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Colonization #2
Down to Earth
In 1942 Hitler led the world's most savage military machine. Stalin ruled Russia while America was just beginning to show its strength in World War II. Then, in Harry Turtledove's brilliantly imagined Worldwar saga, an alien assault changed everything. Nuclear destruction engulfed major cities, and the invaders claimed half the planet before an uneasy peace could be achieved.
A spectacular tale of tyranny and freedom, destruction and hope, Colonization takes us into the tumultuous 1960s, as the reptilian Race ponders its uneasy future. But now a new, even deadlier war threatens. Though the clamoring tribes of Earth play dangerous games of diplomacy, the ultimate power broker will be the Race itself. For the colonists have one option no human can ignore. With a vast, ancient empire already in place, the Race has the power to annihilate every living being on planet Earth . . .
A spectacular tale of tyranny and freedom, destruction and hope, Colonization takes us into the tumultuous 1960s, as the reptilian Race ponders its uneasy future. But now a new, even deadlier war threatens. Though the clamoring tribes of Earth play dangerous games of diplomacy, the ultimate power broker will be the Race itself. For the colonists have one option no human can ignore. With a vast, ancient empire already in place, the Race has the power to annihilate every living being on planet Earth . . .
618 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
84 people are currently reading
782 people want to read
About the author
Harry Turtledove
560 books1,941 followersDr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.
Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.
Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.
Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.
Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 19, 2020
Fantastic follow up to Second Contact. As the Race's colonization efforts continue we get more of a look at their civilian life and how despite outward appearances, humans and lizards aren't so different after all. The political intrigue is also ramped up considerably, with the four way cold war between the Race, USA, USSR, and Nazi Germany edging ever closer to the brink as humanity rapidly closes the technology gap. Everything builds to a conclusion that had me terrified for what the future holds for the array of characters, and I look forward to reading the next installment.
July 15, 2015
This novel is the second in Harry Turtledove's "Colonization" series. While the series is called a "tetralogy", I can only find three books--it really is a trilogy. This novel picks up where the first one (Second Contact left off. The humans on Earth have stagnated in three major civilizations; United States, The Third Reich, and the Soviet Union. The alien "race" has conquered the Southern Hemisphere, and some scattered footholds in the Northern Hemisphere.
Like the first book in the series, Turtledove follows events through the lives of a set of a dozen or so characters. Some of the characters are humans, some are aliens, and a couple are members of one race or the other that have been brought up in the culture of the other race. This is perhaps the most interesting; a Chinese baby was "kidnapped" and raised on board one of the alien space ships. Her biology is human, but her culture is entirely alien. The purpose is to better understand humans, and also to use her as a bridge between the races.
The aliens have come in two separate fleets. The conquest fleet arrived during the early 1940's, right in the midst of World War II. They expected to find primitive humans, but instead found a technically adept race that learned and adapted technologies rapidly. The colonization fleet arrive during the 1960's, expecting to find a world totally subdued by the earlier conquest fleet. They are very upset that only parts of the world are subdued, and the remaining parts are still very feisty. They try to understand human psychology, but often cannot fathom the reasons why humans behave as they do. Just an example, the aliens cannot understand why their tax on human religions (superstitions), designed as a motivation to convert to the alien religion, seems to backfire, sometimes violently.
Some reviewers think that too much attention is paid to the problems of Jews in Europe, in the aftermath of World War II. The German Reich remains a world power, and its influence is advancing into Great Britain as the two countries gradually become allies. However, I think that this aspect of the book is very insightful. Virulent anti-Semitism is being propagated throughout Europe, seemingly to appease the the growing strength of the German Nazi party.
I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Patrick Lawlor. He does a creditable job, but does not simulate German or French accents very well. Nevertheless, the audiobook version is enjoyable.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good yarn, especially an alternative history.
Like the first book in the series, Turtledove follows events through the lives of a set of a dozen or so characters. Some of the characters are humans, some are aliens, and a couple are members of one race or the other that have been brought up in the culture of the other race. This is perhaps the most interesting; a Chinese baby was "kidnapped" and raised on board one of the alien space ships. Her biology is human, but her culture is entirely alien. The purpose is to better understand humans, and also to use her as a bridge between the races.
