Colonization: Aftershocks, worst book ever (Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance - Harry Turtledove)

Member Name: Cammij

Product:	Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance - Harry Turtledove
Date:	11/07/01 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Expensive book, Boring, No conclusion, just nothing

I finished reading Colonization:Aftershocks at about 3am this morning. I have never felt so cheated and betrayed in my whole life. This was the worst book ever written by anybody. I urge you people not to waste your time with any more of Turtledove's work. I had read some reviews of this book on Amazon.com and should have known better but this book reeked.

Now I admit I haven't really read any books since I had to read Huckleberry Finn in the 5th grade and I only read half of that. But this book was awful. If I was haftin' to do my kids homework and write them up a book report I would be unable to think of a single thing that happened in this book or identify the plot. It is that weak. The wierdest part of this book is that nothing is resolved. in the University I had to learn how books have a climax and anti-climax and resolution of the theme and all that jazz, well in this book nothing at all happens. There is no fantastic things to be completed or resolved at all, absolutely nothing. No drama, no excitement.

The series started off great. During the height of WW2 a bunch of lizards show up on earth to conquer it. They thought that Earth was still in the Middle Ages and they would walk all over us and only the fact that the Earth was totally militarized for the current war saved them.

Turtledove stretched this plotline through the first three books and then he brought out a colonization series with 3 books so far dealing with the Lizards colonists showing up quite surprised that their warriors haven't conquored earth. The Lizards are led by an emperor and have had a stable society for 300,000 years and don't adapt quickly and the earthlings are running circles around them.

Turtledove has gotten hung up on a few diverse characters, a chinese peasant Commie, A Polish Jew who has found some way to balance his actions to survive in a Lizardful Poland, a Nazi Spaceman, some military guy in the states and so
me low lives in Marsaille (I could have just said Marsaillians and avoided that redundancy). Turtledove has a real agenda against Nazi Germany it seems and he is so Nasty about Naziism in general. He follows these people through their lives under the lizards, but like I said in this book there was nothing at all going on. The thin plot does go on a bit about Germany getting nuked into oblivion by the Lizards and shows how they are rebuilding but beyond that there is no real development between the Lizards and human relationships. If anything the book shows how a diplomacy is developing between the races. Turtledove also departs from having real people filling different roles in the world (Molotov is in charge of the USSR and Earl Warren was the USA pres. to having made up nobodies to put in major roles. I think he sat down and wrote this book faster than what I read it. You should at least read the reviews on Amazon before you read this as I know that I am considered the biggest Liar on Dooyoo and wholly untrustworty.

Stop reading now if you still intend to read the book. Now if you are "hooked" on the series and trust me, and know that Turtledove is being slack yet want to know what develops without wasting your time reading....read on, I will blow the whole plot to you.



The USA was the one that attacked the fleet. Yeager blows in warren for doing it and the Lizards blow up Indianapolis in retaliation. Warren kills himself since teh Lizards gave him a choice between a city getting nuked and abandoning the space program.
Japan has nukes
Dornberger is still in charge in Germany and france is restored. Nothing happens with Cairo, India or any other occupied territories aside from the Lizards livestock and plants spreading.
Mordecai and Drucker hook up and find their families. The smugglers rance and Penny are detailed in their further boring exploits now they are working with Pierre. Goldfarb does nothing new. Rueven
does nothing new. It is just boring and dull.

Summary: