We Few

This book was a considerable disappointment to me. It concludes the series that began with March Upcountry and continued with March to the Sea and March to the Stars. I thoroughly enjoyed all three of those books, enough that I went ahead and bought the publisher's HC. The preceding books had related how Prince Roger of the Empire (based on Old Earth and ruling a substantial fraction, though by no means all, of human-inhabited worlds), third in line to the imperial throne, was matured and honed through a near-impossible trek across half of a very hostile planet-it had good characters, a believable and challenging alien planet, and lots and lots of fast, intense action. So imagine my disappointment when the concluding volume persistently interrupts the flow of action by having one or another character (or sometimes the author) go into a lecture mode: in the first part of the book political lectures, which feature a far-right perspective that's almost certainly Ringo at work (Weber seems in his other books to favor a sort of center-right perspective-on the conservative side, but not completely contemptuous of any idea left of Rush Limbaugh like Ringo in his other books), and in the latter part, in the midst of a series of space battles, on the technical details of the armaments of the ships, how they work, why some tactics are better than others, and so on. In between it's not so bad, but still, the characters don't get any fresh development, the ones who haven't been introduced earlier are pretty much cardboard, and the villains seem hopelessly incompetent. About the best one can say for the book is that it concludes the series, and I hope we don't see any future collaborations between these two. Their chemistry seems to have been completely blown. Two and a half stars.

Roger and the Bronze Barbarians have fought through yet another country, but losing some important, loved people. Can Roger pull off the end game of getting off planet and back home? yet back home is in turmoil. Is the Empress still in control, or being controlled?? Will Roger and Nimashet stay together or will she leave the Emperor heir-to-be and find a far away place to live.

In the first three books, Roger has grown tremendously. He and his company have traversed a planet, spread many new ideas and even conquered a space ship to get home. They find that there has been a coup and it was blamed on Roger who is now a wanted man. Roger must convince others in the Empire that he wants to set things write but can he get close enough to do so with just a few Bronze Barbarians left alive?

We have:

More action:
More politics:
Intrigue
Aliens
Alien Intrigue
Love interest
Even more action.
Even more politics.

I loved the book but they way it was left off implies that there could be another on Roger and his universe. You'll see what I mean when you read it. .

A very enjoyable series and I hope the authors collaborate one more time to to close it out fully.

Single sentence summary: Prince Roger must foil a plan to discredit him and return his mother to the throne.

This is the fourth and final book of the Prince Roger series and I must say, it was a roller coaster ride. The first and third book were great, the second one almost ruined the series for me and this...well, it falls somewhere in between it. I didn't love it but I did enjoy it.

Prince Roger must take back the throne from his evil father who has abused and hurt his mother, but first he must build enough support to actually overthrow his father. So he takes on the appearance of someone else to recruit men to the side of his side without revealing that he is Prince Roger. The Mardukens will support him but he needs more than their help to accomplish his goals. Due to the complexities with the plot, there was a lot of intrigue going on in this book and it really slowed it down for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a good read, but I found it to be on the slow side.

When the action was going on, it was great. It just didn't happen often enough to keep me happy. I liked how Sergeant Nimashet Despreaux was back for a larger role in this book. She is Roger's love interest and I like the interaction between her and Roger. It is also nice how she balances him out.

I enjoyed We Few and thought it wrapped up this series nicely but it wasn't my favorite of the four books. My favorite would be the first book. 3.75 Stars.

We Few is the last installment in a tetralogy. Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chiang MacClintock is now the principle heir to the throne held by his mother the Empress. He must now prove himself as capable a leader as he is a fighter because no one who wasn't with him on Marduk believes he's changed from the spoiled bratty kid he was went he left. There we are - Roger framed for a coup attempt and no one rushing to his side to rescue his mother, the Empress.

[the following text is the same for my reviews of all 4 books in the series.]

First the good points - It's a fast-paced and exciting military science fiction story which takes the reader from danger to danger quickly. The plot moves along and these two writers know how to spin an interesting story. I give kudos to them for hooking me and making me read to the end and want to pick up the final book in the series.

