The General series
Encyclopedia
The General is a set of military science fiction
books written by S.M. Stirling from an outline by David Drake
. Clearly inspired by the Byzantine commander Belisarius
, the series shares numerous common elements with the more recent Belisarius series
by Drake and Eric Flint
.
The first two books were also published as an omnibus Warlord (2003) (read online), with the last three in another as Conqueror (2003) (read online).
s, wrapped-brass-cartridges breech-loading
rifle
s (Martini-Henry lock or very similar) and lever-action
carbine
s, cast-steel
breech-loading cannon
, simple revolver
s, etc. Progress is slow: the breech-loading rifle design has not changed for over two hundred years, and other groups still use flintlock
or percussion cap
weapons.
The concept of computer technology has become the basis of religion throughout the world, the Spirit of Man, with priestly Hierarchs, Sysups
, and an Inquisition called the Anti-Viral
Cleansers. This religion is split into two competing sects, The Spirit of Man of the Stars, the state religion of the Civil Government, and Spirit of Man of This Earth, which is more popular among the barbarian Military Governments. The people of Bellevue speak various evolved dialects, including Sponglish
, Spanjol, Namerique(american english) and Paytoiz
, with elements of English, French and Spanish apparent. At the time of the Fall the planet had no horses, so now cavalry
is mounted on thousand-pound dogs of various breeds.
The books begin in the Year of the Fall 1103, when the protagonist Raj Whitehall and his friend Thom Poplanich stumble on a still-working remnant of the old technology, the quantum supercomputer
"Center", which Raj and Thom regard as an angel. Center describes itself as a "sentient artificial entity of photonic subsystems tasked with the politico-military supervision" of Bellevue. Center tasks Whitehall with uniting Bellevue and provides him, through a constant mental link, with predictive visions that simulate probable situational outcomes, historical data, eidetic memory
, and minor enhancements to physical abilities including accuracy with firearms. It keeps Thom prisoner, explaining that Thom will probably be the victim of political assassination before long. Raj couples these assets with his own charisma to become an extremely effective military leader. Meanwhile, his wife Suzette quietly uses her own highly developed court intrigue skills to neutralize Raj's political foes and obstacles behind the scenes, compensating for his more direct tactics.
True to their historical model, the campaigns of Belisarius
, the books focus on the convoluted "strategic offensive, tactical defensive" campaigns of General Whitehall around the Midworld Sea and his fraught relationships with his paranoid but capable 'emperor' –--- Governor Barholm Clerett ---- and Clerett's avaricious and corrupt chancellor Tzetzas.
Whitehall's nation calls itself the Civil Government, and it is centrally located between the rival nations of the Military Governments ---- The Brigade and The Squadron --- and the muslim Colonists.
The Companions are formed in The Forge when Whitehall is called to an incident in a farmstead during the march to Komar, and Staenbridge, Foley, the Gruders, M'brust, and M'lewis volunteer to accompany him. Captain Stanson called them The Loyal Companions in a half-serious jest.
Second in overall command, Raj Whitehall's right-hand man.
Commands: 5th Descott Guards (Raj's Own)
Overall infantry commander, directly commands 17th Kelden County Foot.
Overall artillery commander. Dinnalsyn, like most artillerymen in the Gubernio Civil, is somewhat of an engineer, as he is knowledgeable on matters concerning fortifications and weapons development.
Non-military: a Komarite (Arab) trader who swears loyalty to Raj Whitehall after coming to feel shame for taking part in the dealings of Chancellor Tzetzas, which had led to the weakening of Komar's defenses. He is Raj's main logistics man and the chief steward of the Whitehalls' wealth.
Commands: 7th Descott Rangers. Was a company commander of the 5th Descott; promoted to command of the 7th Descott after the Valley of Death battle in The Forge.
Commands: Poplanich's Own. This battalion is recruited from the Poplanich family's estates around East Residence. Ehwardo is cousin to Thom and Des Poplanich, and is killed in The Steel by the Brigade under the walls of Old Residence.
Younger brother of Kaltin Gruder. Killed in The Forge by a shell from a Colonial pom-pom, a light field gun with a higher rate of fire and smaller shells than the Civil Government's.
