Arthur shares another book review. This one is from the Course of Empire Series by Eric Flint…

WOULD THEY DESTROY EARTH IN ORDER TO SAVE IT

Conquered by the Jao twenty years ago, the Earth is shackled under alien tyranny—and threatened by the even more dangerous Ekhat, who are sending a genocidal extermination fleet to the solar system. Humanity’s only chance rests with an unusual pair of allies: a young Jao prince, newly arrived to Terra to assume his duties, and a young human woman brought up amongst the Jao occupiers.

But both are under pressure from the opposing forces—a cruel Jao viceroy on one side, determined to drown all opposition in blood; a reckless human resistance on the other, perfectly prepared to shed it. Added to the mix is the fact that only by adopting some portions of human technology and using human sepoy troops can the haughty Jao hope to defeat the oncoming Ekhat attack—and then only by fighting the battle within the Sun itself.

Know thy Enemy

By Arthur

Everyone once in a while a book comes along that serves as the gold standard for their genre. The Course of Empire isn’t quite that, but it does make that cut for the sub-genre. This book, along with The Way of the Pilgrim, stands at the top of the pile for the science fiction sub-genre of books that begin with the premise, ‘So the Earth has been conquered, and the conquerors are not all evil monsters that simply need killing’.

In my opinion, the most important part of this sub-genre, along with several other fantasy and sci-fi sub-genres, is the way the hero understands or fails to understand, the ‘enemy’ culture. This implies that the author has to have done a good job at inventing, and then at relaying to the reader, that same ‘enemy’ culture.

Because for this sub-genre the important ‘coming of age’ for the hero has to be where they begin to realize and then use that understanding of the ‘enemy’ culture. And then they make use of that comprehension to change the relationship between the two people. This book does that superbly, alternating between the two sides, with both sides coming to understand the other.

A ‘must read’ for sci-fi people interested in this particular sub-genre, and worth reading for any sci-fi fan.

Click to tweet: Friday Fiction: Books From Off the Beaten Track. The Course of Empire by Eric Flint and K.D. Wentworth. A great science fiction sub-genre book with the premise, “So the Earth has been conquered, and the conquerors are not all evil monsters that simply need killing.” #scifi #FridayReads