Review: A mixed bag
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
An interesting book. Mainly because, in my opinion, it mixes what might have been a plausible storyline with what is tantamount to a right wing conspiracy theory fantasy. The plausible storyline keeps struggling through and, in places, even overwhelms the fantasy of noble right wingers saving the world - but it's a close run thing.The storyline - 'friendly' aliens come 'to serve man', but who have an ulterior motive is reasonable enough. The background to their 'invasion' is fairly well thought through, though it does seem derivative ... but, to be fair, there's few books in any genre, not just SF, that are entirely 'new' ... and it seems well written enough.Unfortunately, the author presents a world view in which only gen-yu-whine right wing militia gun nuts who are almost all ex-military patriots ... and Americans, of course ... can save the world. Apart from departing from any reasonable reading of history in assuming that ... shock ... even Commies, Socialists and ... horror ... even non-Americans can be patriots and resist as brutally and effectively as the almost caricatures of the gun nuts do (sure, it's mentioned in passing ... ) ... it all descends into wish fulfilment fantasy at the end.The problem is, I think, that the author has gone to a fair bit of trouble to set up the background and, then, just doesn't seem able to pull off the finale ... I don't know whether the story is simply too short overall, or whether he simply can't sustain the story, maybe because of the inherent silliness of some of the assumptions underlaying it ... but it just doesn't quite gel ... for me, someone who any self-respecting gun nut would immediately claim is some sort of ... liberal ... horror! ... or maybe even a ... tranzi ... quelle horreur!! (Not that I am in terms of my home country's politics - not even close - but those claims will probably be made)All in all, it's not an awful book. It's not even a bad book. It's just aimed at very particular market sub-segment of a very specific north american market ... if you're part of that targeted demographic, it'll be a 4-5 star read ... if not, then it'll be less. And it could have been so much better, and inherently more believable, if it wasn't aimed *entirely* at that geographically limited minority.For me, I'd say ... Writing: 4-5, say 4.5. Story: 2-3, but could have been 3-4 if not so partisan.