Review of Stark's Crusade

In this last book of the trilogy, Stark's War and Stark's Command proceeding, Sgt. Stark shows just how patriotic a mutineer he is. He and his staff begin to realize that the USA's struggle to retake the lunar colony is jeopardizing the USA itself. Historical parallels and literary references work their way into this realization.

Short on human military resources, the US military resorts to a new generation of autonomous fighting machines. These Joint Autonomous Battle Robotic Weaponized Combatants (JABRWC) are dubbed Jabberwocks by Stark's team and even after nearly killing civilian children, Stark's "apes" must defeat them in a battle in a lunar valley. Then things get real hairy, when his lunar troops end up saving the attacking force from a foreign troop betrayal.

As with the other books, there are a lot of side plots. Stark must handle a Mutiny of his own. A second commando raid brings to light another vulnerability and a set of new military heroes. New nano-bot technology is employed by his forces, as a non-lethal alternative to stopping opposition US forces and hopefully their Jabberwock monsters. Private Murphy's personal saga continues, and of course Stark's own insights into leadership and "doing what's right" are everywhere. The US Marines finally get a cameo, and the traditions of the Navy are brought to light in all their apparent contradictoriness. In the end, expecting court martial and execution, Stark is … oh, that would be ruining it for you.

Sgt. Ethan Stark is a fictitious future American who is a model for all Americans, present and future. Like William Marshall, regent of England, he performs as he expects he should and continues to prove that all someone needs to do to succeed is to do what is right, what is expected of them, what they are supposed to do.

I still think the future detailed in these books is one worth developing a rpg from, and even some tabletop war, skirmish or even board game. Start with Stark's War, if you haven't already, and enjoy this ending to a quick reading epic of America's future and the heroes that save it from itself.

For the record, John Hemry is an acquaintance of mine. I cannot say I would have purchased his books without knowing him, but I can say I am glad I did. John's children, like mine, are being treated for Neuro Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (NIDS) that produces autism-like symptoms in more children than actually have autism.

This review appears in Alarums & Excursions #321, and appears here with permission.