Hammer's Slammers by David Drake (1987, Paperback)

The original of the Hammer's Slammers collection, this novel sets the stage for the futuristic series about a group of mercenary soldiers. It introduces several of the main characters and provides many side bar treatises concerning the political environment, weapons, vehicles, and religious background. Subsequent novels, stories and collections use the foundation created in this book to introduce their own characters. One of the major attractions of this series is experience of the author. He understands the subject and has an excellent feel for presenting the story. This series has always been one of my favorites and always will be.