Written by David Sherman & Dan Cragg
Copyright 2005 by David Sherman and Dan Cragg
All rights reserved.
Backshot, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg, is the first book about the men and women of Marine Force Recon who carry out the intelligence-gathering and small-unit raids behind enemy lines.
On the agricultural planet Atlas, the charismatic leader, as well as father, Jorge Lavager zealously guards an agricultural research facility. Fourth Force Recon's second platoon of Marines are dispatched to Atlas to find out what is really at the research facility.
What is scary is that a sniper team was also dispatched to Atlas with specific orders - depending on the news of what is found at the research facility, if the research facility is an agriculture facility or a military facility. I liked the fact that the sniper team's immediate superior tried to find out what their mission was because the sniper team were his people - but of course he could not find out about their mission because of operational security of the highest order. Having the "Queen of Killers" holed up with her male spotter in one of the planet's hotels was interesting. Too bad that everything concerning world of Atlas was politically motivated on Earth, instead of wanting to secure the safety of the Confederation. The Marines special forces, of course, are not aware of the politics - the Marines were just following the orders they were given. Of course, the Marines would follow their orders as the orders were lawfully given. They had no reason or suspicion as to question the morality of their orders. Although it was sad that the Marines had to kill an innocent to prevent the knowledge of their secret arrival on Atlas. This is a shame that they had to do that to the innocent by-stander - since Lavager as a leader was a pretty decent guy - but that is the fortunes of war for the innocent. My favorite scenes of Lavager were of him and his motherless daughter at home.
Pancho
All people smile in the same language.
