The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 10 (light novel): Viribus Unitis
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- Create Date：2022-07-10 08:52:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Carlo Zen
- ISBN：1975310527
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Summary
Time and everything else are running out for the Empire。 In fact， it’s already running on fumes。 Before the last grain of sand falls from its hourglass， each person will have hard choice to make。 Some will shut their eyes to the inevitable。 Others will choose to reject catastrophe。 But even if they’re doomed， there’s no point in going down quietly。 Beneath her mask of patriotism， Tanya vows to do whatever it takes to avoid going down with the ship。
Reviews
Aaron
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Pursuing victory without ever exerting the most casual glance toward the consequences of one's efforts invariably blinds the nation-state to the political， economic， and cultural deficiencies and failures sure to creep into the shadow of one's willful ignorance。 THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 unites the prophesiers of the Empire's impending demise around the one or two flickering candles of hope。 And so， knowing the tiniest gasp or the sharpest exhale may snuff out these last lingering insights， Pursuing victory without ever exerting the most casual glance toward the consequences of one's efforts invariably blinds the nation-state to the political， economic， and cultural deficiencies and failures sure to creep into the shadow of one's willful ignorance。 THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 unites the prophesiers of the Empire's impending demise around the one or two flickering candles of hope。 And so， knowing the tiniest gasp or the sharpest exhale may snuff out these last lingering insights， Tanya takes a deep breath and pushes ahead。The previous volume of this novel series was the author's most prudent intellectualization of the war， and yet， somehow， the current volume goes one step further。 THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 yields to the intellectual superstructure of the previous volume and focuses almost entirely on witnessing the emotional and physical consequences of adhering to the wayward truths that infrequently muscle their way through the din of bureaucracy the and fog of military conflict。 For her part， Lieutenant Colonel Tanya von Degurechaff contemplates the efficacy of desertion， worries over the narrow viability of the General Staff's tentative false-flag operation， and feverishly ridicules her colleagues for their shortsightedness and inability to properly contextualize war as an extension of politics （"In the absence of problems that require heroic intervention， there simply is no need for a hero，" page 003）。The Empire is no longer losing the war; the Empire has lost。 The only pragmatic observation available to the war's contributors concerns how quickly or how slowly the country will succumb to its varied wounds。 The multifront conflict is bleeding the nation dry。 Will the Empire simply wither until it runs out of human and technological resources？ The diplomats at the Foreign Office have been sitting on their hands for years。 Will the bureaucrats pull through and negotiate an armistice of some kind？ Victory is no longer probable， and the military and the Foreign Office's prerogative has become to convince the greater government that a negotiated resolution is the Empire's only option for continued survival。 Tanya spies these intertwining challenges not unlike negotiating with a three-headed chimera （i。e。， the army， the government， the people）。 But a nation drunk on the presumption of total victory as a natural extension of total war won't sober up anytime soon。 Solutions exist。 Shocks to the system are possible。 But it appears the Empire's communications codes have been decrypted， and it appears the eastern front is set to crumble （again）， and it appears nobody truly knows what's going to happen next because nobody's been in this （losing） position before。"Even the mere idea of retreating provoked reactions of contempt… Whether or not there was precedence for retreating， from a military standpoint， the masses had no appreciation for that kind of logical thinking。" （page 044）THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 is a compelling book because Tanya fights to validate the war's most dismal truths just as she pushes back against its many， conniving， socio-political constraints。 For example， Tanya and the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion are assigned to the western front， under Lieutenant General Romel。 But first， a pitstop， as Tanya must deliver a message from Lieutenant General von Rudersdorf to the newly promoted General von Zettour on the frontlines。 Tanya-as-courier is a funny， squirrely shift in plans， as Zettour conspires to execute a magnificent tactical shift that could revitalize the eastern front for the Empire。But there are consequences。 If Zettour's Operation Mini-Revolving Door fails， then the Federation will have the opportunity to bludgeon its way deep into Empire-held territories， and the Empire's soldiers will have lost their mettle。 If the operation succeeds， with no small help from Tanya and her trusty adjutant， Serebryakov， then Zettour will have extended the Empire's lifeline on the eastern front for several tenuous months。 The operation's failure and success both reek of desperation， and anyone with a brain can see Zettour has put his neck on the line to sustain a war effort that is slowly crumbling before his eyes。This volume doesn't disappoint when it comes to articulating Tanya in the field of battle。 The first of the book's two battles， which occurs in the east， is a marvelous reminder of the dangers of maneuver warfare。 