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Bolo #9
Old Soldiers
Captain Maneka Trevor was the sole human survivor of the Dinochrome Brigade's 39th Battalion . . . but she hadn't wanted to be one. The Bolo known as "Lazarus" -- Unit 28/G-179-LAZ -- was the 39th's sole surviving Bolo . . . but he hadn't been hers. The doctors and the Bolo techs have put them both back together again, yet there are wounds no doctor or technician can heal. And now Maneka and Lazarus must serve together once again, in a war whose stakes are
literally the survival or extermination of the human race. They are all that stand between a desperate, secret colony of humanity and a Bolo commander torn by survivor's guilt and a Bolo whose very existence reminds her of all she has lost. The odds against them are heavy, the stakes are huge, and surrender is not an option. The Dinochrome Brigade is used to that, but can Maneka and Lazarus survive their own shared past to defend the present?
literally the survival or extermination of the human race. They are all that stand between a desperate, secret colony of humanity and a Bolo commander torn by survivor's guilt and a Bolo whose very existence reminds her of all she has lost. The odds against them are heavy, the stakes are huge, and surrender is not an option. The Dinochrome Brigade is used to that, but can Maneka and Lazarus survive their own shared past to defend the present?
394 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
David Weber
329 books4,366 followersDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952.
Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.
One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
Many of his stories have military, particularly naval, themes, and fit into the military science fiction genre. He frequently places female leading characters in what have been traditionally male roles.
One of his most popular and enduring characters is Honor Harrington whose alliterated name is an homage to C.S. Forester's character Horatio Hornblower and her last name from a fleet doctor in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander . Her story, together with the "Honorverse" she inhabits, has been developed through 16 novels and six shared-universe anthologies, as of spring 2013 (other works are in production). In 2008, he donated his archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University.
Many of his books are available online, either in their entirety as part of the Baen Free Library or, in the case of more recent books, in the form of sample chapters (typically the first 25-33% of the work).
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidw...
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 17, 2011
Fun read. Had to keep checking to be sure this wasn't another Honor Harrington tale. It's the same formula, but set in a different era/universe.
February 10, 2016
Yes, I cried. And I went back and read it again and cried again. Why? It's just that good.
January 4, 2020
Military SF. Apparently 15th in the series. Haven’t read any of the others, but Weber wrote the Honor Harrington series and I enjoyed those books. Bolo’s are giant AI tanks, that appear to be the size of a destroyer escort. Each Bolo has a human commander that talks to/commands the Bolo via a neural interface. This Bolo and it’s commander are the only remaining members of a brigade destroyed in an alien attack. Humanity is in a death match with an dog-like alien replace bent on humanities destruction. The Bolo and human commander were not paired up previously, so there’s a getting to know you period. This Bolo/commander pair along with another Bolo team are tasked to protect a secret convoy to a new secret planet to be colonized by humans in case the alien dog race are successful in wiping out all the known human worlds.
August 30, 2014
This novel takes place in the final days of humanity as they battle for survival [or mutual destruction] against the Melconians, a race of advanced beings resembling dogs [apparently, hence, the derisive name of 'Puppies' and 'Dog Boys']. Two separate survivors [one a human female, one a Bolo] of a previous Melconian attack are combined to form a new Bolo team. They are a part of a top-secret effort by humanity to ensure the continued survival of humans in the universe. Seed colonies are being sent out across the known universe in an effort to ensure humanity cannot be completely wiped out by the Puppies. The convoy for this colony is detected and their protective military escort goes into battle. It is a vicious battle - every naval vessel on both sides are destroyed in the ensuing combat. The convoy continues on to its target planet, none the wiser about a Melconian transport vessel that tracks their movements to the previously-unknown planet. The humans set up their colony and begin to expand when the Melconians attack. The humans in orbit and in the asteroid belt manage to win their battles, but it is up to Maneka Trevor and her Bolo, Lazarus, to work in conjunction with the colony's militia to battle the landed Melconian brigade for survival.