Commands: A Company, 5th Descott Guards. Loses his left hand in The Forge to a pom-pom shell; he replaces it with a sharpened hook. Foley is Gerrin Staenbridge's protege-cum-boyfriend, and is fond of literature. Before every major battle in the field, Foley gives the following toast to end staff meetings: "He fears his fate too much, and his desserts are small, he who will not put it to the touch --- to win or lose it all.". Foley's interest in literature will garner him an award for his book, Raj Whitehall and His Times, which he writes after Thom Poplanich is enChaired as Governor and Center declares the Fall to be ended.
Commands: 5th Descott Guards' Scout Unit (The Forty Thieves). He is from Bufford Parish, the most lawless part of not-so-lawful Descott County, and is therefore regarded as somewhat of a bandit by Raj Whitehall when they first meet. He is distinguished by his wire garrote and the skinning knife he carries on his left side. M'lewis meets Raj Whitehall when he is brought before Raj concerning a farmer's pig (or a shoat) gone missing despite a no-foraging order.
A junior Lieutenant in the 5th, he was supposed dead in the retreat from El Djem. However, he survives and rises to command the 1st Rogor Slashers at the start of the Southern Territories campaign. Shot under truce banner after parley with Squadrone Admiral Auburn.
Commands: 1st Rogor Slashers, then 2nd Cruisers. Takes command of 1st Rogor Slashers after death of Mekkle Thiddo in The Hammer; later transferred to the 2nd Cruisers in The Anvil.
Commands: 1st Rogor Slashers, after Tejan M'Brust is transferred to 2nd Cruisers. Responsible (with Muzzaf Kerpatik) for the capture of the Squadrones responsible for the murder of Mekkle Thiddo, and their crucifixion at Raj's orders.
Commands: 18th Komar Borderers.
Commands: 1st Cruisers, ex-Squadrone soldiers conscripted into the Civil Government Army.
Commands: 1/591st, 2/591st, 3/591st ex-Brigaderos soldiers conscripted into the Civil Government Army. Formerly second-in-overall-command of the Brigade, a position he shared with Grand Constable Howyard Carstens, under General of the Brigade Ingreid Manfrond.
is an artificial intelligence attempting to unite planet Bellevue and restore technological civilization, with the intent to later restore faster-than-light
travel and then reestablish civilization on the other planets of the collapsed interplanetary federation. Center's original purpose, prior to the collapse of civilization, appears to have been as a system for tatical and strategic command of the 'local' military units(the original scope of 'local' is never made clear). Center originates with the collapsed Federation and the original Civil Government, and its alignment with the current Civil Government is due simply to the geographical accident of being located below the capital city. Due to the destruction of Center's external sensors (orbiting satellites etc.) during the fall, Center is limited to data either obtained previously or via the link to Raj Whitehall's senses and thoughts. Center provides constant probabilistic analysis and future projections of the political, social and military situation. This analysis is essential in steering choices away from local optimum, decisions that appear correct at the time but which would lead to eventual disaster. Additionally Center provides historical references to earth's history that relate to technology and specific relevant historical conflicts. Center is not merely an assistant, it is clearly the driving force behind Raj Whitehall, using Whitehall's leadership to achieve Center's goals. Initially Whitehall's cooperation is due to superstitious obedience to what he perceives as a supernatural entity, then the relationship becomes increasingly more cooperative as Whitehall understands the true situation and the necessity of his actions.
Center's stated sole motivation is the 'betterment of mankind', to bring about the end of war by creating a united society. On Bellvue most people are peasants, the bottom rung in the agrarian economies, due to the mostly feudal and autocratic forms of government. Center plans to bring about stability, technological advancement and democracy, in that order. Mostly analytic and unengaged, Center's comments occasionally have an 'emotional' shade, most often in the form of ironic humour.
, a mangled version of Spanish and English which apparently is descended primarily from Mexican Spanish. This state is modeled on the Byzantine Empire
.
from, as the books describe, "burning Mecca
." The Colonist capital of Al Kebir is the oldest city in the planet. The Colony ruler is The Settler, and, as in the Civil Government, the right to the throne is settled either by hereditary inheritance or civil war, the latter usually a result of a dispute among multiple heirs to the throne. Those who are not whole in body (i.e. missing a limb or other body part) are ineligible to claim the throne, which is why Tewfik ibn'Jamal cannot become Settler: he lost an eye in the Zanj campaigns. Residents of the Colony speak Arabic. This state is modeled on the Sassanid Empire
of Belisarius
's time.
