5 stars. Yes, I've mentioned before it's a conundrum to rate a NSS book - based on his previous works I might have considered a mere 4 stars for this book - but it's just not fair to rate these based on ONLY his stuff and not against everything else I read. Bottom-line: it doesn't get much better than this.
Full confession: ok, I pre-order HD7 and started on it pretty much the moment it downloaded... and then stopped. You see, I've read a lot of books and a lot of NSS books since part VI was released and my brain was confuddling up some of the details. I knew when I was wondering where the VX99 creatures were and why we weren't in NYC that something was off, so I'm glad I back-tracked a tad. And I mean: come on. What harm does it do to go back and revisit a favorite book?
Having said that, this book is just amazeballs. You will literally read the last 100 pages or so without pausing for bodily functions, important rendevouses, or anything else. In his true unique fashion, NSS has put together a THRILLING, multi-layered and extremely emotionally charged tale that will shake you, bake you and perhaps even break you before you're done. It's that much fun.
With that in mind, I will say that on my own 'NSS scale' this is not my favorite book of his, nor is it the best in the long-surviving Hell Divers series. It is amazingly good, don't get me wrong. But by now, not all of the characters are the ones that I've grown to know, love and then lose along the way. And to be honest, things do occasionally come across as a bit formulaic and even soppy with the repeated 'I only did this because I love you, our child and humanity' revelations. But by golly, it's a formula that works. Seriously, no one else quite throws up so much in the air and still manages to juggle it successfully like NSS. Sure, there are some unexplained and open things that happen throughout (and even a couple of glaring grammatical hiccups that the editorial staff seemed to glaze over for around a chapter or two). But damn, if this doesn't get your heart rate going, well, you may already have had a large sword driven through your sternum.
Old fans of NSS: you will love this, salute this and embrace this book; New fans of NSS: you will be amazed that anything else you've read before just can't compare to what this guy brings to the table with his writing. Everyone else.... I just can't even look at you right now. Call me again after you read these books!
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the 'Extinction Cycle' series that I was 3 or 4 books into before this release so RUDELY interupted me. Enjoy!