Orphan's Alliance by: Robert Buettner

Orphan's Alliance
Robert Buettner
Orbit
ISBN 9780316001748

This is the fourth instalment in the Jason Wander series. It is the story of a foot soldier who becomes a hero time and time again, while trying to save the human race. The book is strong enough that it can stand alone, but is better as part of the series. Jason must unite all the human clans that have been found scattered throughout the outworlds - some with great advancements in technology, some back in the ice age. Jason must find a way to unite clans on different planets that have been fighting for millennium, and unite them with different clans and cultures from other planets. Humankind must stand together or be eliminated from the universe. For the slugs are back and on the planet they have hit, they do not leave a single surviving human.

Buettner is fast becoming a master of the Military Science Fiction genre. His fan base expands with each new novel and with each, his followers find greater skill and craft with the pen.

Jason Wander finds himself on a rock, literally at an interstellar crossroads. He must prepare this as a base and command center to defend earth and the other human planets. Unfortunately, the enemy has been alerted to the position and Wander does not know how much time he has. He has to rush an already tricky preparation, for the battle is about to begin.

There are advantages and disadvantages to reading a series, especially by a newer author. The advantage is you get to re-encounter characters and places you know and appreciate. You find out more about these characters that are strong enough to draw you back again and again. The disadvantage is that when an author is only writing one series you see only one side of their skill, and you wonder a bit what else they could come up with and what wonderful places they could take you to in your mind. Buettner has now done a fourth book in the Jason Wander saga, at least one more is planned, and by this reader eagerly anticipated. Yet there is that nagging question: 'What else is there in his quill waiting to be unleashed?'

This series will probably become classic in Military Science Fiction, and this book is one of the best in the set. The writing is fluid, the story gripping and well-balanced. Buettner is neither so fantastical that you suspend belief, but could see it as a possible future. His military insight and portrayal is tremendous. All in all, Orphan's Alliance is an excellent story to add to your bookshelf.

(First Published in Imprint 2009-01-16.)

Jason Wander Saga:

Orphanage
Orphan's Destiny
Orphan's Journey
Orphan's Alliance
Orphan's Triumph