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Looking Glass #1
Into the Looking Glass
Baen now launches an exciting new science fiction adventure series by the New York Times best-selling author: When a 60-kiloton explosion destroyed the University of Central Florida, and much of the surrounding countryside, the authorities first thought that terrorists had somehow obtained a nuclear weapon. But there was no radiation detected, and, when physicist Dr. William Weaver and Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller were sent to investigate, they found that in the center of the destruction, where the University's physics department used to be, was an interdimensional gateway to . . . somewhere. An experiment in subatomic physics had produced a very unexpected effect. Furthermore, other gateways were appearing all over the world and one of them immediately began disgorging demonic visitors intent on annihilating all life on Earth and replacing it with their own. Other, apparently less hostile, aliens emerged from other gateways, and informed Weaver and Miller that the demonic invaders, the name for them that humans could most easily pronounce was the Dreen, were a deadly blight across the galaxy, occupying planet after planet after wiping out all native life; and now it would be Earth's turn, unless Weaver and Miller could find a way to close the gateways. If they failed, the less belligerent aliens would face the regrettable necessity of annihilating the entire Earth to save their own worlds. . . .
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
127 people are currently reading
1863 people want to read
About the author
John Ringo
101 books1,830 followersJohn Ringo is a prolific author who has written in a wide variety of genres. His early life included a great deal of travel. He visited 23 foreign countries, and attended fourteen different schools. After graduation Ringo enlisted in the US military for four years, after which he studied marine biology.
In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful. Since 2000 Ringo has been a full time author.
He has written science fiction, military fiction, and fantasy.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
In 1999 he wrote and published his first novel "A Hymn Before Battle", which proved successful. Since 2000 Ringo has been a full time author.
He has written science fiction, military fiction, and fantasy.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
February 2, 2009
The next time I move, I'm going to remember to not stick all of my books at the rear of the moving truck so I'm not reduced to reading things like this.
Just for funsies, take a look at the avatars of everyone else who has reviewed this book. Notice anything? Yeah, 90% of them are older bearded white men. I think that most accurately describes Ringo's target audience. Ringo writes like a man with many axes to grind. Against intellectuals, against the French, against the Saudis, against universities, against Massachusetts, against California- pretty much against everything that does not exist within the confines of the Hooters in Huntsville, Alabama. His heroes are Nietzschean supermen who solve quantum mechanics equations while shooting large caliber rifles at aliens from another dimension. His universes are so monochromatic that you'd think it'd be a crime to insert any ambiguous shades of gray. Everything exists in such stark black and white terms that there can be no internal conflict with his characters, there is never even the remotest option for one of his creations to surprise because they lack the imagination to even conceive of going against type.
That's my biggest complaint with these books. Disagreeable politics aside, everyone is just so flat and one dimensional that there is no possibility in being invested in their survival. There is more subtlety in a Michael Bay film than in these books. All the thrills come from reading of the different armaments the embattled humans use to pummel the aliens and that gets really old, really fast.
Just for funsies, take a look at the avatars of everyone else who has reviewed this book. Notice anything? Yeah, 90% of them are older bearded white men. I think that most accurately describes Ringo's target audience. Ringo writes like a man with many axes to grind. Against intellectuals, against the French, against the Saudis, against universities, against Massachusetts, against California- pretty much against everything that does not exist within the confines of the Hooters in Huntsville, Alabama. His heroes are Nietzschean supermen who solve quantum mechanics equations while shooting large caliber rifles at aliens from another dimension. His universes are so monochromatic that you'd think it'd be a crime to insert any ambiguous shades of gray. Everything exists in such stark black and white terms that there can be no internal conflict with his characters, there is never even the remotest option for one of his creations to surprise because they lack the imagination to even conceive of going against type.
That's my biggest complaint with these books. Disagreeable politics aside, everyone is just so flat and one dimensional that there is no possibility in being invested in their survival. There is more subtlety in a Michael Bay film than in these books. All the thrills come from reading of the different armaments the embattled humans use to pummel the aliens and that gets really old, really fast.
August 21, 2010
First I know this book isn't great literature that will probably shape the world... and I know when some of us give high ratings to "science fiction" books there are those who sneer and assume we simply "aren't in their league" when it comes to "critical reading"
Okay. Just so you know...I'm not "real bothered" by that.
No apologies, I liked this book. It's full of action, has good characters, is plausible within it's own reality (and since we're discussing quantum physics somewhat here why talk about real world logic anyway? [:)])
I read Ringo's Posleen War series, and I thought it took a downturn about the middle of said series. By the time it was "over" I was ready for it to be "over". (I think I like military science fiction a bit more than was aimed at there as there was an attempt to bring in more mainline science fiction themes that I thought went a little flat and just didn't work in that particular set of books. However, I'm not reviewing that series here.) I put off reading anything else by Ringo for a while after that. I have the opening book to the Cally's War Spinoff Series somewhere, but haven't read it yet. I happened to be in a situation where I wasn't getting to just sit and read today, so I downloaded the audio of "Into the Looking Glass" this morning...and finished up listening to it with barley a stop in one day.
I have debated whether to go 4 or 5 stars on this book. It is fast paced, and (I mention again)full of action. Admittedly I may like it more than say someone of a more....left wing political orientation or someone who is for example, anti-military, but then, this is Military Science Fiction. I won't use the review area to go into what I believe and what I think.. Just be aware going in that if that is your bent you may not enjoy this/these books as much as I did. Note I said "may not"...again, to each their own. Maybe you will enjoy them.. just giving a heads up.
That being said, this is top flight brain candy, a satisfying read, and appears to be the opening of a good series. I have reserved the next book at the library, but if it won't be in tomorrow, I plan to run to my closest book store and pick up the paperback of Vorpal Blade. (and move it ahead of the others I'm currently reading or getting ready to be "currently reading" :).) I hope they have it. It's listed on their web sight, but will it be in the store?
Tune in later and see.....
Good book, and since it's my review and my rating and it's totally subjective. 5 stars.
Okay. Just so you know...I'm not "real bothered" by that.
No apologies, I liked this book. It's full of action, has good characters, is plausible within it's own reality (and since we're discussing quantum physics somewhat here why talk about real world logic anyway? [:)])
I read Ringo's Posleen War series, and I thought it took a downturn about the middle of said series. By the time it was "over" I was ready for it to be "over". (I think I like military science fiction a bit more than was aimed at there as there was an attempt to bring in more mainline science fiction themes that I thought went a little flat and just didn't work in that particular set of books. However, I'm not reviewing that series here.) I put off reading anything else by Ringo for a while after that. I have the opening book to the Cally's War Spinoff Series somewhere, but haven't read it yet. I happened to be in a situation where I wasn't getting to just sit and read today, so I downloaded the audio of "Into the Looking Glass" this morning...and finished up listening to it with barley a stop in one day.