Now the bad. This book is set hundreds of years in the future, yet all the sayings, quotes, poems, and songs come from our recent military history. Everything out of the mouths of the troops was a cliche that I've heard hundreds of times. Can't these two writers create a new lexicon for a future military? Can't they replace the worn metaphors with something creative and cool for a future society? Wouldn't there have been another poet that Marines love to replace Rudyard Kipling?

Speaking of Cliches, every character was one - the tried and true marine sergeant, gruff and tough, but with a heart of gold - The commander who spouts philosophy while ordering a slaughter - the spoiled kid, born with a silver spoon who becomes an honorable man under combat duress. It's all here and it's all predictable. Don't Ringo and Weber's readers want to experience something new or are they all Corps veterans reliving a collective past rosier and more ideal than the reality?

Also, the authors' politics are front and center. I disagree with their assertions and it was starky annoying.

Still, decent reading if you can get past the negatives.

- CV Rick, April 2008

This is the conclusion to the 'prince roger' series, headed by weber but reading like written by john ringo. It deals with the return to earth by the marine company and efforts to free the empress from the party currently controlling the palace. It has a number of pages described to detailing space combat which included enough explanations (I have seen this from weber before, not sure if it is him here) that I ended up skipping explanation pages and just seeing when someone said or did something.

This is a decent conclusion to the story, and probably handles what ends up being a messy affair with lots of medium-to-large loose ends as well as it possibly could. Life is often quite messy, and this novel seems to recognize that in the state of affairs at the end.

All that said, as others have noted, the bad guys in this book are almost cartoonishly bad - if you can imagine it, they probably have done it. Granted, bad people do come into power, but as a literary tactic to make the enemy completely alien or despised by the reader is its impact here, as well as that impact on roger.

I have read these books non-stop from the time I get them. They are a fabulous series, and I highly recommend them.

I'm currently relistening to this series for the 4th time ... its really GOOD! I think that would qualify as a favorite series ... it took a little time to realize that I was coming back to this series again and again ... when in the In-between times. There is a reason for that ... GOOD STORYTELLING AND memorable scenes

In this series I found both the overall story and particular scenes that keep drawing me back to relisten. For any fans of this this series I'm particularly talking about 2 particular "scenes" in the overall story ... the death of Costas Matsugi and the death of Rastar Komas Tonorton, the last prince of fallen Fairdan ... I found those two to be particularly moving "scenes" in the stories ... among others ofcourse ... both death scenes but soo touching ... it took something special for these two writers to come up with those scenes and characters in this overall story. I wish they'd continue it.

The fourth novel in the series, it has several of the positive features from the rest of the series, and unfortunately a couple of the bad ones.

The characters by now are fully fleshed out and feel very three dimensional. The writer has clearly become comfortable with them and writes them very well. The interplay between Roger and Desperaux becomes a little boring, as both come off more as whinny rather then troubled. The new characters added in this novel, the ex-Empress' Own, are really well thought out, and a welcome addition, especially with Pharmer missing.

The story itself is fairly well written, although it does suffer from some pacing issues. The story gets off to a slow start and must quickly come to a head. Also, some of the side plots, including the kidnapping side plot, detract from the story more then add to it.

The one major problem with this book is its' fan boyishness. There are to many popular culture quotes, pulling the reader out of the story by how out of place they are. Also, to many characters have one liners at incredibly inappropriate times. These detract from the character, making them seem less real and way less expert as Weber claims they are. This is ultimately embodied in one of the urban combat guys, whos' one liners become increasingly annoying.

All that being said, this is a satisfying read and worth picking up. If you have been following this series, you wont be terribly disappointed.

The fourth book in the series, We Few, follows Prince Rog and his band's attmept to reclaim the Empire. This book has the difficulty of expanding the storyline from planet based combat in the first 3 books, to Empire Saving in this one.

Pros:

1)Technically great with the continued development of Prince Rog and his followers. Gripping combat scenes, the Mardukians flying, exhibition one on one combat with the Althanians and back to fleet space battles.

2)The true angst of Prince Rog and his slightly disturbed and vicious McClintok mind and his relationships,new and old, that forms.