The aliens have come in two separate fleets. The conquest fleet arrived during the early 1940's, right in the midst of World War II. They expected to find primitive humans, but instead found a technically adept race that learned and adapted technologies rapidly. The colonization fleet arrive during the 1960's, expecting to find a world totally subdued by the earlier conquest fleet. They are very upset that only parts of the world are subdued, and the remaining parts are still very feisty. They try to understand human psychology, but often cannot fathom the reasons why humans behave as they do. Just an example, the aliens cannot understand why their tax on human religions (superstitions), designed as a motivation to convert to the alien religion, seems to backfire, sometimes violently.
Some reviewers think that too much attention is paid to the problems of Jews in Europe, in the aftermath of World War II. The German Reich remains a world power, and its influence is advancing into Great Britain as the two countries gradually become allies. However, I think that this aspect of the book is very insightful. Virulent anti-Semitism is being propagated throughout Europe, seemingly to appease the the growing strength of the German Nazi party.
I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Patrick Lawlor. He does a creditable job, but does not simulate German or French accents very well. Nevertheless, the audiobook version is enjoyable.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good yarn, especially an alternative history.
January 12, 2015
Storia splendida.
Scrittura da vomito.
Insopportabile.
Peccato.
Scrittura da vomito.
Insopportabile.
Peccato.
November 2, 2021
I am rating all four books, “Second Contact, Down to Earth, Aftershock and Homeward Bound” all at once as the whole was, to me, one single long, long, long story.
First off, there is so much wrong with this series such as writing style, perpetual useless repetition (you'd think it was written as an exercise from some sort of amnesiac therapy), deplorable stereotyping and simplistic world building (our own world in this case reduced to something I could hardly recognize.
That said, the premise is a wonderful idea. In spite of the said problems, I was completely in. I especially loved the “Race/Lizard” characters and some of the plot lines here and there. I was very happy that in the final instalment the story was located on “Home”the planet of the Race.
It was an ambitious undertaking but unfortunately, for the most part, much of the writing was needless and certain opportunities were sorely missed. This is surprising to me as Harry Turtledove, though I have not read much of his work admittedly, is a prolific writer and I had hoped more would have been done with this in quality over quantity.
First off, there is so much wrong with this series such as writing style, perpetual useless repetition (you'd think it was written as an exercise from some sort of amnesiac therapy), deplorable stereotyping and simplistic world building (our own world in this case reduced to something I could hardly recognize.
That said, the premise is a wonderful idea. In spite of the said problems, I was completely in. I especially loved the “Race/Lizard” characters and some of the plot lines here and there. I was very happy that in the final instalment the story was located on “Home”the planet of the Race.
It was an ambitious undertaking but unfortunately, for the most part, much of the writing was needless and certain opportunities were sorely missed. This is surprising to me as Harry Turtledove, though I have not read much of his work admittedly, is a prolific writer and I had hoped more would have been done with this in quality over quantity.
January 14, 2015
Continuing from Second Contact - what is there to say? Harry Turtledove has written more alternate history SF, and written it better, than anyone else; his research is in-depth, his storytelling is exciting and well-thought-out, and his characters are memorable and appealing (most of them.) Something for just about everyone here.
August 31, 2019
Fewer alien lizard gangbangs this time....
The second (5th?) of Turtledove's Colonization series is an adequate, if underwhelming and overlong work. The uneasy peace between the lizard Race and humans creates its own "Cold War" with the still-in-existence-Third Reich being the major superpower arrayed against the Race. The balance of power, as in real history, centers on which entities have nuclear weapons. The USSR, Chinese, and Americans are all around, but they feel like second-tier powers here.
The strength of any good alien invasion novel rests largely on how interesting the subject aliens are. Unfortunately the lizards in this series just aren't that interesting. HT's attempts to give them character arcs is admirable, but they fail to generate any real dramatic tension. The most interesting thing about them is their revulsion at how the Nazis treated the Jews and later, how the white South Africans treated the black population. This is touched on, but never explored to any real satisfaction. The same applies to his human characters. They exist in the world, they do the things you expect them to do, they say the things you expect them to say.
