From Publishers Weekly

As the title suggests, most of the 14 stories (many of which first appeared in "shared universe" theme anthologies) in this collection from military SF master Drake are unrelenting in their depiction of the brutalities of war and its effect on warriors. Two tales stand out: "With the Sword He Must Be Slain," in which a former CIA paramilitary operative now fights for Hell in the Final War and wonders why the opposing forces are just as messed up as his own troops; and "The Tradesmen" (set in S.M. Stirling's "Draka" universe), in which the very ruthlessness of a Draka partisan-hunter leaves her family vulnerable to a terrible irony. In the three long unavailable Jed Lacey stories, set in a near-future where privacy is a crime, Drake examines the price we'd pay both as a society and as individuals if omnipresent cameras recorded our every moment. These stories serve as cautionary tales to those who would trade freedom for security but forget Benjamin Franklin's appraisal of the bargain (i.e., those who do so "end up with neither").
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From

Fourteen short stories and an introduction make up the latest, highly recommended collection from a leading light of military sf. The first six stories, as much space opera as military sf, constitute Drake's contribution to the shared (by several writers) world series The Fleet, and the final three, featuring future policeman Lacey, recall the contents of _Lacey and His Friends (1986). Lacey, like many other early Drake protagonists, has very few friends; in his society, however, most people aren't to be trusted with friendship. Ditto for conditions in the shared-world story "The Tradesmen," from Drakas!_ (2000), a shared-world opus amassed by S. M. Stirling and set in his Draka universe. Distinctly Drakean single shots include "With the Sword He Must Be Slain," and the introduction puts everything in perspective with a minimum of apologetics, compressing Drake's psychological history since the Vietnam War into a short essay valuable to new and old fans alike. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Grimmer Than Hell by David Drake

YOU DON'T NEED SAINTS TO FACE RUTHLESS ENEMIES#151;YOU NEED HEROES!

THE FLEET

The Khalians are weasel shaped and weasel vicious; their main concern with humanity is the way humans taste. Behind the Khalians are others: stronger, smarter, and more vicious still.

Captain Miklos Kowacs and the men and women of Marine Reaction Company 121, the Headhunters, have faced the Khalians on the front lines: now they're taking the war to the enemy, freeing captured planets from their bestial conquerors and penetrating even the Khalian horneworld.

But the worst dangers to Kowacs and his Headhunters come from traitors who wear the same uniform!

BATTLESTATION

The only chance of defeating the Ichtons is to capture one one alive. No human battlefleet could hope to do that—but just maybe a lone scout like Sergeant Dresser could.

Anyway, he has to try. The Ichtons don't conquer their enemies: they destroy them utterly.

LACEY

In the not-too-distant future, government cameras watch every soul in North America. Only the most cunning and powerful imagine they can commit a crime and escape punishment, and they become the prey of hunters like Jed Lacey.

Lacey has neither hopes nor fears, and he has no mercy at ad. There's never been anybody better at what he does.

WARRIORS ALL

There've always been men and women willing to stand between humanity and the worst the universe has to offer. The trouble is, they can't stay human and do their jobs—and they must do their jobs.

Fourteen stones of vivid conflict, including one never before published

About The Author:David Drake is a Vietnam veteran, former lawyer, former bus driver, and bestselling author of many different types of science fiction and fantasy. Drake graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa, majoring in history (with honors) and Latin. His stint at Duke University Law School was interrupted for two years by the U.S. Army, where he served as an enlisted interrogator with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Vietnam and Cambodia. Drake, his wife, and various pets live in Chatham County, NC, where he writes every day.