Thoughts on Riding the Red Horse
Feb. 6th, 2015 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chris_gerribI mentioned previously that I would have thoughts on Vox Day's anthology Riding the Red Horse. I'm doing this from memory, so I apologize if I get a fact wrong. Spoilers ahead after the cut.
Sucker Punch
This is a short story from Eric S. Raymond, a noted programmer / libertarian, and is his first work of fiction. It's a Tom Clancy-esque near future account of the US response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Major spoiler, but the Chinese have developed megawatt-class ship-mounted lasers which take out the US air wing.
It was an entertaining read, but like Tom Clancy's stuff, everything works according to plan until for authorial convenience it doesn't. Also, the ex-Navy guy in me was irritated that air attack rolled in at 20,000 feet (which is like 19,800 feet too high) and when they got toasted nobody thought to come in lower. Lasers are, after all, line-of-sight.
Understanding 4th Generation Warfare
This was a summary article by William S. Lind defining his concept of 4th Generation warfare. Since that subject is worthy of a post in itself, all I'll say is "think Indian wars."
A Reliable Source
Vox Day's contribution to the mix, this is a short story in which terrorists go after the drone operators, "safe" in the US, while ignoring the drones overseas. On one hand, the concept is valid and eventually somebody's going to try it. On the other hand, VD's execution of it (threatening an officer's family via operatives undercover as Air Force personnel) struck me as entirely beyond the capabilities of the enemies listed.
The General's Guard
Written by Brad Torgersen, this story has, shockingly, female warriors! (They are realistically portrayed as mounted archers.) Brad's basic idea is that "quantity is a quality all it's own" and so his story shows how to build an army from less-than-supermen (or women). Well-written.
Sucker Punch
This is a short story from Eric S. Raymond, a noted programmer / libertarian, and is his first work of fiction. It's a Tom Clancy-esque near future account of the US response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Major spoiler, but the Chinese have developed megawatt-class ship-mounted lasers which take out the US air wing.
It was an entertaining read, but like Tom Clancy's stuff, everything works according to plan until for authorial convenience it doesn't. Also, the ex-Navy guy in me was irritated that air attack rolled in at 20,000 feet (which is like 19,800 feet too high) and when they got toasted nobody thought to come in lower. Lasers are, after all, line-of-sight.
Understanding 4th Generation Warfare
This was a summary article by William S. Lind defining his concept of 4th Generation warfare. Since that subject is worthy of a post in itself, all I'll say is "think Indian wars."
A Reliable Source
Vox Day's contribution to the mix, this is a short story in which terrorists go after the drone operators, "safe" in the US, while ignoring the drones overseas. On one hand, the concept is valid and eventually somebody's going to try it. On the other hand, VD's execution of it (threatening an officer's family via operatives undercover as Air Force personnel) struck me as entirely beyond the capabilities of the enemies listed.
The General's Guard
Written by Brad Torgersen, this story has, shockingly, female warriors! (They are realistically portrayed as mounted archers.) Brad's basic idea is that "quantity is a quality all it's own" and so his story shows how to build an army from less-than-supermen (or women). Well-written.
