Rogue [Mass Market Paperback]

I've always enjoyed Mike's novels in the Freehold universe, and this one is no exception. The book contains the hi-speed, lo-drag action we've come to expect from Mike Williamson's work, but the thought behind the character, his mental and emotional trauma despite being a highly-trained military operative, and the effort Williamson spent developing the character was really top notch. In the interest of full disclosure, I did have the opportunity to be one of the folks who previewed the novel in its earlier stages, but my assessment of its quality has not and will not change.

When we last read about Kenneth Chinran, he was dealing with his own demons after destroying Earth's infrastructure and causing the deaths of millions of people. This is a character with a conscience and a depth of emotion. He had to deal with the deaths of his teammates. He had to take care of his small daughter. He had to confront his own guilt about destroying millions of innocent lives despite the knowledge that the destruction he and his team wreaked was essentially self defense.

In this novel, Chinran (now using the name "Dan") is forced to confront another demon - a rogue operative from his team, originally thought dead and now working as a paid assassin. Assigned to stop the rogue by the very man who ordered the attack on earth in the previous book and who ostensibly was responsible for the consequences, Chinran must work with a relatively inexperienced troop and deal with his own memories and traumatic experiences.

I won't say any more than this about the plot, because I don't want to ruin it. I will say that while I enjoy the action and adventure in the novel, I love being present in this libertarian-leaning society and exploring the depths of a mind (Chinran's) that has dealt with the ups and downs of protecting his homeland and his way of life.

Right or wrong, Baen has become known as a haven for military sci-fi writers and fans, with a stable of writers including several military veterans, folks with a background in the murky world of sleazy government contracting, gun buffs, and hard science notables with a bit of slant towards the libertarian/center right of American politics. This also includes a welcome bit of the raspberries towards the overwhelming leftist slant sci-fi has had for a long time with little to be heard from the other end of the spectrum. Whether you agree with it or not, the alternative voice is a welcome, and needed, presence.

Now that that little bit of intro is out of the way, let's focus on the book, which, in the interest of full disclosure I must tell you, I was fortunate enough to be a pre-reader on. Mike Williamson occupies a peculiar niche in Baen's stable, indeed, in the whole stable of active current sci-fi and military authors. Simply put, it's tough to find what he's doing, in the sci-fi realm. Mike's work recalls '70s crime and espionage films, but updates them with a dash of post-modern nudge-nudge-wink-wink self-awareness and Tarantino's eye for stylish violence. Like Tarantino, he also knows the best stuff to give an homage to, or in some cases, knowingly or not, outright steal :)

Rogue, like it's predecessors set in the Freehold universe, remind me, if nothing else, of the whole genre of Michael Caine/Steve McQueen/Clint Eastwood era of cop/vigilante/espionage movies. Despite the future setting, there's a strong '70s vibe running through them. Witht the "Ripple Creek" books, this vibe is run against the modern Private Military Contractor/Blackwater concept, but the characters would not be out of place in an old heist flick, honestly, I keep thinking of the original 1974 "Gone in Sixty Seconds." With The Weapon and Rogue, the image of Ken Chinran, an "idealized" special forces operator, ended up looking more and more like a cross between Michael Caine in "Harry Brown," "Get Carter," and "The Italian Job," mixed in with Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen. Heck, the movies "Bullitt," "Payback" and "Dirty Harry" kept coming to mind, along with "Marathon Man." It makes me think that Mike's future looks a lot like "Life on Mars" and trust me, that ain't a bad thing! Frankly, we NEED that vibe again. The closest thing to it on TV, which shares some of Mike's slight nod to the '90s and beyond, is "Burn Notice," Mike easily brings as much clever dialogue and clever spy technique to this latest thriller of his. Combine this with a flare for stylistic violence that practically begs Tarantino to direct and you end up with a modernized update on a particular brand of thriller that we just. don't. see. anymore, but trust me, we need it, and you need to read it!

If you like your SF to be written by professionals, this one is for you. Immersive, believable storyline, fully developed characters, great action sequences that pull you into the flow of the thing - all the stuff that Mike Williamson has learned to do so well is in full force here. No spoilers, but I'll tell you this much - Chinran is back, and he's focused like never before. He's gonna have somebody's guts for garters before it's all over, too.

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