A Hymn Before Battle


A Hymn Before Battle is the first book in John Ringo's Legacy of the Aldenata series. Earth is introduced to extraterrestrial life by the Galactics, who tell the leaders of the World that an invasion by another alien race, the Posleen, is coming. Earth's military forces are made available to the Galactics in exchange for technology to help stop the onslaught, but it is unclear just who can be trusted as the invasion nears.

Title

The title recalls Rudyard Kipling's poem Hymn Before Action, which is quoted extensively throughout the book.

Major characters

Library journal praised the "fast-paced action and acid humor". Booklist praised it as "splendid if somewhat sprawling, but added "Critics may not give it the time of day".