Um, Well *Scratches Head*, How About A Book?

I can't particularly think of anything I really want to discuss. Perhaps the continuing war of attrition against the Thanksgiving leftovers has left me addled. I did read L. Ron Hubbard's Final Blackout this evening, so maybe we can talk about that.

The story is roughly 200 pages, and I went through it in about 2 and a half hours, so I think I can safely say it's a fast read. Essentially, the Second World War did not end in the mid-1940s, and it's now the mid-1970s. Civilization in Europe has basically collapsed. The various countries have moved past using atomic weapons, past bioengineered diseases, past specially engineered insects designed to devour crops and starve their enemies. The joke is they've moved so far past all that they've gone backwards, to essentially rifles, maybe an artillery piece if you can get ahold of it. There's no industry, so no planes, no tanks, no battle fleets.

The story follows Lieutenant, as that is all he's ever called, through various conflicts where he demonstrates impeccable tactical sense, and a nearly unshakable calm, the combination of which inspires great loyalty in almost every soldier he meets, as those qualities ensure that he will do his best to make certain they survive, and that counts for a lot.

As I said, the book zips right along. Lieutenant, British but in command of a wide variety of soldiers in the 4th Brigade, receives orders to report to the General Headquarters closer to the British Channel. There's been yet another new government installed in England, and it's time to ensure everyone is on the same page (supposedly). The first few chapters show Lieutenant and his group traveling leisurely to H.Q., and provides a general sense of what Europe is like. Soldiers are frequently disowned by the changing regimes, and wander the continent, searching for some place where the land can still support them. Peasants have dug in, and defend what they have strenuously. Through it all Lieutenant moves calmly, sometimes merciful, sometimes cold, always in control. Upon reaching headquarters, things appear to go poorly for him, but he's more clever than the higher ranking officers imagined.

This is perhaps the weakest part of the book. I don't have any particular beef with the portrayal of staff officers of soft, yes-men types with no regard for the men under their command, except as steps to be trod on to raise their own profile. It's more that I've seen it so often, it gets a bit tired after a time, and so feels like the least creative bit of the book, compared to the interactions between soldiers who are supposedly on opposite sides early in the story, or what happens once the Lieutenant and his men return to England after the chapters at H.Q.

I'm curious as to whether the policies Lieutenant enacts at the end of the story are reflective of Hubbard's views, or are what he thinks a man raised in constant conflict like the Lieutenant would support. Hubbard himself was a military man during the Second World War, so it's possible Lieutenant speaks for him, but I'm in no way sure of that. Lieutenant has the general opinion that the important things are for there to be food, that people work for that food (no handouts), and that the government be responsible to the people. Heavy industry seems rather unimportant to him, and I don't think art or music matter much to him either. They aren't essential, the populace is getting along fine without them, so there's no need for them.

The end of the story brings a final, larger challenge for Lieutenant, in the form of a more prosperous nation, ostensibly bearing humanitarian aid. Really, it's colonialism all over again. It's perhaps apt the British get a taste of it, after spreading the gift of it to so many places around the world, but Lieutenant is rather concerned at what will happen to the country, whether he accepts the aid or refuses. So he has to outmaneuver his opponents one more time. I'm unsure of the ending, because it seems as though it would bring about one of the fates Lieutenant was trying to avoid, so I'm a bit confused on that score.

Overall, I generally quite enjoyed it. There were a couple of scenes where I think the Lieutenant comes off a bit arrogant, especially when dealing with non-combatants, but that might be a by-product of all his men practically idolizing him, and having been in battle for several years now. I just felt that these people he looked down upon were survivors, the same as him, the simply face different challenges. Besides that, I like the descriptions of the battles, which are light in graphic descriptions of damage done to humans, and more focused on how troops were moved to efficiently achieve their objectives.