This book contains two short stories, “Wardog’s Coin” and “Qalabi Dawn”. It’s well worth buying as an ebook. Spoilers ahead, so just buy it if you trust me.
As an amusing aside, I noticed two fellows from the Edenosphere were featured reviewers in the book’s front-matter. Apparently Neanderthals read books or something.
** Review of “Wardog’s Coin”
Overall, the story was great and stayed with me. The wargaming bones of the battle make it stick in memory with lucid clarity. The elven combat was awesome, the relative combat strengths of the various troops was clear, the warrior morale of the humans was realistic and rousing.
The earthy protagonist is too canny, rational, and doesn’t display enough emotional fog during the pig bombing action sequence. When startled, he should’ve frozen and acted on instinct. The resulting description should’ve been more muddled. You didn’t get enough of the adrenaline feel. Great ending to the chapter though
As usual with Vox, there’s a beautiful Christian confession on the battlefield. He continues his style of masculine and humane respect for Christianity.
** Review of “Qalabi Dawn”
There is only one word for Qalabi Dawn – epic. This is Vox at his greatest. Writing alien demon-cat characters. What does this say about him? Figure it out for yourself.
His early short stories, unforcedly written, drip concentrated brilliance of slow organic work. The allusive episodic style is far superior to the workmanlike elaboration of Wardog’s Coin. Show a little, and a lot is told.
Some people still don’t understand after reading that the three peoples are cheetah, leopard and lion. I confess I don’t fully understand the priesthood, but here’s my guess: sprinkled among the people are shapeshifters who can go either cat or human, and a subset of those are magic users recruited to the priesthood. The default form of the people is bipedal cat demon.
The only marring was the “closing time” at the end, a silly cliche that detracted foolishly from the awesome conclusion.
[spoilers in next paragraph]
Qalabi is mostly about the cat people, and a subtler Christian lesson than Wardog. The Amorran general shows himself true to Christ at the last, though weak. And the cat people are rewarded by fate – or God? – despite their fallenness. But they must earn it through the harshest of cruel discipline. Such is truth, such is life. Two flawed societies meet in a titanic clash, resolved in a single day’s epic battle. Under the right guerrilla conditions, the little guy can win – if he stays humble and ruthless.
[end spoilers]
** How the book should’ve been structured`
I disagree with the ordering of the stories. Qalabi should’ve been first, Wardog second.
The adjusted thematic title would then be:
Cruelty and Christ on the Battlefield
A Contrast of Pagan and Christian Death, Set in the Real World of Selenoth
War, like disease, is a pitiless expression of Lord Bios, against whose harshness the light and darkness of humanity is thrown into relief.