I almost gave up in the first 20 pages or so. It starts off with a chase scene that to me made little sense without any frames of reference, no idea what was going on. I get the device: plunge the reader into frantic action from word one, etc. etc., but it was all so (excuse the pun) 'alien' that I was just wondering what was going on. Then the deliberate segue to a pastoral scene, a kid playing baseball. Ok, ok, I understand...but I felt too much like I was being manipulated. Strike one. Then the dialogue. Really? The word 'trite' comes to mind. Also artificial. Forced. Strike 2. But I persevered. And I am glad I did.
The plot is engaging, the characters interesting even though you have to wade through paragraphs of angst every few pages. The science fiction technology and the alien takeover is very creative, fun to read. And my favorite part? The author took his time, built up a LOT of reference in the nearly 600 pages. Too often nowadays I feel like I am being fed 'the first book in a series' and I HATE that. Let the story stand on its own. Create enough life and depth to EARN a sequel. Peter Arthur writes this as if he is introducing us to a world, not just a plot line. Thank you for that. I am always a sucker for advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic/godlike powers, and this book gives you that in spades while retaining the enough reality that you don't feel like you are spinning off into fantasy land. Also he avoids the trap of trying to over-explain how everything works with physics-babble for the techno-geek correctness police out there just waiting to pounce on any inconsistency. It keeps the pace up which is good because there are nearly 600 pages of entertainment here to absorb.
You get alien technology. You get an unconquerable hero. You get world politics, aliens, galactic power struggles, villains, spaceships, espionage, fights, even gladiatorial contests, you name it. I am not going to analyze every piece of technology, plot twist, correctness or believability, just say that if you are a fan of good sci-fi, you should love this. Stick with it for a half hour and you will be hooked.
One last thing: whoever was paid to set this book up for e-reader needs to refund their fee. Here's why: you are reading along in a HUGE chapter, a paragraph ends, and the next paragraph picks up on a totally different, unrelated plot line. All the time. You never know from one paragraph to the next where you are 'going to be' in the book. It's the equivalent of the 'jump cut' in TV shows that want to be edgy. It's jarring. It's not cool. I just finished Eternitys End by Jeffery Carver where this was done right: plot jumps within a chapter were denoted by extra white space and one, two or three asterisks between paragraphs, the number of asterisks corresponding to the magnitude of the jump. It was GREAT! Kept the chapter moving, and you were prepared to be whipped into another part of the plot/perspective, not wondering if you missed something. You were along for the ride, not subjected to whiplash. Please fix this.
OR
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A page-turner--action-packed, mind-stretching concepts, truths interwoven into the story, true love that lasts through lifetimes--what else could a reader want?
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MR ANTHONY S WELLS
Great Sci-Fi
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2014