I have debated whether to go 4 or 5 stars on this book. It is fast paced, and (I mention again)full of action. Admittedly I may like it more than say someone of a more....left wing political orientation or someone who is for example, anti-military, but then, this is Military Science Fiction. I won't use the review area to go into what I believe and what I think.. Just be aware going in that if that is your bent you may not enjoy this/these books as much as I did. Note I said "may not"...again, to each their own. Maybe you will enjoy them.. just giving a heads up.
That being said, this is top flight brain candy, a satisfying read, and appears to be the opening of a good series. I have reserved the next book at the library, but if it won't be in tomorrow, I plan to run to my closest book store and pick up the paperback of Vorpal Blade. (and move it ahead of the others I'm currently reading or getting ready to be "currently reading" :).) I hope they have it. It's listed on their web sight, but will it be in the store?
Tune in later and see.....
Good book, and since it's my review and my rating and it's totally subjective. 5 stars.
April 11, 2010
I must heartily anti-recommend this book. The thesis is that a physics experiment gone awry has opened up a portal to another world. And then the portals start spawning all over the place. Unfortunately, some of them let evil aliens in that want to kill us all. So we have to fight back, largely by ratcheting up the kind of guns we attack with until we're nuking them and it's still not enough. Kind of interesting as a crisis. Not at all interesting in the execution.
The aliens are dull. There is no description of an interesting alien world, alien physiology, alien culture, alien psychology, or alien interactions. Our interactions are limited to one alien race trying to kill us, one race who betrays us, and one race who aids us -- all very human activities. Boring!
The physics in this book is ehhhh -- but it isn't a book about science. My first clue should have been the cover blurb, which says "Ringo excels in the depiction of combat!" Well, it's clear that combat is where he invested all of his effort (as opposed to, say, character development, plot, dialogue, etc.). I honestly don't care how many millimeters the bore is on a gun, and if I read the phrase "lay down lead" one more time, I'm going to throw up.
But let's just say that writing truly isn't John Ringo's strength. This is just one example that I think speaks for itself:
"Robin had squeezed into the door behind him and it was a sensation he thought he'd remember for the rest of his life, of watching mushroom clouds reaching for the troposphere, roiling and pregnant with evil, while two small but firm breasts pressed into his shoulder blades. He noticed that he was extremely horny."
The "him" referred to here is the main character, who aside from being obnoxiously arrogant, is also literally unbelievable. He is introduced on page 35 as having grown up "with a body that only required two hours of sleep a night, a mind like an adding machine and the energy level of a ferret on a pixie stick". If this kind of thing annoys you, stop there. Or better, earlier.
And someone PLEASE give John Ringo a bag of commas (or at least give them to his editor). He is a master of the run-on sentence.
The aliens are dull. There is no description of an interesting alien world, alien physiology, alien culture, alien psychology, or alien interactions. Our interactions are limited to one alien race trying to kill us, one race who betrays us, and one race who aids us -- all very human activities. Boring!
The physics in this book is ehhhh -- but it isn't a book about science. My first clue should have been the cover blurb, which says "Ringo excels in the depiction of combat!" Well, it's clear that combat is where he invested all of his effort (as opposed to, say, character development, plot, dialogue, etc.). I honestly don't care how many millimeters the bore is on a gun, and if I read the phrase "lay down lead" one more time, I'm going to throw up.
But let's just say that writing truly isn't John Ringo's strength. This is just one example that I think speaks for itself:
"Robin had squeezed into the door behind him and it was a sensation he thought he'd remember for the rest of his life, of watching mushroom clouds reaching for the troposphere, roiling and pregnant with evil, while two small but firm breasts pressed into his shoulder blades. He noticed that he was extremely horny."
The "him" referred to here is the main character, who aside from being obnoxiously arrogant, is also literally unbelievable. He is introduced on page 35 as having grown up "with a body that only required two hours of sleep a night, a mind like an adding machine and the energy level of a ferret on a pixie stick". If this kind of thing annoys you, stop there. Or better, earlier.
And someone PLEASE give John Ringo a bag of commas (or at least give them to his editor). He is a master of the run-on sentence.
March 28, 2017
While I rarely enjoy sci-fi, I found this listen to be quite worthy. I found the main characters interesting and worth caring about. I thought the story progressed well and I look forward to the follow-up, Vorpal Blade. 7 of 10 stars
February 20, 2010
Never let it be said that I don't give people second chances. After my unhappiness with the story buzz-killing politics found when I read his The Tuloriad, I decided to try John Ringo, straight up, to see if another novel of his might have more of the good stuff and less of the thud and blunder.
And so I picked up Into the Looking Glass, a completely different series and world, and unlike the Tulorian, written without a co-author.
The set up and the basic scenario are interesting and clever: A high energy particle accident opens up potential gates to other worlds. Through these gates come contacts of several different kinds, including a malevolent force intent on turning the Earth into more territory for itself by an endless churning out of units that reminded me of the Zerg in Starcraft.
A ragtag group of soldiers, a "redneck physicist" and others fight to keep the aliens off of our turf, make contact with friendly aliens, and try to keep a situation spiraling out of control from going completely off of the rails.
I liked the basic premise as far as it went. The strength of the basic premise allowed me enough forward momentum to continue the book. Although implausible, I liked the "battletech" prototype technology employed against the hostile aliens.
However, the negative aspects of the book outweigh the positives.
After a good opening, the second half of the movie drags and loses momentum. Ringo also leaves a lot of dangling plot threads that seem more sloppiness than setting up a sequel. And the out-of-nowhere epilogue with trying to build a star drive is one of the worst tacked on last portions of a book I've read since Ender's Game. It almost seems like to me that Ringo was writing the book to frantically get the plot and scenario to the situation where we get that star drive, but the book is too short to make it plausible. It's a leap too far.
Character development is implausible. Our physicist hero goes from never firing a gun to being an expert in a shockingly short amount of time. Other characters are flat, wooden and without personality. Also, the government response to "tuffy", an extra-dimensional alien that may literally be a manifestation of God, is implausible, at best.
Female characters are another problem in this book. Sure, the novel mainly focuses on soldiers and a military response to it, but the number of significant female characters is thin on the ground. I expect better in a modern SF novel.
Now the politics. I dislike novels which turn into political tracts and grist for the mill to promote a political viewpoint rather than an actual story.Into the Looking Glass takes pot shots at liberals and the French. However, what he has to say about Arabs made my blood boil. The schadenfreude the author and the characters seem to have at the plight of those in the path of a Gate in the Middle East disgusted me.
"Any word on what we we're going to do?" Bill asked.
