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New Model Army Paperback – March 10, 2011

by Adam Roberts (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 95 ratings
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From a literary master of SF comes a savage satire on our capacity for war and a celebration of our need for love

A giant has brought war to the fields and towns of England's heartland. When the British army brings in air support and deploys heavy weapons he simply melts away, only to form again somewhere else and deliver another devastating blow. He is called Pantegrel, and he is a New Model Army—a giant whose thoughts flow through countless wireless connections, whose intelligence comes from the internet and real-time camera updates, whose mind is made up of thousands of minds, each deciding what he will choose to do. He has chosen the joy of the fight, and his fury is truly democratic—he is me and you. This is a terrifying vision of a near future war as new technologies allow the world's first truly democratic army to wrest control from the powers that be. Taking advances in modern communication and the new eagerness for power from the bottom upwards, Adam Roberts has produced at once an exciting war novel and a philosophical examination of war and democracy. It shows an exciting and innovative literary voices working at the height of his powers and investing SF with the literary significance that is its due.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Gollancz
  4. Publication date
    March 10, 2011
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5.08 x 0.72 x 7.8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9780575083639
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0575083639
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The brilliantly detailed concept is balanced by terrific action scenes in the 'suburban catastrophe' style of H. G. Wells or J. G. Ballard."  —Scotsman on Sunday

"Adam Roberts, intellectual enfant terrible of British SF . . . transforms what might have been a conventional war story into a series of investigations into the nature of democracy, love, war and, ultimately, revolution."  —Guardian

"Should have won the 2009 Booker Prize."  —Kim Stanley Robinson, author, Red Mars, on Yellow Blue Tibia

About the Author

Adam Roberts is a novelist whose titles include Gradisil, Salt, Swiftly, and Yellow Blue Tibia. His work has been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. He also writes parodies, including Doctor Whom: E.T. Shoots and Leaves, The Sellamillion, and The Va Dinci Cod.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0575083638
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gollancz (March 10, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780575083639
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0575083639
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 0.72 x 7.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 95 ratings

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Adam Roberts

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
95 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BCD
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting concept that makes it worth reading, if not wholly satisfying
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018
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This was an interesting book. I read it as a thought experiment crafted as a novel (which I believe is how the author intended it), centered on the idea of a decentralized mercenary army. Although they are mercenaries, they are still ideological, devoted to the idea of direct democracy (perhaps in the mold of open-source software developers). The battle scenes show how the army makes decisions in real time over a private network, with different courses of action proposed followed by a vote. This allows them to outpace and out-think the traditionally organized British Army, which they are fighting.

The plausibility of many points can be debated (the ability to secure a comms network that would enable this), but as a thought experiment it is still interesting. Especially for people interested in open-source insurgencies, as described in John Robb's  Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization , for instance.

The novel is much more high-concept than it at first appears, but this doesn't emerge until the final plot twist, which I won't spoil. What makes it interesting is how the ending almost makes it a different book, without undoing what makes the rest of it interesting.

This does get to what makes the novel slightly unsatisfying, however. The author teases with a lot of interesting themes (the social aspects of a group with a radical ideology, the military aspect of a unique organization, etc.), but never goes as far with any of them as one might wish. And much of the middle part dealt with personal drama that seem intended to make it more of a novel. Perhaps it would have been better either as a short story, or as a much longer book. However, these flaws are forgivable in light of the book's virtues, which make it well worth the read.
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Pablo Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars New Model Science Fiction
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2019
Roberts ideas are usually interesting and original, especially over the past ten years or so. I think "New Model [blank]" is a Britishism for "New Type of [blank]". as Roberts used the same phrasing in his short story "New Model Computer". The title here also seems to have come from an '80s book, though I didn't follow up on that lead.

The new type of army is not juts privatized, it is crowdsourced. The basic plot appears to be the least sci-fi of Roberts' plots at first, with the Scottish government hiring one of the New Model Armies (as low bidder) to challenge the English government for independence. The approach seems to make a lot of sense, results-wise, with the NMA functioning like a democracy of soldiers without officers.

Many of the early chapters are nominally action (i.e., fight scenes) that come across as a narrative that on one level is the protagonist describing the NMA but is also clearly the author laying out his premise. I think that is the reason Roberts chose to keep this one short. The sci fi does increase as you read, so hang in there if you don't think there's enough. Also, despite the spelling the NMA's name is a reference to what you think it is. A scholar of such things could probably tease out more meaning in that regard.

Probably not the same five stars that the best of the best get, but five stars anyway for a quick, interesting read that is unlike other sci fi you have read.
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Jenny Stevens
3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting idea with a cliched execution
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2013
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The plot idea was interesting, but the book tried for depth that it wasn't able to achieve. If you're interested in what a world might look like where FPS gamers became real soldiers, this book is for you.
2 people found this helpful
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Nish Funzy
4.0 out of 5 stars A good introductory ebook
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2011
Verified Purchase
For a book set in the near future, where every day technologies are being utilised in more creative ways, there was great satisfaction with this being my first ebook.

I'm not really a fan of the science fiction genre, though I am a fan of the idea of science fiction, where a story can be formed around a simple concept. It's the ideas that are really important for me, so if the base concept isn't compelling enough, I won't be interested. The idea that grabbed me for this was:

"How could everyday people with everyday technologies clash with your typical imperialistic army with multi-billion dollar budgets, and succeed."

The protagonist is part of a small mercenary army, that clashes against global satellite systems and UAVs with wikis, google maps and remote control planes. A fair amount of the book is about these conflicts, with scenes that read like the home turf battles in the game Modern Warfare 2. However, this is not simply an action based book.

Running through the book are the ideals of democracy and the way we are all connected through technology. These philosophical aspects aren't too heavy though and are simply presented conversationally.

