Review: mindless but fun military fiction gets extra star for pricing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 16, 2014
Fair military fiction with space battles against overwhelming odds. But only slips into four stars for the economical pricing.  It is not critical to read the earlier books in the series, although they might add to understanding.Similar in plot to many books written better by other authors.  But the formula works which is why it is used so often.  Artificial intelligences (AI's) outlive their masters and embark on plan to conquer all organic life.  Human civilization has contact with alien space nation which turns out to be an unreasonable aggressive empire determined to enslave or destroy humanity.  Outnumbered the humans fight for survival.  Humans have some unique warlike abilities which make them very tougher than other races.  This plot sounds familiar.At least it is very clear who the bad guys are. David Weber and Steve White do this type of military fiction better but I have read all their older published books and they are getting excessively greedy with their latest books. If you like this book try their books In Death Ground, The Shiva Option, The Stars at War, Honor Harrington series, or Posleen War series by John Ringo,  Berserker series by Saberhagen., Empire by Michael Hicks... But this book is less expensive and a fun mindless read.Get over your leaps in credulity and the book is fairly fun military fiction.  The book could use some editing. The part that seemed most illogical are freezing military officers for four hundred years and expecting their experience to be relevant. Would an officer from the Napoleonic wars have been mush use in Afghanistan or even WWII. Would the weapons have been so similar? 400 years knowing an implacable enemy was waiting to attack and they can't develop a step change in weaponry? Military tactics are so unchanged that an admiral from 400 years ago is their genius leader? The bad guys development may be frozen; but, what is the humans excuse?Spoiler alertThe author should have explained more about the Alton's.  Their being extreme pacifists is the only explanation I can come up with for their illogical actions.  Perhaps the author should go into some story about their government banning military research and development of weapons.  The AI's must have some barrier to original thinking.  Otherwise the AI's and Altons lack of weapon development over thousands of years is too incredulous to believe.  The fact that over four hundred years of preparing for war the only effective weapons the humans develop is due to secret hints from the Altons also boggles the mind and insults humanity. The author needs to encompass technology development better.