Invasion

Rating:
Summary: Good story, horrible writing.
Review: This was the first Robin Cook novel I've read, and I was a little disappointed. The story was somewhat original and amusing, but Cook's style of writing was not the best. He developed the characters thoroughly enough so the reader cared about them, but at times it was boring enough to put down for a while. At times Cook was too descriptive with his medical knowledge, and left his readers hanging in other places. There was a point in the book that seemed entirely predictable. For instance, when Cassy was stung by the disc, it was obvious that they would save her. Why didn't the rest of the town associate the discs with the flu symptoms? There was at least a short while before they became aliens in which they could warn their friends. The story made the book worth reading, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Jason Bulger

Rating:
Summary: A little way out, but still has the Robin Cook touch
Review: It is immediately obvious to anyone who reads Robin Cook regularly, this book is a departure from his hospital based mysteries to which we have become accustomed. But to tell you the truth, it was a refreshing change. UFOs and extra-terrestrial characters have fascinated audiences for generations. What Cook has done with this book is successfully weave medical fact with science fiction to make the reader believe that such an alien invasion is indeed possible from a pure medical perspective. While the sci fi story line is obviously not in keeping with other Cook books, Invasion still has the Cook fingerprint throughout. It kept my interest and I thoroughly enjoyed it

Rating:
Summary: Galactic Infestation
Review: I was very interested to see how Robin Cook would handle science Fiction so I picked up Invasion (orig. title Galactic Infestation). I had no problem with the overall plot but the writing was horrendous.

INVASION is the story of a microscopic invasion of Earth. An ancient civilization seeded Earth life with a dormant DNA sequence. Then every hundred million years or so a probe was sent to see how life had advanced. The current probe has just landed and found life at a good stage for colonization. Individuals are infected with a prion-like activator and flu-like symptoms ensue. After the flu runs its course (about five hours) the person is changed and tries to infect others. The infected people quickly gain control of large amounts of capitol and set up a foundation to preserve the planet's environment. As key individuals are taken over money is made available, pollution spewing factories are shut down and the uninfected are targeted for infection.

That's the story and it could have been good if not for the writing. I get the feeling that with a guaranteed bestseller that the effort for good writing just wasn't put in. Robin Cook, master of the medical thriller, manages to make some medical blunders. Blunders that as a doctor he should not make. But it doesn't stop there. He goes on to show a complete lack of understanding of the news services and how they are treated. A story that the President and the other world leaders have all come down with a mysterious ailment all at the same time is reported by CNN in a 30s pulp style and no one pays attention to it. Simple planetary motion also proves too much for the author. Then in a real glaring bit of bad writing the head alien/infectee, who has access to all of the human's memories, is unfamiliar with the term dinosaur. Even architecture is not safe from the author. The mansion being used by the infectees has a ballroom based on a famous ballroom in France but is located both at ground level and downstairs. Infectees from around the world are collecting at the mansion which sits on five acres. The descriptions of the hordes of arrivals should have people pressed shoulder to shoulder but the house and the grounds remain sparsely populated. And it just goes on and on like this.

Readers will recognize the influence of other recent science fiction movies and books. If you have seen the NBC mini-series and were hoping for a better version, you will be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Review: Brilliant Robin Cook (a former doctor and now a professianal writer) uses his previous medical experience to skillfuly craft together such a remarkable piece of work.

When a series of mysterious power outages begin to accur, many people begin to catch the flu, only to recover hours later with the only side effect being bizarre personality changes.However a group of young college students suspect that the orgin of the illness may be caused by something extra-normal.

Containing multiple unexpected plot twists, and a well thought-out story, Robin Cook gives new life to the term "alien invasion." The story simply pulls you into a bold world, and with each page turn having you wondering about what would happen next.

While this book is an excellent thriller to read, there were some noticable prombelms. Such as, Cook's tendency to use a large medical-related vocabulary. This made it hard to understand the science supporting the book's science fiction.
However, It was otherwise a well written novel.

Rating:
Summary: An alien invasion without aliens
Review: Kind of different alien invasion, I have to admit that this book is very different of all aliens books, but the end of it is really out of reality and the love story of the book is completely pathetic, nevertheless the book will keep you reading to the end, but you will be disappointed with that end, and the final question is: where are the aliens? Read this book on your vacations and that will be fine with this book.

Rating:
Summary: Read Cook's Novel "Abduction" Instead
Review: This book was quite OK, but I did not enjoy it nearly as much as Cook's other novels, of which I have read many. This book is more science fiction, but with a medical bent to it. I think his book, "Abduction" was much better science fiction (which I rated five stars). This particular book was, I felt, a modern-day version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and I couldn't get that thought out of my mind for the duration of the entire novel. The characters are great, and believeable, and the plot was fine, just not as great as his other books.

Rating:
Summary: The book that made me a Robin Cook fan!
Review: I wanted science fiction, but ended up getting a medical thriller! Cook even found a way to add black holes into the book! Some people say that new readers shouldn't read this book, bu trust me, it is one of Cook's finest. Unlike any other authors, Cook actually seems to have read "A Brief History of Time" by Hawking. He keeps his book more realistic than Star Trek and a lot more fun also. All the physics of the book are well researched, which is not normally expected from a doctor. (I hate to give it away, but I do not think that we are a product of Alien experiments. Well, that's almost in the beggining of the book anyway.)
So... What are you waiting for, BUY IT!!!

Rating:
Summary: Under Cooked
Review: Invasion does not live up to my expectation of Robin Cook. Unbelievable story, far fetched sci fi. His med thrillers are always based on a plausible idea gone bad; this Invasion is a disappointment, I sped read the last 70 pages to get the misery over with.

Rating:
Summary: Absolute drivel
Review: I'm stuck in an airport with a ninety minute flight delay and nothing to read. Not much to pick from at the Corpus Christi Airport bookstand. Took a flyer on this book. Egad, what a putrid read.

Where to start ... paint-by-numbers plot? Character development? dialog? sanctimonious BS enviromessage? Convenient narrative manipulation?

We'll start with the character development. There isn't any. Everybody in the book is pure cardboard. The neurologist, the doctor, the student, Cassy, ... take your pick. I didn't buy any of them.

Dialog is simply wretched. A tin ear for human speaking doesn't begin to cover the author's lack of grasp in this matter. Maybe its just too much time in the medical books. There's no way English is this guy's first language.

I won't bother with the rest. The book had no redeeming features. By the end I was rooting for the virus to put all these poor saps out of their misery.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing Medical Sci-fi
Review: In "Invasion", Robin Cook leaves the earthly realm of disease to pose the idea of the ultimate invader: a disease that originates from outer space. Cook's usual cast of heroes and villains battle each other physically and philosophically; interestingly enough, the 'villains' are trying to clean up earth's environment, which lends a nice ambiguity to half the book. I also enjoyed the fact that Beau, the first character to be 'invaded', never completely loses himself or his love for his girlfriend Cassie, no matter what other changes he goes through. Despite the death and destruction the infected wreak on the heroes, the lead characters, I felt, were more deeply drawn than in many of Cook's novels. There are cliches and obvious plot points, but the story is still gripping and intriguing. Could use a sequel, as Cook leaves the door open for future 'invaders'.