Pandora's Legions

Rating:
Summary: Okay fluff
Review: This was an enjoyable SF military fluff book. The originality of writing from the point of view of the alien invaders was a lot of fun, and made a sort of game out of deciphering what the aliens were talking about when they encountered Earthmen and their ways.

However, I had a lot of problems with the execution of the plot points. Logical or physical elements of the story were overlooked or simply 'waved away' by not discussing them. Space fleets arrived when they were needed, with no explanation of how long it takes to travel from one system to another; technology was presented as "anything is possible as long as someone thinks up to do it" with no explanation of the physics behind it. It was as though the author didn't want to be bothered, and simply said 'ok, assume this works'.

It isn't necessarily a bad thing -- the characters were primarily required to use their wits, and not their guns. But if you like your science fiction with a lot of realistic (or realistic-seeming) science, this book will probably frustrate or bore you.

Rating:
Summary: Okay fluff
Review: This was an enjoyable SF military fluff book. The originality of writing from the point of view of the alien invaders was a lot of fun, and made a sort of game out of deciphering what the aliens were talking about when they encountered Earthmen and their ways.

However, I had a lot of problems with the execution of the plot points. Logical or physical elements of the story were overlooked or simply 'waved away' by not discussing them. Space fleets arrived when they were needed, with no explanation of how long it takes to travel from one system to another; technology was presented as "anything is possible as long as someone thinks up to do it" with no explanation of the physics behind it. It was as though the author didn't want to be bothered, and simply said 'ok, assume this works'.

It isn't necessarily a bad thing -- the characters were primarily required to use their wits, and not their guns. But if you like your science fiction with a lot of realistic (or realistic-seeming) science, this book will probably frustrate or bore you.