HT novels rarely have "plotlines." Instead they have character arhcetypes that exist and go through some sembalance of conflict/resolution, but there's rarely a feeling of it building to something more. Before you know it, some big event happens, but because there's been no buildup to it, it invariably falls flat.
This novel is no different. The various character threads advance...none ever really get moving, and before you know it....*BOOM* end of novel. I feel this way with EVERY HT series. Interesting premise, declining returns. Ah well. On to the conclusion...
The second (5th?) of Turtledove's Colonization series is an adequate, if underwhelming and overlong work. The uneasy peace between the lizard Race and humans creates its own "Cold War" with the still-in-existence-Third Reich being the major superpower arrayed against the Race. The balance of power, as in real history, centers on which entities have nuclear weapons. The USSR, Chinese, and Americans are all around, but they feel like second-tier powers here.
The strength of any good alien invasion novel rests largely on how interesting the subject aliens are. Unfortunately the lizards in this series just aren't that interesting. HT's attempts to give them character arcs is admirable, but they fail to generate any real dramatic tension. The most interesting thing about them is their revulsion at how the Nazis treated the Jews and later, how the white South Africans treated the black population. This is touched on, but never explored to any real satisfaction. The same applies to his human characters. They exist in the world, they do the things you expect them to do, they say the things you expect them to say.
HT novels rarely have "plotlines." Instead they have character arhcetypes that exist and go through some sembalance of conflict/resolution, but there's rarely a feeling of it building to something more. Before you know it, some big event happens, but because there's been no buildup to it, it invariably falls flat.
This novel is no different. The various character threads advance...none ever really get moving, and before you know it....*BOOM* end of novel. I feel this way with EVERY HT series. Interesting premise, declining returns. Ah well. On to the conclusion...
May 29, 2020
This book would be SO MUCH better without the constant interjection of unnecessary references to sex, that are almost always tinged with misogyny. Usually they add nothing to the story, and often they take the reader out of the moment. Reading from the perspective of Sam Yeager, in his 50’s, we almost always get a reference to how attractive his sons teenage girlfriend is. Any time we read from Kassquit’s POV, we have to hear about her masturbation habits. Old what’s his name on the Lewis and Clark has many laments about how women are allowed to decide who to have sex with. And dear lord the sex scene with Kassquit and Jonathan ... it is the most poorly written, awkward, uncomfortable couple of pages I have come across in a long time. Has Turtledove ever talked to a woman about sex, or how our bodies work? Because he needs to, badly.
August 8, 2024
The book is good, though the quality of writing seems to have diminished from the start of the series. While I am still eager to find out what happens next, the stories of some of the characters are simply not as gripping and do not have the same “life or death” feel as the stories of some characters in the first series. I am also not sure how much I like the direction the story is going, which is not a testament to a low quality of writing, but rather my having a connection to some of the characters. I also believe the book had started to be infused with a little too much sexual energy. That being said, I look forward to the final 2 books of the series.
July 13, 2023
I loved the world war series and although this series was a good deal slower, it was ok. This book, however, really got me mad because of how idiotic one of the characters was.
*spoilers after this point*
I read this book years ago so I can't remember the character's name, but basically the guy I'm referring to is the one who worked as a liaison with the alien prisoners and is friends with all the alien characters living in the US after the war in this series. So basically in the last book, someone launched a nuclear attack on some of the alien colonization ships and killed a lot of alien civilians. Its not clear who did it but it really stirs the pot as you can well imagine with the top suspects being the Nazis or the Soviets. But then it turns out that it was the US that actually did it and the guy above, with the help of his alien friends, hacks into a US database to find this out. Now this isnt entirely unbelievable, but I did have a hard time understanding why this guy was this determined to find this out. What really floored me though was when this guy leaked that the US in fact carried out the attack......... Like what the hell dude, in what universe does that make sense?
First of all, the aliens attacked earth and showed no qualms about using nuclear weapons. They even considered simply nuking the planet and calling it a day and the only reason they didnt after it became clear that they had bitten off more than they could chew was the simple fact that they didnt have enough nuclear weapons left for the job. Even after making peace at the end of the last book, the aliens have made no secret of the fact that they will still take over the planet if given even the most miniscule of a chance to do so and have no real respect for the sovereignty of the parts of the planet not under their control. Even though humanity has advanced a lot since World at War, they are still a very real existential threat to the freedom if not in fact the survival of humanity.
