Review: Invasion: California
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 28, 2012
Heppner continues his assault on the United States with a relentless invasion of the US beginning in California. As typical, the action is fast and furious.On the surface, one of my initial reactions was "more of the same", as many of the major characters from Alaska are present in very similar circumstances as in the previous volume. But that's not really fair, because the characters are really where they are supposed to be: Anna is an intelligence specialist sitting in cabinet meetings in Washington, and Paul is a commando sent on dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Where else would they be?Some possible new players emerge on the scene, as a cold war buildup is apparent beyond the south-eastern states of the US. The Chinese "assistance" in Mexico (in reality, conquering) permits inroads into the south-west via Texas and California, where the majority of the action occurs, but also is an avenue for South American interests in the US. Overall, it's a messy situation, and I pity Sims, who is showing a few cracks showing during the course of the novel. Heppner does "pull a rabbit out of the hat" a couple of times, but they aren't magical solutions, as the foundation for those had already been laid out.I do have one, possibly two issues, with the series so far. One being the absence of the UN. It is mentioned only in passing, and those brief appearances implies the UN has become ineffectual. Second, what of any possible allies of the US? This episode introduces belligerence by other countries, but does not mention the UK, AU, and the like. At this point, I would like to see some more fleshing out of the political universe, even at the expense of action.