Colonization: Second Contact FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Over the decades, Harry Turtledove has proven to be a master of the alternate history subgenre with numerous acclaimed books to his credit — including his Time of Trouble series, How Few Remain, The Guns of the South, and the popular Worldwar tetralogy. Now, continuing in the Worldwar saga, Turtledove gives us Colonization: Second Contact, the first installment in a flourishing series of alien-invasion/alternate-world adventures, and one that is bound to further his reputation for devising remarkable what-if histories. Once again, Turtledove uses his admirable skills to create an evocative epic that draws the reader into the compelling world of a past not quite our own.
It's been 20 years since the Race, a lizard-like alien species of conquerors, first invaded the Earth during World War II and failed to fully subjugate it. Now, after a centuries-long voyage, the Lizards' colonization vessel has arrived to settle the Earth. The "sleepers" are in for a shock upon their awakening, however. For the first time in a hundred millennia, the advance attack forces of the Race have failed in their objective to vanquish a world, having highly underestimated the progression of the human race in the thousand years since the Lizards first launched their probes and began their trip from their homeworld. Instead of discovering a preindustrial planet ripe for the conquering, they've found a civilization nearly as advanced as their own, with world empires now stabilized in a tentative peace with the Race's militia.
As the tumultuous 1960s unfold,theNazi Reich still exists and is suspicious of the Allied powers, Jerusalem stews with internal hatreds and its independence from the Race, and American teenagers have forgotten what liberty is and believe the Lizard way of life to be just another cultural attribute. The political complexities are a backdrop to the huge cast of protagonists and secondary characters, all of whom have their own agendas and strive to survive in a constantly changing, friction-filled time. We witness the workings of the dominating Lizards as they slowly feel themselves being swayed by humanity, even while their aggressive arrogance turns to insecurity and eventually to fear.
Readers will find themselves involved with famous personages dead for decades, including Martin Luther King, Himmler, and Khomeini. Turtledove does a superb job of reintroducing characters and events from the previous Worldwar novels without bogging the story down in lengthy exposition or flashbacks. One doesn't have to be a history buff to enjoy this novel, because it's clear the author is a man who prides himself not only on the research of facts but also in extrapolating historical circumstances. He is willing to investigate several levels of extraterrestrial contact and show all the various factions of an alien species in its own turmoil. The Lizards aren't merely conquering warriors, but instead are full of their own foibles, and they're portrayed as overconfident, astounded, addicted to ginger, and doing their best to cope with what is an unprecedented and startling situation for them.
Turtledove keeps the traits and personalities of central figures in tune with what we know of them. His greatest strength in his alternate-world novels may be the simple fact that all of the characters get an equal amount of stage time, none standing too far out above the other, each of them a small part of a much greater, elaborate whole. They remain an important piece of our history, and Turtledove does extremely well with keeping enough celebrated scenery of the '60s to make the world seem familiar, even while allowing his imagination to soar with how those events play out. The reader will be enthralled and glad that Turtledove continues to make contact.
Barnesandnoble.com
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the Worldwar tetralogy, set against the explosive backdrop of World War II, master of alternate history Harry Turtledove wove a saga of world powers locked in conflict against a deadly enemy from the stars. Now, with Colonization: Second Contact, Turtledove expands his magnificent epic into the volatile 1960s - when humanity must face its greatest challenge: alien colonization of planet Earth. During the Worldwar, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, and dozens of other cities perished in the radioactive holocaust of nuclear battle. Twenty years later, a fitful peace reigned over the continents. Though Himmler controlled Germany and France, Molotov ruled Russia, and President Earl Warren tenuously governed the United States, the invaders lorded over most of the world - coexisting in an uneasy balance with humans. As both the alien and human races experience the rampant social turmoil of the sixties, they are fatefully influenced by the tremendous upheavals - and by each other. Then amidst this strife comes a new phase of the alien invasion... the arrival of the colonization fleet - an enemy that seeks to sweep humankind aside on a global scale. The fleet's terrible goal is to colonize and seize control of every man, woman, and child on Earth. Yet as governments feverishly develop weaponry, a terrible truth emerges: This war will be fought not only on the the ground but in the vacuum of space. The United States must summon all its technological genius - or face destruction.
SYNOPSIS
Over the decades, Harry Turtledove has proven to be a master of the alternate history subgenre with numerous acclaimed books to his credit. Now, continuing in the Worldwar saga, Turtledove gives us Colonization: Second Contact, the first installment in a flourishing series of alien-invasion/alternate-world adventures, and one that is bound to further his reputation for devising remarkable what-if histories.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
YA-Turtledove, the king of the alternative-history novel, has done it again with Colonization, the first of a new series that continues his "Worldwar" saga. It is set in the turbulent 1960s, and the alien Lizards, who altered the course of World War II in the previous series, are now in a tentative peace agreement with the races of Earth. Unable to conquer humanity, the Lizards are trying to understand it to facilitate alien colonization of Earth. The humans, in turn, are also trying to get to know the aliens better, to further their own agendas. Turtledove has again woven a rich historical tapestry and peopled it with multidimensional characters. This multicultural cast includes military and government officials (domestic, foreign, and alien), terrorists, students, various groups with their own agendas, and average people/aliens caught up in events beyond their control. What distinguishes this title from the previous "Worldwar" novels is in the development of the Lizard characters. In addition to there being more of them, there is a greater depth and variety to them, allowing readers to identify and sympathize with them. This well-written, imaginative tale will appeal to the author's fans and science-fiction aficionados.-John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
A. L. Sirois - SF Site
It's a good enough book, if you like series books... Turtledove does a good job with his people, and they are all distinct one from the other. In fact, in my opinion his best work here is done with the characterizations...there's plenty of good stuff in the Turtledove mix. I found it a bit frustrating that none of the major plot threads resolve. But if you like series books and want to stick around to see how it all comes out...
Kirkus Reviews
The lure of sequels evidently proved too great for Turtledove to resist (the Worldwar series, most recently Worldwar: Striking the Balance, 1996). Accordingly, here's the first installment of a second series of alien-invasion/alternate-world yarns, from a writer who's made his reputation devising histories as they weren't. The premise is that lizardlike aliens attacked Earth during WWII. Humanity, stubbornly refusing to unite against the common foe, fought the rather dim-witted Race to a standstill: the aliens, an old, conservative folk, had sent out probes more than a thousand years ago, and so were expecting no better opposition than mounted swordsmen. But now their colonization fleet is arriving, bringing with it a whole slew of new problems-for both sides. Will appeal to fans of the previous books, and-what with Turtledove's patient recaps and reminders-newcomers won't feel excluded either. .
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