Loren Pechtel wrote:WeberFan wrote:Thanks very much for this, David.
In contrast to many others who previously commented on your first tome, I found it intriguing. An interesting premise, and SO different from your other works... it'll be interesting to see if the neural learning machines, the factory ships, and the other technologies the Shongair brought to Earth can be somehow put to use to mitigate the humanitarian disaster... Chapter 1 suggests a decent start.
Looking forward to seeing Into the Light, but at the same time... DON'T OVERDO IT! Enjoy your life, enjoy your family! Work should be an enjoyable part of a well-rounded life...
The problem with the book is a whole bunch of stuff happens that has no bearing whatsoever on the outcome. The effective plotline is aliens invade, vampires (or whatever they really are) kick their asses.
No, actually. If vampires feel no connection to humans, then they won't care less whether or not the aliens wipe humans out. Vlad does feel a connection, but it's the connection of a ruling prince for his small patch of the world.
And that's what the book is about - a collection of humans whose connection with their own small patch of the world is far, far stronger than any connection to 'the overall good of humanity'. If we don't see that one of the primary motivators for humans is to protect their own, including wiping out anyone who has hurt their family, their people, then we won't see why the vampires in this book first hold back, then send 'don't mess with us' signals, then act to completely destroy the invaders.
Vlad and Dave are mirrors for each other. They react to the threat by retreating and protecting, and the part they play is a balancing act between protecting their own and fighting the invaders. As the invasion gets worse and the aliens consistently misread human psychology, it becomes more and more likely that the aliens are going to to do the equivalent of waking the sleeping giant. Because, by the end of the book, they've infuriated the entire planet.
I suspect that we're going to discover vampires are the result of that speculative secret mission in between the first survey and the invasion, and the Shongari got the invasion gig because the Hegemony did see it as a 'two birds with one stone' scenario after the 'secret' mission failed. But basically the Shongari bring about their own downfall.
Everything in the book is connected, if you see how it shows the Shongari making screw up after screw up. They over confidently decide to invade a world more technically advanced than they've ever invaded before, they can't be arsed to check how humans handle wars, invasions and surrenders (when they had the entire Internet at their fingertips), they consistently attack people - civilians - who haven't threatened them and finally they decide to drag off a bunch of people who were minding their own business, specifically because they're minding their own business.
Unfortunately for them, that final screw up is the equivalent of kidnapping the family of the US President and then being surprised when US Special Forces come a knocking.
