Patriots

By David Drake
Baen, $7.99, 368 pages

Originally published in 1996 and now available in a new edition, Patriots by David Drake is a Young Adult science fiction novel based on the exploits of Ethan Allen and the militia he led, the Green Mountain Boys, during the American Revolution.  It tells the story of a revolution on the sparsely populated frontier world Greenwood against the oppression and exploitation of the planet’s off-world rulers, following its young protagonist as he comes of age in the midst of his home’s struggle for independence.

Patriots is an enjoyable science fiction action/adventure story and worth reading for fans of that genre.  The content of the book is appropriate for younger readers, and its relatively modest length makes it a good potential introduction to science fiction for someone who likes more conventional adventure stories.  Nevertheless, despite being categorized as a Young Adult book, Patriots is not written “down” from Drake’s usual style and should also be enjoyable for adults fans of his work.  The new edition also contains a foreword by the author describing the real-life Green Mountain Boys and the historical events that inspired the book.

Reviewed by John Markley