"Well, the Teams are sitting back, watching the tube and laughing in their beer." Miller answered. "The Ayrabs (sic) can't fight for shit. There's a lot of cultural reasons for it...Wait a year and there won't be enough mujaheddin left on earth to bury the bodies...The ragheads will also see,clearly, what the U.S. can do if it cares enough to send the very best. Nuclear weapons rising where the mullahs cannot ignore them."
If I want to re-read an alien invasion novel, I will read Pournelle and Niven's Footfall. There are two authors, no liberals they, who understand how to write an alien invasion novel, make it believable, and not take every opportunity to score political points.
Sorry, Mr. Ringo, I'm done trying to read your work. Good luck in your future endeavors.
And so I picked up Into the Looking Glass, a completely different series and world, and unlike the Tulorian, written without a co-author.
The set up and the basic scenario are interesting and clever: A high energy particle accident opens up potential gates to other worlds. Through these gates come contacts of several different kinds, including a malevolent force intent on turning the Earth into more territory for itself by an endless churning out of units that reminded me of the Zerg in Starcraft.
A ragtag group of soldiers, a "redneck physicist" and others fight to keep the aliens off of our turf, make contact with friendly aliens, and try to keep a situation spiraling out of control from going completely off of the rails.
I liked the basic premise as far as it went. The strength of the basic premise allowed me enough forward momentum to continue the book. Although implausible, I liked the "battletech" prototype technology employed against the hostile aliens.
However, the negative aspects of the book outweigh the positives.
After a good opening, the second half of the movie drags and loses momentum. Ringo also leaves a lot of dangling plot threads that seem more sloppiness than setting up a sequel. And the out-of-nowhere epilogue with trying to build a star drive is one of the worst tacked on last portions of a book I've read since Ender's Game. It almost seems like to me that Ringo was writing the book to frantically get the plot and scenario to the situation where we get that star drive, but the book is too short to make it plausible. It's a leap too far.
Character development is implausible. Our physicist hero goes from never firing a gun to being an expert in a shockingly short amount of time. Other characters are flat, wooden and without personality. Also, the government response to "tuffy", an extra-dimensional alien that may literally be a manifestation of God, is implausible, at best.
Female characters are another problem in this book. Sure, the novel mainly focuses on soldiers and a military response to it, but the number of significant female characters is thin on the ground. I expect better in a modern SF novel.
Now the politics. I dislike novels which turn into political tracts and grist for the mill to promote a political viewpoint rather than an actual story.Into the Looking Glass takes pot shots at liberals and the French. However, what he has to say about Arabs made my blood boil. The schadenfreude the author and the characters seem to have at the plight of those in the path of a Gate in the Middle East disgusted me.
"Any word on what we we're going to do?" Bill asked.
"Well, the Teams are sitting back, watching the tube and laughing in their beer." Miller answered. "The Ayrabs (sic) can't fight for shit. There's a lot of cultural reasons for it...Wait a year and there won't be enough mujaheddin left on earth to bury the bodies...The ragheads will also see,clearly, what the U.S. can do if it cares enough to send the very best. Nuclear weapons rising where the mullahs cannot ignore them."
If I want to re-read an alien invasion novel, I will read Pournelle and Niven's Footfall. There are two authors, no liberals they, who understand how to write an alien invasion novel, make it believable, and not take every opportunity to score political points.
Sorry, Mr. Ringo, I'm done trying to read your work. Good luck in your future endeavors.
October 15, 2008
I love good science fiction. I can't call this good science fiction. Why? Perhaps it was the idea of the god-like neo-con physicist. Maybe it was the Americentric xenophobia. Then again, it could have been the constant vitriol the main characters express regarding the media or academia, or anybody who disagrees with his political values.
I like books that challenge the reader with different perspectives but this book doesn't challenge. It insults anybody who doesn't fall into step with the beliefs espoused throughout the story.
I like books that challenge the reader with different perspectives but this book doesn't challenge. It insults anybody who doesn't fall into step with the beliefs espoused throughout the story.
March 18, 2011
Into the Looking Glass by John Ringo is the first book in his Looking Glass series. When an accident in a physics lab at University of Central Florida causes a huge explosion, physicist William (Bill) Weaver and Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller are sent in to investigate. They discover that an experiment in subatomic physics has produced a gateway to another world - and the gateways are spreading.
This is military science fiction novel. Ringo adds some humor along with the science (and some parts were quite funny), but the star of this book is the military action. After the initial explosion the novel slowed down while the physics of the event were being explained, but the action soon took off at a breakneck pace.
Let me reiterate that this is military science fiction. If supporting the American military or the warrior culture of the military is going to offend you, don't read this book. It's pro-military. It's also science fiction, so, if (simplified) scientific explanations are going to confuse you, don't read this book. If neither the military nor science aspects are going to bother you, then by all means read Into the Looking Glass. (Additionally, keep in mind that the novel supports conservative political views.)
Ringo is not the best writer technically but then, that's not really what you'd be looking for in a military science fiction novel. He does deliver on the action and the battle scenes. I'm looking forward to reading the other three novels in this series sometime: Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by John Ringo; Manxome Foe (Looking Glass, Book 3) by Travis S. Taylor; Claws That Catch (Looking Glass, Book 4) by John Ringo
Highly Recommended - especially if you enjoy military science fiction. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
This is military science fiction novel. Ringo adds some humor along with the science (and some parts were quite funny), but the star of this book is the military action. After the initial explosion the novel slowed down while the physics of the event were being explained, but the action soon took off at a breakneck pace.
Let me reiterate that this is military science fiction. If supporting the American military or the warrior culture of the military is going to offend you, don't read this book. It's pro-military. It's also science fiction, so, if (simplified) scientific explanations are going to confuse you, don't read this book. If neither the military nor science aspects are going to bother you, then by all means read Into the Looking Glass. (Additionally, keep in mind that the novel supports conservative political views.)
Ringo is not the best writer technically but then, that's not really what you'd be looking for in a military science fiction novel. He does deliver on the action and the battle scenes. I'm looking forward to reading the other three novels in this series sometime: Vorpal Blade (Looking Glass, Book 2) by John Ringo; Manxome Foe (Looking Glass, Book 3) by Travis S. Taylor; Claws That Catch (Looking Glass, Book 4) by John Ringo
Highly Recommended - especially if you enjoy military science fiction. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
June 11, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book despite having low motivation to read it initially. It was an impulse selection because the book store didn't have the title I wanted.
This book is enthusiastic about America and her military, and the main character is a cynical misfit redneck. You may want to consider your stance on these things before reading.
Into the Looking Glass is not a story about personal growth or the plight of man kind. There is little to no introspection, and few reflections on morality. It is purely military sci-fi.
As a military sci fi I really enjoyed the book. Ringo does a pretty good job at explaining the physics of the world he creates, and tells an action packed story right up until the end. He describes combat in a kind of cool intense/nonchalant fashion that I think is pretty unique.
