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Liked It “Another good story by the author. And typical of his other novels, is ultimately a pretty simple story laid on top of a complicated world/backstory. Still a fun but not deep read.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Alternate history SF. The Chinese were the great explorers in this universe, and went into space slightly before the Russian/Sputnik era. Their great rivals is Mexica--which is still run by the Aztecs on rivers of blood. I found both these premises highly improbable, because Chinese culture wasn't generally expansive in nature, unlike the individualistic, missionary-minded European Christians. (Christianity doesn't seem to exist in this universe, though Muslims do.) And because the Mayan culture, which was slightly less blood-thirsty, probably collapsed under the weight of its own bloodthirstiness. They just couldn't keep up with the need for captives to sacrifice. But never mind that.
Gail Dayton wrote this review Saturday, October 18 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The story is about a Chinese suicide mission carried out by screw-ups condemned to death by the military for various crimes. It's a motley bunch with the usual suspects--a coward, an honorable man whose honor gets him crosswise with the higher ups, a cheat, a simple minded big man--you know the assortment. We hear everyone's story. We go through training with them, and then on the journey on a captured Mexic ship to blow up a secret asteroid fortress with a nuke. It's a decent story, but it was written for guys who want gadgets and gore. The emotional content was spare, and stereotypical with place-holder female characters. We got way too much detail (for me) on how the space suits worked, and how they figured out how to make projectile weapons work in weightlessness and stuff. It was okay, but could have been a Whole lot better. ”
“Five hundred years ago or so the Chinese empire was exploring the world. Her explorers discovered America, and sparked the Renaissance in Europe. So what happened then?
Helge M wrote this review Thursday, August 21 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chris Roberson suggests that, instead of retreating into herself, China continued her progress and ended up conquering the world. In the now of this alternate history, China faces off with its only serious military rival, the empire of Mexica, ruled by people who still worship the bloodthirsty gods of their ancestors.
This is the second war with the Mexic, which started when Mexic soldiers attacked a Chinese colony on Mars. The current engagement has been going on for years, and there seems no end in sight.
Roberson's story concerns nine men, misfits of some type or another, ranging from a coward to a soldier who merely asked too many embarrassing questions. These nine are sent in a captured Mexic spacecraft to try and sabotage a Mexic stronghold, an asteroid that has been hollowed out to shelter Mexic spacecraft and soldiers on their journeys between Earth and Mars. The task is difficult enough, but then they discover a large number of Chinese prisoners, held by the Mexic to become sacrifices in their gruesome religious rituals.
OK, the story is a fun read. The two main characters are both engaging, and the action kept me turning the pages. Perhaps I might find fault with the idea that an Aztec type culture could ever come to support real science, or that a culture without real science might ever manage to create a technological civilization capable of space flight. But those are minor quibbles.
My main complaint is that this is a book in a series - the last of the series. It stands quite well on its own - no complaints there - but now I'm feeling that I'm somehow obliged to read the other books by Roberson, as well. What a quandary!”
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