Rating: 
Summary: Is this a "conclusion" to the series?
Review: I generally look forward to the continuing novels in this series by Harry Turtledove. The ongoing conflict between "the race" (lizards) and mankind is an interesting "gedanken" experiment. The setting of this particular episode is the mid 1960's and mankind has both created new technology ad also "borrowed" from the lizards creating an uneasy balance of power on Tosev 3. Most,if not all,of the old familiar faces are present in their usual roles. That in my view is the major problem with this book. I am getting a bit tired of Rance Auerbach and Penny Summers being tossed into the lizard clink for ginger smuggling. What leads me to believe that we have yet one more episode in this series is the lack of a real closure to the story or a real conclusion. We are left scratching our collective heads about Hans Drucker and the Reich. We wonder if Monique Doutard was really serious for her reasons stated to Ttomalis for getting Rance Auerbach out of lizard jail. Dr. Turtledove needs to spend a little more time on this series and get a real rousing wrap-up. He needs to speed up the pace of action and concentrate more on the main theme of lizard-human conflict instead of Kassequit and her eternal self-introspection and whining. I would expect a return to open warfare and alot more from Lewis and Clark/Glen Johnson. Overall, a good concept for a series, but a real letdown in some of the execution. Could have been a 5-star if better paced with some real action leading to a conclusion. It would help if some of the less essential characters were "retired".I strongly suspect that volume 4 in this series is in the works;if not,it needs to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Please, put the series out of its misery!
Review: One would think that Turtledove (or the publishing house) would know when enough is enough but no, it just goes on and on until it teeters on its own bulk. I'm not sure where this "V"-like story came from (probably "V") but it was a good idea at the time. By now, though, the writing is past sloppy - it is sterile, totally predictable, almost as if he penned the work while in the doctor's waiting room or stopped at a red light. The idea of deep writing or a sense of wonder or a challenge to the reader (besides getting throught the thing) is laughable.Once again, it is the utterly impossible and improbable - two distinct features of Turtledove's works - that make for such a poor "conclusion". The first problem is one present from the start: A race capable of crossing interstellar space has to choose sides in WWII in order to gain a foothold. The scientific advance of such aliens would be so dramatic as to render our technology obsolete, PARTICULARLY at WWII levels. The second feature is one of my pet peeves - despite a complete change in circumstances the same leaders emerge with the same qualities. There is Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, etc...all doing the things they did in the "real" world. And that race of lizards - what gives? They have to be part of a space opera, "Dumb and Dumber". Why should any alien race feel psychologically close to one group of humans over another and why should they require any help? In the end it is just a big mess but never fear - a sequel to the sequel to the sequel will be out soon.
Rating:
Summary: Seven Books, No Conclusion
Review: For a 488 page book that seems to be the last of a seven novel series, there is little sense of closure here. In the mid-1960s, the struggle between the alien Lizards and humans that started in 1942 still goes on in space and on Earth. Nazi Germany is weakened, but not extinguished, in a nuclear exchange with the Lizards. A nuclear armed Soviet Union covertly aids human insurgents in Lizard occuppied China, and America edges closer to all out nuclear war with the Lizards. As humans begin to adopt alien technology for everything from weaponry to toys and try to establish a permanent, armed presence in space, the hidebound, traditionalist Lizards find themselves changed as well. The addiction to ginger continues to corrode Lizard mores. A pair of them even goes so far as to enter the perversion of marriage. As human and Lizard warily watch each other and the aliens begin to adopt Earth-style balance of power politics, the ecosystems of each begin to clash, with flora and fauna of the Race's Homeworld outcompeting the native Earth species in desert regions. The intermingling of two worlds is best symbolized by Kassquit, a human woman raised from birth by the Lizard, and Straha, a defector from the Lizards who finds that the ways of humans -- and especially "snout counting" Americans -- have rubbed off on him. (The identity of Straha's human minder turns out to be one of those delightful unnamed historical cameos Turtledove loves to put in his alternate histories.) The trouble is Turtledove doesn't settle the central conflict of this series -- how, if possible, human and Lizards can co-exist. He just prolongs it. At novel's end, it is hinted that the Lizards might be able to adapt legal concepts of citizenship from the Roman Empire. However, the Lizards don't seem much closer to conquering Man. To be sure, humans have gotten strong enough that the Lizards are reluctant to start a war. But neither side has decisively won. Turtledove does wrap up some of the subplots involving ginger smuggling -- and they were getting somewhat tedious at this point in the series. But even there, while the fate of some characters is finally resolved, that of others is left sort of hanging. The middle of the book is an amalgam of domestic concerns of romance and marriage with Cold War style nuclear brinkmanship between man and alien. The end of the novel is a disappointing repeat of _Worldwar: Striking the Balance_ not only in its ultimate irresolution, but it even involves an incident with the very same nuclear weapon of that novel. In short, this book seems to be a disappointing conclusion to a promising series.
