Book #42 – First Enlistment

I grabbed First Enlistment since it was recommended to me by Amazon. It looked interesting, a future time where war is generally fought by professional mercenaries, hired by governments instead of standing armies. An interesting idea, so I grabbed a sample before a trip.

Galen Raper and two friends have just graduated from a military academy and are looking to get hired to a mercenary division somewhere. They’re hoping for tank assignments as sergeants and end up applying to and receiving commissions from the Jasmine Panzer Brigade.

The book follows the friends through their first assignments, getting used to being real soldiers after their schooling, and learning about fighting in the field. They distinguish themselves in some early battles against rebels on the planet Mandarin and are assigned to protect a planet where a spaceport is being built. There’s more, but you should read the book.

I enjoyed the story, and thought it was an interesting idea. There’s lots of military jargon, and while I don’t always understand the sizes of battalions, companies, etc., I get get the relative sizes and it didn’t detract. The book is written fairly simply, and there isn’t a ton of depth to the characters, but it’s fun to read. There are some typos as well (stake for “steak”), but they’re not overly numerous and not too distracting for me.

It’s easy to read, fun, and I enjoyed it. If you don’t expect too much, you will like this sci-fi book as well.