Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) | 
 enlarge | Authors: John Ringo, Travis S Taylor
Publisher: Baen
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $4.00
You Save: $3.99 (50%)
New (35) Used (15) from $3.82
Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 14096
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 1416555862
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781416555865
ASIN: 1416555862
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: 100% Brand New! - Ships Today! Identical to Amazon's book in every way. Flawless! Not a cheap Remainder or Book Club Copy! *We recommend Expedited Shipping option for much faster mail delivery
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Product Description
The sequel to Into the Looking Glass. William Weaver, PhD. and SEAL Chief Miller are back and Bill got himself a ship! The former SSBN Nebraska has been converted, using mostly garage mechanics and baling wire, into a warp ship ready to go "out there." But as everyone knows, the people who really are going to bear the brunt are the poor Security guys, Force Recon Marines who are kept in the dark and fed manure all day. That is until they land on an alien planet, get partially wiped out and then load back up again. Ranging in topics from the best gun to kill armored space monsters to particle physics to cosmology to health and beauty tips, Vorpal Blade is a return to the "good old days" of SF when the science problems were intractable and the beasts were ugly. The monkeys are out in the space lanes and ready to rock. As soon as they get another roll of duct tape.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 I'm a fan....but. November 29, 2008
I'm not through yet, but someone is trying to show off their quasi knowledge of quantum mechanics and forgot to put in a good story.
 What A Waste Of Wood Pulp! November 14, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This now becomes the third series of books by Ringo that I won't be following. I gave this the benefit of the doubt after the chaotic, pointless story line in "Looking Glass", but this is much worse.
The tale follows the first extra-solar flight of Earth's one, irreplaceable starship. The ship's crew puts it continually at risk, and makes a series of incredibly stupid tactical and strategic choices. The ship stooges from one disaster to the next, with no real plot or story line until the end.
While all this is going on, we have 30+ marines, and a couple of dozen army troops, all but two which seem to be sergeants of all different flavors, and we are expected to keep track of them when the authors mix first names, ranks, last names, "team names", nicknames, and abbreviations.
Ringo must have gotten flack for the use of obscenities in other stories, because the troops use replacement words for the common terms, but it they are used so pervasively that it is a pointless substitution.
All this against a backdrop of Taylor's lecturing on his (very detailed) view of quantum physics. Since you can't get three quantum physicists to agree on what to have for lunch, any theory he proffers is likely to prove to be wrong anyway. I learned a lot of science from "science" fiction over the years, but I expect the science to have some hope of being accurate. Or at least generally accepted.
When the plot finally congeals, we have intelligent chinchillas with medieval level technology who use flying surfboards that are mysteriously provided, and a Ringo style (albeit slightly muted) carnographic assault by endless hordes of almost unstoppable warrior monsters. The attackers come within inches of killing off all the humans and destroying the ship, when the milquetoast scientist, who somehow instantly speaks their language, saves the day through her equally inexplicable understanding just where to go, and how to take control of the warrior beasts.
Oh, I left out the never explained mystery entity who keeps tossing in thoughts and complaining about the heat.
In the appendix to the book, Ringo says he doesn't read Amazon reviews. Probably a wise move on his part.
Good review November 9, 2008
This seller responds quickly and ships fast. The books arrive as stated and even sometimes better than expected.
 Nothing but the BEST! October 21, 2008
This book is one that I can honestly say that the story grabbed my attention and held it right to the end of the book. The story line was exciting, the science used was great with explanations for those of with too simple of a mind to fully grasp the physics of matter prior to formation of the helium atom. The idea of using a boomer (missile submarine) as a space craft has crossed my mind in the past but given the weight of the material used in construction of the pressure hull (HY-100) I felt that to power such a vessel would require too great of a power source. Of course the method used here fills that requirement extremely well. I have not always appreciated the writings of Mr. Ringo but feel that with this series he has found the ground to hold my interest and keep my going through the entire book. I am waiting impatiently for the next couple of books in the series to arrive in my mail box! Thank you Mr. Ringo!
Hard Core Sci-Fi Military... August 9, 2008
Where the blood and guts go flying, and the Men goes trying. Aliens truly meeting their gods in all so many colorful messy ways! Ringo nails it every time.
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