Other Muslims also exist; Abdullah Al'aziz is a Druze
whose life and family are saved by Suzette Whitehall, and who repays her by serving as her chief spy.
The Brigade, unlike the Squadron, maintains a standing army with a system of compulsory service, as well as requiring nobles to contribute household troops in time of war. Brigade forces use rifle
-musket
s, which are primitive compared to the Armory breech-loaders used by the Civil Government Army. All Brigadero's carry a basket-hilt broadsword
in conjunction with cap and ball revolver
s. The Brigade do not field infantry, but only cavalry and a few brass or bronze cast siege
cannon. Cavalry units are split between mounted dragoon
s and lancer
s, who also carry two-meter long lance
s. Brigadero soldiers wear front-and-back breastplate
s, which are resistant to the hollow-point lead bullets fired by Civil Government rifles; this leads the Civil Government army to switch to brass-tipped bullets to puncture such armor. Residents of The Brigade speak the dialects of Spanjol and Namerique, remnants of Spanish and French/English respectively. This state is modeled on the Ostrogoths of Belisarius's time.
musket
s, blunderbuss
es, axe
s and broadsword
s, Squadron warriors traditionally fight under household banners or associations and are noted for delivering frenzied charges into close combat with their foes. The Squadrones can be likened to the Germanic or Norse berserker
s, both from physical appearance (they are described as large, pale-skinned and well-built and some with Suebian knot
s) and from their apparent love for combat; it is shameful in their culture to shun or run away from battle. In Raj Whitehall's campaign in the Southern Territories, the Squadrones literally charge into the line of fire of the Civil Government field guns. Residents of the Squadron's lands speak the dialects of Spanjol and Namerique, remnants of Spanish and French/English respectively. This state is modeled on the Vandals
of Belisarius's time.
". They are reminiscent of the Huns
. There are many references to the Skinners coming from French Canada
, particularly Quebec
. One of the groups is the "Trois Rivière
" tribe. There are also examples of French Canadian names. This also explains the mixture of French and English.
) and the extremely valuable torofib silk. The Zanj are practitioners of Baha'i. This form of worship is particularly offensive to the orthodox Sunni Muslims of The Colony, and perhaps the source and cause of the Zanj Wars.
considered the reality of S. M. Stirling
's Draka
universe.
Also created is one other outline, based on an Ancient Egyptian model.
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
books written by S.M. Stirling from an outline by David Drake
David Drake
David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the premier authors of the military science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...
. Clearly inspired by the Byzantine commander Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
, the series shares numerous common elements with the more recent Belisarius series
Belisarius series
The Belisarius Series is a fictional saga in the alternate history and military history sub-genres of science fiction, written by American authors David Drake and Eric Flint...
by Drake and Eric Flint
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
.
Original series
Centering on Raj Ammenda Halgern da Luis Whitehall- The Forge (1991)
- The Hammer (1992)
- The Anvil (1993)
- The Steel (1993)
- The Sword (1995)
The first two books were also published as an omnibus Warlord (2003) (read online), with the last three in another as Conqueror (2003) (read online).
Follow-on series
- The Chosen (1996) (read online)
- The Reformer (1999) (online)
- The Tyrant (by Eric FlintEric FlintEric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
, 2002) (read online)
Plot
The first five books are set on the planet Bellevue, previously part of a high-technology galactic civilization. Interplanetary civilization collapsed during "The Fall", when extensive civil war greatly reduced the planet's technology level. Technology has redeveloped only slowly: the most advanced groups have reached the level of double-expansion steam engineSteam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s, wrapped-brass-cartridges breech-loading
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s (Martini-Henry lock or very similar) and lever-action
Lever-action
Lever-action is a type of firearm action which uses a lever located around the trigger guard area, to load fresh cartridges into the chamber of the barrel when the lever is worked. Most lever-action firearms are rifles, but lever-action shotguns and a few pistols have also been made...
carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s, cast-steel
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
breech-loading cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
, simple revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s, etc. Progress is slow: the breech-loading rifle design has not changed for over two hundred years, and other groups still use flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
or percussion cap
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather.Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the...
weapons.