3) dark humor, some pretty funny characters and their relationship especially Kring and his hulking bodyguard with his tank gun and pocking poertena.

Cons:

1) The space battles were a little heavy on numbers, that I felt detracted from the strategic picture. Figuring out Acceleration, distances, and missile fire did overwhelm me a bit.

2) The initial part of the book had to included quite a bit of background as Prince Rog was now taking on the task of retaking the empire, that the book seemed to drag, but the story definitely picked up once the foundation was set.

3) Lost a little of the personality because of the influx of so many new characters and variables, again necessary because of the scope of the story but not as deep as the first 3 books where there was more concentration on Prince Rog and his Marines.

4) Only problem I had was the extent of the Mutiny by the Fleet Marines. Marines just would not do that, especially not without a good majority of the officers on board, and to tell the truth, not even then.

Overall a good read and great series.

While marooned for eight months (and three books) with the Empress Own marines on Marduk, Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chaing MacClintock learns to survive the hard way while watching most of his comrades die. Death turns Roger from hedonistic "Playboy Prince" to leader of the Bravo Company; his troops would die for him as many already have as "The Basik's Own".

Freed from Marduk, he learns that his biological father and Prince Jackson Adoula of Kellerman overthrew his mother Empress Alexandra, killed his siblings and her grandchildren, blamed Roger for the murders, and use the former ruler as a puppet. Roger and his unit of twelve soldiers supplemented by a few hundred Mardukans, a ghost and a few other people need allies. However first he must prove he is innocent before they can confront Adoula and his sire, and hopefully rescue his mother. Yet those he needs on his side are apt to kill him before he can say one word to persuade them that he did not kill his siblings or others of his kin and that he is worthy of their support as he is no longer the Playboy Prince, but instead a fighting leader with a cause.

The latest Prince Roger fantasy is an action packed tale with the freshness that the playboy is back ready to perform as heroic rescuer. Roger's metamorphous seems genuine and the support cast is superb especially his parents, Adoula, the ghost, and the hero's pet. Although newcomers would be better off reading the previous novels as references refer to those tales, WE FEW can stand alone as a stirring military continuation of a terrific saga.

Harriet Klausner

I really, really enjoyed the first three books in this series, and this fourth book wasn't that bad, it just wasn't up to the expectations I have for David Weber. As for John Ringo...well, he started out great, but lately his work has been...erratic.

The plot is fine; it takes Prince Rog where he needs to go, but the build up is tedious and interminably slow. When Roger says he wants to kill something, you think, "Please Roger, please kill something...", but alas, no action until the final third of the book. When things finally do take off, the pace is frenetic and confusing. What was the hurry? David Weber describes space battles brilliantly, but this one is confusing, with more acronyms flying than cruisers, carriers and shipkillers. And then, why must every Ringo book now include sexual abuse and rape? In my opinion, these themes were not necessary in order to heighten the tension and danger. The ending finds Prince Rog where one would expect him to be, but the ending does not quite wrap up satisfyingly. I have been under the impression that "We Few" would be the last book in the Prince Roger series, but the ending is too rushed and incomplete-another book will have to come along some day in order to provide closure for this story arc. I wish Baen would just put these books out in paperback: maybe then the mediocre stories wouldn't sting so badly.

Prince Roger Ramius Sergei Alexander Chaing MacClintock was known as the "Playboy Prince" before he found himself marooned on the inhospitable planet of Marduk. He had one hundred and ninety Marines, Bravo Company, of the Empress' Own. It took three previous novels for them to get off Marduk. Along the way, Roger discovered that he was the heir of Miranda MacClintock, the first Empress of Man, and one paranoid and devious woman. The "Playboy Prince" no longer worried only about his fashionable clothing. Roger grew up fast, the hard way. During the eight months on Marduk, Roger became a leader that Bravo Company could look up to. A vital member of their group, as well as, to the Empire. Now there are twelve survivors of Bravo Company. Some Mardukans have been recruited into Roger's service as The Basik's Own. That title is an inside joke. You will have to read the series to understand.

