The Warrior

Hammer's Slammers #6

by David Drake

They were the best.
Colonel Alois Hammer: He welded five thousand individual killers into a weapon more deadly than any other in the human universe.
Luke Broglie: His brilliant mind could have succeeded in any business; but war was the business he chose.
Tess Kuykendall: She knew what her job was, but she also knew what was survivable.
Slick Des Grieux: War was his life, and that made him almost too dangerous to live.
The collision between different styles of being The Best meant a bloodbath, even by the grim standard of Hammer's Slammers

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Military Fiction, War

284 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Warrior is another good novel in Drake's military science fiction series that features the mercenary company known as the Slammers run by Colonel Alois Hammer. Drake considers the impact of conflict on civilians as well as combatants, and looks at religious, political, and financial motivations. In this one, the theme is the idea of winning at any cost, and the moral and mental state of the commander, though he never allows philosophical concerns to slow the narrative. It was later collected in an omnibus volume called Caught in the Crossfire, and then again in a volume of the Complete Hammer's Slammers series, so there's no reason to hunt down this one if you have one of those. It's a very violent story, and the narrative is unstintingly harsh. The Hammer's Slammers books are still at the top of military sf.

[Paul Silver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard core military fiction, exactly what you'd expect if you've read any of Drake's other 'Hammer's Slammers' stories.

We follow Des Grieux as his career within the Slammers waxes and wanes due to his decisions. A great tank commander, Des Grieux has a problem taking orders, and that causes trouble, with the hardware he controls he is quite literally a loose cannon.

This story is the antidote to the classic Hollywood hero action movie. Des Grieux is the standard hero - highly talented, doesn't listen to orders, does what he needs to do to save the day and pulls it off. Then you see the other side of the situation - other members of his platoon who had to deal with him not being where he was supposed to be, and what their commanders think of it, and his jealousy and incapacity to understand why others get promoted beyond him.

Interestingly different from standard military SF, a kind of study of a useful psychopath who's on the edge of what's acceptable, even in a mercenary organisation built around killing people.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story, but not as enjoyable a read as some - mainly due to the characters here, with one in particular I quite like, and one I quite dislike, but their eventual fates were not at all what I wanted, even if a realistic outcome.
Lots of action as usual, quite bloody at times, but a lot of this is also quite focussed on the characters, giving us a good feel for the motivations behind their actions, and is also very good for giving a view of what it can belike on the front line for a soldier, with some very focussed scenes / sections.
All in all another good story to read, but if you have too much empathy with characters at times, like I do, you may not enjoy this as much as others in the series.

[Dalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of stories filled with destruction caused by Slick Des Grieux. Some of the other reviews describe him well, an anti-hero who is a psychopath on the edge of acceptability in a mercenary company. The destruction leaves the reader with a sense of hollowness, of how empty Slick's life is even though he ends up winning in the end. Slick doesn't care much who he destroys, as long as he is the one who gets to pull the trigger.

[Donald Fike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warriors in battle armor. Classic Read others

[Buzz Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite stand-alone Hammer's Slammers novel so far. Great action, great anti-hero. Loved it! Read it in the The Complete Hammer's Slammers Volume 2.

[Tim Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but not quite as good as some of the other Hammer's Slammers books.

[Brian Lassiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Military sci-fi with a dark side.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give it a solid 4. Not quite as good as the first Slammers collection but a good read. Three linked short stories followed by a stand alone novella. All with the David Drake action and intensity. Good military SF with some interesting characters.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Warrior” is from the Hammer’s Slammers Sci-Fi series. It’s all action…and perhaps an analysis of the individual fighter vs. that of the team. Maybe this is what tank combat will look like in the future.

The book was OK but not great.

[James F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completed my second read of this sci-fi novel. As the first read occurred so long ago, I do not recall if the writing impressed me at that time. In any case, the plot of the stories, written in two separate parts, did NOT impress me.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* Great Military Science Fiction from the Best! Basically, this book contains 3 novellas following the career of our "warrior" Sgt Des Grieux. With non-stop action and gritty combat scenes, Drake provides a disturbing portrait of what drives this particular soldier.

[Brett]

Science Fiction

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hammers Slammers - what more needs to be said