Ringo also mixes in enough discussion about physics and philosophy such that the book isn't pure pulp, I found myself pausing to think about what the characters were saying, and this is something that I really enjoy about reading.
I give this book 5 stars because when I put it down my reaction was "wow, this was a good book!."
This book is enthusiastic about America and her military, and the main character is a cynical misfit redneck. You may want to consider your stance on these things before reading.
Into the Looking Glass is not a story about personal growth or the plight of man kind. There is little to no introspection, and few reflections on morality. It is purely military sci-fi.
As a military sci fi I really enjoyed the book. Ringo does a pretty good job at explaining the physics of the world he creates, and tells an action packed story right up until the end. He describes combat in a kind of cool intense/nonchalant fashion that I think is pretty unique.
Ringo also mixes in enough discussion about physics and philosophy such that the book isn't pure pulp, I found myself pausing to think about what the characters were saying, and this is something that I really enjoy about reading.
I give this book 5 stars because when I put it down my reaction was "wow, this was a good book!."
April 12, 2013
Good idea ruined by TERRIBLE execution. Bad descriptions, plot points that end up being pointless, comma shotgunning, sudden leaps forward in time for no reason (usually right in the middle of a chapter), etc. It would not surprise me to find that the author works without an editor. Just goes to show you that "New York Times Bestseller" means nothing.
January 4, 2013
I’ve read quite a few books by John Ringo and I think it’s safe to say that I’ve liked pretty much all of them. This one however, I was not as thrilled about as I usually am. Now, it is quite probable that I am somewhat biased from the start.
The author makes frequent references to CERN and more specifically, is basing most of his story on the Higgs Boson. Since I am an engineer at CERN I’m somewhat sensitive to bullshit about these subjects and unfortunately John Ringo’s depiction of Higgs Bosons is indeed utter bullshit. Christ, he could not even get his basic facts rights. For instance, he talks about scientists trying to create Higgs Bosons, specifically, using linear accelerators. The CERN accelerator is a circular one. If you want to create science fiction then create it but do not rewrite known science and facts. It’s just ignorant not to mention arrogant towards the readers.
Okay, so now I’ve had my gripe about this. I understand that for a lot of people Higgs Bosons and CERN is mostly exotic terms and they probably do not have the bias that I have. The book is really still very much in the John Ringo style. The dialogs between people are fun as usual. The action is plentiful and fairly well done. At time I felt it went a bit too much into mysterious la-la land though. Still, if you generally like John Ringo and do not have the bias I have, then you would probably like this book as well. I'm afraid I cannot bring myself to give it more than a, barely, average rating though.
Having said that, although I wasn’t as thrilled with this one as I usually am with John Ringo’s works I will definitely read, at least, the next one in the series as well.
The author makes frequent references to CERN and more specifically, is basing most of his story on the Higgs Boson. Since I am an engineer at CERN I’m somewhat sensitive to bullshit about these subjects and unfortunately John Ringo’s depiction of Higgs Bosons is indeed utter bullshit. Christ, he could not even get his basic facts rights. For instance, he talks about scientists trying to create Higgs Bosons, specifically, using linear accelerators. The CERN accelerator is a circular one. If you want to create science fiction then create it but do not rewrite known science and facts. It’s just ignorant not to mention arrogant towards the readers.
Okay, so now I’ve had my gripe about this. I understand that for a lot of people Higgs Bosons and CERN is mostly exotic terms and they probably do not have the bias that I have. The book is really still very much in the John Ringo style. The dialogs between people are fun as usual. The action is plentiful and fairly well done. At time I felt it went a bit too much into mysterious la-la land though. Still, if you generally like John Ringo and do not have the bias I have, then you would probably like this book as well. I'm afraid I cannot bring myself to give it more than a, barely, average rating though.
Having said that, although I wasn’t as thrilled with this one as I usually am with John Ringo’s works I will definitely read, at least, the next one in the series as well.
March 29, 2009
I'd reccomend this book fr fans of military SF with low expectations. If a Cliff Notes version of a Tom Clancy novel was crossed with Heinlen's Starship Troopers, this is the kind of book you'd get.
October 19, 2022
A very enjoyable read, this series is quite good, and fairly unique. 2019 reread: So enjoyable.
January 11, 2023
Into the Looking Glass is a classic John Ringo “target rich environment” style novel with a lot of science fiction thrown in for good measure. The series begins with an explosion—nuclear in appearance but without the hard radiation. The explosion was triggered by a science experiment which is now generating “gates” that look like circular mirrors. These gates go to other worlds (and possibly to other universes) and they put the entire earth in jeopardy as some of those worlds are inhabited by hostile creatures.
The hero of the story is William Weaver, a physicist who gets caught up in the mess as the National Security Advisor’s point person in attempting to understand—and stop—what is happening. He’s a great character and lots of fun to follow as he arrives at the new gates as they appear and bad things start happening. My favorite part of the whole book is when a small National Guard detachment gets overrun by some aliens in Virginia or West Virginia and they put a call out over the radio for anyone with a gun to help them secure the gate. A whole group of gun collectors arrive and they are so very fun to watch trying out their favorite weapons on alien cannon fodder.
The problem for Weaver is that new gates keep opening and some have highly hostile beings behind them. So, Weaver has to figure out how to stop the gates from opening so that the earth (and every place beyond the earth that the newly appearing gates go) doesn’t get overrun. In doing so, he drops some nice science (I presume it’s real science) on the reader in digestible bites and even gets into a little (but not too much) philosophy. Best of all, he sets up a whole multiverse for future stories.
If you like books where the heroes get to shoot up the alien critters, you’re going to love Into the Looking Glass.
The hero of the story is William Weaver, a physicist who gets caught up in the mess as the National Security Advisor’s point person in attempting to understand—and stop—what is happening. He’s a great character and lots of fun to follow as he arrives at the new gates as they appear and bad things start happening. My favorite part of the whole book is when a small National Guard detachment gets overrun by some aliens in Virginia or West Virginia and they put a call out over the radio for anyone with a gun to help them secure the gate. A whole group of gun collectors arrive and they are so very fun to watch trying out their favorite weapons on alien cannon fodder.
The problem for Weaver is that new gates keep opening and some have highly hostile beings behind them. So, Weaver has to figure out how to stop the gates from opening so that the earth (and every place beyond the earth that the newly appearing gates go) doesn’t get overrun. In doing so, he drops some nice science (I presume it’s real science) on the reader in digestible bites and even gets into a little (but not too much) philosophy. Best of all, he sets up a whole multiverse for future stories.
If you like books where the heroes get to shoot up the alien critters, you’re going to love Into the Looking Glass.
March 10, 2022
Wow, okay. I expected it to be bad, but not quite this bad.
