his is one of the classics from the year I left high school, a watermark novel about a futuristic mercenary tank group, their armor no longer obtainable as economies falter (but the need for them growing, for the same reason). So the Slammers move from planet to planet, signing contracts and squishing rebels, militias, and other poorly-armed rabble.

The thing is, Drake really did a good job charting out what futuristic combat might turn into (and it’s borne fruit in the half-century since this book’s release). These massive hovertanks are monitored and guided  from orbit, swatting down artillery shells with interlinked computer control. The only thing that might get a tank are the ever-present shoulder-mounted buzzbombs, and the Slammers do their best not to give them a chance to get close.

Mostly, this is a string of short stories linked by short explanatory pieces that link our past into this future, showing how everything works. And really, it all makes sense. The stories are a delight and you’ll feel your pulse pound as the shells fly and the lasers sizzle. Having preceded this book with a counterpart from the same literary niche and time, I could see just how good Hammer’s Slammers was. No wonder there were all sorts of follow-up novels behind this one. And I’m looking forward to eventually reading the lot of them.

The only fly in this futuristic ointment was the final story, a “bonus” added in later publications, The Tank Lords. It was a cute idea, a medieval-themed world with imported weapons (and mercenaries), where the greedy baron decides to turn on the Slammers, rather than pay them. Great idea, but… the story centered on a gelded house slave who wants to meet, and later assist, the tankers. Fine. But really, most of the story was the guy creeping around the rooftops. Up a wall, over a gable, listening at a window, climbing down a chimney. I didn’t have that firm a grasp of the manor’s layout so all this was just disembodied clambering. It could have been shorter. That’s all I’m saying.

Anyway, this one’s work a look-for at the local bookstore. Hardcore military fiction for those who get off on it. Loved it!

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