Review: Passage at Arms

Glen Cook is arguably best known for his Black Company series, which I think should be turned into an HBO mini series, but he has also written military Sci-Fi like the recently re-released Passage at Arms.

The premise of the novel is that humanity is at war with a mysterious race called the Ulat, and is losing. The last hope to turn the tide is a new kind of spaceship called a Climber, which can for all intents and purposes disappear from the enemy.

Yes, you guessed it, it’s a submarine.

Essentially, Passage at Arms is Das Boot in space—the same hard, gritty realism, and the same focus on the psychology of men under intense pressure.

The novel shows Glen Cook’s mastery of the realities of warfare and his unflinching look at the best and worst of humanity. It’s not a fun read, but it is gripping.