Kildar (Paladin of Shadows Book 2)

The sequel to Ghost is (unlike that first book) a single novel with a coherent storyline. In tone it is most like the first section of Ghost (though with more set-up and less "servicing of targets"). Our hero of dubious morality accidentally ends up becoming a feudal lord in the mountains of Georgia (the country, not the state).

He decides to train his retainers (members of The Six Families) as a special forces team for the defense of their valley. Almost all of the book is taken up by this training process. Along the way, Mike also discovers the secrets to their heritage (and ends up, somewhat accidentally, with a hareem of about a dozen young women and a source of very good beer).

This is the sort of fantasy where one American soldier comes into town, is treated as a hero and lord, raises a military force, wins the hearts (and other body parts) of the women, defeats the men in single combat trials, and then (finally) slaughters the nasty enemy terrorists in a one-sided contest of brains and skill. He's also the best lover any of the women have ever had. In other words, something that Heinlein might have written. Or possibly Leo Frankowski.

There is a lot more (quite explicit) sex than there is (not so explicit) violence -- which, for some reason, seems to bother people -- but neither is quite as unfocused and extreme as some parts of Ghost. And there are no nukes and no meetings with the President of the US or Russia (though there is a meeting with the President of Georgia).

The political slant of the book is much less obvious. There are even at least one or two instances of minor Muslim characters who are not evil. Perhaps the first stories represented Ringo working out his anger over 9/11, and this book is more because he had an idea of what to do with the character. Nevertheless, it does seem telling that the bad guys in the book are still Muslim fighters from Chechnia, and the good guys are nominally Christian (and/or members of a much older European religion).

As with Ghost, a large suspension of disbelief is required. But in this case the story is a little more internally consistant, as are the characters. And there are more characters, treated with more depth (as befits a novel compared to a series of novellas).

The book is a complete novel. It has a beginning and an end. It is not only half of a story. But it also clearly leaves an opening for the already-written followup. In almost every way, this is a better-written book than its predecessor.

Just finished Kildar. John Ringo is a good author, and I generally enjoy his books.
The first book of the Paladin of Shadows series, 'Ghost', was oddly enjoyable, a forbidden pleasure. Whatever you could say about it, it had action.
This book was 400 pages of shopping, followed by 5 pages of shooting, and then it was over. Obviously, this story was intended to be the setup towards something happening later in the series. It was the construction of Mike's personal army. It had some similarity to the "March to the Sea/Stars" books with regard to training indigenous folks to be "modern warrior/soldiers" but that's to be expected.

The mystery of the Keldara was interesting as a diversion, but by and large I found myself saying, "OK, when is Mike going to kill some people and rape their women?"

It's going to be necessary to read this to continue the series, but I sure hope the next books have more fun and less planning.

The second, and probably best book in the series. Unlike Ghost, this is a full novel and not a series of short stories. The other really distinguishing part of this book is that it is more setup and less action then any other book in the series.

This book is thankfully much less packed with sex then it's predecessor, making it less uncomfortable to read. The characters he brings back are interesting and I was glad to seem them. The new characters are also for the most part interesting. The Keldaran cultural stuff is a little dry for my tastes, and everyone character seems to listen to the same music and read the same obscure history. This can make the dialogue seem more like an exercise in literary self gratification then anything else.

Overall this is a fine book, and the military fiction aspect of it does interest me greatly. I still would like to see the sex toned down more.

Former Navy SEAL Mike Harmon uses the large award he received for his recent rescue mission (see GHOST) to travel. Currently he is in the Caucasus Mountains touring the former Soviet state of Georgia looking for the Bakuriani Resort when a blizzard leaves him stranded and in need of shelter. He is fortunate as a young girl Katrina rescues him and takes him to her home in a remote area over the objections of her father. The American likes the tranquil area and soon buys the land.

Harmon rules in his fiefdom with kindness towards the natives, but soon finds that Eden has its outside snakes. He organizes the local tribe, the Keldara, to protect them from Chechen raiders and begins to learn their customs and heritage. However though he is their ruler, the Keldara hide some information from their foreign warlord.

Mike Harmon is a fascinating hero who epitomizes the maxim that power corrupts as he learns that moral issues are not simple up and down votes; choices for the good of one person can negatively impact another. The story line is action-packed as expected with a John Ringo tale, but as in GHOST, once again Mr. Ringo provides a thought provoking character driven thriller (not a military sci fi) as his champion finds the paradox of ethics means someone, often an innocent, gets hurt. This is a great sequel from Mr. Ringo.

