At Any Price & Rolling Hot

Hammer's Slammers Series

By: David Drake

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Here are two action-packed novels from David Drake's "Hammer's Slammers" series, which set the standard for military science fiction.

In At Any Price, Col. Alois Hammer's indomitable Slammers are called in to support human colonists against a native uprising in this novel-length adventure. But even though the natives' off-world weapons are no match for the Slammers - their ability to teleport gives them a frightening advantage!

In Rolling Hot, the battle-crazed troop of recruits and vets, led by Captain Ranson, must cover 300 miles of hostile enemy territory.

©1985, 1989 David Drake (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

I liked it! Took a little to get into but I did!!

I think I'm going to give it another listen now. I think the narrator threw me off for a little while but his voice kind of grew on me. Excellent stories that are a bit more gritty than your typical sci-fi. the first story, at any price, was great. however, I really enjoyed rolling hot. a great array of characters and story points.

Haven't "read" since I was a kid

I read the series when I was a kid and enjoyed it then. It's a good read enjoyed it.

Lot’s of battle, Little Plot

Little character development. Characters have long standing de habilitations but little story development covering their struggles from a personal point of view. Book reads like one big fight scene.

Rolling Hot is the better of the two

The narrator does an excellent job. Now of the two I have always found Rolling Hot the most impactful of the Hammer stories. This is where they are not invulnerable and you can see the toll this kind of warfare takes on a person. Excellent all around.

Fast pace mayhem.

Read this multiple times. Standard for military science fiction. David Drake is a true Grand Master.

More RCN and Less Hammertime

Drake is a good writer and these stories are also well written. But, they are just too one dimensional. The stories are about combat. The endings are good, but 5 hours of combat is too much for 30 minutes of philosophy.

Two entries in the Hammer series

At Any Price and Rolling Hot are two entries in the Hammerverse. Featuring the best mercenary unit, Hammer's Slammers are David Drake's conception of futuristic warfare. All the grittiness is there, and the battle scenes are well detailed and extensive. In the first offering (actually #2 in the series), the Slammers are fighting for human colonists against an alien race that can teleport. While the colonists have extermination in mind, one enterprising colonist is looking for a peaceful solution and with the aid of the Slammers accomplishes his goal. In Rolling Hot (#4 in the series), A ragtag unit must make proceed rapidly to a key city under siege.

Drake skillfully transitions from late 20th century warfare to futuristic scenarios while retaining the grittiness and violence that makes up war. At the same time, there are periods of introspection that preserve and display the humanity in both the grunts and the officers. As far as military sci-fi goes these are classic.

The narration is superb with excellent character distinction. Pacing is crisp and smooth.

Visceral Sci-Fi Action

David Drake as always is a very talented writer. My understanding is that with the Hammer's Slammers books he draws heavily on his own military experience and it really shows in the writing.

Excellent

Guts and little glory! What war must be really like. Extremely captivating. You care about the characters the way a well written book should make u feel.

Great read for military sci-fi lovers!

If you could sum up At Any Price & Rolling Hot in three words, what would they be?

Excellent read with lots of technical details! As a former military Field Artilleryman, Drake uses a TON of military "lingo" that is accurate and means something to anyone who has been in the combat arms. I love the technical detail, the fact he isnt afraid to get gruesome with his details. All of these books are great! Recommend!

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters where my favorite and developed very well.

What about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance did you like?

Excellent as always!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Hammer: Rolling Hot