The concept of computer technology has become the basis of religion throughout the world, the Spirit of Man, with priestly Hierarchs, Sysups
SysOp
A sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community. It may also be used to refer to administrators of other Internet-based network services....
, and an Inquisition called the Anti-Viral
Antivirus software
Antivirus or anti-virus software is used to prevent, detect, and remove malware, including but not limited to computer viruses, computer worm, trojan horses, spyware and adware...
Cleansers. This religion is split into two competing sects, The Spirit of Man of the Stars, the state religion of the Civil Government, and Spirit of Man of This Earth, which is more popular among the barbarian Military Governments. The people of Bellevue speak various evolved dialects, including Sponglish
Spanglish
.Spanglish refers to the blend of Spanish and English, in the speech of people who speak parts of two languages, or whose normal language is different from that of the country where they live. The Hispanic population of the United States and the British population in Argentina use varieties of...
, Spanjol, Namerique(american english) and Paytoiz
Patois
Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...
, with elements of English, French and Spanish apparent. At the time of the Fall the planet had no horses, so now cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
is mounted on thousand-pound dogs of various breeds.
The books begin in the Year of the Fall 1103, when the protagonist Raj Whitehall and his friend Thom Poplanich stumble on a still-working remnant of the old technology, the quantum supercomputer
Quantum computer
A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...
"Center", which Raj and Thom regard as an angel. Center describes itself as a "sentient artificial entity of photonic subsystems tasked with the politico-military supervision" of Bellevue. Center tasks Whitehall with uniting Bellevue and provides him, through a constant mental link, with predictive visions that simulate probable situational outcomes, historical data, eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
, and minor enhancements to physical abilities including accuracy with firearms. It keeps Thom prisoner, explaining that Thom will probably be the victim of political assassination before long. Raj couples these assets with his own charisma to become an extremely effective military leader. Meanwhile, his wife Suzette quietly uses her own highly developed court intrigue skills to neutralize Raj's political foes and obstacles behind the scenes, compensating for his more direct tactics.
True to their historical model, the campaigns of Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
, the books focus on the convoluted "strategic offensive, tactical defensive" campaigns of General Whitehall around the Midworld Sea and his fraught relationships with his paranoid but capable 'emperor' –--- Governor Barholm Clerett ---- and Clerett's avaricious and corrupt chancellor Tzetzas.
Whitehall's nation calls itself the Civil Government, and it is centrally located between the rival nations of the Military Governments ---- The Brigade and The Squadron --- and the muslim Colonists.
Raj Whitehall
The protagonist of the story, Raj (Raj Ammenda Halgren da Luis Whitehall, Whitehall of Hillchapel, Hereditary Supervisor of Smythe Parish, Descott County) is "chosen" by the Sector Command And Control Mk-XIV Computer he calls Center to unite Bellevue in order to restore civilization on the planet and save it from a downward spiral that, according to Center's projections, might last as long as fifteen thousand years. On his campaigns, he collects a group of Companions: able commanders who form the ad hoc overall command group of the Whitehall's armies. His campaigns begin on the border of the Civil Government with the Islamic Colony at Sandoral, then go on to the barbarian-controlled Southern Territories of The Squadron and the Western Territories of the Brigade, and culminate in his defense of the Civil Government once more at Sandoral against the Colony's main army. Throughout the series, Raj Whitehall is doubted and suspected of treason by Governor Barholm Clerett, despite continuously proving his loyalty ---- even after he thwarts an attempt on Clerett's life by ending a coup staged by Thom Poplanich's brother Des and troops led by Colonel Stanson.Suzette Whitehall
Raj Whitehall's exceptionally intelligent, strong-willed, and resourceful wife, who accompanies him on his campaigns. (Messa Suzette Emmenalle Forstin Hogor Wenqui Whitehall, Lady of Hillchapel) The Wenqui family goes back to the Fall, poor but proud. Suzette is also close friends with Barholm's wife, Lady Anne Clerett, who started out as a child-whore near the Canidrome. Suzette uses any means necessary to convince those potentially harmful to her husband to actually help him, including sleeping with those individuals.Companions
The Companions, men loyal to General Whitehall, form the de facto overall command group of Whitehall's Expeditionary Forces, as the Army does not have a structure of command higher than battalion level. Most of them are of the Messer class, the nobility of the Civil Government.The Companions are formed in The Forge when Whitehall is called to an incident in a farmstead during the march to Komar, and Staenbridge, Foley, the Gruders, M'brust, and M'lewis volunteer to accompany him. Captain Stanson called them The Loyal Companions in a half-serious jest.