Harriet Klausner

Kildar (2006) is the second novel in the Ghost Saga, following Ghost itself. In the first work, Mike Harmon had rescued some young kidnap victims from terrorists, intercepted a group smuggling a nuke into the US, and disrupted an attempt to nuke the Pope within the Notre Dame cathedral. He also earns 30 million dollars in rewards from the US government. But Islamic terrorists have offered their own rewards worth millions of dollars for his capture or death.

In this novel, Mike is driving through Georgia, the country not the state, trying to avoid any conspicuous notoriety. While lost in a snow storm, he asks for directions from a local woman and then offers her a ride to her home. At the house, he meets Katrina's family and gets additional directions to the nearest town. Later he learns that the family are members of the Keldara.

Barely making it through the snow and ice to Alerrso, Mike searches futilely for a petrol station. Eventually he parks at a local tavern for food and drink. He learns that the snow storm will continue through the night followed in a short while by another, blocking exit from the valley for weeks. Mike rents a room upstairs and catches up on his sleep.

The next day, the local constabulary commander, Vadim Tyurin, gives Mike a tour of the sights. He finds little to interest him as a temporary dwelling, except for a nearby caravanserai. But he is informed that the caravanserai is entailed with additional property -- i.e., the whole valley where the Keldara dwell -- and that the package deal will cost a million Euros.

Mike finds that the owner/occupant of the caravanserai becomes the Kildar, to whom the Keldara owe a special fealty. Spurred by a strange impulse, he buys the property and hires a new overseer. Then he supplies the Keldara with farm vehicles and builds hydroelectric facilities for power to the caravanserai and farms.

The Chechen have been using northern Georgia as a staging area for raids into Russia. They have also been raiding farms near Alerrso, kidnapping young women to sell to brothels, killing the rest of the family, and burning the buildings. Mike wants to stop such raiding of his retainers and nearby farms, so he recruits a small local militia from among the Keldara. He also hires some special military trainers and provides top line weapons and equipment for the militia.

A continuing mystery throughout this book is the identity of the Keldara. They speak a different dialect of Georgian, with many strange terms. Many are red-headed or blondes, unlike the black-headed Medeans in the surrounding area. Also, the Keldara have strange customs and mores, including a strong warrior ethic.

The Office of Special Operations Liaison still plays an important role in Mike's endeavors. Although Mike is only a specialist on contract to the US government, OSOL expedites some of his plans, but also involves him in a few diplomatic missions. It is handy to have an outside contractor with real deniabililty to do the dirty work.

This novel continues the emphasis on action and sex, but Mike has acquired responsibilities that force him to spend more time planning and training. He still manages to take out a few bad guys now and then, but not as often as in the first novel. However, he takes considerable pleasure in passing on his military skills to worthy students.

This novel is also not for the timid, nervous or intolerant. Blood still splatters everywhere, although less frequently, and the sex is still explicit, even if less deviant. A few scenes are still conducive to nausea.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys action adventures about special operations.

-Bill Jordin

Ghost was very much a one off. Kildar develops the character and turns it into the start of a series. This means that the book is both better and worse than its predecessor. However, as with Ghost though I think that attempts to nit pick or find deeper meaning should be avoided. This series is simply sex and action packed escapism and nothing more.

The worst part of this book is that it ends with far too many loose ends untied, hence my strong recommendation that you buy and read its sequel Choosers of the Slain.

The best part of this book is that it paints a picture of a valley and inhabitants that I can relate to very strongly. Now I have never been to Georgia (the country not the state) and, just as in Ghost, Kildar is written with no attempt at factual accuracy, so I would be astounded if this valley really resembles anywhere in Goergia but the overall impression is none the less very true to life. I have been to Romania and other remote corners of former communist Eastern Europe and the descriuption of hand to mouth rural life, the remains of the shoddy former veneer of communism and the roots in former Ottoman and Byzantine empires are real.

Fortunately, although this book nominally set in the present day as a sequel to Ghost, it reads much more like Ringo's SF works, particularly the "march" series co-authored with Daved Weber, than Ghost and this is a good thing. The characterization is far better and the characters, even "Cottontail", are more sympathetic and not the cardboard stereotypes of Ghost. This is a classic page turner and, as I say above, if it has a fault it is that it ends.

John Ringo's Kildar series are just amazing.. great characters and action packed cover to cover. The whole premise of a Kildar and his retinue is really well developed, I recommend the whole series without reservation. You won't regret reading this series... 2 thumbs up

Ghost aka Mike Jenkins is at it again. Getting lost in a snow storm on the way to Georgia, the country not the state Mike stumbles upon the Kildara, a small and forgotten tribe deep in the mountains.