This novel series is strong when it comes to field strategy， and war games more broadly， but on the tactical level， Zettour's brilliance is a highlight of the novel's first half。 Zettour is an animal and a schemer。 Everyone knows this。 And yet， nobody can stop him。 "It was at the same moment when the con artist across the table， who they expected to show his hand at any moment， kicked the entire table out from in front of them。" （page 098）Another highlight？ Tanya's face-to-face encounter with Commonwealth Lieutenant Colonel Drake， second-in-command of the multinational mage unit。 Drake is an entertaining character because of his grudging compliance。 However， THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 spares the man no peace， as Drake almost gets his arm sliced off and is nearly blown to smithereens during Tanya's recon-in-force feint。 On the plus side， for readers， Tanya hilariously outsmarts First Lieutenant Mary Sue into blind fratricide。But the twisting and turning violence and deception of the eastern front soon gives way to the frail insecurities of the west。 The gears of war grind on， but the oil and grease that keep the machine running are continuously diluted。 Back at the capitol， Colonel Lergen meets with an official of the Empire's Foreign Office （the notably snooty Counselor Conrad）， and together they plot to convince the hydra to end the war through bloody-nose posturing。 That is to say， to strike at the enemy's doorstep and surreptitiously convince foreign citizenry of the threat the Empire poses， and thus spark sincere negotiations at the highest level。 The western front is the focus of this effort， and Operation Doorknocker is quickly， hurriedly underway。The events on the western front are similar to the eastern front， but bloodier and less fortuitous。 Tanya's 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion is up against a whole brigade of the Commonwealth's marine mages。 THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 queries readers as to how invincible the 203rd really is， particularly when the political deliberations forcing the battalion's movements are weak， inexperienced， and absent conviction。 How does one fight a war when the bureaucrats are too stupid to follow suit？ How does one fight a war when one's communications have been compromised？ How does one fight a war when an unspoken "Plan B" keeps resurfacing when one least expects it？ Tanya emerges from Operation Doorknocker in one piece， but ultimately a failure; the Empire's hydra is increasingly to blame for getting in its own way。 THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 frames the Empire's imminent decline around Lieutenant General von Rudersdorf's dangerously practical view of power politics。 In the previous volume， he floated the idea of a false-flag operation; he postulated that staging an attack in Berun， the capitol， would spur negotiations for peace。 Rudersdorf knows that the integrity of a bureaucrat at war is not equivalent to the integrity of a soldier at war。 But Rudersdorf's "Plan B" is increasingly problematic。 For one， soldiers who acquiesce to hasten the demise of the Empire risk becoming traitors， if on the ironic pretense of overvaluing their patriotism。 Lieutenant General Romel， for example， playacts the reckless leader， but his legitimate shrewdness could easily be misperceived as a stress-test gone too far。 Second， the issue of hastening the Empire's demise is itself a query prone to bifurcation。 Rudersdorf plies Colonel Lergen for reliability， successfully arguing that a false-flag operation grows more feasible as the war itself grows less winnable。 Readers would be apt to explore this foreshadowing。 If "Plan B" were to go into effect， where would Rudersdorf find such a group of willing soldiers？ Obviously， he'd use the 203rd。 Further， what would be the legal ramifications of doing so？ Tanya's fate would be sealed。 And what， then， of the political consequences？ Rudersdorf ponders what would happen if he slayed the hydra himself， creating a Supreme Army Command that superseded （if not eliminated） the other heads of government。"I can't let my imagination get too out of hand。" （page 276）When Rudersdorf not-so-jokingly asks Lergen to oversee the contingency plan， which he calls the Counter-Insurrection Plan， Lergen balks， but with only the smallest granule of confidence。Third， calling the false-flag operation a "contingency plan" means it's a viable and actionable plan should certain conditions be met。 At present， nobody really knows what those conditions are or how much time is left until the trigger is pulled。 Well， almost nobody。 In the novel's closing pages， Lergen makes a startling discovery that recontextualizes the final months of the war and his role in it。THE SAGA OF TANYA THE EVIL v10 exposes the myriad ironies embedded in war's purposeful violence。 Tanya lives up to her reputation as a ghost or a devil set to drive others to their fiery graves， but she's not without a conscience on the matter （"I know I'm fighting for the losing side，" p。 219）。 Zettour calmly marks up his topographical map of the eastern front， lamenting how his skill compels extending a losing affair （"This wickedness of his was a sort of emergency measure， but he had to accept that it was becoming the norm for him，" p。 284）。 Rudersdorf aims to redefine the boundaries of the war machine's obligations。 And Lergen， angry with the Empire's "superfluous bureaucracy，" becomes a political animal， though he loathes the necessity。 "War was just an extension of politics， after all。 Though it was conducted through force of arms and open warfare， the fact that it was humans who were doing the fighting meant that politics would always be a part of the fundamental equation。" （page 296） 。。。more
Kayleigh
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