| Armor | |
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First edition cover art by James Gurney |
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| Author(s) | John Steakley |
| Cover artist | James Gurney |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Publication date | December 4, 1984 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 432 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-88677-368-7 |
| OCLC Number | 51644674 |
Armor is a military science fiction novel by John Steakley. It has some superficial similarities with Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers (such as the military use of exoskeletons and insect-like alien enemies) but concentrates more on the psychological effects of violence on human beings rather than on the political aspects of the military, which was the focus of Heinlein's novel.
It was first published in December 1984.
Contents |
Armor is the story of humanity's war against an alien race whose foot soldiers are three-meter-tall insects, referred to in the book as 'ants'.[1] It is also the story of a research colony on the fringes of human territory which is threatened by pirates. The two sub-plots intersect at the end, with each providing answers and insight into events of the other.
The title most obviously refers to the nuclear-powered exoskeletons worn by the soldiers, but also references the emotional armor the protagonists maintain to survive.
The protagonist is Felix, an anonymous enlistee who's been given "scout" duty on an alien planet in the seemingly endless "Antwar." Little is known of him initially but that he suffers from burnout and refuses to die, even when it seems inevitable.
Like Starship Troopers, he is part of the armored infantry arm of the Fleet, deployed to fight a war of extermination on an alien planet. Much of the narrative covers the 'drops' and ensuing battles without spending too much time on the technology of the armor or the drops, focussing instead on the use and utility of the armor and the life of the soldiers who wear it.
The reader learns little of Felix initially, as this portion of the story serves to introduce him, the Antwar, and Felix's inner drive - his "engine" - to survive the drops.
Most of the action of the final 2/3 of the book takes place on Sanction, a planet far removed from the fighting, at a Fleet research facility.
The deuteragonist is Jack Crow, a notorious celebrity and one-time pirate. A morally questionable character with views and opinions that are just as questionable, he is a tough man who does not hesitate to kill. He is constantly at odds with his own morality but he knows the difference between his celebrity reputation and his real personality. At times, his reputation is more of a burden than a blessing.
We meet Jack in prison on an alien world just prior to his breaking out. His escape takes him to the ship of a mutineer and deserter from the Antwar named Borglyn. Jack strikes a deal where, in exchange for Borglyn saving his life, he will infiltrate and sabotage the Fleet research project on Sanction so Borglyn can access its limitless Fleet power source to refuel his ship, and continue on his deserter way. Borglyn will also pay Jack and give him a small scout ship to go his own way.
On Sanction, Jack takes an old suit of battle armor to project Director Hollis "Holly" Ware, to ingratiate himself and get the necessary access to fulfill his bargain with Borglyn. But Jack is then asked by Holly to participate in an experiment to retrieve the data from the suit's battle recorder, which is the "memory" of the wearer while the suit was active.
Out of curiosity and a bit of false bonhomie, Jack agrees and we see that he, Holly and Lya (a Fleet psychologist and Holly's girlfriend) spend several sessions "immersed" first hand in the life of Felix on Banshee and on board ship. During these sessions, we learn much more of events on Banshee, and are truly introduced for the first time to Felix as he sees himself and experiences battle. A few tidbits of memory also tantalize the researchers (and ourselves) to learn the true identify of Felix.
Through immersions, we learn how extraordinary Felix truly is and how, through either the complacency or gross incompetence of his superiors, he has suffered unbelievably, yet continues to soldier on. This also challenges the trio to deal with the knowledge that the public story of the Antwar is far different from the true horror. These immersions change Jack - as it does the others - so that he chooses to make an almost certain suicidal stand with Holly against Borglyn's attack on the facility.
The author weaves the disparate strands together so that nearly all questions are answered, although sufficient uncertainty remains as to Felix's fate that the author was writing a sequel.
A sequel was in the works at the time of Steakley's death. An excerpt can be found at a fan web-page, posted with the author's consent. [1]