The Basik's Own now has a challenge before them that may put all their previous perils to shame. The coup launched by Jackson Adoula, Prince of Kellerman, has obviously succeeded. Roger's mother, Empress Alexandra, is being controlled by the same people who had murdered her children and her grandchildren. Yet no one seems to realize it. Either that, or there is nothing they can do about it. To make matters worse, the coup and murders are all blamed on Roger.

The Basik's Own must gamin some dangerous allies, slip into the Empire, locate and meet with crucial military leaders, convince them of Roger's innocence and to help, find weapons, form a plan, retake the palace, save the Empress, capture Adoula and the Earl of New Madrid (Roger's biological father), and save the Empire.

Prince Roger of House MacClintock will prove, once and for all, that he is nothing like his despised father. Prince Roger is totally Empress Alexandra's son! And Hades is about to get a lot of new customers!

**** An excellent continuation to the series by two authors who have proven themselves to be a formidable team. The first three novels had more battles and readers got to watch Roger morph into a true ruler. In book four, readers learn just how devious Miranda MacClintock was (and in some ways, still is). There are more strategies and a little more romance in this one also. Sergeant Nimashet Despreaux returns to help balance Roger and takes on a larger role in the books' plots.

All-in-all, David Weber and John Ringo have another winner with this novel. Fans will NOT be disappointed. But if you have not read the first three in this series, purchase them quickly and read them in order. Otherwise, you will find yourself lost at times during this tale. Personally, I cannot recommend this series highly enough. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Few remain of the regiment assigned to protect Prince Roger after their three-volume battle across an inhospitable and hostile world. But although they, along with their native allies, now control the spaceport and a spaceship, their battles are far from over. Roger's family has been overthrown, his mother a captive, and the Empire of Man held as a for-profit domain by arrogant plutocrats. Somehow, with one ship and a few dozen fighters, Roger must fight his way across not a planet but a galaxy if he's to regain his position and save the Empire from civil war.

With the help of a foreign intelligence service Roger is able to infiltrate Earth, but every simulation shows his attack on the Palace a complete failure. He needs help, and the only source of help he and his allies can imagine, the retired veterans of the Imperial Guard, are reluctant to throw in their lot with a Prince who was famous for his laziness and poor leadership.

Authors David Weber and John Ringo combine to conclude the saga of Prince Roger's growth. Unlike the earlier books in the series, WE FEW is mostly about political bickering, obsessing about whether Roger would seize the thrown for himself or return it to his mother, and worrying about whether Roger's violent streak would be tempered by his girlfriend, rather than filled with personal and tactical violence. The final chapters alternate between space warfare right out of an Honor Harrington story and the attack on the palace complex--an action payoff.

Fans of this series, like me, will definitely want to get their hands on this book to see how Roger is able to deal with the larger crisis that happened while he was fighting his way across Marduk. The first half of the book is occasionally slow going, and some of the dialogue is stilted. The payoff occurs primarily in the space battle--something that lacks the personal touch of the hand-to-hand combat that made up the action of the earlier books in the series.

WE FEW isn't the best book in the series, but it makes an enjoyable military SF read.

I liked the book and agree with the progression of the story completely. However Weber is doing to Prince Roger, what he did to Honor Harrington. Basically you have dialogue after dialogue talking about how great he is.

Come on, we know Roger is great. The reader knows that he was a total git before his Mardukean adventures. One of the truly great things about this series in the beginning was that Roger made A LOT of mistakes. Yet at the same time he had some real hidden talent. He was shaping up to be a first class marine officer and royal scion thanks to his companions. I loved that premise.

Now that he has "grown up" we dont' need to hear about how great he is.

The book takes us from Marduk to the Empire in short order. ALong the way we learn about the political situation in the galaxy and the tenuous hold the throne has on order in the empire. Good stuff.

We also see Prince Roger as not just the warrior prince, but a hint of becomiing something more sinister. Something I REALLy liked the thought of. After everything he saw, and what he went through we are seeing growht in a different direction.

