Help! Sci-Fi, humorous, soldiers, epigraphs

[MacAttack]

I don't remember much. It was early 90's when I read it. I remember it being a military sci-fi that had epigraphs at the start of each chapter. One went something like, "When death comes for me I'm going to tell him, no, you want the other {insert characters name.} " Another was something like, " I don't want much, I just want enough women for one man, enough food for two and enough whisky for three."

I also remember one of the characters trying to tell a joke throughout the book about a man climbing a mountain and seeking the advice of a wise man, by the end of the joke the man had a house full of animals. Also by the end of the joke the protag was pretty ticked about how worthless the joke was.

I've been racking my brain and searching the web for a couple years now. Can anyone help?

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Don't know the story, but I think the quote is:

“I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.”
Joel Rosenberg.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[MacAttack]

Hi,

Don't know the story, but I think the quote is:

“I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.”
Joel Rosenberg.

Cheers, Greg.

Yep, that's the quote. Now if I could find the author who used it in an epigraph!

 

[Adriann525]

I don't remember much. It was early 90's when I read it. I remember it being a military sci-fi that had epigraphs at the start of each chapter. One went something like, "When death comes for me I'm going to tell him, no, you want the other {insert characters name.} " Another was something like, " I don't want much, I just want enough women for one man, enough food for two and enough whisky for three."

I also remember one of the characters trying to tell a joke throughout the book about a man climbing a mountain and seeking the advice of a wise man, by the end of the joke the man had a house full of animals. Also by the end of the joke the protag was pretty ticked about how worthless the joke was.

I've been racking my brain and searching the web for a couple years now. Can anyone help?

I'm probably wrong, but the first thing that popped into my head was the "Phule's Company" series by Robert Asprin. Even if it's not what you're looking for, you should give them a try. Very clever series.

 

[TheDustyZebra]

I don't think that's it, but that's the first thing that popped into my head, too.

 

[monkeypooper]

Frank Herbert's Dune perhaps

 

[MacAttack]

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately it's not one of the Phule's series. I re-read Phule's Company a couple of years ago just to check. Not Dune either, too serious. If you can imagine something like David Drake (Hammers Slammers) sprinkled with a toned-down version of Asprin's humor and a Starship Troopers type setting.

I say Starship Troopers setting because somewhere along the line I remember a power-armor peacekeeping mission (or maybe an invasion.)

I've also ruled out David Gerrold. Although I enjoyed re-reading his books immensely.

 

[MacAttack]

Good news! Well, kinda... It was in Greg's post above. My terrible memory had me looking for two separate books and I mashed them together as one. The book with the epigraphs is "The Warrior Lives" by Joel Rosenberg.

That's not the military sci-fi I was looking for though...and the search continues.

I remember another scene where a man and a woman were on a spaceship or something and the woman didn't bump into a table, revealing to her companion the fact that she was a hundred years older than she looked. Because only people with significant age were able to display that kind of grace.

 

[jastius]

That table bumping was used in a short story about an investigation upon a space vacation cruise ship. i don't remember the name of the piece but i read it when i was reading a lot of Asimov.
but it could have been another golden ager. i think robert heinlien did something similar in 'the cat that walked through walls'
and there was something about disguised ages in 'the moon is a harsh mistress', but i am pretty sure it was the guy that was old in that case.

 

[PaulMmn]

IIRC the table not-bumping was also in a "Known Space" story by Niven/Pournelle - scene goes something like: woman doesn't bump table, Our Hero says "You're OLD!" (great thing to say to a lady). But otherwise she was pretending not to be old (by occasionally bumping into something).

--Paul E Musselman