With this in mind, why is it so hard for this guy to wrap his head around the fact that the US would choose to launch an attack like the one they did? I get that the guy has a soft spot for the aliens because of his interactions with them and the aliens killed were civilians, but even with that in mind and with the above readily clear to him, he has to know that leaking this info can't possibly have any good outcome (and in fact results in the nuking of an American city, leading to hundreds of thousands if not millions more lives lost due to this one idiot's incredibly stupid actions). I immediately lost any interest in actually reading this book further or finishing the series and instead looked it up online so that I could at least have closure on what does actually happen. This is the only time that I have ever stopped reading a series and its all this idiots fault. Even like 10 years after the fact I am still this angry at a fictional character's stupidity lol. Move over Benedict Arnold, there's a new worst traitor, not only to America but to humanity itself.
*spoilers after this point*
I read this book years ago so I can't remember the character's name, but basically the guy I'm referring to is the one who worked as a liaison with the alien prisoners and is friends with all the alien characters living in the US after the war in this series. So basically in the last book, someone launched a nuclear attack on some of the alien colonization ships and killed a lot of alien civilians. Its not clear who did it but it really stirs the pot as you can well imagine with the top suspects being the Nazis or the Soviets. But then it turns out that it was the US that actually did it and the guy above, with the help of his alien friends, hacks into a US database to find this out. Now this isnt entirely unbelievable, but I did have a hard time understanding why this guy was this determined to find this out. What really floored me though was when this guy leaked that the US in fact carried out the attack......... Like what the hell dude, in what universe does that make sense?
First of all, the aliens attacked earth and showed no qualms about using nuclear weapons. They even considered simply nuking the planet and calling it a day and the only reason they didnt after it became clear that they had bitten off more than they could chew was the simple fact that they didnt have enough nuclear weapons left for the job. Even after making peace at the end of the last book, the aliens have made no secret of the fact that they will still take over the planet if given even the most miniscule of a chance to do so and have no real respect for the sovereignty of the parts of the planet not under their control. Even though humanity has advanced a lot since World at War, they are still a very real existential threat to the freedom if not in fact the survival of humanity.
With this in mind, why is it so hard for this guy to wrap his head around the fact that the US would choose to launch an attack like the one they did? I get that the guy has a soft spot for the aliens because of his interactions with them and the aliens killed were civilians, but even with that in mind and with the above readily clear to him, he has to know that leaking this info can't possibly have any good outcome (and in fact results in the nuking of an American city, leading to hundreds of thousands if not millions more lives lost due to this one idiot's incredibly stupid actions). I immediately lost any interest in actually reading this book further or finishing the series and instead looked it up online so that I could at least have closure on what does actually happen. This is the only time that I have ever stopped reading a series and its all this idiots fault. Even like 10 years after the fact I am still this angry at a fictional character's stupidity lol. Move over Benedict Arnold, there's a new worst traitor, not only to America but to humanity itself.
January 3, 2016
Thoughts while reading:
This book has been better than the prior novels, overall, about the passing of time. The author has been making comments about '____ weeks ago when something happened' throughout the course of the story, which has helped the reader's frame of reference. It is kind of funny, though, when he does it in the 'middle' of a chapter [during one of the many 'dialogue breaks' ], because it makes one wonder if the time reference implies that much time has elapsed between, say, Atvar's dialogue and Liu Han's dialogue, or if that is just a reference to Liu Han's perspective only.
"Strange things hatch from strange eggs" [quote from page 344]. Not sure why I liked this quote/statement so much, but I did enjoy it. Perhaps it was because of the varying levels of perspective it offered to the reader.
Okay, I 'have' to comment on this: "...kept the city from coagulating..." [from page 345] is a hysterical description! I love it! It is so crazy and out of the blue! He does this in other books [and other chapters as well; I wish I had thought to 'jot them down' as I came across them]. I think some of his descriptions like this are so uniquely wonderful because of their very uniqueness. I am sure the author is trying to refrain from using what are considered 'cliche terms and words'; fortunately, his attempts add the spice of variety to his stories. Some come across as forced; others are quite clever.