- Colonel Gerrin Staenbridge (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Second in overall command, Raj Whitehall's right-hand man.
Commands: 5th Descott Guards (Raj's Own)
- Colonel Jorg Menyez (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Overall infantry commander, directly commands 17th Kelden County Foot.
- Colonel Grammeck Dinnalsyn (becomes Companion in The Hammer)
Overall artillery commander. Dinnalsyn, like most artillerymen in the Gubernio Civil, is somewhat of an engineer, as he is knowledgeable on matters concerning fortifications and weapons development.
- Muzzaf Kerpatik (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Non-military: a Komarite (Arab) trader who swears loyalty to Raj Whitehall after coming to feel shame for taking part in the dealings of Chancellor Tzetzas, which had led to the weakening of Komar's defenses. He is Raj's main logistics man and the chief steward of the Whitehalls' wealth.
- Major Kaltin Gruder (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Commands: 7th Descott Rangers. Was a company commander of the 5th Descott; promoted to command of the 7th Descott after the Valley of Death battle in The Forge.
- Major Ehwardo Poplanich (becomes Companion in The Hammer)
Commands: Poplanich's Own. This battalion is recruited from the Poplanich family's estates around East Residence. Ehwardo is cousin to Thom and Des Poplanich, and is killed in The Steel by the Brigade under the walls of Old Residence.
- Captain Evrard Gruder (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Younger brother of Kaltin Gruder. Killed in The Forge by a shell from a Colonial pom-pom, a light field gun with a higher rate of fire and smaller shells than the Civil Government's.
- Captain Barton Foley (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Commands: A Company, 5th Descott Guards. Loses his left hand in The Forge to a pom-pom shell; he replaces it with a sharpened hook. Foley is Gerrin Staenbridge's protege-cum-boyfriend, and is fond of literature. Before every major battle in the field, Foley gives the following toast to end staff meetings: "He fears his fate too much, and his desserts are small, he who will not put it to the touch --- to win or lose it all.". Foley's interest in literature will garner him an award for his book, Raj Whitehall and His Times, which he writes after Thom Poplanich is enChaired as Governor and Center declares the Fall to be ended.
- Senior Captain Antin M'lewis (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Commands: 5th Descott Guards' Scout Unit (The Forty Thieves). He is from Bufford Parish, the most lawless part of not-so-lawful Descott County, and is therefore regarded as somewhat of a bandit by Raj Whitehall when they first meet. He is distinguished by his wire garrote and the skinning knife he carries on his left side. M'lewis meets Raj Whitehall when he is brought before Raj concerning a farmer's pig (or a shoat) gone missing despite a no-foraging order.
- Major Mekkle Thiddo (becomes Companion in The Hammer)
A junior Lieutenant in the 5th, he was supposed dead in the retreat from El Djem. However, he survives and rises to command the 1st Rogor Slashers at the start of the Southern Territories campaign. Shot under truce banner after parley with Squadrone Admiral Auburn.
- Major Tejan M'brust (becomes Companion in The Hammer)
Commands: 1st Rogor Slashers, then 2nd Cruisers. Takes command of 1st Rogor Slashers after death of Mekkle Thiddo in The Hammer; later transferred to the 2nd Cruisers in The Anvil.
- Major Peydaro Belagez (becomes Companion in The Forge)
Commands: 1st Rogor Slashers, after Tejan M'Brust is transferred to 2nd Cruisers. Responsible (with Muzzaf Kerpatik) for the capture of the Squadrones responsible for the murder of Mekkle Thiddo, and their crucifixion at Raj's orders.
- Major Hadolfo Zahpata (becomes Companion in The Hammer)
Commands: 18th Komar Borderers.
