Janissaries: Amazon.ca: Jerry Pournelle: Books

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Reluctantly volunteering for a dangerous mission, Captain Rick Galloway and his men are cut off in hostile territory when the CIA pulls out their support, an event that is further complicated when an alien spaceship arrives. Reprint. PW. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

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4 star:		(3)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Surprising Classic, Nov 29 2003

By	W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Janissaries (Paperback)

The original issue did far better than expected. Apparently, while both Pournelle and his publisher hoped for the best when it came out, the reception was superb.

Thence came the demand for a sequel and later, after that, for the next one. In the mid 1980s, Pournelle was asked about this at a Los Angeles SF Convention, and he replied "Soon". Indeed, the third volume was soon published. But, like any good author who knows how to write well and milk a successful series, dangling threads were left. It is from these that other reviewers here have asked for a fourth volume.

It has now been 15 years since the 3rd volume! Frustrating. Sadly, it appears that Pournelle's productivity has fallen in recent years. Still, we can only hope... And also hope for a reissue, maybe in hardcover, of THIS first volume. As you may recall, the first publication was in an extra large paperback format, with illustrations. It has been sufficiently long that perhaps now a hardcover with the lovely drawings might be justified.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, Aug 30 2000

By	Christian Markus "cjmarkus" (Gruiten) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: JANISSARIES (Mass Market Paperback)

A group of soldiers is brought to a primitive planet, Tran, populated by humans by an alien race called the Shalnuksis, that are part of an interstellar confederacy. The population on Tran consists of the descendants of humans brought to the planet by the the Shalnuksis every 600 years at least since 1000 BC. Humans are part of the Confederacy as slave soldiers and administrators, bred for loyalty. Earth is used by the Confederacy as a source of strains of wild humans to crossbreed with their Janissaries. The story is about the fate of the soldiers, fighting against and with the local humans, working against a deadline, and of course for the survival of the human race, on and off planet.

The greatest flaw however is as only too frequently that the story is far too short. But I guess that's why there are the sequels.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Mar 14 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: JANISSARIES (Mass Market Paperback)

I've re-read this book many times. The theme is an old one but no one executes it as well as he does. The characters are believable and 3 dimensional. JEP's military understanding is good. The action sequences are authentic. I've read all 3 books but the other 2 are progressively worse because Roland Green wrote them. The next two books have incredibly boring and inane dialogue and that's what killed the series. To top it off, my Storms of Victory ended without any explanation of what happened next. If I could find another copy of this book I'm gonna turn it to the back page to see if I had a bad copy.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Jerry's World (Tran)
What the customer reviews and the synopsis on "Janissaries" book flap (not written by the authors) fail to explain, is the effect of the new culture (technology)... Read more

Published on Dec 4 1999 by Leigh Southern

5.0 out of 5 stars Alternate history / Galactic Background
The true motivation for this series of books (so I believe) is not the superficial one you can read about in the other reviews. Read more

Published on Feb 12 1999 by jon1906@hotmail.com

5.0 out of 5 stars Top class. Military detail fascinating and intricate plot
Classic work by a great author. The initial part of the book does not grab you, but persevere and you shall enjoy. Read more

Published on Jan 31 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Unweird, believable science fiction.
Facing almost certain death at the hands of Cuban military forces in the civil war in Angola, Captain Rick Galloway and his small band of mercenaries are suddenly given the... Read more

Published on Jan 27 1999