty tips, Vorpal Blade is a return to the "good old days" of SF when the science problems were intractable and the beasts were ugly. The monkeys are out in the space lanes and ready to rock. As soon as they get another roll of duct tape.¤ Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 22-Nov-2008, 14165212919781416521297, 721-541-081-911-3X1-181-011-141-001-8 
Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2), Book, Image © Baen
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