Rating: 
Summary: great concept , poor execution
Review: This book, like all the others in the Lizard series is based on a terific idea. Unfortunately Turtledove is a sub par, tedious writer, with an ineffective editor and an even worse proof reader. Why have I read all the other books in this series if the writting is so bad? Because the concept is so compelling. It could but great, but in the end, is not even good. Unfortunately, almost nothing happens in this book. Most other authors would have put his 600 pages into about 100-150 tops. Even worse, the "mysterious secret" he spends 2 previous books alluding to and 1/2 of this one revealing is a huge disappointment. Obvious aspects of the society and warfare are ingnored (eg trade in goods OTHER than ginger, biological warfare, the politics of dissent, human and lizard, etc - I could go on, but whats the point). Even the economic impact of ginger is ingored.(as oppossed to petty criminals and "I need a taste. My tongue shot out on its own.. blah, blah, blah") Like his other books, most of the reader's time is spent listening to characters of each major group saying and doing exactly what we expect them too, and reaching the same country/race/ethnic specific group conclusions that were outlined in book one, over and over AND OVER again. Half of his books seem to be cut and paste. No one advances, no one changes, and as I mentioned, very little happens. What does happen is completely predictable, and ultimately, boring. Who cares if he writes another. Let's open this series up and put it the hands of a truly capable writers, or let it die a quiet death.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific finish (or is it?)
Review: I must say Harry Turtledove has brought his Worldwar/Colonization to an exciting and stirring conclusion. His tale of a Second World War interupted by an invasion of reptiles has played out superbly over the course of seven books, and while not every moment has been a gem, the whole experience has been extremely entertaining. Following the events of Down to Earth, Germany finds itself crippled, and France and Finland have regained independence after two decades of Nazi rule. The USA and the USSR now must deal with the shift in the balance of power. Plus, the mystery of who launched the missiles at the fleet in Second Contact, the mission of the Lewis and Clark, and who Straha's driver is are all resolved. Naturally, not everything is tied up completely, prompting further books. What is most interesting about this series is how much change has been affected not only on the world, but on the various characters who populate this world. David Goldfarb makes his fortune using Race technology for variour commerical products (caller id being a noteworthy one). Liu Han, originally a peasant, is now firmly entrenched in the Chinese Communist Party. Sam Yeager, the USA's leading authority on the Race finds his life drastically, almost tragically, altered because of a little bit of knowledge he obtains. Wounded veteran Rance Auerbach finds himself embroiled in the ginger trade. There are some glitches, of course. Certain characters appear more because for variety rather than the stories they tell. V.N. Molotov has nothing really important to do but show the USSR's plot and schemes, but ultimately tells no interesting tales. Monique Dutourd, while an interesting character, really doesn't have anything to do either but be a token French character, though that changes at the end. David Goldfarb too loses some momentum as the novel progresses. While I understand, and applaud, Turtledove's desire to show a wide spectrum of view points and characters, some of these characters could easily have been retired as their individual stories achieved closure. Now, while Turtledove has stated he has no plans immediately write a sequel to Colonization, certainly he leaves the ending open. Personally, I would enjoy a return to this alternate history at some point, preferally in the form of self-contained novels. But for now, this is enough, and I would rather Turtledove concentrate on his other, very numerous, projects. In the meantime, I recommend Aftershocks (after reading the previous books). It is a first rate series in its characterization, its plots and themes, and its ability to take a very stale idea (alien invasion) and set it on its head, while taking it to its most logical conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Ginger...It's All About the Ginger
Review: I just finished reading this book and I am assuming another installment is on the way. I hope there is, because I just can't wait to see who gets into the ginger smuggling business next time - the herb, not the girl on 'Gilligan's Island'. That seems to be the common thread through the last few books and its getting tiresome. Yes, it is interesting to see its effects on the Lizards but it seems that every other chapter deals with who is smuggling it, and how the Race is going to catch them before they all die in a frenzy of ginger induced mating. Oh, and there is a small matter of the nuclear war between the evil Third Reich and the Race, but the Nazi's asked for it you know, so don't feel sorry for them... Most of the war for the reader is spent on a Lizard ship with Jonathan Yeager as he introduces Kassquit to the joy of sex - like we didn't see that coming during his first visit. I would have liked to seen Molotov (my personal fav)do the wild thing with Kassquit, since neither one of them ever show emotion. And I like the Russie family but enough is enough, 'gevalt' as they would say. The Americans are out in the asteroid belt doing all sorts of secret things that are much more interesting than how many ingrown toenails Dr.Russie treats, but they are treated like a minor side story. Turtledove reaveals the true mission of the 'Lewis and Clark' on the last page and just leaves you hanging. If you have read the other books you have to read this one, especially if you like Penny and Rance, as they have assumed importance in this novel all out of proportion of when they were introduced, and most of it is tiring. Oh, yeah - Sam Yeager is a traitor, no matter what his mealy-mouth excuses were....
