When last we left our hero, Earth had been at war for 5 years. The Posleen, vicious omnivorous centaurs, had invaded Earth and overrun most of it. Only the US survives in any meaningful way behind defensive works in the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians. Mike O’Neill is the most successful commander on the planet and his unit is the most effective. One result of this is they have been in combat almost continuously for the last five years and are nearly burnt out. After winning a bloody battle in Rochester, NY they are sent for some R&R in Pennsylvania. Shortly after they arrive the word comes down from on high, the Posleen have broken through the Appalachian defenses and O’Neill is the only one who can stop them and save Earth, most likely at the cost of O’Neill and his unit. The book starts with O’Neill and company on shuttles en route to the battle.

I really enjoyed this book but not everyone will. It is what it is and pretends to be nothing else. This book is military science fiction boiled down to its essence. The book is one long battle with a few breaks for humor and intrigue. The body count racked up in the battle would impress Doc Smith. There isn’t a lot of character development but it isn’t needed. The character development was in the last two books and they’re vivid enough. It’s not literature but it is good story telling.

Mr. Ringo answers a lot of questions raised in previous books but not all of them. He leaves enough to plant the seeds for the next series in this universe. My main criticism is that the author tends to in-jokes. He does them reasonably well but he should be careful in the future. I can forgive him, but then I get most of them.