Plot: aliens come through gates created by an evil Asian scientist and army guys have to blow them up, that’s it. All problems in the whole book are solved by increasingly bigger bombs.
Other reviews will have you believe that this is a simpler book from a simpler time and that you shouldn’t expect “high literature,” all of which is certainly correct but fails to mention that it’s very bad even when judged by these lowered standards.
The closest thing to a plot twist in the book is telegraphed immediately beforehand from the point of view of the villains and the protagonists figure out what’s happening almost immediately. Then the diversion is canceled & it’s back to bombs.
The bad aliens have names like “dog aliens” and “horn-throwers” in addition to more high-faluting sci-fi fare like “mreee” and “titcher.”
At one point, the main character undergoes a kind of hallucination that gives him an excuse to explain the uncertainty principle, which is not relevant to anything, and then comes back from his vision trip with the revelation that what they need to beat the aliens is an even larger bomb. Crazy stuff.
You need to know about guns & military equipment. Everything is named & never described. Otherwise, it’s a dog alien or a rhino alien or a spider alien or an alien that looks like a centipede.
Anyway, that’s not really why some people like this book much more than they should, or less than you think they might. That reason is, you guessed it, politics.
Good ole boy rednecks are the saviors of the human race, and reporters are subhuman trash. Mountain biking and cold beers are good, studying or doing math on paper is for nerdy losers, and that’s from the main character who has like, 30 PhDs.
The culture war is fought on all fronts here and enduring it only gets more interminable as the pages go on. It starts with something harmless, like William Weaver, PhD, PhD, PhD thinking about how she would never work or study at MIT because it’s in the ‘peoples republic of Massachusetts’, or a good ole boy giving a female reporter “his very best ‘I know you think I’m a male chauvinist and I just don’t care’ smile” (p175) and then descends into some full-blown and very concerning racism and jingoism. To wit:
“We’re looking at multiple worlds that are available for colonization. Sure, so far there haven’t been many that have been worth much and the US isn’t really interested in getting rid of surplus population. But if we can figure out how to steer some of these things to India and China…” (p143)
“The Ayrabs can’t fight for shit. There’s a lot of cultural reasons for it, some of it pretty complex, but it’s true . . . They’re pouring fighters in like water, just the sort of bastards that run around sniping at our troops, blowing up innocent Israeli civilians and flying jetliners into our skyscrapers . . . The ragheads will also see, clearly, what the US can do if it cares enough to send the very best. Nuclear weapons rising where the mullahs cannot ignore them. I suspect that they’re going to have a slightly different view of the ‘Great Satan’ after we carefully drop nukes so they miss Mecca and Medina . . . I think they ought to drop one on Tigris and Fallujah while they’re about it, but nobody ever asks me.” (P347)
I skipped a lot (mostly busty redheads, reporter shaming, & anti-science sentiment from the main character, a scientist) but hopefully you can see where I’m going. A lot of “it’s all in good fun, the redneck boys get to try out their big guns on some aliens and they don’t feel bad because they’re just aliens” (paraphrasing a real line from the book) that then descends into this myopic genocidal fantasy against Islam, “Ayrabs” in “Ashkanistan” (the word Afghanistan is never mentioned, but Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, etc all are) and so on.
At the end of the book, Weaver thinks he might start a private space travel company because NASA is obviously incompetent - due to its government affiliations, of course.
So, sure, the misanthropic libertarian bent of the book definitely rubs me the wrong way, especially when you can practically hear the author begging for nukes falling over the Middle East, but even if I were pro-genocide, the meat of the book just sucks. There isn’t even that much combat. There’s a cool scene near the beginning where they’re holed up in a house, but after that it’s all just really big explosions, busty redheads, and a painful lack of understanding of global politics.
Worse, much worse, than my expected low bar. I shouldn’t have even written this review, but somebody needs to be out here warning people: it’s not worth it. You have so much left to look forward to. Read the Expanse instead. Or at least Starship Troopers. Even fascist sci-fi has a higher low bar.
Plot: aliens come through gates created by an evil Asian scientist and army guys have to blow them up, that’s it. All problems in the whole book are solved by increasingly bigger bombs.
Other reviews will have you believe that this is a simpler book from a simpler time and that you shouldn’t expect “high literature,” all of which is certainly correct but fails to mention that it’s very bad even when judged by these lowered standards.
The closest thing to a plot twist in the book is telegraphed immediately beforehand from the point of view of the villains and the protagonists figure out what’s happening almost immediately. Then the diversion is canceled & it’s back to bombs.
The bad aliens have names like “dog aliens” and “horn-throwers” in addition to more high-faluting sci-fi fare like “mreee” and “titcher.”
At one point, the main character undergoes a kind of hallucination that gives him an excuse to explain the uncertainty principle, which is not relevant to anything, and then comes back from his vision trip with the revelation that what they need to beat the aliens is an even larger bomb. Crazy stuff.
You need to know about guns & military equipment. Everything is named & never described. Otherwise, it’s a dog alien or a rhino alien or a spider alien or an alien that looks like a centipede.
Anyway, that’s not really why some people like this book much more than they should, or less than you think they might. That reason is, you guessed it, politics.
Good ole boy rednecks are the saviors of the human race, and reporters are subhuman trash. Mountain biking and cold beers are good, studying or doing math on paper is for nerdy losers, and that’s from the main character who has like, 30 PhDs.
The culture war is fought on all fronts here and enduring it only gets more interminable as the pages go on. It starts with something harmless, like William Weaver, PhD, PhD, PhD thinking about how she would never work or study at MIT because it’s in the ‘peoples republic of Massachusetts’, or a good ole boy giving a female reporter “his very best ‘I know you think I’m a male chauvinist and I just don’t care’ smile” (p175) and then descends into some full-blown and very concerning racism and jingoism. To wit:
“We’re looking at multiple worlds that are available for colonization. Sure, so far there haven’t been many that have been worth much and the US isn’t really interested in getting rid of surplus population. But if we can figure out how to steer some of these things to India and China…” (p143)
“The Ayrabs can’t fight for shit. There’s a lot of cultural reasons for it, some of it pretty complex, but it’s true . . . They’re pouring fighters in like water, just the sort of bastards that run around sniping at our troops, blowing up innocent Israeli civilians and flying jetliners into our skyscrapers . . . The ragheads will also see, clearly, what the US can do if it cares enough to send the very best. Nuclear weapons rising where the mullahs cannot ignore them. I suspect that they’re going to have a slightly different view of the ‘Great Satan’ after we carefully drop nukes so they miss Mecca and Medina . . . I think they ought to drop one on Tigris and Fallujah while they’re about it, but nobody ever asks me.” (P347)
I skipped a lot (mostly busty redheads, reporter shaming, & anti-science sentiment from the main character, a scientist) but hopefully you can see where I’m going. A lot of “it’s all in good fun, the redneck boys get to try out their big guns on some aliens and they don’t feel bad because they’re just aliens” (paraphrasing a real line from the book) that then descends into this myopic genocidal fantasy against Islam, “Ayrabs” in “Ashkanistan” (the word Afghanistan is never mentioned, but Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, etc all are) and so on.