The only problem I had with this book was the ending. I found it a little convoluted which was a shame considering the rest of the novel.

- 3.5/5 -
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adriano
3.0 out of 5 stars Kind of weak
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2012
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The idea is promising and that was what took me from sample to buying. In the end it is not one of those books that stick to your memory or that you miss it. Regular light reading.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great blend of high brow with low brow
Reviewed in Canada on May 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
Fast paced yet deep book. In fact I can guarantee much flew over my head. Those that are well read read of literature will do better. You have to love someone who can mix the Simpsons with Swift in a depiction fiction of a fire.
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Eduardo M Lopez
4.0 out of 5 stars ¿El futuro de la guerra?
Reviewed in Spain on July 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
Algunas de las premisas de esta novela son entelequias fácilmente desmontables, pero otras se acercan a la proliferación de “Compañías Militares Privadas” en los últimos 30 años. Cuando hasta Rusia las utiliza, es porque el concepto ha venido para quedarse; y ahí es donde esta novela de Roberts acierta de lleno; además, la narrativa es ágil y los “detalles” que dan coherencia a la trama van apareciendo aquí y allá sin que el lector se sienta perdido, sino que se informa sobre la marcha, metido de lleno en la acción.
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BONES
1.0 out of 5 stars Dumb, Perhaps Lazy, Premise Makes For A Stupid Book
Reviewed in Australia on February 1, 2016
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This is the second Adam Roberts book I have read and it will most assuredly be the last. The other was Salt, about a decade ago, and the minute I read the last sentence I threw it into a street bin. It was just as bad as this so I really only have myself to blame, I suppose.

The problem with it is, like Salt, the assumptions we are forced to live with so that the author can write his story are far too unrealistic, bordering on absurd. Basically, what he has done is to inflate a terrorist cell into a full-blown army of several thousand "irregulars". Worse, it is run as a "true democracy", which means there is no hierarchy and everyone has to vote before any decisive action can be taken. Voting is done online and all the "soldiers" are connected through a "wiki", which presumably runs through Wi-Fi or some future replacement for it. HEre is but a small list of the really obvious flaws in this set-up:

- The first thing the authorities do before raiding terrorists today is to jam their mobile phone coverage. Apparently this knowledge is lost to the government of the future because they make no effort at all to disrupt their enemy's communications.

- Being part of a "true democracy" seems to mean that no-one is allowed to specialise. Everyone must be a jack-of-all-trades because no-one is a master of anything. They have the wiki to consult whenever they need to do anything. It also seems to mean that everyone can have a say as to the conduct of a battle, regardless of their level of experience. There seems to be zero value in expertise.

- Whilst I am sure we have all seen images of a tank with it's turret blown clean off, it is not possible to do that with a hand-held anti-armour weapon. Maybe in the future that might become possible but I am pretty sure that if/when it does, the professional armies will be the first to know and they'll change their tactics accordingly. Not in Mr Roberts' future, though.

- Helicopters are really hard to shoot down on the battlefield because they fly fast and low. Most of the time a soldier on the ground would be lucky to even be able to identify the aircraft type as it flew overhead, much less engage and destroy it, yet untrained soldiers in this NMA do it all the time.

- When your rifle jams in the middle of a firefight, you will not have time to consult a wiki to work out how to fix it. You will need the kind of repetitive training and discipline regular soldiers get so that you can fix it blindfolded, without conscious thought. If you can't do that, you will not last long on any real battlefield.

- If you go to the trouble of fighting a battle over a piece of ground, you do not then move on and leave it unguarded. If you did that in a real war, your enemy would just leave you to march through, then close in behind you and re-take the position. Yet the NMA explicitly makes no effort to hold onto any terrain it has won.

You get the idea. Their actions are more like that of a drunken mob on NYE than any kind of army in battle. They wouldn't last five minutes up against any professional forces. It seems the author has never read any military sci-fi or I doubt he would fall into so many traps. Or maybe he just can't be bothered doing any research? Whatever the reason, it is a shame because he writes well and if it was possible to overlook all the flaws, I reckon he could write great novels. Sadly, the flaws here are gaping chasms and I stopped reading before I had hit half-way. Never again, Mr Roberts. Never again.
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rudyardx
4.0 out of 5 stars NMA
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2010
Verified Purchase
4 stars may seem a a tad generous, but it is the timeliness of the novel, the fact that it is written for 'now'. Combining practicallity with digital technology, seperatist/individualistic philosophy and good ol' fashioned (call of duty style) street battles- it is a modern story. Few surprises, but I went cover-tocover in one weekend. It would make a cool movie, or better still, a video game. I suspect it has a shelf-life similar to a wiki page, but that's the whole point.
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PN
2.0 out of 5 stars Effective start... but
Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
New Model Army started off well with an interesting plot line and fresh ideas about the future of warfare. To the author's credit it was basically a preview of Google Glass! As the book progressed, it became heavily entrenched in political and social thinking that dragged the plot to it's knees. If you enjoyed the beginning of the book, I suspect you would tire quickly of the middle bits. If you found the beginning to be rather unenjoyable... stick it out, the style of the book shifts strongly enough that you could find yourself enjoying it a hundred pages in.

The main character is presented as a very clear minded, logical human being. So much so, that his personality was not unlike a white-walled hospital room: smelling of sterile cleanliness and absolutely soulless. His self-righteous attitude became so overbearing I eventually put the book down. A strong, cocky character would have be fine but this individual was forever masking his superiority complex by supersupositioning his words with a neutral, distant logic. It's sort of typical of the kind of person who's intelligent enough to be right most of the time but doesn't want to overtly pat themselves on the back so they find ways to get others to do it for them, while still pretending that they're humble. Grating.

So there you have it: started the book, but couldn't finish it. It's a shame because this book had so much potential.
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