Freelance "super-soldiers"

I'm fond of super-soldiers, that is characters with superior training and various enhancements, such as genetic, cybernetic/nano-tech, magic/psionic, or even a mix of all of the above. I'm not exactly picky about the source, as long as the result is clearly super-human.

However, I'm not that big a fan of actual military sci-fi, which is where these characters are usually found.

So I ask about books that feature such people, but in "freelance" situations. They might be on the run from their former employers/creators, or they might be small-scale mercenaries, or just acting out of private motivations, but they should not be attached to any military organisation, or engaged in large-scale wars.

I consider the Envoys of Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books to be at the low end of the super-soldier spectrum. They do have the superior training, and theoretically access to combat-sleeves, but that wasn't really focused on in the books.

Jon, from the Jon and Lobo books would be an example of the nano-tech variety.

Agent Six of Hearts, from Jack Heath's The Lab, or Max from the Dark Angel TV series would be examples of genetic enhancements.

So, any recommendations similar to those?

It has been a while since I read it but Optiman by Brian Stableford should fit your requirements. That is if my memory is correct.

It might be a bit of a stretch, but in Kage Baker's The Company, all the main characters are super-powered immortal cyborgs, working semi-freelance or rebelling from the company.

Richard Reed's Marrow (and its sequel) are set in a far future where all humans have brains made of ceramic and bodies that can regrow themselves unless suffering extensive damage.

The Postman has a little bit of what you're looking for, although I'm pretty sure it is on the wrong side of the Kovacs boundary. Viewed from a certain perspective Dune might also meet your requirements.

How about Gully Foyle (The Stars my Destination? Not a soldier, but certainly has the skills, both natural and supernatural.

geneg's suggestion helped me think of the Dorsai. They are closer to the OP's request than my first suggestion.

6> Yeah, but unfortunately they (generally) fall squarely in the military sf d_h wanted to avoid. Plus, they're not really all that super.

I'm laughingly thinking of the Dendari Mercenaries. Bel Throne, lol.

Warrior's Apprentice

#7 I bow to you, the only Dorsai story I remember is one that was done on the radio show X minus 1. In it there was one Dorsai in exile working at a mining camp. It has been at least 40 years since I read any Dickson except for maybe The Dragon and the George

Friday is a genetically engineered "combat courier" (as she describes herself on her resume). NB: This came before Dark Angel.

I've read Friday, and enjoyed it at the time. But I'd say it's not exactly what I'm looking for, and in general I'd prefer something written in the last decade.

Though I guess I'll have to read The Stars my Destination one of these days, it keeps coming up whenever I ask for recommendations.

9> Yeah, the thing is the Dorsai are for the most part only well trained. They don't have particularly outstanding mental or physical abilities. There are some of the stories set in the universe where it's one Dorsai (or Others or Exotics), and there are ones like Necromancer (definitely not a military sf flavor) that might fit the bill. Maybe d_h would enjoy those if he was choosy.

You know, that reminds me of The Long ARM of Gil Hamilton. Even though Hamilton works for the UN, it's more of a "special agent" variety of fiction (with his super-powered invisible third arm that can pass through solid objects).

#12 -- Good point about the "special agent" type situations. Those should be fine, as long as the character qualifies for super-soldier status.

Oh man, just thought of another that may or may not work for you. Richard Morgan (author of the Kovacs novels) also wrote Black Man (Thirteen or Th1rte3n in the US). The main character is a variant of the human genome that was brought back from extinction. Super powers of the "really strong, really fast, ultimate fighter" type. The main character is more or less freelance, even though he's technically a UN agent and works with some regular police during the events of the novel.

ETA: Oh, and additional super-power: a keen insight on human nature, giving him a heightened ability to "read" people.

The Paratwa trilogy by Christopher Hinz qualifies, I think. The first book is Leige-Killer.

I think I've read all of Morgan's stuff. I preferred the Kovacs books over Black Man, and while his characters may not be on the top of the power-scale, he has a knack for coming up with interesting concepts for them.

16> Yes, the Kovacs books were definitely in a different league than Black Man or Market Forces, which were "merely" enjoyable.

Another one that pops into mind is In Other Worlds, with the caveat that I haven't read it since middle school (but I have a copy on my "to read" list). The protagonist is transported to the future and transformed into a super-powered being. I can't remember for sure, but the super-power may be completely technological - a nearly impenetrable telepathic armor and a multi-functional super-weapon called a "light lance." However, both were somehow bonded to him at an integral level, so that might fit the bill. Part of it is set in the present day and part is set in the distant future. While he fights powerful aliens in the future, he's the only super-powered person as far as I can remember.

