Colonization: Second Contact (Colonization Series #1) » (Unabridged)

Hugo-winner and historian Harry Turtledove is equally renowned in science fiction for his rigorously thought-out alternate history novels and in fantasy for his tales of the supernatural placed in historically accurate settings. For Baen, he has written "The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump", and the popular "Gerin the Fox" series, "Wisdom of the Fox" and "Tale of the Fox". He has also authored the Ingram bestseller "Guns of the South" and the genre bestsellers in the "World War" series for Del Rey.

In the extraordinary Worldwar tetralogy, set against the backdrop of World War II, Harry Turtledove, whom Publishers Weekly has called the "Hugo-winning master of alternate SF," wove an explosive saga of world powers locked in conflict against an enemy from the stars. Now he expands his magnificent epic into the volatile 1960s, when the space race is in its infancy and humanity must face its greatest challenge: alien colonization of planet Earth.

Yet even in the shadow of this inexorable foe, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany are unable to relinquish their hostilities and unite against a massive new wave of extraterrestrials. For all the countries of the world, this is the greatest threat of all. This time, the terrible price of defeat will be the conquest of our world and perhaps the extinction of the human race itself.

Library Journal

YA-Turtledove, the king of the alternative-history novel, has done it again with Colonization, the first of a new series that continues his "Worldwar" saga. It is set in the turbulent 1960s, and the alien Lizards, who altered the course of World War II in the previous series, are now in a tentative peace agreement with the races of Earth. Unable to conquer humanity, the Lizards are trying to understand it to facilitate alien colonization of Earth. The humans, in turn, are also trying to get to know the aliens better, to further their own agendas. Turtledove has again woven a rich historical tapestry and peopled it with multidimensional characters. This multicultural cast includes military and government officials (domestic, foreign, and alien), terrorists, students, various groups with their own agendas, and average people/aliens caught up in events beyond their control. What distinguishes this title from the previous "Worldwar" novels is in the development of the Lizard characters. In addition to there being more of them, there is a greater depth and variety to them, allowing readers to identify and sympathize with them. This well-written, imaginative tale will appeal to the author's fans and science-fiction aficionados.-John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.