Publishers Weekly
Paranoids, take note. Bestselling military SF author Dietz (By Blood Alone; By Force of Arms; etc.) requires just the first six lines to destroy every major city on Earth in this overheated opener of a near-future alien-invasion epic, which reads much like an inferior clone of L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth. Several nations fire missiles at each other, not noticing colossal extraterrestrial spaceships hovering over the planet (neither does any astronomer). The huge, insect-like Saurons, nicknamed "chits" for their chitinous shells, kill billions. They enslave the survivors to construct "temples" that they claim will be a path to "a planet named Paradise" but are actually hatcheries where adult Saurons die giving birth. The invaders drop leaflets with instructions to bring them to "any Sauron-sponsored processing center and receive six cans of Spam," a courtesy possibly in response to human spacecraft offering galactic friendship. A plaque from Pioneer Ten, launched in 1972, served as "a space-going road map, pointing right at Earth." The aliens admit they surreptitiously "monitored thousands of audiovisual broadcasts," besides absorbing major languages and mapping technology. So those UFOs were real after all. The book abounds in racial hatreds at the same time that it high-mindedly condemns them. The action constant, confusing, deadening and dull abruptly halts, mid-slaughter, to announce, heroically, "the countdown continues" in a sequel slated for 2002. Be patient. (Sept. 4) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
KLIATT
On February 28, 2020, also known as Black Friday, the Zin invade Earth destroying everything in their path. Air Force One is obliterated. The governmental infrastructure is destroyed. Buildings collapse and fires spread. Humans caught on highways are either decimated or enslaved. Some lucky humans are able to escape into hiding. Others are forced into labor camps to prepare temples for the Zin or are shipped off into space for mining work and/or other labor. The Zin are dark-colored and for that reason favor those humans with dark skin, therefore, causing rifts among the enslaved. They choose an African American politician to be the human president believing that he will preside over the temple construction and will encourage the humans to do the Zin's bidding. The new president agrees to be the Zin's pawn in the hopes that he, his wife, and his security officers will be able to start an underground resistance movement with the knowledge that he gains. Also vying for power is a white supremacist group that causes much unneeded conflict for the human resistance movement. Within the aliens' civilization, there are also alien groups that are subjugated by the Zin. These aliens find out that the so-called Zin temples are actually fortresses where the Zin plan to hide while in a vulnerable phase. In the fortresses, new Zin will be born in order to continue the domination over their servile aliens and the humans. As a result, the lower caste aliens start a resistance plan of their own. When the humans discover the truth about the temples, they may be able to win back their freedom as well. This fast-paced read is reminiscent of such titles as H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds and RobertSilverberg's Alien Years. The strength of the novel lies in its swift action and its technical details and is recommended for readers of military SF as well as fans of alien invasion tales. The narrative moves quickly from one geographical location to another offering the reader the movements and viewpoints of humans and aliens across the nation and in space during this upheaval. The issues of prejudice found even among aliens make for good talking points for discussion. The novel ends abruptly with the death of a major character and with all intentions of continuation in the next installment, EarthRise. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2001, Berkley, Ace, 355p.,
— Ginger Armstrong
Library Journal
A surprise invasion by the alien Saurons devastates Earth and reduces humans to slaves forced to labor in the construction of mysterious temples for their masters. When former government bodyguard Jack Manning finds himself chosen by the aliens to guard their puppet president, he realizes that he stands poised to strike a blow for freedom, if he dares. The author of Legion of the Damned begins a new series that delivers a fast-paced tale of survival and resistance that should appeal to fans of sf action adventure. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Routine alien invasion story of blithely nasty outerspace insects and a bickering bunch of humans who, in this first in a series, decide to fight back. The carnivorous insectoid Saurons are actually three races in one: the autocratic, ruling class called the Zin, the engineering and professional class called the Kan, and the lowly Fon who do everything else. They've come to earth to enslave what few humans are left and have them build what the Saurons call a temple. They appoint Washington State Governor Alexander Franklin as the new President, who, in his desire to preserve as many lives as possible, appears to be more a collaborator than a leader to his wife, Jina, and a group of white supremacists, one of whom, Marta, is the crazed sister of security specialist Jack Manning, our hero. Cast among the slaves on the temple project, Manning finds his path crossing that of Jina Franklin, who also thinks her husband is afraid to resist. They discover that temple will be used for a lethal "rebirthing" ritual so disgusting that they keep it secret. As an act of subversion, the humans teach the Fon how to read and write and thus disseminate information about the rebirthing, causing some of the Fon to consider rebelling. Meanwhile, President Franklin, who really isn't the Quisling the Saurons portray him to be, is marked for death by the rebel white supremacists. Can Jack Manning, who would rather have Franklin die so he can take Franklin's place with Jina, save the day? Against Dietz's plucky, paper-thin human characters, his flimsy aliens, based on Imperial Chinese and European colonial stereotypes, do not stand a chance.
From the Publisher
"[B]reakneck pacing, good action scenes, and unexpectedly strong characterization, alien-invasion buffs should enjoy." —Booklist
