In the Valley

Paul Thompson’s third combat rotation is a real ballbuster. Hundreds of light-years from Earth, he’s with an advisor team attached to an infantry battalion fighting a vicious dissident movement among Pashtun settlers. Between the untrustworthy allies, the nihilistic terrorists, and the constant chaos, this counterinsurgency operation has him near the breaking point. A masterwork of military science fiction, In the Valley takes an unvarnished look at military life through the eyes of a soldier reflecting back on how he ended up among the carnage in Pashto Khel, a village in the Baradna Valley on far-distant Juneau 3. Twenty-fourth-century military technology has come a long way. The Halo headband, which permits instant communications and Internet connection directly to the brain, is indispensible, while the armored combat suit, a powered exoskeleton that fits soldiers with gear, weapons, and communications equipment, has its advantages—and disadvantages. Meanwhile, the AK-47 has endured the test of time. And so have the stark human realities of combat. On and off the battlefields of In the Valley, the more things change, the more they stay the same.