For More Than Glory

In Dietz's elaborate military-political thriller set on the galactic backwater world of LaNor, Lieutenant Antonio Santana, officer in a futuristic version of the French Foreign Legion, battles a far-reaching interplanetary conspiracy as off-world factions vie with an alien version of the Chinese Triad mafia for control of the planet's resources and its strategic position within the shaky galactic Confederation. LaNor is peopled by a highly static society reminiscent of China's during the colonial era. Dietz, the author of the Drifter and the Bounty military SF series among others, is known for the complex political and social layout of his future worlds. If the book offers little speculation on scientific advance, Dietz has created an intricate tapestry of local and star-faring culture with topnotch action sequences.