The Sword (The Raj Whitehall Series: The General, Book 5)

Undertaking a mission to conquer the last of the barbarian nations and restore the Federation on the planet Bellevue, Raj Whitehall finds a desperate challenge in paranoid overlord Barholm Clerett, who is determined to kill Raj. Original.

Stirling and Drake conclude their thoroughly engrossing military sf series, the General, with hero Raj Whitehall having largely united the relatively civilized areas of the planet Bellevue. Resumption of interstellar flight is to be the next development. Unfortunately, as Raj combines statecraft with his military prowess, his overlord, Barholm Clerett, becomes even more paranoid than he was before; indeed, he becomes Raj's deadliest enemy. Clerett is overthrown, and Whitehall's candidate replaces him. Stirling and Drake provide their usual superb battle scenes, ingenious weaponry and tactics (the cavalry on Bellevue rides giant dogs), homages to Kipling, and many other goodies. High fun. Roland Green