Kildar - John Ringo

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Kildar – John Ringo

I have a small confession to make; I could never get into Ghost. The book just rubbed me up the wrong way…and I’m not sure why. I approve of killing terrorists, I approve of punishing the leaders of states that harbour terrorists, or make the lives of their own people – hell, I wrote a book where magical monsters destroy them! Perhaps it was the politics that annoyed me; satire, which is what I think Ringo was trying to do, has to be done carefully. At some point my suspension of belief just gave out – the first of his books that ever did that for me.

Kildar, I’m happy to report, is much better than Ghost. The anti-hero of Ghost has bought the farm, literally, in becoming the lord of a lost clan of Vikings in Georgia, one of the states suffering from chaos in the wake of Russia’s involvement/intervention/invasion of Chechnya. (Ringo is at pains to point out that there is no such place.) The world is fascinating, if strange to our eyes; I do not approve of some parts, but still…when has that been a surprise?

The main plot revolves around Mike being dragged into the ongoing chaos in Georgia, raising a force from ‘his’ people to fight the incursions, and at the same time struggling with his own personal demons. Mike’s character is far better developed than it was in Ghost; he’s much more thoughtful in many ways. As he starts to raise a force, the village begins to come under attack and…

Fair warning, there is nothing politically correct about this book. Ringo pulls more punches than he did with Ghost, making this a much more balanced book (balanced in the sense that its easier to read, rather than fair to all; Ringo is not ‘fair’ to the bad guys. Neither am I, so….

Some people will find it infuriating; others will laugh. It’s a good book; buy this one as your introduction to the series. Sex, Vikings, military action…and kicking the crap out of the bad guys? What’s not to like?

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