While I see that you don't prefer "military SF", I think that Armor may be the exception that proves the rule. The first part of the book is set in a military environment, but the second part is much more "freelance" in nature and is an entirely different story.

A Plague of Demons

is non-military. someone enhanced and sent to observer wars finds out that aliens are harvesting human brains from the battlefields

I think the Mag Force 7 books by Margaret Weis fit!

also maybe the Major Ariane Kedros series by Laura E. Reeve

catherine asaro's skolian books have bit of that in them, too, but they also have lots more romance. less sure this is what you are looking for.

I did not enjoy 13/ Black Man either.

What 18 says is right on. Armor is a great little book. The military bit are the opposite of gung-ho. Since drmamm opened this can of worms, I'll suggest Forever War. See, you really DO want military SF, you just haven't realized it yet. Please, no thanks required.

I know Weis' Mag Force 7 books (and the Star of the Guardian books they're spun off from). Apart from Xris, the members of the team don't have any enhancements, they're just good.
And I'd hesitate to call Xris himself a super-soldier. While his cybernetics are used to good effect by him, they don't really push him far enough into the super-human field.

A friend loaned me one of Asaro's books a few years ago, and the fact that I don't actually remember much besides the character having lengthwise fold-able hands and the hyper-space equivalent having a funny name would suggest that this is not for me.

Oh, I enjoyed Black Man well enough. I just preferred the Kovacs books for their more futuristic setting. I'd say Market Forces is easily my least favorite Morgan book.

I've also read Forever War, and while I don't consider this wasted time, it also hasn't filled me with the burning desire to read the author's other books. Not even the one set in the same setting.

So I'm pretty sure that I really don't want mil-sf, sorry :)

Some of the characters in Neal Asher's novels - Ian Cormac, especially - have assorted enhancements, IIRC.

True, though I can't remember right now if the nature of Cormac's enhancements other than his gridlink is ever specified.

Anyways, I've already read Asher's Polity-related books.

Aww.
Forever War might even have a third book now. Whatever book 'ends' the series, it is a 'jumping of the shark'.
I read Black Man after all the others, and thought it was in need of a talented and angry editor. I read Market Forces first and have fond memories of it, although I have not reread it as I have the Kovacs books and The Steel Remains.

Hey, maybe Steel Remains fits your needs? I know Morgan pretends it is fantasy, but he isn't fooling anyone. And the main character does have awesome, even super, powers.

So what is military SF anyway? I picked up an episode of Hammer's Slammers years ago - is this representative of the genre?

The Steel Remains was alright, but I felt it could have been a lot better, and your comment about the editor applies here as well, I think.
I'll give Morgan the well-earned benefit of the doubt and read the next book when it comes out, but if that doesn't shape up, I probably won't get the third, should there ever be one.

I'd say most of Asher's novels would be too mil-sf for you, d_h. I really like them, but that's the truth. Actually, The Skinner might work for you. In it, many of the characters are infected by a virus that makes them incredibly tough, especially the longer they've been infected. They can regrow from just about anything, and are super-strong. And one of the main characters is dead. I'd say it's not really mil-sf, either. It's got a couple of battles, but overall I'd say it doesn't have that general flavor. And most of these characters are acting for themselves, not any kind of overarching authority.

The Skinner is probably my favorite of Asher's books right now. I like Cormac best as a protagonist and character, but The Skinner works better from a whole-book-perspective for me than the Cormac-books.

22: d_h - foldable hands? lol I must have missed that book. Well, most of the characters have psy powers and like that so . . .

Yeah,I was thinking of Xris and I guess I would have called him a super solider . . .

hmm other books . . . When Gravity Fails has an MC with lots of surgical implants. Closer to the Takeshi Kovacs books than mag force 7, I think. Accelerando might also fit.

If you were more open to military science fiction I think I would have recommended David Weber's Safehold. MC is a girl soldier who dies in battle and wakes up in a male robotic body and becomes a bodyguard in a world where all tech is banned. there are lots battle scenes, both in space and with sail boats.

I tried to read WGF once, didn't make it far into the book, it just didn't engage me. Don't really feel a need to revisit that.

I've read Stross' Singularity Sky, and I didn't like it all that much. Made me hesitant to try his other stuff.

And I feel pretty comfortable stating that Weber and I just don't mix.