This the second in the Paladin of Shadows series starts off slower than the original. The reason for this is not to be missed especially if you want to enjoy the third book Choosers of the Slain. In Kildar, Mr. Ringo lays a lot of gound work and history for what is to come.

This is not to say that Kildar is by any means boring! Where do you get 150 sets of combat gear for your new militia? More importantly where do you get a hareem manager for your newly aquired hareem and how can you get a manager for said hareem before the lassies love you to death? These and many more interesting and humorous happenings fill the pages of this, the sequal to Ghost.

A very enjoyable read.

Literally full of rape and pedophilia. Let's take some sections to highlight what this book is about.

About a girl who brings him some food:
"The girl was about fourteen if she was a day. Not to mention bloody gorgeous. And in her society, being alone with a man was tantamount to admitting you weren't a virgin."

The same girl in regards to him not wanting to have sex:
""Latya, the one you call Flopsy, is younger than I am," Katrina said, evenly.
"I'm not terribly happy about that," Mike admitted."

Flopsy is a whore by the way

IMMEDIATELY after hearing this and going back:
"[...]"You using Flopsy at the moment?"
"No," Killjoy said, giving the girl a slap on the rump. "Up and to your master, little one."
"You want me, Kildar?" Flopsy asked.
"Very much," Mike said, taking her by the wrist and leading her to the stairs. "If anybody wants me, I'll be busy for a while.""

A book about a man who very much wants a girl who he knows is a year younger than the girl he believes to be 14. This is not the first, nor is it the only occurrence in the book. Look at the cover for the hardback book to see how John Ringo looks at children.

There are more sections about sex with children than there is any sort of action.

Excellent series. It is similar to the old cliff hanger movies they used to show when I was a kid. NOT Shakespeare or Twain but not meant to be either. It is just a fun vacation away from reality with beautiful women, manly men, and lots of great beer.

After reading Ghost, and loving it, it was only natural to borrow this book to read next, and again I was swept away into the story and adventure. I think it's the blend of history, believable characters and pure fantasy that make it interesting.

I really wanted to really like this book. John Ringo is one of my favourite authors, and his previous offerings have been outstanding.

But I just could not bring myself to take this book seriously. I mean, come on, an ex-seal buys a big house in Georgia (the country, not the state), and spends millions of his own money supplying and training the locals to become a militia force. Oh, and don't forget he develops his own harem, which includes some (very young!!) girls he rescued who he then decides that they are absolutely no good for anything else except to be concubines - his concubines, to boot. He nearly gets it on with a 14 year old, and...well, it's all a bit silly really. And more than a bit disturbing. One reviewer says that the sex was toned down in this book compared to the first - well hell, I need to read the first book then!! Or maybe not - as I said, a grown man getting hot and steamy over young girls is just a bit nasty. The actual military side of things was also disappointing. It really didn't take off until the last few pages.

I dunno - it just didn't read like the Ringo of old.

All right folks, this book takes the saga of Mark Harmon and continues with a new twist. He is a Feudal Lord of the decendents of --- well I won't spoil that mystery.

If you enjoyed the thriller of Ghost, you'll like Kildar.

If you didn't like Ghost - do yourself a favor and don't buy Kildar -- plain and simple.

The Author has repeatedly warned his reading public that the predecessor of this book - Ghost - and the entire series was going to be DIFFERENT than anything else. No mystery that it was going to be MUCH a "Mature" to "Adult Content" book and series.

This is NOT science fiction, makes no attempt to consider itself science fiction. It is along the lines of James Bond's dark side with Money and the ability to shoot a deer from a mile away. Add to it a bit of sexual content and you have the Kildar.

KNOWING it was different that other works by Mr. Ringo, I enjoyed the title. I would not and will not give it to my teenage son for consumption, but I am again looking forward to the story continuing in Choosers Of The Slain.

Read the sample chapters on the Baen Netsite before plunking your money down - try before you buy, it is a great idea!

Mr. Ringo did not publish this series under any sort of false flag -- again, He warned all his readers that this series was DIFFERENT and MUCH darker than any others.

To the reviewers making flaming negative reviews I can't help but wonder why you didn't bother to listen to the advice of the author when he made his warnings. Lack of intellect? Or is it perhaps lack of tolerance for the freedoms enjoyed by this country, primarily because very violent men stand ready to defend those freedoms for us - and the flamers can't stand the idea that the world really isn't all sweetness and light like they would like to see.

On my "water" scale this book is 50% vodka, 10% tabasco and 40% spring water from the caucaus mountains.