I thought it was a well-written book, overall. It continues to hold my interest with each reading. It has a good flow to it, and I think it maintains enough suspense for me to continue to read it periodically. The character development is decent; in some cases more would obviously be desirable but the author still does a great job telling this story. The author uses a previous short story as the foundation and basis for this novel; he expands upon the previous story as the backstory for the two main characters in this one.
One of the craziest scenes in the book happens at the very beginning: .
The thing I liked most about this novel is how it ends with hope. So many of the earlier Bolo anthologies have very little, if any, hope in them. Humanity is seen as being destined to be exterminated in a harsh universe, despite their best efforts to live in peace and win at war. This novel discusses the high cost of Ragnorak [the mutual assured destruction of both Melconian and Human Empires] and how humanity is striving to continue to ensure some seed of Adam survives, somewhere. The ending is completely bad to the bone, too. I loved it!
I thought it was a well-written book, overall. It continues to hold my interest with each reading. It has a good flow to it, and I think it maintains enough suspense for me to continue to read it periodically. The character development is decent; in some cases more would obviously be desirable but the author still does a great job telling this story. The author uses a previous short story as the foundation and basis for this novel; he expands upon the previous story as the backstory for the two main characters in this one.
One of the craziest scenes in the book happens at the very beginning: .
The thing I liked most about this novel is how it ends with hope. So many of the earlier Bolo anthologies have very little, if any, hope in them. Humanity is seen as being destined to be exterminated in a harsh universe, despite their best efforts to live in peace and win at war. This novel discusses the high cost of Ragnorak [the mutual assured destruction of both Melconian and Human Empires] and how humanity is striving to continue to ensure some seed of Adam survives, somewhere. The ending is completely bad to the bone, too. I loved it!
March 2, 2014
From Booklist
In the campaign on Chartres in Bolo! (2005), Trevor Manecka of the Dinochrome Brigade lost her Bolo, Benjy. She is now going into action again, teamed with a venerable veteran Bolo, Lazarus. Their mission is to plant Concordat colonies where the Melchonian empire is unlikely to find them. Unfortunately, the "Puppies" (i.e., the aliens of Melchonia) have both natural and military intelligence--and the persistence to follow the colonizing expedition across the light-years. The result is a deadly, prolonged battle, recounted with all Weber's customary high-tech vividness, but this time Trevor is not separated from her Bolo or even from her human lover, Edmund Hawthorne. Also convincingly depicted is the process of downloading a human personality into a Bolo, which confers immortality of a sort and gives the novel a warmer tone than the battle scenes, unaided, would have. The Bolos, the late Keith Laumer's best-known creation, are clearly in capable hands with Weber. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Captain Maneka Trevor was the sole human survivor of the Dinochrome Brigade's 39th Battalion . . . but she hadn't wanted to be one. The Bolo known as "Lazarus" -- Unit 28/G-179-LAZ -- was the 39th's sole surviving Bolo . . . but he hadn't been hers. The doctors and the Bolo techs have put them both back together again, yet there are wounds no doctor or technician can heal. And now Maneka and Lazarus must serve together once again, in a war whose stakes are literally the survival or extermination of the human race. They are all that stand between a desperate, secret colony of humanity and destruction: a Bolo commander torn by survivor's guilt and a Bolo whose very existence reminds her of all she has lost. The odds against them are heavy, the stakes are huge, and surrender is not an option. The Dinochrome Brigade is used to that, but can Maneka and Lazarus survive their own shared past to defend the present?
December 25, 2014
"Old Soldiers" by David Weber is a follow-up book of the Bolo series about a war machine that becomes sentient. I enjoyed it.
Captain Maneka Trevor is still struggling with her demons after becoming the sole survivor (and hero) of a battle that saved an entire planet. But the human race is losing the war so a "Seed" of colonists is sent out to establish the human race far away from the Enemy. But the Enemy has found the convoy so they must be destroyed or the Enemy will destroy what is left of the human race. In an incredible battle, Captain Maneka Trevor survives as the ranking surviving officer.
Maneka is in her 20s so the governor of the colonists is almost three times her age but the responsibility of getting the colonists safely to their destination is all hers, as the rest of the crew and colonists look on nervously.