However somethings just got out of hand in this book. Weber can't seem to leave well enough alone. He or Ringo, threw in the ridiculous "kidnapping" scenario, and Roger has an argument wth an elite non-com from the Gold Battalion (they are supposed to be the flat out best in teh Empire). The argument is that the non-com wants Roger to let proffesional men and women who are trained to do these things. Trained for hostage rescue. Roger yells out "When are you going to get it through your head that I AM the proffesional!".

I rolled my eyes and almost tossed this book. Not only that, but damn near every character with an opinion AGREES with him. Stating that his awesome skills and leadership are needed elsewhere.

Honor Harrington all over again.

Then there is the events with his mother. Totally unnecessary.

I like the way the series is going, but they are falling into the Honor Harrington mold of the protaganist being the best at everything.

I miss Miles Vorkosigan.

This book, which if true to the collaboration form is mostly Ringo's work, finished the series about the spoiled prince who is marooned on an alien world with his marine bodyguard, and grows into a man worth following. I really enjoyed the entire series, but this installment, where the humans and their Mardukian allies finally get off Marduke, is the best of the bunch. It's back to Earth, in disguise, on a mission to rescue the Empress while avoiding the people out looking for the traitor prince. A very good read for fans of military scifi.

I enjoyed the first two books of this series quite a bit, and this one not so much. I'm trying to figure out why, and here's what I come up with:

There's a whiff of "retcon", in which things we thought to be true turn out to be so. For instance, the first two books gave the impression that Mardukans were almost completely unknown in the Empire, but this book makes the point that a good number travel and work as "enforcers". Likewise, the second book gave the impression that the Empress had been overthrown in a secret coup. In this book, apparently everyone above the grade of frycook knows this has happened, including government personages who really should care. Finally, Roger is made to exhibit unstablity and tyranical impulses never hinted at before. There is some handwaving to justify it by "what he's been through", but it doesn't ring true.

Some plot elements seem to have been introduced simply for padding or shock value. For instance, the whole 'kidnapping of the love interest' subplot falls completely limp, and whole 'empress is controlled by rape' scenario seems unnecessary and implausible.

The space battles are overwhelmed by Weber's infodumps. There are literally whole pages you can skip. It's important that Weber know the ins and outs of what all the ships and missles are capable of, but _we_ don't have to know every last detail. Some explanation like "he'll be there because that's the only place he can be effective" is all we really need to know.

Finally, (and firstly) the book begins with a faux historical write-up on Roger that gives away way too much. That starts the book on a false note, and reminds us that no matter what happens for the next couple of hundred pages that a) Roger makes it to the throne and b) He's dead now anyway.

Science Fiction series have an unfortunate tendency to spiral into darkness and dour, humorless finales. This one is no different.

Where the Prince Roger we grew to know and love was fun-loving and humorous and exasperated his keepers while growing into his leadership role, the Roger we find ourselves laden with at the end of We Few is a dreary, dour, all-business type.

This character arch made We Few rather hard to finish for me. By the end of it I kind of wanted to throw the book across the room. It's a worthwhile read just to finish the series-- it doesn't get as dour and dreary as, say, the "Fisherman" series (which devolved further into a morass of despair and guilt with each entry-- I couldn't even bear to read the last couple novels).

But really, I wish SF novelists would exercise some self-examination and eliminate these constantly-repeating plot devices from their story cycles. It seems almost unconscious, but with all the thought and planning that goes into a series it would seem bizarre that no one has noticed a similar progression in tone amongst many SF series.

I have read the whole series atleast 10 times and I also have it on Audible so I can listen to it while I work. I have also gotten quite a few co workers and family member into this series and we all think it is awsome. The military tactical back ground is wonderful, but having read so many others of his books it is to be expected. I loved every part of all 4 books they are fast paced and there is never a dull minute. As in any real life drama there is that bit of laughter with pain and fear. That is the real life in battle!! I really hope there will be something more to this series. Many of us here in the great state of TEXAS are patiently waiting for book 5.

I throughly enjoyed all the books in this series, both authors make very memorable characters, my favorite being Sergeant Julian and Seargent Major Kosutic. The pace and drama in this book doesn't' disappoint either, but then... it just ends. I turn the page, thinking there will be another chapter, but thats it. I can't complain too much since the majority of the series is about getting Roger to grow a set and become a man, but it would have been more satisfied to see how everyone ends up. I hope they do another in this series!

