Rating: Summary: An astonishing sequel to Conquerors' Pride. Review: After reading the first book of the trilogy it looked like just another well written 'humans meet alien race' novel. When I started reading the second part I finished it within the same day. The story takes on an amazing turn, suddenly describing the events of the first part from the other side, the view of the Zirrzh. I never enjoyed reading a SF novel that much. Timothy Zahn manages to put the reader into the place of an alien race making its first contact with the humans, without giving away too much and keeping up the tension and mystique about the 'elderdeath' weapon until very late. Brilliant and highly recommended
Rating: Summary: Bad folowup to book 1 Review: After Zahn's great start to this series, the middle book suffers from the usual "middle book" syndrome of trilogies. It's not awful, but it just doesn't live up to the previous book. The aliens all talk like they just escaped from a bad melodrama compared to the sparkling dialogue of the humans in the first novel. Also Zahn makes a few goofs hither and yon, and showed that he didn't do a whole lot of research. For example, an alien drug that he made up for this book he gives the name "premarin" which had me laughing out loud. (Premarin is an estrogen replacement drug currently on the market.) Soooo, male aliens suffer from menopause? This book was so lukewarm that I doubt I'll even bother with the third novel in the series.
Rating: Summary: Bad folowup to book 1 Review: After Zahn's great start to this series, the middle book suffers from the usual "middle book" syndrome of trilogies. It's not awful, but it just doesn't live up to the previous book. The aliens all talk like they just escaped from a bad melodrama compared to the sparkling dialogue of the humans in the first novel. Also Zahn makes a few goofs hither and yon, and showed that he didn't do a whole lot of research. For example, an alien drug that he made up for this book he gives the name "premarin" which had me laughing out loud. (Premarin is an estrogen replacement drug currently on the market.) Soooo, male aliens suffer from menopause? This book was so lukewarm that I doubt I'll even bother with the third novel in the series.
Rating: Summary: EXCELLENT TWIST ON HARD SCIENCE FICTION! Review: By far better than the first, this chapter of the Conquerors Series shows us the other side of the epic battle--the alien. The alien viewpoint, almost unheard of, turns these barbarians-like aliens into fully relaized charcters with emotions just like humans. They are good and bad, some you wish would die because they are so self serving. Anyone familliar with Washington area politics will get a laugh at the back-stabbing manipulating that takes place within the alien senate. These aliens are just like humans in that regard: lust for power clouds every species' judgement. With the entire book written from the alien point of view, Zahn has truly annonuced that he is one of sci-fi's top writers.
Rating: Summary: A refreshing change Review: I first got into Timothy Zahn's work through his Star Wars Titles, which were good. However his work with the Conqueror's Trillogy is exceptional. His non Star Wars stuff is far superior. His approach to the concept of "First Contact" is refreshing and well worked. If you want to read a good story with very interesting twists, these are the books for you.
Rating: Summary: The Zhurzh are awesome! Review: I read the first book, and I really enjoyed it, and I just wanted to get the seconed one. When I realized that it was from the point of view of the Zhurzh, I started to have doubts, but it turned out to be just as good as the first. Vivid, and emotional, you find yourself feeling the way the characters do, hoping that things will turn out for them. This book compelled me to read the third.
Rating: Summary: The Zhurzh are awesome! Review: I read the first book, and I really enjoyed it, and I just wanted to get the seconed one. When I realized that it was from the point of view of the Zhurzh, I started to have doubts, but it turned out to be just as good as the first. Vivid, and emotional, you find yourself feeling the way the characters do, hoping that things will turn out for them. This book compelled me to read the third.
Rating: Summary: Zahn Amazing ! Review: Incredible new Universe, really well done, the characters are absolutely real. If you like SF, read it !.
Rating: Summary: Weakest of the series Review: There's a cliche that goes, 'a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.' Well, this is the weak link in the Conquerors' series.Which is ironic since Conquerors' Heritage has the most intriguing idea of all three books: presenting the viewpoint of the alien invaders. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? But, alas, it simply isn't. Central to this problem is that Zahn promises a glimpse into an alien culture, but presents a world in which very little seems alien to us. The world of the Conquerors is essentially a quasi-human society with numerous ironic and tiresome twists. Example: the basic unit of time is the hunbeat, instead of the heartbeat (see how clever that is?). Yes, to Zahn's credit, there are indeed some points of interest. I did find the mystery of the fsss organ interesting (What is it? How's it work?), at least until Zahn turns it into an almost comical commentary on euthanasia. Careful readers will catch this, finnicky readers will be annoyed by it. Overall, Zahn gives the impression of being a talented writer with nothing worthwhile to say. It is also worth noting that Zahn breaks a major rule of narrative structure and has it blow up in his face. The problem in this series (as defined by book one) is the conflict between the humans and the Conquerors. This is what Conquerors' Pride started out with, and it is where we were left at the end. Zahn's mistake is that in this second book, the central problem of the series is barely addressed. Instead, Zahn deals with the family squabbles of characters who, in the first book, were relatively minor characters. This simply doesn't work. Zahn deviates from the main premise of his story so far and for so long that readers are likely to tire of it rather quickly. Readers who claimed that Conquerors' Heritage was boring or lacked the intensity or interest of the other two books are most likely responding to this problem. Readers who have read the first book and are debating reading the second should exercise caution. However, if you're like me, then once you start a series you're in for the long haul, and, yes, Zahn does return to his original premise with Conquerors' Legacy and the story does improve somewhat. If you've still got the stomach for it, that is.
Rating: Summary: Typical Zahn- Excellent!! Review: This book is terrific. The alien viewpoint puts the reader in the aliens shoes, showing (near the end of the book) exacly what started this war. It tyrns the bloodthirsty barabarians agressors (The typical view for the enemy alien in Sci-fi) and turns them into a real species, with their own histories, customs and oddities. The stugle for power by some, and the political backstabbing is so similar to our own, it sometimes made me laugh out loud! In short, I reccomend the entire series to anyone who likes sci-fi.
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