Unlike the novel "Bolo!" this is a complete story in one book. Weber has taken the favorite character from the previous book and expanded upon her story and done a very good job. I think she is a little too clever for her years, and I feel the faint reflection of Honor Harrington in Maneka Trevor. But it is a good story with strong woman lead.
The story also left room for a follow-up book but Weber gives this story a satisfying ending. (I hate cliff-hangers in books. Jack Campbell is notorious for this and I want to choke him at times. :-))
It's a good read. You can read it by itself. It includes a flashback to the original story from Bolo! so that you can have a feel for what the main character went through prior to the start of this novel.
Captain Maneka Trevor is still struggling with her demons after becoming the sole survivor (and hero) of a battle that saved an entire planet. But the human race is losing the war so a "Seed" of colonists is sent out to establish the human race far away from the Enemy. But the Enemy has found the convoy so they must be destroyed or the Enemy will destroy what is left of the human race. In an incredible battle, Captain Maneka Trevor survives as the ranking surviving officer.
Maneka is in her 20s so the governor of the colonists is almost three times her age but the responsibility of getting the colonists safely to their destination is all hers, as the rest of the crew and colonists look on nervously.
Unlike the novel "Bolo!" this is a complete story in one book. Weber has taken the favorite character from the previous book and expanded upon her story and done a very good job. I think she is a little too clever for her years, and I feel the faint reflection of Honor Harrington in Maneka Trevor. But it is a good story with strong woman lead.
The story also left room for a follow-up book but Weber gives this story a satisfying ending. (I hate cliff-hangers in books. Jack Campbell is notorious for this and I want to choke him at times. :-))
It's a good read. You can read it by itself. It includes a flashback to the original story from Bolo! so that you can have a feel for what the main character went through prior to the start of this novel.
January 28, 2019
Superb
This book is a superb entry in the whole Bolo series. I’ve always enjoyed the whole Bolo concept, and the stories of the Dinochrome Brigade. This is one of the very best (IMO). Not only is the story a superb one—— in the Melchonian war the Concordia fields a ‘fallback’ position in case they actually lose the war...... or even worse ‘tie’. If Plan Ragnarok succeeds and the Melchonian version as well —— what of Humanity then? I don’t want to give away the story but..... Operation Seed Corn looks to preserve at least SOMEof the human race..... yet they are being followed by a stronger enemy fleet!
That said, the ending is the best part——again, IMO. It is a triumphant yet bittersweet paean to the best in humanity and to love. Buy the book just for that alone.
This book is a superb entry in the whole Bolo series. I’ve always enjoyed the whole Bolo concept, and the stories of the Dinochrome Brigade. This is one of the very best (IMO). Not only is the story a superb one—— in the Melchonian war the Concordia fields a ‘fallback’ position in case they actually lose the war...... or even worse ‘tie’. If Plan Ragnarok succeeds and the Melchonian version as well —— what of Humanity then? I don’t want to give away the story but..... Operation Seed Corn looks to preserve at least SOMEof the human race..... yet they are being followed by a stronger enemy fleet!
That said, the ending is the best part——again, IMO. It is a triumphant yet bittersweet paean to the best in humanity and to love. Buy the book just for that alone.
February 3, 2022
Standard Weber fare, mainly interesting because of the Bolo connection. I'm not super familiar with Bolo's, the way that Weber wrote about them here made them feel like there was a wargame/boardgame connection at some point.
July 12, 2023
Picked up this book at the library not figuring that it was the end of the series. It was almost nonstop battle from the moment it started until the end with very little description of what things looked like or the premise. It was still an OK book.
May 6, 2018
This would have made for an ok short story, but way to drawn out as it is. 2.5 stars.
March 15, 2023
I devoured all the bolo books. Or so i thought! Turns out i missed two and this one is a classic
July 26, 2019
Read to this one now and really enjoying it. I love writing style and everything Describe in this book.
September 22, 2011
"Old Soldiers" is by David Weber, experienced ad copywriter. The series builds on Bolo, blindingly fast AI powered war machines interfaced with human commanders in space, created by Keith Laumer, late of U.S. Airforce. General MacArthur said "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away" in a farewell justification after being fired over the Korean War. The barracks ballad version was more satirical "Young soldiers just wish they would". http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/son...