-----------------------------------------
It is funny how this book 'moved' faster than the first book in the Colonization trilogy. It is an interesting extrapolation of 'what if?' in terms of twenty years after the first tetralogy. Some of the book is 'longer' than others; I most assuredly found myself caring for fewer of the characters than I did in the original series.
Some of the book had a decent flow to it; some of it was slow.
I did like how the Race's technology was adapted by a group of Canadian inventors . David Goldfarb had been hired by this Canadian firm due to his wartime expertise in blending Lizard technology with human technology; he was also hired due to experience gained from his time in the RAF after WWII. His hiring proved to be a great benefit to the Canadian electronics company.
So how about Sam Yeager's son Jonathon?
It was 'fun' how Turtledove interweaves some characters from the original series into this book who were not in the first book of the trilogy. I enjoyed learning how their lives had changed [and improved] in the last twenty years; it was almost like catching up with 'old friends' [once I figured out who they were]. hahahah
I have to admit, I think I would have preferred to have had a 'cast of characters' like he did with his original tetralogy, especially how it distinguished between 'real' and 'fictional' characters. He introduces enough characters and secondary characters in this book it would have been helpful to keep everybody straight.
I had forgotten that the Japanese had progressed as far as they in this series. They are barely mentioned at all, and in the first book it was easy to assume they were nothing more than glorified barbarians. When they [the Japanese] 'finally' do something to make a difference, it is almost anticlimactic .
I found myself almost wishing he would expand further upon the experiences of other people in additional books. I think he has created an interesting world, here, in these novels. He could really expand his 'universe' here and discuss things from the perspective of other people-groups. They would not have to be as long, per se, but I think he has a lot of potential. It would have been interesting to read some blurbs about the Japanese, or how others in Africa or South America were handling the Lizard colonization.
I have mixed emotions about the book. Some of it I liked. Some of it, I was 'meh' about. Other aspects were just stupid. I did get tired of his continual repeating of information as often as he did. At times, it almost felt like he was writing the story as a periodical for a magazine or something, in which case the constant repetition of information would make sense [due to the length of time between each published chapter], but he does not need to repeat himself as often as he does in the novel.
I did like how new friendships were formed between various humans and members of the alien Race. I thought he did a good job with those parts of the books. I especially liked how he described how Gorppet and Rance interacted with each other. Both males had served in their respective armed forces, and Rance was shocked to learn he and Gorppet experienced many similar emotions about commanding officers during the alien invasion. It helped provide Gorppet a more 'humane touch' and allowed Rance to identify better with Gorppet. These friendships were definitely some of the better aspects of the book that I enjoyed.
Sam Yeager's discovery at the end of the book is also anticlimactic.
Overall, I still enjoyed reading the book.
This book has been better than the prior novels, overall, about the passing of time. The author has been making comments about '____ weeks ago when something happened' throughout the course of the story, which has helped the reader's frame of reference. It is kind of funny, though, when he does it in the 'middle' of a chapter [during one of the many 'dialogue breaks' ], because it makes one wonder if the time reference implies that much time has elapsed between, say, Atvar's dialogue and Liu Han's dialogue, or if that is just a reference to Liu Han's perspective only.
"Strange things hatch from strange eggs" [quote from page 344]. Not sure why I liked this quote/statement so much, but I did enjoy it. Perhaps it was because of the varying levels of perspective it offered to the reader.
Okay, I 'have' to comment on this: "...kept the city from coagulating..." [from page 345] is a hysterical description! I love it! It is so crazy and out of the blue! He does this in other books [and other chapters as well; I wish I had thought to 'jot them down' as I came across them]. I think some of his descriptions like this are so uniquely wonderful because of their very uniqueness. I am sure the author is trying to refrain from using what are considered 'cliche terms and words'; fortunately, his attempts add the spice of variety to his stories. Some come across as forced; others are quite clever.
-----------------------------------------
It is funny how this book 'moved' faster than the first book in the Colonization trilogy. It is an interesting extrapolation of 'what if?' in terms of twenty years after the first tetralogy. Some of the book is 'longer' than others; I most assuredly found myself caring for fewer of the characters than I did in the original series.