- Major Ludwig Bellamy (becomes Companion in The Hammer)
Commands: 1st Cruisers, ex-Squadrone soldiers conscripted into the Civil Government Army.
- Major Teodore Welf (becomes Companion in The Steel)
Commands: 1/591st, 2/591st, 3/591st ex-Brigaderos soldiers conscripted into the Civil Government Army. Formerly second-in-overall-command of the Brigade, a position he shared with Grand Constable Howyard Carstens, under General of the Brigade Ingreid Manfrond.
Center
Center (Sector Command and Control Unit AZ12-b14-c000 Mk. XIV)is an artificial intelligence attempting to unite planet Bellevue and restore technological civilization, with the intent to later restore faster-than-light
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
travel and then reestablish civilization on the other planets of the collapsed interplanetary federation. Center's original purpose, prior to the collapse of civilization, appears to have been as a system for tatical and strategic command of the 'local' military units(the original scope of 'local' is never made clear). Center originates with the collapsed Federation and the original Civil Government, and its alignment with the current Civil Government is due simply to the geographical accident of being located below the capital city. Due to the destruction of Center's external sensors (orbiting satellites etc.) during the fall, Center is limited to data either obtained previously or via the link to Raj Whitehall's senses and thoughts. Center provides constant probabilistic analysis and future projections of the political, social and military situation. This analysis is essential in steering choices away from local optimum, decisions that appear correct at the time but which would lead to eventual disaster. Additionally Center provides historical references to earth's history that relate to technology and specific relevant historical conflicts. Center is not merely an assistant, it is clearly the driving force behind Raj Whitehall, using Whitehall's leadership to achieve Center's goals. Initially Whitehall's cooperation is due to superstitious obedience to what he perceives as a supernatural entity, then the relationship becomes increasingly more cooperative as Whitehall understands the true situation and the necessity of his actions.
Center's stated sole motivation is the 'betterment of mankind', to bring about the end of war by creating a united society. On Bellvue most people are peasants, the bottom rung in the agrarian economies, due to the mostly feudal and autocratic forms of government. Center plans to bring about stability, technological advancement and democracy, in that order. Mostly analytic and unengaged, Center's comments occasionally have an 'emotional' shade, most often in the form of ironic humour.
Jamal
The Settler of The Colony in The Forge; killed during the Battle of Sandoral and his head brought to Raj Whitehall by Skinner Chief Juluk.Ali ibn'Jamal
Became Settler after defeating his brother Akbar in a civil war that came about when his father Jamal was killed in The Forge during the Battle of Sandoral. He is cowardly, cruel, capricious, vindictive, and psychotic. He was beheaded presumably by his brother Tewfik in The Sword.Tewfik ibn'Jamal
Military commander of The Colony and brother to The Settler; would probably have been The Settler, had not an eye lost in combat disqualified him as imperfect in body. Possibly a more capable combat commander than even Raj Whitehall.The Civil Government / Gubernio Civil
Remnants of those who remained loyal to the Federation and the civilian government capitaled in the city of East Residence; it is the planet's most technologically advanced nation. The Civil Government is governed by a hierarchy of Ministers headed by a single Governor, who is also is the head of the Church of Holy Federation and Viceregent of the Spirit of Man. Governors are placed on the Chair either by hereditary inheritance or by "shooting their way onto the Chair" ---- a coup, usually by a successful general, but sometimes a defeated one. This fear of military coups is why the Civil Government has no military structure above the brigade level. This lack of a higher command is one of the reasons why the Civil Government had suffered the loss of the Western and Southern Territories to the Brigade and Squadron respectively over the centuries. Raj Whitehall believes that the Civil Government is the legitimate ruler of all Bellevue. Residents of the Civil Government speak SponglishSpanglish
.Spanglish refers to the blend of Spanish and English, in the speech of people who speak parts of two languages, or whose normal language is different from that of the country where they live. The Hispanic population of the United States and the British population in Argentina use varieties of...
, a mangled version of Spanish and English which apparently is descended primarily from Mexican Spanish. This state is modeled on the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
.