If I go fast over repetitous slow parts, the essential is tragic from both sides. Enemy Dogs are humanoids not from chimp origin. Neither know who began the snowballing needs for revenge, impossible to surrender from threat of extinction by the other. We are the good guys, so we are faster and smarter, but wins come at great cost.
Lazarus and Maneka both have survivor guilt from their previous battles. Italics for the supercomputer mind, <> angle brackets for the female AND responses (confusing), she/they paragraphs for the unit. Calm cool wise mentor, pithy brief slower softie, cumbersome combination physical actions.
A few pages of banter between the girl and a fellow crewmate reveal attraction of marriage potential, happy ever after. Feelings backseat to military strategies. Fiction was how the author began plotting his war game, and correspondent White pre-Email alternated chapters and built a series. I like background material. History reveals the base beneath.
Spoiler:
Nerd heaven unites mind in machine forever.
If I go fast over repetitous slow parts, the essential is tragic from both sides. Enemy Dogs are humanoids not from chimp origin. Neither know who began the snowballing needs for revenge, impossible to surrender from threat of extinction by the other. We are the good guys, so we are faster and smarter, but wins come at great cost.
Lazarus and Maneka both have survivor guilt from their previous battles. Italics for the supercomputer mind, <> angle brackets for the female AND responses (confusing), she/they paragraphs for the unit. Calm cool wise mentor, pithy brief slower softie, cumbersome combination physical actions.
A few pages of banter between the girl and a fellow crewmate reveal attraction of marriage potential, happy ever after. Feelings backseat to military strategies. Fiction was how the author began plotting his war game, and correspondent White pre-Email alternated chapters and built a series. I like background material. History reveals the base beneath.
Spoiler:
Nerd heaven unites mind in machine forever.
February 5, 2017
A good Bolo book. The best part was that it was set during and after the Total Annihilation war between the humans and the puppies. In the end it becomes clear that .
I felt the battles weren't as interesting as they could have been. The book also suffered a bit from a typical Weber problem: way too many named characters that, apart from their names, were hard to distinguish. And then got blown up.
I felt the battles weren't as interesting as they could have been. The book also suffered a bit from a typical Weber problem: way too many named characters that, apart from their names, were hard to distinguish. And then got blown up.
April 15, 2014
Old soldiers is a solid foray into the world of the Bolos and the Concordiat-Melconian War. Not as big on action as other BOLO books but there is enough action to suit action fans and enough of a deeper story to keep other sci fi fans happy. All in all, this is a very solid book and worth reading.
May 28, 2019
Outstanding
I read this book many years ago, it has stood the test of time very well. The characters are fighting to survive an enemy just as tough & incapable of giving up as they are. Very good story.
I read this book many years ago, it has stood the test of time very well. The characters are fighting to survive an enemy just as tough & incapable of giving up as they are. Very good story.
November 18, 2007
read 09.22.05
July 29, 2008
If you like the Bolo series this one is pretty good. Lot's of action.
September 26, 2011
Fair enought ... Good small-time reading!
May 31, 2012
Book about a Bolo of the Dynachrome Brigade.
Bolo: Huge cybernetic tank. Heavily armed, nearly indestructible, and has a machine brain.
Good clean fun for everyone!
Bolo: Huge cybernetic tank. Heavily armed, nearly indestructible, and has a machine brain.
Good clean fun for everyone!
September 3, 2012
So far the best if the Bolo books I have read so far!
June 10, 2013
An excellent Bolo book!
January 8, 2014
Interesting book. Plays on the futility of war and the need for soldiers to sometimes take a stand for peace.
September 12, 2016
Good story.
July 12, 2017
Easily my favorite Bolo book, and one of my favorites of Weber's work as well. It's the little details, and the respect for all the characters involved that really make this book shine.
June 22, 2014
Good but a book that left me wanting more. I had trouble without a backstory and really wanted to see what the bolo looked like.
December 31, 2014
Functional but uninspired. Two and a half stars. Perhaps I'm just getting a bit tired of Weber's formula.
May 30, 2018
I liked this one better than bolo
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews