March Upcountry — David Weber; John Ringo

ROYAL BRAT IN TROUBLE

Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man . . . so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him? It wasn't surprising that he became spoiled, self-centered, and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life?

But that was before his mother the Empress packed him off to a backwater planet, a saboteur tried to blow up his ship, and he found himself shipwrecked on the planet Marduk, with jungles full of damnbeasts, killerpillars, carnivorous plants, and barbarian hordes with really bad dispositions. Now all Roger has to do is hike halfway around the planet, capture a spaceport from the Bad Guys, commandeer a starship, and then go home.

Fortunately, Roger has an ace in the hole: Bravo Company of Bronze Battalion of The Empress' Own Regiment. If anyone can get him off Marduk alive, it's the Bronze Barbarians. Assuming that Prince Roger manages to grow up before he gets all of them killed....