Some of the book had a decent flow to it; some of it was slow.
I did like how the Race's technology was adapted by a group of Canadian inventors . David Goldfarb had been hired by this Canadian firm due to his wartime expertise in blending Lizard technology with human technology; he was also hired due to experience gained from his time in the RAF after WWII. His hiring proved to be a great benefit to the Canadian electronics company.
So how about Sam Yeager's son Jonathon?
It was 'fun' how Turtledove interweaves some characters from the original series into this book who were not in the first book of the trilogy. I enjoyed learning how their lives had changed [and improved] in the last twenty years; it was almost like catching up with 'old friends' [once I figured out who they were]. hahahah
I have to admit, I think I would have preferred to have had a 'cast of characters' like he did with his original tetralogy, especially how it distinguished between 'real' and 'fictional' characters. He introduces enough characters and secondary characters in this book it would have been helpful to keep everybody straight.
I had forgotten that the Japanese had progressed as far as they in this series. They are barely mentioned at all, and in the first book it was easy to assume they were nothing more than glorified barbarians. When they [the Japanese] 'finally' do something to make a difference, it is almost anticlimactic .
I found myself almost wishing he would expand further upon the experiences of other people in additional books. I think he has created an interesting world, here, in these novels. He could really expand his 'universe' here and discuss things from the perspective of other people-groups. They would not have to be as long, per se, but I think he has a lot of potential. It would have been interesting to read some blurbs about the Japanese, or how others in Africa or South America were handling the Lizard colonization.
I have mixed emotions about the book. Some of it I liked. Some of it, I was 'meh' about. Other aspects were just stupid. I did get tired of his continual repeating of information as often as he did. At times, it almost felt like he was writing the story as a periodical for a magazine or something, in which case the constant repetition of information would make sense [due to the length of time between each published chapter], but he does not need to repeat himself as often as he does in the novel.
I did like how new friendships were formed between various humans and members of the alien Race. I thought he did a good job with those parts of the books. I especially liked how he described how Gorppet and Rance interacted with each other. Both males had served in their respective armed forces, and Rance was shocked to learn he and Gorppet experienced many similar emotions about commanding officers during the alien invasion. It helped provide Gorppet a more 'humane touch' and allowed Rance to identify better with Gorppet. These friendships were definitely some of the better aspects of the book that I enjoyed.
Sam Yeager's discovery at the end of the book is also anticlimactic.
Overall, I still enjoyed reading the book.
September 28, 2018
I have to admit that I'm conflicted about this book. That may be because I haven't read the Worldwar tetralogy or the first book in the Colonization trilogy. I also read this for another reading challenge; the prompt being to read a book with an author that has the same first or last name. Not too many authors out there with Harry as a first name.
The author, Harry Turtledove, uses an interesting method for writing the story, take actual history & spin it with a "what if" scenario. The Colonization trilogy deals with the interaction between human & alien after the Worldwar tetralogy. The two main plot lines in this book are the continuing attempts by the Race to subdue human resistance and the attempt by both human & Race to raise stolen offspring of the other to study how they would grow/mature with no contact from their origin species. There are also multiple subplots, the major one being an illicit trade in the spice ginger which affects the sexual mores of the Race.
Looks like I need to read other other books first to form a better opinion of this book.
The author, Harry Turtledove, uses an interesting method for writing the story, take actual history & spin it with a "what if" scenario. The Colonization trilogy deals with the interaction between human & alien after the Worldwar tetralogy. The two main plot lines in this book are the continuing attempts by the Race to subdue human resistance and the attempt by both human & Race to raise stolen offspring of the other to study how they would grow/mature with no contact from their origin species. There are also multiple subplots, the major one being an illicit trade in the spice ginger which affects the sexual mores of the Race.
Looks like I need to read other other books first to form a better opinion of this book.
December 26, 2018
VOTO INTERO CICLO DELLA COLONIZZAZIONE: 3
Decisamente meno riuscito del ciclo precedente, del quale costituisce il naturale prosieguo, soprattutto a causa del quarto libro, che è senza dubbio un tentativo molto mal riuscito di allungare inutilmente il brodo, andando a costituire un infelice concentrato di noia mortale. Assolutamente da evitare, dunque, a differenza dei primi due, che senza dubbio meriterebbero un voto migliore, se non fosse che la media generale viene abbassata drasticamente da una valutazione assolutamente negativa che attribuisco al capitolo conclusivo.