At the end of the book, Weaver thinks he might start a private space travel company because NASA is obviously incompetent - due to its government affiliations, of course.
So, sure, the misanthropic libertarian bent of the book definitely rubs me the wrong way, especially when you can practically hear the author begging for nukes falling over the Middle East, but even if I were pro-genocide, the meat of the book just sucks. There isn’t even that much combat. There’s a cool scene near the beginning where they’re holed up in a house, but after that it’s all just really big explosions, busty redheads, and a painful lack of understanding of global politics.
Worse, much worse, than my expected low bar. I shouldn’t have even written this review, but somebody needs to be out here warning people: it’s not worth it. You have so much left to look forward to. Read the Expanse instead. Or at least Starship Troopers. Even fascist sci-fi has a higher low bar.
October 5, 2015
What a fun, fast read. I quite enjoyed it. It was well paced, I found the storyline interesting and the characters engaging even if they were kinda shallow. I did think the characters were a little naive in their dealings with meeting new, sentient races. I just don't see us being that trusting.
This story very much had the feel of Ringo's other books I've read where there is a war amongst alien races that we are suddenly thrust into. The difference being in how the initial contact is made. And once again powered mechanical battle suits make a prominent appearance. I was initially a little skeptical about how things were going to progress. There seemed to be quite a few characters introduced early on, but it sorted itself out well pretty quickly and the characters weren't hard to keep track of. The rather break-neck pace kept me turning pages to see what happened next.
My vision of Weaver is Doc Travis, Travis Taylor, from 3 Scientists Walk Into a Bar. Most of the characters weren't well fleshed out, but there was enough there to become involved in their little stories. Weaver and Miller were the only two that had much depth, and Miller wasn't all that much. I would have liked some more on the Mreee aliens, I thought they were rather interesting.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
The eBook was formatted well it just a couple of minor spelling mistakes. Thanks to the Baen Free Library and the Baen Free Promotional CD's.
This story very much had the feel of Ringo's other books I've read where there is a war amongst alien races that we are suddenly thrust into. The difference being in how the initial contact is made. And once again powered mechanical battle suits make a prominent appearance. I was initially a little skeptical about how things were going to progress. There seemed to be quite a few characters introduced early on, but it sorted itself out well pretty quickly and the characters weren't hard to keep track of. The rather break-neck pace kept me turning pages to see what happened next.
My vision of Weaver is Doc Travis, Travis Taylor, from 3 Scientists Walk Into a Bar. Most of the characters weren't well fleshed out, but there was enough there to become involved in their little stories. Weaver and Miller were the only two that had much depth, and Miller wasn't all that much. I would have liked some more on the Mreee aliens, I thought they were rather interesting.
I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
The eBook was formatted well it just a couple of minor spelling mistakes. Thanks to the Baen Free Library and the Baen Free Promotional CD's.
September 30, 2011
An experiment gone wrong opens a gate to another dimension. Pretty soon more gates start to open. Mayhem ensues as evil demonspawn aliens pour through some of the gates and try to colonize by exterminating those pesky humans. Hot shot physicist, renaissance man and generally cool guy Bill Weaver teams up with some Navy Seals to figure things out and contain the threat.
As can be expected with Ringo, there’s a lot of action, all of it good and exciting. However, the books does get bogged down in the physics of it all. The writer has painted himself into a corner here. The gates and their function are pretty pivotal to the story, but the explanations required for that angle are yawn inducing, getting in the way of the action. Note that quantum physics actually interests me but that is not why I read the book. Still, if you enjoy Ringo, don’t let that stand in your way. Plenty of kick-ass action as well as a not so veiled ringing endorsement of Bush and his administration.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1182
As can be expected with Ringo, there’s a lot of action, all of it good and exciting. However, the books does get bogged down in the physics of it all. The writer has painted himself into a corner here. The gates and their function are pretty pivotal to the story, but the explanations required for that angle are yawn inducing, getting in the way of the action. Note that quantum physics actually interests me but that is not why I read the book. Still, if you enjoy Ringo, don’t let that stand in your way. Plenty of kick-ass action as well as a not so veiled ringing endorsement of Bush and his administration.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1182
June 12, 2011
John Ringo can do better. The plot McGuffin is nice, and provides a better introduction to the premise than most alien invasion books. However relying on another McGuffin to save the earth, and yet another to set up the sequel, is being lazy as an author. Did somebody plot themselves into a corner?
The touches of humour rescue the book from being a 1950's style bug eyed monster book. But even with this the entire cast has a two dimensional quality and the intrepid jack of all trades scientist who can continually reach solutions by cobbling a new device together from three pieces of string and a toaster (OK I am exaggerating here, but not by much), and his fearless soldier bodyguard/companion does come straight from central casting.
The standard of writing is very good. I don't think John Ringo could produce a badly written book if he tried. Yet though an enjoyable read and a keeper, it is a disappointment, purely because I know it could have been so much more.
The touches of humour rescue the book from being a 1950's style bug eyed monster book. But even with this the entire cast has a two dimensional quality and the intrepid jack of all trades scientist who can continually reach solutions by cobbling a new device together from three pieces of string and a toaster (OK I am exaggerating here, but not by much), and his fearless soldier bodyguard/companion does come straight from central casting.
The standard of writing is very good. I don't think John Ringo could produce a badly written book if he tried. Yet though an enjoyable read and a keeper, it is a disappointment, purely because I know it could have been so much more.
August 13, 2014
*Warning, maybe a few minor spoilers but nothing more than it is in synopses*
Sure, characters are one dimensional, sure it's so pro-american, pro-militaristic, anti-french, anti-islam, pro-guns. But at the other side it is nerds wet dream. Americans are living American dream and all of the sudden evil Asian-American scientist doing something Godfearing Americans weren't supposed to do creates huge boson generator. And destroying small town in the process. Bosons in this universe make wormholes and evil Zerg-like/Tyranid-like alians come to destroy 'Murica. But there are Godfearing aliens who give a little help and American SEAL's save the planet. Oh and leave Middle East to get eaten by same aliens. If you can ignore some really nasty undertone philosophy this is a fun read just for sci-fi shout outs. Just don't take too seriously.
