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The Course of Empire Mass Market Paperback – March 1, 2005
Conquered by the Jao twenty years ago, the Earth is shackled under alien tyranny - and threatened by the even more dangerous Ekhat, one of whose genocidal extermination fleets is coming to the solar system. The only chance for human survival is in the hands of an unusual pair of allies: a young Jao prince, newly arrived to Terra to assume his duties, and a young human woman brought up amongst the Jao occupiers. But, as their tentative alliance takes shape, they are under pressure from all sides. A cruel Jao viceroy on one side, determined to drown all opposition in blood; a reckless human resistance on the other, which is perfectly prepared to shed it. Added to the mix is the fact that only by adopting some portions of human technology and using human sepoy troops can the haughty Jao hope to defeat the oncoming Ekhat attack - and then only by fighting the battle within the sun itself.
- Print length672 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBaen
- Publication dateMarch 1, 2005
- Dimensions4.19 x 1.4 x 6.75 inches
- ISBN-100743498933
- ISBN-13978-0743498937
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About the Author
K. D. Wentworth is author of seven novels, including Black on Black and Stars Over Stars for Baen, and more than fifty short stories, appearing in such magazines as Fantasy & Science Fiction, Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, and others. She is a winner in the Writers of the Future contest, and has been a Nebula Award finalist twice. Her latest novel is This Fair Land (Hawk), an alternate history fantasy of the era of Columbus. She attributes her success to having a very large dog and a wonderful husband, not necessarily in that order, and lives with both in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Product details
- Publisher : Baen; First Edition (March 1, 2005)
- Language : English
- Mass Market Paperback : 672 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0743498933
- ISBN-13 : 978-0743498937
- Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.19 x 1.4 x 6.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,697,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #17,159 in Space Operas
- #27,728 in Science Fiction Adventures
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Eric Flint is the co-author of three New York Times best sellers in his Ring of Fire alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was picked by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year. His 1632, which launched the Ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called him an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure. A longtime labor union activist with a Masters Degree in history, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.
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A complex if slightly cliche SF with a great cast of characters.
BOOK DETAILS:
The Course of Empire by Eric Flint & KD Wentworth, read by Chris Patton, published by Audible Studios (2012) / Length: 18 hrs 50 min
SERIES INFO:
This is Book #1 of 2 (so far) in the "Jao" trilogy. The 3rd book, The Span of Empire, has been long delayed due to the death of Ms. Wentworth, but is scheduled to be released on Kindle & hardcover today (9/6/16). I did not receive a response regarding the release date for the audiobook.
SUMMARY:
There are a lot of cliches present in this book: It takes place in America, which was among those who fought the hardest; our weapons might be superior to theirs & we might be able to help them win a war they've been fighting for centuries; we might have won if only we hadn't been so divided etc. But that doesn't mean it isn't well done. This is my kind of military SF - in that it focuses a lot on the characters, especially people who think, and not just on actions.
One of the things that determines if a book is a "repeater" for me, and thus a recipient of more stars, is whether or not it has memorable moments & scenes that I enjoy revisiting. This book has many such "highlights," making it difficult to limit myself to my usual 3 below.
CHARACTERS:
There are 3 main POV characters in this book (and many minor ones). I don't like books with multiple POVs if they are in unconnected plot lines, but these are all part of one main narrative.
Aille krinnu ava Pluthrak: The primary MC. I really enjoyed following him through to the end. I love his openness and commitment to the truth regardless of its implications. I do think that he is a little too perfect, a small flaw or two might have been interesting.
Tully: He was my favorite MC due to his complexity. He is narrow minded & judgemental, but also intelligent & brave. He also experienced the most character growth.
Caitlyn: Her parts were least interesting until later in the book, although I like her as a character. She is "strong," but not in the kick butt kind of way (the Jao are so much stronger that she just stands back during a physical fight). Instead, she endured years of emotional abuse by her guard and didn't let it break her. She watched & learned and was prepared when an opportunity to made a difference arose.
My favorite side characters include: Tamt - I think she is one of most complex of the side characters and I would love to have had more with her / Wrot - he's just fun
WORLDBUILDING:
This aspect of the book is very complex. There are two alien races, which are very different from each other, and a (semi-)conquered humanity. We are given many details about Jao society both on & off Earth, but not so much about humanity. On the one hand, I would have like to see a bit more about how normal (non-military) society had developed among the humans; but, on the other hand, the book is already a bit long anyway.
I think, perhaps, a bit more about the humans and a bit less about the Governor would have been perfect (and would have served the same purpose). Another complaint is that there are too few female humans (we do get some great new ones in the sequel though) and a complete lack of representation for non-Americans.
The Jao reminded me a little bit of the Martians in Double Star by Robert Heinlein.
PLOT:
It began well with Aille's arrival on Earth. We get to learn about things as he does. As stated above, I feel that the book was a bit too long. The build up to the whaling incident seemed especially stretched to me. Once they got to Salem, things moved much more rapidly.
There is a solid & satisfactory ending to everything but the war against the Ekhat. I like the final scene before the epilogue. I really really dislike the epilogue and what it says about everything that happened & the motivations of certain people. Thankfully I'm good at pretending that such things "never happened."
HIGHLIGHTS / CAUTIONS:
--The old man they encounter in Salem (for some reason he reminded me of the MC in Up.)
