Watch on the Rhine

Legacy of the Aldenata

By: John Ringo, Tom Kratman

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The invaders are coming; the Posleen, a seemingly unstoppable horde who have conquered one star system after another, literally feeding on their conquests. Earth's dubious allies, the Darhel, have given the humans a number of highly-advanced technological devices, including a process for rejuvenating the aged, including trained and proven soldiers who otherwise would be too old to fight. Rejuvenation may give a critical edge, since to survive, the Earth must use every resource at hand. Every resource . . .

In the dark days after the initial Posleen attack, but before the primary invasion, the Chancellor of Germany faces a critical decision. Over the years, with military cutbacks, the store of experienced German military personnel had simply dwindled. After the destruction of Northern Virginia, he realized that it was necessary to tap the one group he had sworn never, ever, to recall: the few remaining survivors of the Waffen SS. Has he made a devil¿s bargain, or is this a chance for the reviled SS at last to fight the good fight? And, perhaps, gain redemption?

Watch On the Rhine, a new chapter in the New York Times best-selling Posleen War saga, is perhaps the most unbiased, and brutal, look at the inner workings of the Waffen SS in history. Meticulously researched, it explores all that was good, and evil, about the most infamous military force in history using the backdrop of the Posleen invasion as a canvas.

©2007 Baen (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Not For Everyone... But,

Not an Aldenata fan, new to these books, like another reviewer I was in a slump not finding anything good on audible.

I read the negative reviews and waited weeks. I pulled the trigger on this one because I could not find something else I wanted to listen to.

Surprised that I like it.

The writing is at a very high-level. Heavily layered, many characters, some come off as a little flat, but that's understandable.

The scope of this book covers a big intergalactic war with many actors participating in it. Not a simple morality play with a small cast.

Holds your interest.

It's not dull and an interesting story. Having heard excerpts of their other works in the series, this is probably not the best written one, but you can tell they didn't just crank this one out to make dough either. It is well-thought out and intricate.

There are some tropes, but nothing I found that really bothered me.

---POLITICAL---

If you can't compartmentalise your feelings to be entertained and whatever politcal feelings you have or correctness, don't buy this book.

Remember the story itself is making villains into heroes. That's the twist.

I too was offended by the excerpt in the first or second book about illegal killings and death squads in Vietnam, but I kept listening because I wanted to hear where the authors were going with this story, and I knew they were introducing possibly an anti-hero and conflict.

If that stuff bothers you, stay away. Buy a book where people are nice to each other in the end, and are nothing but cuddles after the climax,

because you won't find it here.

--Narrator--

I'm impressed with the good job he does with characters and making funny alien voices, sounding like upper crust Englishmen.

His normal voice is adequate.

Review ends...

Good

This part of the story was pretty good. It was really scattered with the normal bouncing around from person to person side to side but also had multiple flash backs that I felt needed but also got a bit confused at times. All in all it was still very good.

Good writing but...

So, to address the elephant in the room, yes, this about SS Bastarden saving Germany.

I feel that Ringo could have done better reigning into the worst offenses that Kratman put in, but it is a good listen nonetheless. Marc Vietor is a great narrator and does a good job of portraying each character, even the verdammtes Schwein Krueger.

Now, my biggest problem is definitely the portrayal of the rejuvenated SS troopers, there is a tacit dismissal of the war crimes committed by groups like Wiking, B von D, and other regiments represented in the book. This I attribute more to Kratman than Ringo though. There are three named SS characters that are meant to represent the good Nazi, the good soldier,and the unapologetic bad Nazi. Brasche, the good Nazi, Müllenkampf, the good soldier, and Krueger, the ham fisted bad Nazi. This does hurt the novel as it is dumbing down of history and ignores a lot of atrocities.

Now, combat is standard for a Ringo book, bloody and well described. The Posleen are made out to fit their beastly, reptilian appearance. The tanks are monsters and deal out punishment. Though suspension of disbelief is required.

As a whole, the book gets a four out of five for me, mostly due to Marc Vietor.

wonderful should be a movie

just wish he would write more in this series I have listed to it twice now

The German Perspective

Another very intertaining Legacy of the Aldenata tale. The change in location to the European continent and the perspective of Germany and its past sins was a great backdrop to this continuation of the story.

BRAVO!!!

This book has it all, War,Action,Killing, a Good Story. It is so much better then the last two books, Cally's War and Sister Time. Well worth the listen!

Historical investigation with SciFi story

Interesting from the aspect of looking at the motivations of the Waffen-SS in WWII. Being of German decent, it is fairly accurately portrayed. Both good and bad. Even the some relationships to the Israelis in the book. There have alway been close ethnic ties between Germanic and Jewish cultures.

A science fiction must read.

A masterfully offensive and entertaining story meant to push every button of every leftists on earth. A story which gives every side of war an explanation.

Wow!

I found this to be a surprising, well thought out and frankly thrilling addition to the series. Well done!

Pure Nazi propaganda

In summary, a cabal of elitist space bankers (remind you of any stereotypes?) co-op the traitorous liberal government of Germany to cause the extermination of the German people, and the country has to be saved by the good old family values and national pride of true German rejuvenated Nazi SS soldiers and their modern fanboys who just need to be "taught to be real men." The refurbished Nazis only ever wanted to serve their country and weren't actually racist in the '40s, don't you know? They just grew up with times were hard and men were men.

Sound like a winner to you? They lost the war, by the way. If you wanted people you can count on to repel an invasion, you'd want to rejuvenate some old Reds.