Sure, characters are one dimensional, sure it's so pro-american, pro-militaristic, anti-french, anti-islam, pro-guns. But at the other side it is nerds wet dream. Americans are living American dream and all of the sudden evil Asian-American scientist doing something Godfearing Americans weren't supposed to do creates huge boson generator. And destroying small town in the process. Bosons in this universe make wormholes and evil Zerg-like/Tyranid-like alians come to destroy 'Murica. But there are Godfearing aliens who give a little help and American SEAL's save the planet. Oh and leave Middle East to get eaten by same aliens. If you can ignore some really nasty undertone philosophy this is a fun read just for sci-fi shout outs. Just don't take too seriously.
May 7, 2021
My favourite story by Ringo. It has interesting speculative science, and just hits all the right notes for an exciting story. Wish the sequels had been more focused on the original premise, which felt more like Starship Troopers jumping through dimensional gates to go fight the enemy. Not that the sequels are not fun, they are. They just go in a different direction to the first book.
November 14, 2024
This reads like smut for that one guy that you know who owns way too many airsoft guns and says "oorah" unironically. Even with the absurd amount of sensual descriptions of the various calibers of ammunition or impressive barrel lengths, I ended up having a good time reading it.
If you want to feel like one of those Facebook gifs that shows a pickup truck with a skeleton in the drivers seat holding up both middle fingers while an eagle sores overhead in a sky that is actually one big American flag and the bottom text says "just try and fucking take it, liberal!", then this book is for you.
If you want to feel like one of those Facebook gifs that shows a pickup truck with a skeleton in the drivers seat holding up both middle fingers while an eagle sores overhead in a sky that is actually one big American flag and the bottom text says "just try and fucking take it, liberal!", then this book is for you.
July 7, 2018
This book is exactly what it promises to be - a fast-reading science fiction thriller. The cover shows you exactly what to expect and Mr. Ringo does a good job of keeping the action going. Nicely it is also reasonably clean, there is some swearing and lots of aliens die, but there are no torture or rape scenes which seem to abound in more “serious” books.
January 20, 2025
"Into the Looking Glass" is the 1st book in a series by John Ringo but it stands alone as a pretty good SciFi novel and military fiction since most of the characters are Marines or part of the military side of government. There is some physics involved and the author admits that he may have some of this wrong. (He also admits that he purposefully misleads the reader at times, presumably so that the reader won't attempt to make an atomic bomb at home. Sheesh! Like I'm going to try that one. :-) )
The story: It begins with a very large explosion that looks like an atomic bomb went off but there is no radiation... at least nothing that would be expected from an atomic bomb. Then a frantic phone call to 911 lets you know that it is not only explosions that are bursting out around the globe.
Any problems with the novel? It reads smoothly but toward the end of the book, the situation gets hairy and people start cursing. The F-word is used a few times so brace yourself. When people are under severe stress they tend to curse.
Sex is implied but not described.
There is lots of violence... icky, bloody, bone-crunching violence. Just so you know. It didn't make me sick or anything. If you've read any number of horror fantasy novels you've read worse... a lot worse. For example: I'm currently reading Symbiont by Mira Grant. That book is a lot more violent and bloody. It's also fairly good writing... mostly.
There is an overall tongue-in-cheek tone to the book that seems to be a trademark of Ringo's work. I like it, but if that is a problem for you, then it's a problem.
The book has a satisfying ending with no real cliffhangers but he leaves plenty of room for a sequel and in fact that sequel is "Vorpal Blade". I've started it but I'm just about at the end of Symbiont so I may finish that one up first.
I'd read this book again. Definitely.
The story: It begins with a very large explosion that looks like an atomic bomb went off but there is no radiation... at least nothing that would be expected from an atomic bomb. Then a frantic phone call to 911 lets you know that it is not only explosions that are bursting out around the globe.
Any problems with the novel? It reads smoothly but toward the end of the book, the situation gets hairy and people start cursing. The F-word is used a few times so brace yourself. When people are under severe stress they tend to curse.
Sex is implied but not described.
There is lots of violence... icky, bloody, bone-crunching violence. Just so you know. It didn't make me sick or anything. If you've read any number of horror fantasy novels you've read worse... a lot worse. For example: I'm currently reading Symbiont by Mira Grant. That book is a lot more violent and bloody. It's also fairly good writing... mostly.
There is an overall tongue-in-cheek tone to the book that seems to be a trademark of Ringo's work. I like it, but if that is a problem for you, then it's a problem.
The book has a satisfying ending with no real cliffhangers but he leaves plenty of room for a sequel and in fact that sequel is "Vorpal Blade". I've started it but I'm just about at the end of Symbiont so I may finish that one up first.
I'd read this book again. Definitely.
February 9, 2015
My Rating Scale:
1 Star - Horrible book, It was so bad I stopped reading it. I have not read the whole book and wont
2 Star - Bad book, I forced myself to finish it and do NOT recommend. I can't believe I read it once
3 Star - Average book, Was entertaining but nothing special. No plans to ever re-read
4 Star - Good Book, Was a really good book and I would recommend. I am Likely to re-read this book
5 Star - GREAT book, A great story and well written. I can't wait for the next book. I Will Re-Read this one or more times.
Times Read: 1
I was hoping for more and was not prepared for a mediocre book. As a fan of the Troy Rising trilogy, I was let down by this first book of the Looking Glass series. I wanted a book of the same level and quality but found that this book was just an average attempt at a story.
Characters - The characters are poorly developed. You never feel love or hate of the characters (even the world threatening ones don't create an emotional reaction). I never once felt connected to any of the characters. The characters felt 2 dimensional (flat).
Story - The story was not very original. This story has been done before and done better. I think Ringo could have done more with this story and made you at least connect with the good or bad guys. There were some twists and some original ideas but not enough to increase my opinion past average.
Overall - An average book. If you haven't read hundreds of fantasy or sci-fi books you may like this, otherwise you may find this book a little too average.
1 Star - Horrible book, It was so bad I stopped reading it. I have not read the whole book and wont
2 Star - Bad book, I forced myself to finish it and do NOT recommend. I can't believe I read it once
3 Star - Average book, Was entertaining but nothing special. No plans to ever re-read
4 Star - Good Book, Was a really good book and I would recommend. I am Likely to re-read this book
5 Star - GREAT book, A great story and well written. I can't wait for the next book. I Will Re-Read this one or more times.
Times Read: 1
I was hoping for more and was not prepared for a mediocre book. As a fan of the Troy Rising trilogy, I was let down by this first book of the Looking Glass series. I wanted a book of the same level and quality but found that this book was just an average attempt at a story.
Characters - The characters are poorly developed. You never feel love or hate of the characters (even the world threatening ones don't create an emotional reaction). I never once felt connected to any of the characters. The characters felt 2 dimensional (flat).
Story - The story was not very original. This story has been done before and done better. I think Ringo could have done more with this story and made you at least connect with the good or bad guys. There were some twists and some original ideas but not enough to increase my opinion past average.