--Caitlin & Tamt post-Salem
--General Stockwell & Colonel Wiley's conversation
I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: Lots of swearing (but no F words that I remember) / Pretty much any scene with the Governor as POV / The violence committed by the Ekhat
OTHER CAUTIONS(?): There is a lot of violence -- There are lots of comments on the various mating practices of humans / Jao have "marriage groups" rather than couples (but are celibate except when mating with an assigned partner to produce children) / An engaged couple doesn't wait for their wedding / Certain Jao would like humans to help them change their biology so they can engage in uncommitted recreational sex. [This makes it sound like the book was full of sexual references, it wasn't; but I'm sensitive to such things.]
NARRATION:
Character voices differentiated = Yes, for main characters. / Opposite sex voices acceptable = Yes / Phrasing, Pacing & Pronunciation = Good, especially his use of pauses. I don't know if he was pronouncing Jao words right or not, but they sounded great to me / Emoting = Good / Speed = Good. I listened on 1.25, my usual, but it might be a bit fast for a first time read.
I especially liked the sound of his voice when he was doing all the exposition (i.e. non dialog). And I thought he did a wonderful job of conveying a sense of "accent" when the person was supposedly speaking in Jao but we were reading it in English.
Reminiscent of James Clavell's incredibly moving Shogun, the team of authors, K.D. Wentworth and Eric Flint, take a similar path with their novel and deliver an equally powerful piece. In the case of Clavell, his interwoven plots managed to keep his story fresh and compelling while providing amazing insights into medieval Japanese mindsets and culture. Wentworth and Flint do the same here with the alien Jao.
The Jao are unrelentingly alien but not incomprehensible. It is an absolute delight to experience the story unfolding before you. The situation on earth and within the Jao culture is at a delicate point and all sides to the struggle are not only engaged but scheming. In fact, there are plots within plots and layers upon layers of complexity here. And, ultimately, the very schemers themselves are outwitted. It is a long book at 522 pages but there is not a wasted moment.
The finest element of the book is the reaffirmation of the values to be found in association and community, despite differences between races.
The characters are compelling and complex, multi-dimensional and often surprising in their depth. The plotting is deft and the twists intriguing without ever feeling contrived. A truly memorable work.
Top reviews from other countries
Der Roman handelt 20 Jahre nach der Eroberung der Erde durch die Jao und ist größtenteils aus der Sicht der Außerirdischen geschrieben. Schon das ist etwas Besonderes, das man so nur sehr selten in der SF findet. Die Jao als Wesen und Gesellschaft sind sehr gut durchdacht und wirken überzeugend, was ich bisher in diesem Umfang vielleicht nur bei C. J. Cherryh gefunden habe.
Wie sich herausstellt, sind die Jao zwar ziemlich rücksichtslose Eroberer und Besatzer, aber einerseits täuscht ihre scheinbare Brutalität und andererseits haben sie einen „guten“ Grund, die Erde und die Menschheit zu erobern. Ursache für ersteres ist nämlich ein buchstäblich verrückt gewordener Jao-Gouverneur, der in seiner Art überhaupt nicht typisch ist. Und der Grund für den Eroberungszug dieser Rasse durch die Galaxis ist eine andere, noch viel gefährlichere Art Aliens, die Ekhat. Diese bedrohen sämtliches andersartiges Leben in der Galaxis und die Jao stehen in ständigem Krieg gegen sie. Dass die Ekhat ursprünglich die Jao als Sklavenrasse künstlich erschaffen hatten, spielt auch noch eine Rolle.
Aille, ein Jao, der von seinem Clan auf die Erde geschickt wird, ist die Hauptfigur des Buches. Auf menschlicher Seite gibt es Caitlin Stockwell, die Tochter des letzten Präsidenten, Tully von der Resistance und einige andere, die versuchen müssen, mit den Eroberern klarzukommen, wenn nicht die gesamte Menschheit einfach ausgelöscht werden soll. Aille muss dazu zunächst in einem politischen Machtspielchen den verrückten Gouverneur Oppuk ausbooten, dann in einer Raumschlacht in der Photosphäre der Sonne die eintreffenden Ekhat schlagen. Für diesen Kampf benutzt er übrigens umgebaute Atom-U-Boote der Menschen!
Im Hintergrund wirken bei den Jao allerdings Kräfte, die erst gegen Schluss des Buches offenbart werden. Auch darin gelingt es den Autoren, die fremdartige Denkweise dieser Wesen zu reflektieren.
Die Meinungen zu diesem Buch sprachen oft davon, es sei schwierig zu lesen, aber die Sache wert. Das stimmt, wobei die Schwierigkeit eigentlich nur in der nötigen Einführung einer Reihe außerirdischer Begriffe besteht. Gewöhnt man sich an diese – es gibt auch ein Glossar – dann ist das Buch eigentlich nur noch spannend und sehr empfehlenswert.
I don't belive in the method of reviews left by most, i do not discuss prose or narrative or storyline etc as thats personal opinion, and i might be an idiot !
You can however gauge whether my opinion is worth anything by the books and authors i LOVE:
Iain M banks
Erikkson and Esselmont
George RR Martin
Neal Stephenson
R Scott Bakker
Stephen R. Donaldson
Patrick Rothfuss
Neil Gaiman
Scott Lynch
Orson Scott Card
and of course Tolkien
If you like reading any of the books those guys wrote, you WILL enjoy reading this book :)
P.S. i wish more people would do it this way, so i knew if thier opinion was actually worth anything.