The first book was a bit unsettling. Kildar continues in that vein, but the action and characters grab you and keep you in the seat until it's over.

Definately not recommended for children or the thin-skinned. Very strong language and graphic violence are throughout the book. Some scenes are designed to revolt the reader, but if you're looking to get your jollies, look elsewhere.

For those of you unaware, Mike "Ghost' "John Ringo Self Insert" Harmon is literally a rapist pedophile. Many chapters of this book involve sexual encounters with underage girls. REALLY underaged. Members of his harem are 12. Girls he regularly has sex with before the foundation of the harem are 13. A central 'love interest' character is 14. The ORIGINAL COVER OF THIS BOOK has extremely underaged girls looking lovingly at 'Ghost' while standing over corpses in a ruined burning village.

Buying this book probably gets you put on some pedophile watch list. So, y'know, clear your browser history.

I enjoyed this book, as I generally enjoy anything Ringo writes. His emphasis on sexual activity (and in particular, his discussions about sexual activity or musings on same with teen girls) while perhaps understandable in the context of the story was distracting, unnecessary and more than a bit disturbing. Stick to the military action and lay off the soft porn.

The Dysfunctional Father's Guide to Pregnancy Birth and Babies

While I like Ringos overall attitude ayhow, the "Paladin of Shadows" series - and of these especially Kildar are in a league oftheir own. This is not SF at all, but in the case of Kildar a rather well-researched fantasy of modern nation/society building integrated into a highly entertaining thriller with a credible hero.

I suppose that when a writer reaches a certain degree of success, editing him or her becomes either scary or simply forbidden.

The Ringo/Weber/Flint books were good to start with. The sheer volume demands more self-discipline or hard-nosed editing.

First, I'd use Word's wordcount, and insist on knocking out ninety percent of the words whose root is "chuckle".

The ribbing grown-ups give each other prior to a staff meeting, say, or in other circumstances, needs to be...grown-up. I spent time as a grunt and time as an adjutant. They get it wrong.

The stories, some of them, such as the Honor series, and the 1632 series, have terrific premises. Great ideas. Good writing, from time to time.

But Kildar.... Ringo should be ashamed of himself. He panders to every conceivable fantasy of the couch potato who still lives in his parents' basement.

Terrific soldier. Got it.

Great lover. Yup.

Pygmalion/liberator to a bunch of eager, beautiful, young (disturbingly young, in some cases) whores.

Rich as a three-armed King Midas. Uh-huh. Not to mention a bit strained.

Rescued a bunch of sorority girls from a fate worse than death, as a result of which he can always find a vigorous welcome on campuses anywhere. Jeez.

Lord of the manor. The easy way. He bought it. He didn't have to fight for it. He didn't have to poison the rightful heir, his older brother, or hurry his father's demise. He didn't take any obligations to a greater lord as a condition.

Whatever he wants, he simply calls up his bank, a couple of friends, and a control officer in the Pentagon, and it is his.

Everybody he talks to sees things his way. Svengali.

Tough soldiers speak of him with awe.

When the author absolutely, positively can't think of a way to give him a particular skill, the guy just gets lucky.

Perhaps the market for inadequate couch potatoes who still live in their parents' basement is larger than I thought.

Embarrassing.

of course im alittle bias since john ringo wrote it since i love his books but kildar is great i was alittle leary since ghost wasnt that great at first but i was pleased to no end a great book with eqal parts humor and action and john ringos usual style a must read for anyone

Have read all the books published to date. Loved the plots and story lines. Finally through them all out (Yep, tossed one paperback and two hardcopy) as I realized as I was re-reading them, that the somewhat graphic sex (Dominance and Submission, and Harem Girls, etc) didn't really add to the story but sure promoted things I just don't like. The March Upcountry series with David Weber had boys and girls, and talked about sex, but was what I consider more normal for SciFi, and was not graphic, did not promote "alternative" sex. So while I enjoy the James Bond nature of the novels, I really can't recommend them to any of my friends, and wouldn't recommend them to anyone younger.

Have read all the books published to date. Loved the plots and story lines. Finally through them all out (Yep, tossed one paperback and two hardcopy) as I realized as I was re-reading them, that the somewhat graphic sex (Dominance and Submission, and Harem Girls, etc) didn't really add to the story but sure promoted things I just don't like. The March Upcountry series with David Weber had boys and girls, and talked about sex, but was what I consider more normal for SciFi, and was not graphic, did not promote "alternative" sex. So while I enjoy the James Bond nature of the novels, I really can't recommend them to any of my friends, and wouldn't recommend them to anyone younger.