Lying helpless in the face of a raging storm in the North Sea, a fleet of medieval ships finds sudden rescue in the arrival of a powerful group of aliens, who offer salvation in exchange for eternal bondage fighting as star soldiers, but Sir George, a determined Englishman, vows never to be a slave. An alien spacecraft from the Galactic Federation rescues Sir George Wincaster and his army of knights and longbowmen from death at sea and forces the Englishmen to act as slave-mercenaries to fight intergalactic battles against other "primitive" species. When the captive soldiers discover allies in unlikely places, they embark on a bold uprising that leads to a surprising and fitting reentry into the history of their home planet. One of the genre's most accessible and skilled writers of military sf, Weber ("Honor Harrington" series) now delivers a lively and well-told tale of displaced warriors maintaining their courage and honor in the most difficult of circumstances. Based on a short story previously published in David Drake's Foreign Legions (LJ 6/15/01), this sf action adventure belongs in most libraries. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. In a more modest book than he usually produces, Weber expands on his story in the disappointing shared-world anthology Foreign Legions (2001), masterminded by David Drake. In 1346, Sir George Wincaster, bound to France during the Hundred Years' War, is about to be lost at sea when he and his company, including his wife, Matilda, are snatched from a watery grave, only to be consigned, as is usual when one of the Federation's competitive guilds grabs you--for that is what has happened--to slave-soldiering as mercenaries on primitive planets. Weber's Englishmen prove no less ingenious and formidable than the similarly "rescued" Romans in a Drake story set in the same alternate reality, and with the help of the reptilian Ternaui, they achieve freedom. The plot then leaps over multiple centuries to a slam-bang action climax that hints of books to come. As storytelling, this may not be as grand as usual from Weber, but it is as thoroughly absorbing. Roland Green Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved With more than eight million copies of his books in print and 33 titles on the New York Times bestseller list, David Weber is a science fiction powerhouse. In the vastly popular Honor Harrington series, the spirit of C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower and Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander lives on—into the galactic future. Books in the Honor Harrington and Honorverse series have appeared on 21 bestseller lists, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times , and USA Today. Additional Honorverse collaborations include the spin-off miniseries Manticore Ascendant with New York Times best-selling author, Timothy Zahn; and with Eric Flint, Crown of Slaves and Cauldron of Ghosts contribute to his illustrious list of New York Times and international bestseller lists. Best known for his spirited, modern-minded space operas, Weber is also the creator of the Oath of Swords fantasy series and the Dahak saga, a science fiction and fantasy hybrid. Weber has also engaged in a steady stream of best-selling collaborations: the Starfire Series with Steve White; The Empire of Man Series with John Ringo; the Multiverse Series with Linda Evans and Joelle Presby; and the Ring of Fire Series with Eric Flint. David Weber makes his home in South Carolina with his wife and children. Used Book in Good Condition