The Colony
Nation established by Islamic/Arab settlers; technologically second only to the Civil Government. The Colonists were the first to arrive on planet Bellevue during the Last Jihad, bearing a fragment of the KaabaKaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
from, as the books describe, "burning Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
." The Colonist capital of Al Kebir is the oldest city in the planet. The Colony ruler is The Settler, and, as in the Civil Government, the right to the throne is settled either by hereditary inheritance or civil war, the latter usually a result of a dispute among multiple heirs to the throne. Those who are not whole in body (i.e. missing a limb or other body part) are ineligible to claim the throne, which is why Tewfik ibn'Jamal cannot become Settler: he lost an eye in the Zanj campaigns. Residents of the Colony speak Arabic. This state is modeled on the Sassanid Empire
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
of Belisarius
Belisarius
Flavius Belisarius was a general of the Byzantine Empire. He was instrumental to Emperor Justinian's ambitious project of reconquering much of the Mediterranean territory of the former Western Roman Empire, which had been lost less than a century previously....
's time.
Other Muslims also exist; Abdullah Al'aziz is a Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
whose life and family are saved by Suzette Whitehall, and who repays her by serving as her chief spy.
The Brigade / Brigaderos
Barbarian Military Government established by the descendants of the 591st Provisional Brigade; the most technologically advanced of the Military Governments. The Brigade, having moved from south their original lands, referred to as the "Base Area", has ruled the former Civil Government Western Territories for six hundred years. All male members of the Brigade are referred to as "Unit Brothers". The ruling or noble class of the Brigade (referred to as "brazazz" or "brass ass") bear titles that refer to the Brigade's former military organization based on officer ranks, such as "Hereditary Captain" or "Hereditary Colonel." The Brigade is ruled by hereditary king with the title of "General of the Brigade". The General may be disposed by impeachment if called for and voted on by the members of noble class at an assembly at arms.The Brigade, unlike the Squadron, maintains a standing army with a system of compulsory service, as well as requiring nobles to contribute household troops in time of war. Brigade forces use rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
-musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s, which are primitive compared to the Armory breech-loaders used by the Civil Government Army. All Brigadero's carry a basket-hilt broadsword
Broadsword
Broadsword may refer to:*Broadsword , a military sword used by heavy cavalry during the 17th to early 19th centuriesIn more modern times, it has also been used to refer to:...
in conjunction with cap and ball revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s. The Brigade do not field infantry, but only cavalry and a few brass or bronze cast siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
cannon. Cavalry units are split between mounted dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s and lancer
Lancer
A lancer was a type of cavalryman who fought with a lance. Lances were used in mounted warfare by the Assyrians as early as and subsequently by Greek, Persian, Gallic, Han-Chinese, nomadic and Roman horsemen...
s, who also carry two-meter long lance
Lance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
s. Brigadero soldiers wear front-and-back breastplate
Breastplate
A breastplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing.- Armour :...
s, which are resistant to the hollow-point lead bullets fired by Civil Government rifles; this leads the Civil Government army to switch to brass-tipped bullets to puncture such armor. Residents of The Brigade speak the dialects of Spanjol and Namerique, remnants of Spanish and French/English respectively. This state is modeled on the Ostrogoths of Belisarius's time.
The Squadron / Squadrones
Barbarian Military Government established by the descendants of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. Despite having conquered the Civil Government Southern Territories some 200 hundred years ago, and resisting at least one prior Civil Government expedition to retake the lost Territories, the Squadron is less developed than the Brigade, and with a more maritime orientation. Ruled by a hereditary king, bearing the title of "Admiral," the Squadron does not have a standing army, but in times of war calls forth the "war levy" composed of all male Squadron members of fighting age. Armed with flintlockFlintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
s, blunderbuss
Blunderbuss
The blunderbuss is a muzzle-loading firearm with a short, large caliber barrel, which is flared at the muzzle and frequently throughout the entire bore, and used with shot and other projectiles of relevant quantity and/or caliber. The blunderbuss could be considered to be an early form of shotgun,...
es, axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
s and broadsword
Broadsword
Broadsword may refer to:*Broadsword , a military sword used by heavy cavalry during the 17th to early 19th centuriesIn more modern times, it has also been used to refer to:...
s, Squadron warriors traditionally fight under household banners or associations and are noted for delivering frenzied charges into close combat with their foes. The Squadrones can be likened to the Germanic or Norse berserker
Berserker
Berserkers were Norse warriors who are reported in the Old Norse literature to have fought in a nearly uncontrollable, trance-like fury, a characteristic which later gave rise to the English word berserk. Berserkers are attested in numerous Old Norse sources...