Well, it's Ringo after all. Very well written, great character development and fast paced with lots of action. And maybe, best of all, the series ending.....so many of them nowadays don't. Nice to see one ending on as high a note as it began.

The fourth and supposedly last volume in the, "Empire of Man" series was a satisfying and quick read but had a "choppy" feel to it.

I enjoyed the book for the characterization expected with any Weber/ Ringo novel, however the second half felt as if it was hastily finished. Many of the characters introduced in the first three books either take a back seat in this installment or are nonexistent. The editing was atrocious (many mispelled words, misused pronouns and improper articles).

I do recommend the book to any reader who loved the first three. I just wish more time was put into the finale. I get the feeling a new series is on the horizon: "Empire of Man; Insurrection!"

This was a disappointing anticlimax to a rousing string of stories that peaked in Book 2. The transition to the Imperial Planet, first accomplished by Asimov in Foundation, was too much for even authors of this caliber to overcome. A must read nevertheless for any fan of Ringo and Weber.

A very average book with a very average conclusion. The end of the Prince Roger series runs out of gas with Roger's attempt to retake the throne. An overly long setup drags into the plotting of ex-soldiers on Earth. An obligatory space battle wherein the usurper escapes, and a deus ex regis showing Roger every nook and cranny of an impregnable fortress do not provide a satisfactory finale to a series with great promise.

This is the third and concluding book in the saga of Prince Roger MacClintock. Or is it? Any number of threads raised at the end of this books just beg for another sequel. I can say that it is a great read even if it is one loooong chapter.

If you are into military SF then you must read this. If you haven't read the other books in this series then please read them first. You won't regret it.

A disappointing book. Previous books in the series dealt with science fiction themes; we watched Prince Roger develop from a brat to a true leader while he and his troops faced challenges on a remote planet.

This book is a spy novel, and not a very good one at that -- the SF in the book isn't relevant to the story. The authors also include several side plots that aren't germane to the story as a whole. For example, after the story is essentially over, fourty or so pages go by in detailed explanation of space battle tactics; those pages could be replaced by a couple of paragraphs ("and he escaped").

This isn't the last book of the series. One of the evil bad guys escapes at the end, and unless Prince Roger (and we) are very lucky, no doubt he'll be back.

Hard to say how these two authors could have gotten so far off track, but they did. Decent enough first three book's plot scatters off into subplots, tedious space battles orchestrated for mysterious purposes, mutinous Marines rallying behind a "Prince of the Blood", and the escape of a dimly seen evil personage. By far the weakest of the series and hardly a credit to either Webb's or Ringo's skills.

This series has taken us to The Mountains, The Sea, The Stars and now The Pits.

This is (in my humble opinion) the poorest of this series by Weber. I happen to be a Weber fan (which tells you that I don't mind some fluff in my books) because I like to be entertained and not have to focus too much on leisure reading.

This book struck me from the 3rd or 4th page as just a way to finish a book and make money.

Bad characters are TOO bad - action sequences are good, but that is this book's ONLY redeeming value.

The things the BAD PEOPLE do is just beyond common sense and the

basic premise that a bunch of retired Veterans could take over a Galactic Empire is beyond LUDE-E-Crus if you know what I mean.

I WOULD NOT purchase this book if I knew then what I know now.

I own every book David Weber has written, but I would have skipped this one. I recommend you do so.

Thanks for reading.

John Ringo and David Weber write great tales - together and apart. This book brings the first part of the saga to a close and (probably) opens up many future story possibilities. It is good, mindless, escapist fun.

You can certainly tell where Ringo stops and Weber begins. Fast paced action then excruciating, mind numbing useless detail of a boring Harrington want-a-be space battle. Almost like Weber cut and pasted from other novels to meet his contractual obligations. A real shame as it detracted significantly from the fast pace of Ringo's style.

John Ringo I want more much more. Please write another and then another sequel. This trilogy was just so superb. Thank you so much. I am not given to superlatives but when I started reading "We few" I couldn't put it down and the ending was nothing but sensational.

John Riotto