Interessanti alcune scelte narrative e la descrizione dello sviluppo sociologico degli alieni invasori, i quali vengono inevitabilmente influenzati dalla mentalità terreste,soprattutto di quei paesi indipendenti che sono riusciti a resistere all'invasione e a mantenere inviolati i propri confini.
Peccato per l'ultimo libro, conclusione maldestra e infelice di un ciclo senza il quale meriterebbe almeno di essere equiparato al precedente.
Decisamente meno riuscito del ciclo precedente, del quale costituisce il naturale prosieguo, soprattutto a causa del quarto libro, che è senza dubbio un tentativo molto mal riuscito di allungare inutilmente il brodo, andando a costituire un infelice concentrato di noia mortale. Assolutamente da evitare, dunque, a differenza dei primi due, che senza dubbio meriterebbero un voto migliore, se non fosse che la media generale viene abbassata drasticamente da una valutazione assolutamente negativa che attribuisco al capitolo conclusivo.
Interessanti alcune scelte narrative e la descrizione dello sviluppo sociologico degli alieni invasori, i quali vengono inevitabilmente influenzati dalla mentalità terreste,soprattutto di quei paesi indipendenti che sono riusciti a resistere all'invasione e a mantenere inviolati i propri confini.
Peccato per l'ultimo libro, conclusione maldestra e infelice di un ciclo senza il quale meriterebbe almeno di essere equiparato al precedente.
February 18, 2022
3.25 A relatively slow read with a few surprises along the way (no POV character mass die-off, but Turtledove keeps you guessing). Some of the plotlines were more interesting than others, especialyl the lizard-raising experiment. On the whole I would have liked more female voices and fewer surprise blowjobs for young men. Heck, fewer sex scenes would have been appreciated in general. The male to female POV character ratio is 10 to 5, but two of the women are lizards who share few female concerns so it's a bit worse actually.
The politics and extrapolation are spot on again and the style is easy and mostly enjoyable. There are a few moments we really get to enjoy the protagonists' little victories and the ideosyncracies of the lizards. Even knowing the titles of the next volumes I am not sure where this worldline is headed.
The politics and extrapolation are spot on again and the style is easy and mostly enjoyable. There are a few moments we really get to enjoy the protagonists' little victories and the ideosyncracies of the lizards. Even knowing the titles of the next volumes I am not sure where this worldline is headed.
August 30, 2025
Thought things were moving pretty slow in the sequel trilogy but it did end with a lot of bangs what with nuclear war devastating Nazi-occupied Europe. I bet people reading this when it came out found it unbelievable that even a dipshit fascist state led by two secret policemen in a row would commit national suicide seemingly out of pure squirrelliness. In 2025, I one hundred and fifty percent believe that.
Monique's was probably the most interesting plotline to me, though I also loved Nessereff and her alien cat. Plus Gorpet. Glad he managed to waltz out of that firefight with the ginger. None of the main cast dying in the large nuclear was seems like a bit of a mistake by ol' Turtledove. Noticed a theme of teens doing dumb stuff that seemed apropos for the 1960s and the stuff about the Lizards ecologically taking over the planet was really good.
Monique's was probably the most interesting plotline to me, though I also loved Nessereff and her alien cat. Plus Gorpet. Glad he managed to waltz out of that firefight with the ginger. None of the main cast dying in the large nuclear was seems like a bit of a mistake by ol' Turtledove. Noticed a theme of teens doing dumb stuff that seemed apropos for the 1960s and the stuff about the Lizards ecologically taking over the planet was really good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2019
Turrtledove, Harry. Down to Earth. Colonization No. 2. Del Rey, 2001.
The colonization effort by the alien “little scaly devils” has begun, but things are not going well for them. Their colonists expected to move into a completely pacified world, but instead, they encounter a world that is anything but pacified. Worse, the planet has a very addictive drug (ginger!) that threatens to disrupt their entire culture. Worse yet, the humans (a.k.a. big uglies) are threatening to start a nuclear war among themselves with a rapidly developing technology that the would-be conquerors have never experienced. You almost have to feel sorry for the poor aliens. Almost.
