Spots the Space Marine – Book

“Spots the Space Marine – Defense of the Fiddler” by M.C.A. Hogarth (2011) – An under-strength unit of Space Marines battle an insect-like alien race on a distant planet.  Helping them is “The Fiddler”, a member of the same alien race that is also at war.  When a thirty-year-old Marine reservist is called up to active duty, her new teammates are unimpressed.  How is this mom with no combat experience going to help them stay alive?  Spots earns her way into the heart of the unit and develops a deep relationship with The Fiddler.  Now all they have to do is survive an enemy that just keeps coming.

Published by Stardancer Studios

I wrote about this book in 2013 (HERE) when UK games company Games Workshop claimed to have a copyright on the term “Space Marine”.  The claim was asinine on its face, but for a short time this series by M.C.A. Hogarth was pulled from the shelves at Amazon.  There was outrage along the Internet and the games company eventually lost their challenge.  That’s good news because reason won and because it means we can enjoy these stories.

The book was recommended to me years ago by folks who know I have a soft spot for this kind of military science fiction.  I count Gordon R. Dickson’s “Dorsai” books, Jerry Pournelle’s Co-Dominium series (Falkenberg’s Legion), Keith Laumer’s Bolo stories, “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman, and even “Starship Troopers” by Robert Heinlein (but NOT the movie version) as some of my favorite science fiction reads.  When I finally got to reading “Spots” I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The name sounds a bit like one for a juvenile sci-fi work.  In fact, “Spots” is the main character’s unit nickname.  There is nothing particularly juvenile about the story at all.

In fact, I will admit that the quality of the writing and the storytelling simply blew me away.  For the reader looking for action, there is plenty here.  For the reader hoping for something a little deeper, that desire will be satisfied as well.

Hogarth gets the feeling of small unit action and relationships.  The addition here is the depth of the human element to the story.  Whether it’s Spots deeply held Catholicism or the and feeling of displacement in Fangs, they are touched on at a deeper level than most of the books in my experience.  It also appears in the superb human/alien relationship between several of the characters, especially Spots, Claws and the Fiddler.

For me, one of the signs of great science fiction writing is the ability to imagine and then realize on the page, an alien race.  It is simple to create “aliens” who basically just humans in different skids.  While the “bugs” motif here is familiar, Hogarth has created somewhat feels “new’ to me.  The musical of Samuel-Colt’s (that’s the name given to the Fiddler) speech is a fascinating concept.  Emotional intonation and nuance are added to the words through trills and vibratos.

The final perfect piece of writing here is the lullaby scene in the second half of the book.  I won’t spoil it for you but if you are not moved by it, I think there may be something wrong with you.

Why You Will Like It – Great writing, great storytelling, compelling characters.  What more could you want?

I struggled with this rating.  It was four star easily, but was it a five star?  That’s supposed to be reserved for the great books, the classics.  I’m not sure that it’s quite made that grade.  Yet. So let’s just say that this four-star rating is snuggled right up next to that very top category.

Rating – **** Recommended