Rating: 
Summary: Original/intriguing but slow/bad ending
Review: Well, I got mixed feeling about it. The story has got a lot of potential but I think it got ruined by too much filler text. Mostly the non-plot-advancing sex the author keeps throwing in there. I really did not need to know that the old Jewish guy likes to spoon his wife while locked up in the cellar. There is only one case where having sex is relevant to this story. The Chinese woman and the baseball player are the only couple whose sex is part of the development of the story. If the author spent more time advancing the plot instead of the filler, the ending would of better. In the end I felt like saying 'Thats it?'. Instead of carrying all the story threads over to the new book, the author should of finished half of them off and started fresh ones in the second book. I have a feeling that the author will probably start new threads and add to the already bloated pile of threads. But I did like all the interesting conflicts of ideas and points of views between the humans and the lizards. Humans are sneaky and like to fight dirty. I give this book a 3 out of 5 because the intrigue of what will the filthy humans do next will keep me buying books from this series.
Rating: 
Summary: Great setting for this "what if..."
Review: History buffs will find this book more enjoyable than science fiction fans will. Turtledove does not lack much in how he intertwines the historical characters. He does an excellent job with technical knowledge of WWII equipment and machinery. However, the book does have some shortfalls. First of all, it is hard to imagine that a species exists that is able to perfect "cold sleep," intergallactic travel, and numerous other advancements but is not able to advance further along with its weaponry. There are times, as well, when wording and sentence structure becomes confusing. Nevertheless, after reading the first 50 pages of this book, I immediately ordered the final three installments of the Woldwar series, and I am anxiously awaiting the Colonization series.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow, slow, slow. Not up to the hype.
Review: I finally gave in and purchased the first novel of the 'Worldwar' series. A disappointment, to say the least. The premise was original, and Tutledove gives interesting insight into the military capabilities of the era... but it never quite took off.
Rating:
Summary: If only the "bad-guys" weren't straw-men....
Review: Damn good series. Especially enjoyed the alternate-history angle--what-if? Mr. Turtledove is a master at that. I just wish he'd written some aliens with even a little bit of ability/intelligence/luck/you name it. The series starts out with them on top, and they go downhill from there. I've finished the series, and I don't recall a single time that things went their way. Sure they're the bad guys. Sure we want the humans to win. But, PLEASE, give us a bad guy that's a little tougher. Put me in just a _little_ suspense as to the outcome. That said, I still bought and read the whole series. :-}
Rating:
Summary: A technological balancing act
Review: Well, Harry Turtledove certainly squeezes as much mileage as he can from his basic premise, with Nazis, Jews, Soviets, etc. forging uneasy alliances as the Lizards rudely interrupt WWII. Personally, I found that the sub-plots added value, even when they didn't contribute directly to the main thrust of the story; I thought they provided a wide-ranging, epic quality to the proceedings. As the title suggests, the whole idea is a bit of a balancing act. On the one hand, obviously, the Race must be technically advanced enough to have space travel; on the other, they must not be too advanced (if they were, they might simply seed our atmosphere with nanobots or retroviruses, and we would have a whole different story.) The difficulty, I think, lies not with the level of technology but the familiar form it takes, ie. helicopter gunships, submachine guns. For a more imaginative angle, check out Harry Harrison's West of Eden trilogy, where dinosaur-descended humanoids have evolved a biotech-centred approach, modifying living creatures to produce analogues of troop carriers, guns, cameras, etc. Something along these lines would have been more plausible, perhaps.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, good/fair execution
Review: The story was very good - a great idea that fused historical events and people with a wonderful "what if". It's definitely worth reading, but only if you are willing to wade through it. In order to follow events as they progressed on every corner of the Earth, Turtledove keeps subplots running all over. A few in the US, one in China, two in Russia, one in Germany, One in Poland, one in Japan, one in Britain, and two or three with various of the alien invaders. (I may have missed one or two.) The subplots sometimes interact, giving some solidity to the work as a whole, and the effect is that world events are traced throughout the war in a remarkably wholistic way, considering the magnitude of the "whole". The effect is that while being wonderful, the story is very, very drawn out. Turtledove also has a habit of hitting the reader over the head repeatedly with the same ideas. Everytime we have a scene with Atvar, the big alien fleet commander, he manages to state, yet again, the conflicts and position of the alien invaders, and exactly why the aliens were so surprised to find humanity so technilogically advanced when they attacked. There were times that I wanted to shout at him, "Yeah, I get it already!" Still, for all that it takes a long time to wade through the story, it is a very good one, so if you have (or are willing to take) the time to read it, I would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Sucks...
Review: Creatures from light years away that just happen to have invented the same hardware we have in the late 20th century. Tanks, Planes, and Choppers. Come on Harry. Next time write the book before you cash the check...
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: Great altrernate history. A thorughly enjoyable read. Some reviewers have complained about the multiple threads in this series, but they are skilfully and enjoyably done. Great characters and the technological contrast between the humans and the Lizards are very well done
Rating:
Summary: A fairly decent cross between "V" and "Winds Of War"
Review: Herman Wouk's "Winds Of War" and A.C. Crispin's "V" are a couple of my favorite books, but it never occurred to me anyone might fuse the two concepts. Imagine World War II interrupted by an invasion from outer space! The trick is not to expect the level of writing of Wouk or Crispin. The arrogance of the invaders makes you want to say "aw come on" at times, plus there's a bit of a John Wayne aspect to many of the heroes ("aw come on" yet again). Plus, you have to have a tolerance for long-format fiction. All in all, not too shabby. I ordered both of Turtledove's Civil War titles before I'd gotten through the second of the four volumes. Gather what you will from that.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for sci-fi freaks
Review: Everybody seems to either love or hate this book--personally, I love it. Though we all know how the series will end, it's the journey that matters. And what a journey Turtledove takes us on--full of twists and turns, and clever observations, which make this quite a page-turner. I almost never read sci-fi and I think this book is awesome--that should tell you something about it; it's not just for sci-fi freaks. This is not Turtledove's best, though--Guns of the South is a better outing, but not by much.
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