s, both from physical appearance (they are described as large, pale-skinned and well-built and some with Suebian knot
Suebian knot
The Suebian knot is a historical male hairstyle ascribed to the tribe of the Germanic Suebi. The knot is attested by Tacitus in his 1st century CE work Germania, found on art by and depictions of the Germanic peoples, and worn by bog bodies....
s) and from their apparent love for combat; it is shameful in their culture to shun or run away from battle. In Raj Whitehall's campaign in the Southern Territories, the Squadrones literally charge into the line of fire of the Civil Government field guns. Residents of the Squadron's lands speak the dialects of Spanjol and Namerique, remnants of Spanish and French/English respectively. This state is modeled on the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
of Belisarius's time.
The Skinners
Barbarian nomads employed by the Civil Government as mercenaries. Notorious anarchists, with a reputation for marksmanship, dog riding, and atrocities. The Skinners speak a mangled mixture of English and French, "PaytoizPatois
Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...
". They are reminiscent of the Huns
Huns
The Huns were a group of nomadic people who, appearing from east of the Volga River, migrated into Europe c. AD 370 and established the vast Hunnic Empire there. Since de Guignes linked them with the Xiongnu, who had been northern neighbours of China 300 years prior to the emergence of the Huns,...
. There are many references to the Skinners coming from French Canada
French Canada
French Canada, also known as "Lower Canada", is a term to distinguish the French Canadian population of Canada from English Canada.-Definition:...
, particularly Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. One of the groups is the "Trois Rivière
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
" tribe. There are also examples of French Canadian names. This also explains the mixture of French and English.
The Zanj
Little is known of the Zanj City States or its people, other than that Tewfik ibn'Jamal lost his eye while campaigning there, and that it is the source of kave (coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
) and the extremely valuable torofib silk. The Zanj are practitioners of Baha'i. This form of worship is particularly offensive to the orthodox Sunni Muslims of The Colony, and perhaps the source and cause of the Zanj Wars.
Chosen series
In the follow-up novel, Center, along with the recorded mind of Raj Whitehall, are sent to the planet Visager to help boost that society to the point where it too can join what has now become Bellvue's multi-world Federation. This time, Center recruits two brothers, Jeffrey Farr and John Hosten, to help remake a world. Standing in their way is a nation of eugenically bred warriors called the Chosen, the strongest, most technologically advanced military force on the planet, who believe that all non-Chosen are merely slaves who haven't been caught yet, based on what David DrakeDavid Drake
David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the premier authors of the military science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...
considered the reality of S. M. Stirling
S. M. Stirling
Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.-Personal:Stirling was born on...
's Draka
Draka
Draka may be:*Draka, Bulgaria, village in Sredets, Burgas Province*Draka Holding N.V., Dutch cable manufacturer*Fictional empire in The Domination series...
universe.
Hafardine
The next two books also have Center & Raj in their overseer/advisor roles, assisting Adrian Gellert, whose brother Esmond also plays a pivotal role in bringing back civilization to Hafardine. It is based upon the fall of the Roman Republic.Additional books/outlines
There was an outline for a book called The Green Planet, which had implementation problems and was canned. The author states it was "probably a bad idea (no, it wasn't my idea, but I acquiesed); it's unlikely ever to be turned into a novel."Also created is one other outline, based on an Ancient Egyptian model.
External links
- Raj Whitehall Universe listing at SciFanSciFanSciFan is an online database for fans of science fiction and fantasy books.The site provides detailed bibliographies, linking books together into series' where appropriate and, in turn, grouping series by universe...
- Series listing for original series at SciFanSciFanSciFan is an online database for fans of science fiction and fantasy books.The site provides detailed bibliographies, linking books together into series' where appropriate and, in turn, grouping series by universe...
- Series listing for follow-on series at SciFanSciFanSciFan is an online database for fans of science fiction and fantasy books.The site provides detailed bibliographies, linking books together into series' where appropriate and, in turn, grouping series by universe...
- Series listing for original series at SciFan
- Review of "The Tyrant" at Kirkus Reviews Online