The colonization effort by the alien “little scaly devils” has begun, but things are not going well for them. Their colonists expected to move into a completely pacified world, but instead, they encounter a world that is anything but pacified. Worse, the planet has a very addictive drug (ginger!) that threatens to disrupt their entire culture. Worse yet, the humans (a.k.a. big uglies) are threatening to start a nuclear war among themselves with a rapidly developing technology that the would-be conquerors have never experienced. You almost have to feel sorry for the poor aliens. Almost.
July 19, 2020
A much quicker and smoother read than the first book in the series. Turtledove is better able to juggle the various characters and interweaving subplots while continuing to “world-build”. Now that all the setup is out of the way, the main drive(s) of the narrative occupy the reader’s attention. Yes, the writing is still a bit repetitive; yes, the cringeworthy sex scenes are still present (although some actually serve important plot functions, i.e zero gravity sex); yes, the characters are still a bit Two-dimensional (although I’m finally warming up to the alien characters). But still engaging and entertaining.
February 6, 2023
A sequel to the Worldwar series. It is the early 1960s, twenty years after a reptilian race tried to conquer Earth. The alien colonization fleet arrives. This brings native flora and fauna and the females of the Race. A truce enforced by nuclear weapons have been established. The main world powers are the United States, the Soviet Union, and the Greater German Reich (which still occupies Western Europe). The aliens occupy most of southern hemisphere dealing with insurrections in the Middle East and China. In this world technology is more advanced due to alien influence. There are plots and counter plot everywhere as human and aliens deal with situation. An engaging read.
January 28, 2020
Got to about page 462 and decided I no longer cared how this series ends. All the humans are racist and care more about their own petty, racial differences than defeating the alien invaders to the planet. The last sex scene I read was one too many, and was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
This isn’t the first Turtledove series I’ve abandoned because of the overwhelming, overt, shameless racism among the characters. However, it will be the last. I don’t see myself picking up any of his other books in the future. Count me as a fan lost.
This isn’t the first Turtledove series I’ve abandoned because of the overwhelming, overt, shameless racism among the characters. However, it will be the last. I don’t see myself picking up any of his other books in the future. Count me as a fan lost.
June 1, 2019
It was my fault to read the 2nd book in a trilogy first. Even accounting for that mistake, I could not get interested in this book. Sometimes the worst thing you can stay about a storyline is that it's one damn thing after another. Such was the case here for me. I feel bad because I've heard good things about Turtledove's writing. I won't be reading #1 or #3.
February 6, 2018
20 years post WWII and post alien invasion, the aliens have nuked the Nazi controlled Germany. If the rest of the human race continues to be hard to subdue, the aliens may have to do the same with all humanity.
How the rest of the world will respond will be in the next book.
How the rest of the world will respond will be in the next book.
August 5, 2018
Turtledove remains the king of alternative history, this time about what would happen if aliens invaded during WWII. As usual, a strong mix of the full range of humanity, from the most humble to the most power. An incredibly long read, but still leaves you wanting more.
November 8, 2022
I'm sorry to say this book doesnt move the story along very much until right near the end when it takes a very dramatic turn. I'd like to say that it takes an impobable turn but after what the human race has managed in real life historically it probably isnt that unbelievable.
October 3, 2017
Continua l'interessante ciclo!
May 18, 2018
7.5/10
624 pages
624 pages
August 14, 2018
Enjoyed if somewhat long winded
January 22, 2019
There are so many intersesting things in an alien invasion/colonization, but most of them are left behind.
When things happen they are kept hidden as much as possible.
When things happen they are kept hidden as much as possible.
June 4, 2019
Look, if you're still reading the series at this point (book 6 by my count), you know what you're in for.
Want to read
February 13, 2020New
July 5, 2020
I love this series. It’s now 20plus years later and Himler dies so the Germans go back to being the Germans. Not a good idea against superior aliens. What a great world Turtledove has created!!
September 13, 2020
Nice second book in the series. Lots of intrigue and machinations!
good progress of the characters.
good progress of the characters.
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