"I must warn you that at this time I have at my disposal a number of tactical nuclear weapons which I can at any time bring to bear on targets in the Middle East."
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The Guardsmen of Rammishaar by J. Cameron Millar Trafford Publishing
book review by Wendy Strain
The letter addressed to the President of the United States and to the British Prime Minister doesn't leave much room for argument when delivered by the chemically-induced super-genius Garry Hunt. What is not clear is what, exactly, Mr. Hunt has in store for the world moving forward following the successful military testing of brand new smart torpedoes and the drug that creates Hunt's brilliance. From mock battles on the high seas to restructuring the worlds we live on, this sequel to The Van Der Meer Dossier picks up with Dawn DeFaller as she becomes involved, however unintentionally, in another experiment in time and space compression with surprising results.
Millar repeats his heavily scientific approach to fiction with this sequel, demonstrating his ideas have been well considered. The logical science and technologies mentioned in the book are fully discussed, particularly in the beginning, making leaps of faith less obvious as Millar launches the story into the not-yet-possible. Through the tech-talk is woven a high adventure story that unravels in often unsuspected ways, bringing the reader deeper and deeper into the world Millar creates.
While this heavy emphasis on explanation does contribute to the credibility of the story, it tends to overwhelm the narrative more than it enhances. Several passages within the book read more like extended science lectures, history lessons or soapbox stump speeches than a work of creative fiction, continuously losing the flow of the storyline in favor of dry sermon. Overall, an incredible adventure as long as one can push through the speeches to find the story embedded within.