Pogue One
Edited by Spearman Burke
Illustrated by Cedar Sanderson
Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 44
ISBN 9798306378824
ASIN B0DSLW39X3
I enjoy reading anthologies for many reasons. First, short form fiction is a very different art form than the novel. The writing needs to be tighter. The intent more purposeful, and the skill and craft needed is very different, at least for good short stories. Second, I read a few anthologies a year to get introduced to new authors. In this case I was only familiar with one author prior to picking up the volume. I also love seeing short works by authors who series I have already read. I have picked up several of the anthologies from Raconteur Press, but have to date only read two of them. Once I found out that Christopher R. DiNote had a story in this volume. I immediately read it first and again as I read the book from beginning to end.
I was intrigued by the collection title and purpose, I always love me a good space military story. And there are some great ones in this volume. The description of this book states:
“The purpose of this anthology is not to denigrate pogues. On the contrary, we felt their representation in fiction (military SF or otherwise) a bit lacking. What about the kid with the thirty-pound brain locked away in the vault, like in Gene Rowley's tale of a lance corporal in the Cyber Corps? The medical ninjas who're willing to move heaven and earth to save one more life feature prominently in K. Anders's story. Chris DiNote shows us there are worse things lurking within the depths of the military machine than mere pogues. In "The Troll," Jim Curtis reminds us that the hardest working folks in the military just may be the apes whose job is to keep aircraft in the sky. Wrapping up our ensemble of storytelling is Liska McCabe, who reminds us that no matter the MOS, we all endure check-out in the end.”
The contributors are:
K. Anders
S. J. Fazekas
Christopher DiNote
E.G. Rowley
J. Kenton Pierce
William Meinert
M. Plummer
Josh Hill
J.L. Curtis
Liska McCabe
The stories are:
1. A Dzar Wars Story
2. To the Letter
3. F$%'n Guard Guys!
4. Unsung Heroes of Cyber Corps
5. Big Mama
6. Forge of Hephaestus
7. Bits and Parts
8. Chow Hall
9. The Troll
10. Moto-morphosis
In the introduction we are informed:
“Pogue; we won't argue about the spelling. If you were in the military in the 20th Century, you spelled it "pogue." “Pogey bait” was a term used to describe the sweets and candy troops could buy off gut trucks and roach coaches or the PX. I noticed the spelling changed to "pog" sometime in the early 2000s, along with the AAFES pog game of the same spelling. So, for the record, if you spell it pog, you're a boot.
In my Marine Corps infantry days, we used pogue to derisively describe anyone whose military occupational specialty was anything other than grunt. Pogues were the ones who told their wives they were spending the week "in the field." Then, they set up big GP tents in the grass outside the headquarters building and worked there all week. Silly pogue, there is a difference between being in the field and in a field.
But the purpose of this anthology is not to denigrate pogues. On the contrary, we felt their representation in fiction (military SF or otherwise) a bit lacking. What about the kid with the thirty-pound brain locked away in the vault, like in Gene Rowley's tale of a lance corporal in the Cyber Corps? The medical ninjas who're willing to move heaven and earth to save one more life feature prominently in K. Anders's story. Chris DiNote shows us there are worse things lurking within the depths of the military machine than mere pogues. In "The Troll," Jim Curtis reminds us that the hardest working folks in the military just may be the apes whose job is to keep aircraft in the sky. Wrapping up our ensemble of storytelling is Liska McCabe, who reminds us that no matter the MOS, we all endure check-out in the end.
It is my sincere hope you enjoy this collection of stories featuring our non-infantry brethren and sistren. Consider it a hat tip from an old grunt who longed to see the log train convoy visit his dusty outpost in Iraq.”
I have loved reading Military Science Fiction since the mid 1980’s when in high school, from my first reading of Starship Troopers by Heinlein to my eagerly awaiting each new volume in Pier’s Anthony’s Bio of a Space Tyrant’s series. So reading a collection like this was like going back to the early days of overcoming my dual form of dyslexia and reading anything I could get my hands on. There are several authors I encountered in this collection I plan on tracking down more and reading. And I should get around to reading the nearly dozen Raconteur Press Anthologies I have already picked up. My first reaction was, Wow want an epic anthology. My Second was lost time on not reading others in the collection.
Often when you read an anthology there are a few stand out stories, a few that are just meh and the others are good stories. That was not the case with this collection. I loved every story in the volume. If I had to pick a story to say was my favourite it would be ‘Bits and Parts’ by M. Plummer, followed by ‘F$%'n Guard Guys!’ by Christopher DiNote and third would be; ‘The Troll’ by J.L. Curtis. But I loved the humour in ‘To the Letter’ by S. J. Fazekas and ‘Moto-morphosis’ by Liska McCabe. Another standout story is ‘Chow Hall’ by Josh Hill, it is one I keep thinking about after finishing the book.
There are also several excellent full page illustrations between each story and a few extras, they by the amazing Cedar Sanderson, the only thing that would have made it better is if she had contributed a story as well.
The stories are in a wide range of interpretations on the theme of military science fiction adventures. I enjoyed each story, and can easily recommend the anthology. It was an excellent collection to read. And I am looking to track down other works from a couple of the contributors. This is a collection that is guaranteed to entertain.
Raconteur Press Anthologies Series:
Knights of Malta
Saints of Malta
Space Cowboys
Space Cowboys 2: Electric Rodeo
Space Marines
Falcons of Malta
Pinup Noir
Space Marines 2
Moggies In Space
Your Honor, I Can Explain
Space Cowboys 3: Return of the Bookaroo
Or All Will Burn
Moggies Back in Space
PinUp Noir 2
You See, What Happened Was...
Space Cowboys 404: Cow Not Found
He Was Dead When I Got There
Or All Will Burn: Fierce Love
Full Steam Ahead!
Giant! Freakin'! Robots!
Space Marines III
Moggies in Space: A Galaxy Fur. Fur Away
What! You Again?: The Spurgle Chronicles
Wyrd West
Space Cowboys 5: Cattle Drive
Goblin Market
Hooves, Tracks and Sabers!: Tales of Alternate History
Alien Family Values
Moggie Noir
Or All Will Burn: At All Costs
Coffee Adventures: Quests for the Perfect Cuppa Joe
The Super Generation
Steam Rising: Tales of Steampunk and Wondrous Inventions
The Big Ones
Moggie Noir: Alley Cat Alibi
Road Trippin'
Cursed Canyon: Wyrd West
Giant Stompin' Robots
Coffee Capers: 10 Tales of Coffee and Adventure
Fission Chips: Space Cowboys 6
Goblin Bazaar
…
Raconteur Press Postcard Stories:
Postcards From Mars
Steam-Powered Postcards
Fanta-Fly Postcards
Postcards from Foolz
Single Servings of Liberty
Imagine THAT!
Last Call
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