What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Starstrike
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SOLVED: Adult Fiction > SOLVED. Sci-fi - Alien uses humans to fight other aliens + bug aliens go mad with lust [s]

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message 1: by Jesse (last edited Jun 01, 2009 06:38PM) (new)

Jesse (sunday) | 6 comments Alright, here's what I remember:

1. There are two alien races apparently striving for political dominance. One of these is very bug like, perhaps locust-like. This bug civilization endures a wild, crazy phase similiar to the Vulcan Pon-farr mating deal every 'x' amount of years. The other non-bug race is represented by a single sneaky chap who takes advantage of the bug's mass insanity by executing a military plan of his own against them when they can least afford to combat it. He does this by...

2. ...making first contact with humans, who he has been studying from afar and admiring their ingenuity and tenacious warring and tactical abilities, and makes them "ooh" and "ahh" over his advanced technology. He gathers up a large multinational group of specialists & military folks (a US woman is put in charge -- there's also a co-leader, a Russian tank commander with horror stories from his battle-strewn past -- and a data/hacker type individual also comes to mind, who later cracks the aliens computers). The alien teaches some (but not all) of his technology while also trying a social experiment on the side by giving every human skin tight uniforms which hide nothing (*cough* strictly scientific, I'm sure *cough*). What he doesn't count on is the rapidity which the humans learn his tech, execute training runs, and how they hide their full knowledge of just how susceptible he is to them should the deal go sour.

3. I never finished, but what I did read was around 1997 or 1998. It was a ramshackle paperback which looked like it could have been published during the early 90's (it didn't seem like a major title, just another genre piece).

4. The cover presented a woman striking that sci-fi *pose* (you know the one, where they hold a gun or something to their chest, one leg slightly ahead and up of the other, and give you ever-so-squinty-eyed "yes, I am a fine specimen of sci-fi badassery" look). Her hair might be blowing a little. The cover text was a lighter color (orange-ish, tan, golden) against a darker backing, possibly a starry expanse above a planet. A think a ship of some sort flies in the background and to her left. But don't count that last thought as a certainty. :S

5. Age range is adult, as there is sexually explicit and violent war imagery depicted (particularly when the mating mania hits the bug aliens).

6. Oh! And there is one individual bug alien (with some degree of political authority) who contemplates the craziness his people succumb to, and also realizes (too late) that the other alien is mounting his attack just at the worst time when no one is thinking straight, and he tries desperately to control himself and regain some semblance of a sound mind in the midst of his people's biologic chaos, but he too eventually gives in.



Lol...Naruto Rocks! (Katelyn, Haku.) Is it the Animorph series????


message 3: by Jesse (new)

Jesse (sunday) | 6 comments Nope, not one of those.


message 4: by Dawn (new)

Dawn | 220 comments Some parts of it sound like DeathDay by william dietz

http://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/8...


message 5: by Miranda (new)

Miranda (miranda0989) | 90 comments Sounds vaguely like Bloom, although I can't be sure as I didn't finish that book. But I remember skin-tight bodysuits and Russians being involved.


message 6: by Jesse (new)

Jesse (sunday) | 6 comments Thanks for the replies after so lengthy a time. Unfortunately, neither one is the story I read, nor do the authors appear to have written it. :(


message 7: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 1396 comments Jesse, Members here keep responding with suggestions for months and years after the initial post so please keep checking back; someone may find your book.


message 8: by Patty (new)

Patty Barnett (barnettfineart) Lisa,
where do we look for follow-up once the discussion is no longer on the thread?
didn't realize that people may still respond.
thanks for the information


message 9: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 1396 comments Patty, The threads stay in the UNSOLVED folder (or occasionally the POSSIBLY SOLVED folder) until the book(s) are found.

If you can't find a thread where you posted a query, you can click on your name at your post to see all the posts you've made in a particular group.

Here are your posts so far:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/commen...

Does that help? Or, are you asking something else?


message 10: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Jesse, are you still looking for this book?


message 11: by Jesse (new)

Jesse (sunday) | 6 comments @Lobstergirl

Well... I suppose. At this point it's more out of curiosity of who the author is than any intention to re-read this particular tale.


message 12: by Alycia (new)

Alycia (alyciac) | 46 comments Well, I am afraid I don't know the book. I do, however, now have a bruised tailbone from falling off the chair laughing at your description of that famous scifi cover pose in point 4.


message 13: by Ann aka Iftcan (new)

Ann aka Iftcan (iftcan) | 6917 comments Mod
John Ringo has several series that this could possibly fit into. You might want to try him out.


message 14: by MB (new)

MB Taylor | 22 comments My first thought was The Bug Wars by Robert Lynn Asprin, but I don't remember there being any humans in it and none of the covers on goodreads even remotely resemble what you describe, so this probably isn't it...


message 15: by Justanotherbiblophile (last edited Sep 19, 2013 01:11PM) (new)

Justanotherbiblophile | 1814 comments The Bug Wars I thought was lizards vs. bugs. Good read, but not what's going on here.

And really Ann? I'd've thought no Ringo fits this. But, granted, I've not read all his stuff - but usually he starts series... This sounds like a stand-alone.


message 16: by Ann aka Iftcan (last edited Sep 19, 2013 02:43PM) (new)

Ann aka Iftcan (iftcan) | 6917 comments Mod
Hey, in the Posleen war series he has aliens using humans to fight other aliens. (Grr, can NOT type today--took 4 tries to get that sentence typed.)

I don't know if it is Ringo, but, thought I'd throw them out there and let the OP check.

Besides, I just like Ringo--especially the scene where he blows up the Federal Building in Downtown Fredericksburg, VA. (Can we all guess where I live? And how much that stupid 1970's ugly block is hated in this area? It really is ugly and doesn't make any effort to blend into the historic district where it was built.) Sigh, think I'm going to give up for the evening and go let my fingers rest since I really can't type today.


message 17: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Jesse, still looking?


message 18: by Jesse (new)

Jesse (sunday) | 6 comments Not for this title, no. At this point just knowing the author would be enough, but I'm at peace with this ;)


message 19: by Sophie (new)

Sophie (notemily) | 477 comments Well, now I want to read it!


message 20: by Bargle (new)

Bargle | 1753 comments Me, too.

Alien bugs book.


message 21: by Bargle (new)

Bargle | 1753 comments Alien bugs book bump.

I'm still curious, at least.


Justanotherbiblophile | 1814 comments Good bump Bargle.


message 23: by James (new)

James Thomson | 2 comments I have read this book some time ago. It featured an alien species that was psuedomorphic. The main antagonist was named "Tan". He wanted to gain fame and power by ending a war his race was in witha technologically inferior but much more aggressive race. To do so he violates a long standing quarantine placed around Earth and kidnaps what he believes is a crack team of military officers from every major military in the world. Their nominal leader is a red headed woman who is an analytical genius. They mutiny and take over the ship in the end and force humanity's release from quarantine. I remember all this but i'll be damned if I rememeber the name.


message 24: by James (new)

James Thomson | 2 comments I got it...Starstrike by Michael Gear


message 25: by Aerulan (new)

Aerulan | 1316 comments I'll just play the link-fairy for James' post, and leave this here
Starstrike by W. Michael Gear


message 26: by Jesse (new)

Jesse (sunday) | 6 comments Oh. My. Goodness.

That's it, that is the book. Almost six years after the initial post and there it is. :D


message 27: by Lobstergirl, au gratin (new)

Lobstergirl | 44894 comments Mod
Yay!


message 28: by Bargle (last edited Feb 23, 2015 08:39AM) (new)

Bargle | 1753 comments Hooray!

Alien bugs book.


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