Rating:
Summary: Sloppy, Repetitive and getting old
Review: Despite the fact that little is resolved in this book and it leaves the never-ending story of alien colonization very open-ended, It's time to retire this series. While entertaining in the beginning this series has grown old, uninspired and has passed the point of retaining any hope for suspension of disbelief. It ... The numerous contradictions and glaring errors are everywhere. For example around page 310 (HB edition) Pierre Dotourd shows up at his sister's door freed of prison by the Nazi Kahn and a mere 100 pages later he is still referred to as being in jail. A gaping error and aptly representative of the quality of writing in this book. One other reviewer made the point of comparing this series to a soap opera and it is a quite fitting comparison. The writing is poor, the plot devices paper-thin and the story line has become one ludicrous mess. The same handful of people continue to run across each other over the entire span of the globe in the most unlikely manners. The politics and technology have become ever increasingly asinine in a feeble effort to drive the plot forward. Sorry, while I greatly enjoyed the first few books in this series this will be my last. If you have not read the worldwar series - I would recommend stopping after the fourth book. If you have read it up to this installment - do yourself a favor and move on to other books. If you are expecting writing of the caliber of Turtledove's Guns of the South or How Few Remain then you are likely to be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: An ambiguous semi-conclusion.
Review: Having enjoyed the "WorldWar" and "Colonization" books on the whole, I would say this installment - maybe the last, maybe not? - is a fairly worthy continuation. The reptilian Race with whom Mankind is sharing the Earth in an alternate 1960s continue to be fascinating characters in their own right, especially with their new ginger-induced discovery of continuous sexuality now maturing into a more human outlook; sexual and emotional awakening are, obviously, among the oldest themes in literature, but Turtledove pulls it off in an engaging fashion.
One other human trait which seems to have rubbed off on the Race, unfortunately, is gross environmental misconduct: originally, THEY cared more than US about the condition of the Earth, being reluctant to simply nuke humanity into submission for fear of rendering Earth useless for colonization. In the latter half of this series, however, they seemed to throw nuclear devices around with abandon - admittedly, after some provocation in kind from the Greater German Reich and the USA. One wonders just how much megatonnage must have been used to defeat Germany in "Down to Earth" (a war treated far too briefly, certainly compared to the alternate World War II!) As much as all the nuclear tests of the real 1960s combined? And there were the German nuclear attacks on the Race. Surely, there would subsequently be enough fallout in the atmosphere to cause thousands of deaths in its own right, especially in Russia? The author might have been better to concentrate on this particular "aftershock" than on drug-smuggling in the newly-liberated France.
The human characters continue to be interesting, for the most part: Sam Yeager, hardly ever seeing direct action, is now at the center of what could determine the fate of the world. The American astronauts in the asteroid belt embody a truly fascinating question of what humans might have achieved in space decades ago, given a big enough incentive (like the arrival of aliens as a rival power here on Earth). And in the belated but determined Chinese revolution, Liu Han - once a meek and sweet-natured peasant - shockingly evolves into a brutual Maoist inquisitor!
Some individuals, however, have clearly outlived their entertainment value. For example, Rance and Penny have become pretty dull, not achieving much beyond backstreet intrigue and routine sex; Pierre and Monique Dutourd seem intended only to represent "Frenchness" for its own sake; and (though I hope this doesn't offend anyone) the Russie family are no more than a mouthpiece for Jewish post-holocaust moralising. If what Mr. Turtledove wants to write is primarily entertainment, perhaps the constant reminders of Nazi war atrocities could be left to real history books. In this fictional timeline, I think the German Reich has been punished more than enough. Aren't millions of nuclear deaths - to say nothing of the undoubtedly countless burned, blinded and crippled Germans - a rather larger holocaust than the concentration camps? If there is another book in the series, please, Mr. Turtledove, give the Jewish issue a rest!
It would be fun to see if Mankind do eventually surpass the Race and come to dominate them on Earth; maybe the ultimate in vengefully satisfying conclusions would be a fleet of Earth starships arriving at Tau Ceti, to return the favour of invasion. At least, one more book in this timeline would be appropriate, perhaps set around 2000 AD - it could tie up the Chinese independence issue, the ecological impact of plants and animals from Home, and the recovery or submission of Germany. Perhaps the most significant outcome of alien colonization could be a self-sustaining human civilization in space. But if such a book is written, it should be without all the dead wood.
Rating: 
Summary: Empire strikes back "no pun intended"
Review: "The Empire Strikes Back" was a great movie that leaves us hanging at the end. I remember almost dying as a kid when I realized that I would have to wait about 3 years (more than 30% of my life at the time) until the next movie. This book is the same. Great...but... I guess we are hooked in for the next one. If you have read up til now, there is no excape. You are probably as addicted as I am .
Rating:
Summary: Exciting read - but fluffy aftertaste
Review: ...I'll get to the point quickly:
- Best aspect: very easy read (if you have read the prior books in the series) - no new characters of note are introduced (yeah! there are too many to track as it is). So you can just sit and read and enjoy this book. Actually, one character gets killed off.
- Worst aspect: Maybe only 2 years elapse in this book with very little geopolitical changes on the scene. The prior book had really stirred things up with the German/Race war. So after you read the book you are left with a pleasent sense of having just finished a good book - but as you ponder it you come to the conclusion that not much progression has occured. It is time for the author to start concluding the series or if this will become a 300 year epic, to not write books that cover only 2 years of that timeframe.
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