Overall - An average book. If you haven't read hundreds of fantasy or sci-fi books you may like this, otherwise you may find this book a little too average.
December 13, 2010
87 out of 100 for 2010
My first John Ringo novel; I'm trying to make my mind up about it. Although marketed as 'military SF,' the main character is a physicist/government contractor who's a poster child for jingoistic conservatism. However, the novel is funny as hell in many spots (rednecks hold off a horde of alien invaders when the Army can't), and I wound up, for the most part, caught up in the story line. Someone likened this novel to Tom Clancy because of the action, and, to some extent I see the comparison (Clancy is an author I like whose politics I disagree with), but Ringo isn't close to the same league Clancy is in when it comes to writing action. I'll read another novel or two of his to see; as I said, it's not the politics I resist, and the humor made me want to read more, but there were some times when the story bogged.
This novel is the classic 'bug shoot,' as opposed to military SF, a genre I take seriously. Maybe I was expecting too much.
My first John Ringo novel; I'm trying to make my mind up about it. Although marketed as 'military SF,' the main character is a physicist/government contractor who's a poster child for jingoistic conservatism. However, the novel is funny as hell in many spots (rednecks hold off a horde of alien invaders when the Army can't), and I wound up, for the most part, caught up in the story line. Someone likened this novel to Tom Clancy because of the action, and, to some extent I see the comparison (Clancy is an author I like whose politics I disagree with), but Ringo isn't close to the same league Clancy is in when it comes to writing action. I'll read another novel or two of his to see; as I said, it's not the politics I resist, and the humor made me want to read more, but there were some times when the story bogged.
This novel is the classic 'bug shoot,' as opposed to military SF, a genre I take seriously. Maybe I was expecting too much.
June 24, 2012
Another great start to a series by Ringo, along with Travis Taylor.
An experiment gone wrong destroys most of Orlando and opens a portal to
another world. It also spins off other portals that soon attract the kind
of attention that Earth wishes they wouldn't. The aliens use biotech and
hope to add the biomass of our planet, which they ruthlessly convert to
their own, to their Empire. A space scientist and a Navy SEAL are called
upon to combat the aliens, while Earth tries to bootstrap itself into the
future to deal with a coming invasion like they have never imagined. Very
good military science fiction.
An experiment gone wrong destroys most of Orlando and opens a portal to
another world. It also spins off other portals that soon attract the kind
of attention that Earth wishes they wouldn't. The aliens use biotech and
hope to add the biomass of our planet, which they ruthlessly convert to
their own, to their Empire. A space scientist and a Navy SEAL are called
upon to combat the aliens, while Earth tries to bootstrap itself into the
future to deal with a coming invasion like they have never imagined. Very
good military science fiction.
September 24, 2013
What a relief to find a book that delivers exactly what it promises: solid alien-invasion military sci-fi. I have stayed away from military sci-fi till now, only because I am not into reading about battle plans and troop formations. I am very happy to admit this was a very misguided attitude on my part because I enjoyed this book very thoroughly- the characters, the eye-glazing science, the cool aliens and the brave ventures into theology- it's all good. I have discovered a new author and, possibly a whole new genre to read. For a book junkie, it doesn't get any better than that.
March 16, 2016
I love John Ringos books, but this one was a little too 'lucky' and not enough hard work. There were beautiful and terrible moments in this book series. Yet the characters seemed to fall into lucky situations that didn't let me immerse myself in the series like I was with other series.
May 10, 2020
I accidentally checked the audiobook out on RBDigital so I decided to listen to it. It was okay but nothing to rave about. Another Sci-fi book that uses alien insectoids that give earthly insects a bad rap. But it had some interesting technology/space portals stuff in it.
April 26, 2025
First read this when I was younger, maybe 13, and thought it was awesome, a lot of fighting aliens with big guns. I recently learned it was a series, so decided to pick it up again to give it a try. I remember the premise being interesting, so why not?
What a difference 20 years makes in my views of what is considered good. The premise of the book is still interesting, but the execution is very poor, the science is deplorable, the characters are shallow and the plot can be boiled down to: shoot aliens.
If that is your thing then more power to you. I personally read a wide range of sci-fi, from hard sci-fi to sci-fi that the science is completely wrong and unbelievable but the characters are engaging and the story is fun that I'm along for the ride anyway.
This has none of those redeeming qualities. The guns have more focus put on them than the plot or the characters (characters an all-encompassing term referring also to the various alien races.) The book seems to be empty of anything but the author's own political ideals, sexism, racism and just genuine unpleasantness couched in a sci-fi genre.
If you're looking for a good military or invasion book, you will be sadly disappointed, and potentially offended.
What a difference 20 years makes in my views of what is considered good. The premise of the book is still interesting, but the execution is very poor, the science is deplorable, the characters are shallow and the plot can be boiled down to: shoot aliens.
If that is your thing then more power to you. I personally read a wide range of sci-fi, from hard sci-fi to sci-fi that the science is completely wrong and unbelievable but the characters are engaging and the story is fun that I'm along for the ride anyway.
This has none of those redeeming qualities. The guns have more focus put on them than the plot or the characters (characters an all-encompassing term referring also to the various alien races.) The book seems to be empty of anything but the author's own political ideals, sexism, racism and just genuine unpleasantness couched in a sci-fi genre.
If you're looking for a good military or invasion book, you will be sadly disappointed, and potentially offended.
December 9, 2020
Knihu som si kupoval viacmenej naslepo, zaujala ma hlavne obálka, no kúpu vôbec neľutujem. Knihu som zhltol za pár dní, čo je u mňa anomáliou. Téma ma neskutočne zaujala, boje s mimozemskými bytosťami boli vždy mojou šálkou kávy, a celkový námet bol skvelý. Kniha bola aj napriek odborným pasážam ľahko čitateľná a vtipných hlášok bolo taktiež dostatok. Občas mi však prekážala príliš častá zmena tempa, keď po nadupanej akčnej časti, kedy chcete aby sa dej ešte viac vyhrotil, príde 50 stranové opisovanie a obkecávanie. Taktiež sa mi nepáčili časti, keď autor podľa mňa zbytočne vysvetľoval na 4 stranách, prečo má úplne nedôležitá vedľajšia postava, ktorá sa v knihe objavila len na chvíľu, prezývku "bombarďák" a pod. Tieto veci sú jediným dôvodom, prečo hodnoteniu uberiem 1 hviezdičku. Ale uvažoval som nad tým veľmi dlho a nevedel som sa rozhodnúť, či dať 5 alebo 4 hviezdičky, no ak by sa dalo, dal by som 4,5. Možno aj 4,7 ak by sa dalo hodnotiť ešte presnejšie :D Inak to bolo skvelé, a teším sa na čítanie ďalších častí. Všetky ma už čakajú na políčke.
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