One thing that makes much of mil-sf boring for me, is that I don't care about vehicle combat, or large casualty numbers.
As soon as vehicles are no longer joystick-operated one-man vehicles that mainly engage in dogfights with other joystick-operated one-man vehicles, I lose interest. And the larger the vehicle gets and the more crew is involved the quicker that goes.
I also don't care about masses of people. At best, I care about a handful of individuals. So if a character I've read several books about bites it, that's meaningful to me. A planet getting depopulated, a battleship getting blown to pieces, a whole unit being slaughtered, that's not.

Oh, well, I like Stross' merchent families series best but there are no super soldiers in it . . .

oh! just thought of one. Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey. has some genetically altered people to make them into better soldiers, are almost slaves. Some dislike that and desert and have kids. one of the kids is the MC. This is dystopian and YA too.

>31 spoiledfornothing: I liked Santa Olivia too, and it fits the criteria d_h gave but if YA stands for Young Adult, you're forgetting about some fairly explicit sex as well as frequent use of foul language and occasional drug use.

32: pjfarm - don't think the foul language and drug use make it non ya. but the sex (I had forgotten until you mentioned it), that does makes the ya a little iffy. but when i was reading i had the impression it was meant to be a ya novel. i just checked and it is shelved in the adult section of my library. not entirely sure what led me to the ya impression.

though if you think ya books don't have explicit sex, you'd be wrong, but its usually older teens (i.e. 17, 18, 19, 20's) who do it. I mean, the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead does. it's not explict in the first book, but it gets more explict later on. So do the gossip girls books.

Just a note on my above mention of In Other Worlds. I decided to go ahead and re-read it, and I'd forgotten that he doesn't get all supered-up until halfway through the novel. Also, Attanasio's writing style is... special. He just said someone had eyes like raisins. Someone human.

>33 spoiledfornothing: You probably mentally shelved it in the YA category because most of the major characters go from children to 15-18 by the end of the book. That's typical for the category (though I don't read it much.)

Of course, looking back, I was reading adult Sci-Fi by the time I was 13 or 14 and some of it was rather inappropriate for me at that age and I still turned into a fairly respectable adult. :-) That doesn't mean I'm not going to try to keep it out of my kids hands until they get older, though.

As for the library, I don't always agree with where they shelve things either. I remember when my local library put A Severed Wasp by Madeleine L'Engle in the YA section and I told the librarian that most of her works belong there but that particular novel had some very adult story lines in it.

35: pjfarm - lol yeah that is probably so. The library gives out adult library cards in junior high and I figured when I got it I was old enough for everything in the adult section. My parents found out some of what I was reading (they disapproved and made me return some) and than I got better about concealing some of the more iffy books.

Could try the Gap series Angus is pretty well modified by the end of it. It's pretty dark space opera, and Donaldson's style isn't into everyone's taste, but I tink they're some of his best work.

Alistair Reynolds has a few modified characters - but they tend not to be the main heros. Diamond Dogs as a short story does fit the bill though.

The Sten series has a protagonist who might be a super-soldier, given the knife of infinite sharpness up his arm, but that leans towards military SF (small-unit and covert ops, primarily). It's possible the Matador series might have some appeal to you, as well; worth mentioning, anyway.

The series by Joel Shepherd starting with Crossover has a female super-soldier on the run from her former planet/army. I found them all a good easy read, nothing to deep and meaningful but well written and thought out. Thought the third one wasn't as good as the other two, though.

Oooh that reminded me there's jade D'arcy so far only two instalments, both fun. Possibly a tiny bit mil-sf, but definetly freelance.

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long without mentioning Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy. Lots of augmented freelance super-soldiers battling... well, read them yourself. Plenty of high-tech in other areas, vast world-building. Great fun, and he keeps it up for thousands of pages.

Ah, just noticed the bit in your first message about "large-scale wars". Never mind. You might give it a try anyway...

(Also, great idea for a thread - lots of stuff here for me to check out. Thanks!)

41> Yes, Night's Dawn was one of the first things I thought of, but it's definitely mil-sf.

I wonder if Man Plus would fit the bill. Been a while since I read it.

I've read most of Hamilton's stuff, though I'll wait for his last series to finish before I read that.

And it's interesting, because I wouldn't have pegged Night's Dawn as featuring super-soldiers, or at least not among the protagonists. The Possessed don't have any significant combat training, and the same could be said about most members of the Servitor army.

The nanonics offered some nifty options with combat software and all that, but that wasn't really focused on (or if it was, I forgot; it's been a while) and they were available to pretty much everyone with money.

