Master Sergeant

Odom (Hellgate) kicks off a military SF series with this enjoyable far-future adventure. Master Sgt. Frank Sage has been training troops for six years, but he’d rather be on the front lines of the human war against the insectoid Phrenorians. At long last, he’s assigned to the planet Makaum, the “Green Hell,” whose ever-growing jungles hide hostile wildlife and distrustful natives. In a setup that recalls both the Vietnam War and more recent events in the Middle East, humans and Phrenorians struggle for control of Makaum’s plentiful resources, corrupt Terran corporations are angling to ruthlessly exploit the planet, and the indigenous peoples want everyone to leave. Sage’s new mission, familiar to any fan of the genre, is to put together a crack team and bring order to a situation that’s one wrong move away from an explosion. The military action is brutal and vivid, the situation is tense and believable, the diverse and gender-balanced cast includes some very alien aliens, and the allegorical story moves at a fast clip. Unfortunately, a cliff- hanger ending leaves far too much unresolved. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. (Jan.)