A Soldier's Duty

by Jean Johnson

Paper Book, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

Fic SF JohnsonJ

Publication

New York : Ace Books, 2011.

Description

Fiction. Science Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. Ia is a precog, tormented by visions of the future where her home galaxy has been devastated. To prevent this vision from coming true, Ia enlists in the Terran United Planets military with a plan to become a soldier who will inspire generations for the next three hundred years-a soldier history will call Bloody Mary.

User reviews

LibraryThing member brewbooks

Space opera in the tradition of Robert Heinlein - but quite well done. Johnson has done a good job of capturing a future where precognition may be possible. There where a few battle scenes that were a little far-fetched but overall, the author has formed a believable future. I put aside other books

I was reading to finish this, had to see how it ended and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

Show Less

9 more

LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

The usual Jean Johnson excellent characterization, a lot of _very_ interesting concepts (energy aliens, Marine and Space Force structure, her psi and others (and how psi came to be)...), and a _weird_ story. I'd love to see Ia's actions from an external viewpoint. There's two largely separate

stories going on - one "new recruit in the Marines" story, which we get mostly from other people's reactions to Ia, and a prophecy (ok, precog) of disaster a few hundred years away and a very complex plan for warding it off. Ia's a heavyworlder, and has done a lot more practice, physical and mental, on the skills she needs for the military than her fellow recruits have - so she does some amazing stuff. And some of it is just what needs doing, but a heck of a lot is pre-planned and calculated to advance her goal. I actually like the bits that get fuzzy, when she _doesn't_ know what steps to take. Ia is a bit too superhuman - but she does screw up now and then, and has to recover. The culture(s) are very interesting - her planet and the disparate homes of her comrades, Terra and its empire, V'Dan and its, and quite a few aliens with varying degrees of acclimatization to one or another Human culture. This is very much an incomplete story - it's the first steps along the way with some good adventures in it, rather than anything like a complete arc. Which doesn't make it bad - nor does it end on a cliffhanger. Still, I'm very much looking forward to the next book (only a couple of months, thank goodness).

Show Less

LibraryThing member zjakkelien

I really enjoyed A soldier's duty. Not that it doesn't have a few flaws. Jean Johnson describes some things in great detail, and particularly in the beginning there a few instances where it is too much. I recall a 2 page description of the guns and ammunition that the soldiers use. It was so boring

I got worried about the rest of the book. I needn't have, though, those 2 pages were the worst, and it only got better afterward. The book drew me in and didn't let go. I can still see a few other flaws, but they were of such a nature that they didn't bother me at all. By her very nature, it is very easy for the heroine, Ia, to be superior. She has foreseen almost everything, she is superstrong, and has other psychic abilities to boot. The book is written in an unemotional style, which is not really an excuse for Ia's occasional woodenness: she doesn't really connect to anyone, she does nothing that does not bring her closer to her goal and she doesn't lament about her losses. Not that I'm a fan of whining, but Ia could have shown a few more emotions.
On the other hand, she really kicks ass, and there is a refreshing lack of chauvinism in A soldier's duty. Mostly, I like the descriptiveness and I like Ia's abilities. So despite a few flaws, I loved it and I'm getting the sequel tomorrow!

Show Less

LibraryThing member Lorune

Nice quick read, intresting storyline definately reading the rest to see how it all ends :)

LibraryThing member jen.e.moore

I wanted to like this, but I found the main character too perfect and the writing clumsy. There was no opportunity for her to screw up, because she's a precog who can see all the possible side effects of whatever she's doing, and for some reason no one ever really gets in her way. It gets a little

tedious. That said, I did like some of the worldbuilding, and I'm assured it gets trickier later in the series, so I might still read the next one. Maybe.

Show Less

LibraryThing member FKarr

so-so, probably won't read the sequels, All You Need is Kill is much better with the same basic premise, was especially disappointed when the mystical Feyori entered

LibraryThing member DavidR1958

Excellent Mil-SF with the emphasis squarely on Military, US Marines style. Very well written, gripping, not overly mystical (something which worried me, given the importance of the precognition factor to the premise), extremely well paced, and has very good depth in all aspects. Characterization

is, perhaps, a relatively weaker point, but is still very good. The basic training is not dwelt upon excessively, although it does echo the movie version of Starship Troopers more than slightly. Spoiler below.
The action and battle sequences are excellent, if somewhat Jackie Chan at times. Bottom line, I'm hooked. I'll have to go and buy the rest of the series now.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ConalO

This was a fun military sci-fi/mental powers read. Lots of action with quite a bit of back story into how Ia got to be where she is currently and it sets the stage for further adventures in forthcoming books in the series. About the only thing I found lacking in the story is I would have like more

detail on the actual battles being waged.

4 stars for a fun read. Recommended for fans of military sci-fi/space opera stories.

Show Less

LibraryThing member ladyoflorien

The first in a military SciFi series which is fast-paced and fun to read. I really like the premise of someone trying to save the world 300 years before its destruction.

LibraryThing member wyvernfriend

Now I want to read the whole series, I'm curious as to what happens next.
Ia is a precog and she can see a future, far into the future and the only way she can see a change is if she becomes a space marine, she has to keep tweaking things to keep the universe safe. Some of it she doesn't really want

to do but she feels a need to.
She also needs to get her family to help her.. To become what the universe needs them to be in order to put in play her long-term plan to save the universe. To save the universe she has to treat a lot of pieces as pawns and she sometimes finds it very hard..
I really enjoyed this as a read and I want to see how that's going to develop.

Show Less

Fewer