43> Yeah, the main focus on the nanonics was on using it as a communication device/user interface. Oh, and Hamilton was always pointing out how they had "strengthened membranes", I think mainly to avoid having to deal with some problems related to spaceship travel and maneuvers.

Well, in fact Peter Hamilton's 'Greg Mandel' trilogy - his first three novels - is most likely right up your street! The eponymous hero is a super-soldier now retired from the military who is trying to live in peaceful seclusion in what's left of the English countryside after global warming has flooded most of the eastern counties, but crime, intrigue and general mystery keep coming his way. The titles are Mindstar rising, A quantum murder and The nano flower.

Very good sense of place, as Hamilton sets it in the area where he lives, albeit very changed.

Don't know if I'd count Greg as a full-blown super-soldier. His gland is very useful, no messing (heh), but it's also not really convenient to use, let alone over significant amounts of time.

But I liked the books, absolutely.

Path of the Fury David Weber starts off military but becomes freelance once the character has been set

Did anyone mention E.E. "doc" Smiths classic

"Family D'Alembert" series ?

He didn't even write them, Stephen Goldin did.

Well, apart from the first story.

The rest are based on an idea he jotted down on the back of an envelope.

Mind you, the stuff he did write himself often reads like that, anyway...

I've never bothered to read any of the Stephen Goldin sharecroppings. Doc Smith had an excuse - it was the level his market was expecting in the 1920s and 1930s. Goldin was never trying to make anything more out of his mining of the Doc Smith seam except a paycheck. That's fine for him - hey, we all need a living - but he was doing nothing to advance the craft of sf.

Smith felt he was advancing the genre - just read his article in Of Worlds Beyond. He just didn't see that was he was writing was crap.

You are judging him by modern standards though Ian. Relativism is not the least fair. Would you go with Captain Cook, to Tahiti 1760s and tell the chiefs they were up to no good?. or Cook for that matter?, by our standards of course they and he were, but by their times, he was a noble and restrained dude, and the chiefs were an entirely novel society.

I HAVE read the Goldin collaborations, and fellas, they were great fun, and explored some interesting concepts.

*pokes tongue out*

:)

Wait. So every book written in the 1930s and 1940s was sexist crap? So it's all right if Smith's books were like that because everyone else's was? That's rubbish. HG Wells was writing sf (of a sort) 30 years earlier and managed not to write crap. Smith was convinced that what he was writing was cutting-edge, was real quality. He was wrong by the standards of the time as much as he was wrong by any objective standard you care to apply.

Another thread bites the dust.

I am not at all sure that an objective standard for cutting edge science fiction exists. and if there was one then, I doubt that accurate portrayal of human human relationships figured as an important part of it.

>55 iansales: "HG Wells...managed not to write crap."

Right, pull the other one now. About the only thing Wells wrote that stands the test of time and is still readable these days isn't even SF. I refer, of course, to his classic work on miniatures wargames, Little Wars.

Liitle Wars is far to dated to be readable, The History of Mr Polly now thatis readable

I don't know if these would fall under the term military SF, but they're not like Old Man's War or Starship Troopers. However, they do fall under the heading massively augmented and fitted-out. You've got the Highers, Advancers, Ultras (my faves) and others, moral and immoral from the works of Peter Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, and Ian Banks. Typically agents or freelance men and women that would make a manned and loaded M-1 Abrahms Main Battle Tank look like a 5 year old riding a tricycle. YES!!

Little Wars unreadable?.

Nonsense. Utter, arrant non sense.

No textbook ever becomes unreadable. Nor does a history book. This is both.

Superseded, maybe, but that is an entirely different issue.

One winter weekend, my nephews and I not only read it together, we ran a war under its strictures. It was fun.

I sit corrected. actually I can well see Little wars used in such a way being a great family game, very different from the anarak world of modern miniture wargamers.

Maybe some of Iain Banks' Culture series? Not exactly miltary, more whimsical, also shocking (Consider Phlebas), but very enhanced humans.

I'm only missing a few Culture books. And while the Culture citizens are all enhanced, it's rarely focused on.

Generally speaking, Banks is also a bit too "heavy" for what I'm looking here.

As an aside, I've finally read Bester's The Stars My Destination, as suggested in post #5. Great book.

I know this is about books, but if you want a non-military SF story about a super-soldier on a tv show, you can't do much better than a season three episode of StarTrek: The Next Generation called "The Hunted".