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Harry Turtledove

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Colonization: Down to Earth (Colonization, 2) MP3 CD – Unabridged, May 3, 2010

by Harry Turtledove (Author), Patrick Lawlor (Narrator)

4.5 396 ratings

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In 1942, Hitler led the world's most savage military machine. Stalin ruled Russia while America was just beginning to show its strength in World War II. Then, in Harry Turtledove's brilliantly imagined Worldwar saga, an alien assault changed everything. Nuclear destruction engulfed major cities, and the invaders claimed half the planet before an uneasy peace could be achieved. A spectacular tale of tyranny and freedom, destruction and hope, the Colonization series takes us into the tumultuous 1960s, as the reptilian Race ponders its uneasy future. But now a new, even deadlier war threatens. Though the clamoring tribes of Earth play dangerous games of diplomacy, the ultimate power broker will be the Race itself. For the colonists have one option no human can ignore. With a vast, ancient empire already in place, the Race has the power to annihilate every living being on planet Earth.

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"Turtledove demonstrates his talent for crafting drama on a global scale by concentrating on the individual stories that make up the big picture." ---Library Journal

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tantor Audio; MP3 - Unabridged CD edition (May 3, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400163994
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400163991
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.61 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.6 x 7.4 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.5 396 ratings

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Harry Turtledove

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Harry Turtledove is the award-winning author of the alternate-history works The Man with the Iron Heart; The Guns of the South; How Few Remain (winner of the Sidewise Award for Best Novel); the Worldwar saga: In the Balance, Tilting the Balance, Upsetting the Balance, and Striking the Balance; the Colonization books: Second Contact, Down to Earth, and Aftershocks; the Great War epics: American Front, Walk in Hell, and Breakthroughs; the American Empire novels: Blood & Iron, The Center Cannot Hold, and Victorious Opposition; and the Settling Accounts series: Return Engagement, Drive to the East, The Grapple, and In at the Death. Turtledove is married to fellow novelist Laura Frankos. They have three daughters: Alison, Rachel, and Rebecca.

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4.5 out of 5

396 global ratings

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Robert Schaffer

Great series!

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2014

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This book is part of the second sub-series of Harry Turtldove's alternate history arc in which the earth is attacked by alien invaders during World War II (The first section: "World War" consists of 4 books beginning with the aliens arrival in 1942, The second section: "Colonization" consists of 3 books which take us through the 1960s and the last: Homeward Bound takes us to the 2030s and completes and concludes the story--and does so very satisfactorily too!).
This series was a heck of a good read!

One person found this helpful

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Allen W. Mcdonnell

Book Two of sequel trilogy

Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2023

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Started with a bang, ended with a whimper. Sadly though it picks up with events at the end of the first sequel this novel descends into repetitive scenes where the same characters repeat the same fears several times before fears become reality. Examples include colonists fleet being unwilling to listen to warnings from conquest fleet survivors, Germany threatening war, and Sam Yeager being threatened or attacked ineffectively for snooping around classified information. Once or twice builds excitement, five times is boring.
The conflict that finally does break out is not IMO at all realistic given the tech level and weapons of each side. In a full on nuclear war the loser gets totally devastated and their opponent gets badly hurt given the described balance of weapons. I can not believe the winner of that war would accept a conditional surrender as described especially given their stated goals.

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023

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I almost never read science fiction. But somehow this book series has captured my imagination. Pick it up and give it a try.

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015

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The politics, sociological changes and military components blend nicely to make good alternative history in this series. Some repetition of background elements is necessary due to the length but this does not detract from the story.

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Jedidiah Abdul Muhib Carosaari

Well Done.

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2004

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I waited with baited breath to see what would next turn up. And I was not disappointed- there are enough twists at the end of the book to satisfy any fan of O'Henry. Some are predictable, some are not. It is enjoyable reading.

Turtledove can be long-winded at times, and deserves occasional skimming, but he keeps that to a minimum in this book. Every book seems to have repeated information that gets kind of old, such as the original probe's vision of the inhabitants of Earth 800 years ago- but perhaps that is necessary for the reader who picks Book 6 off the bookstore shelf at random.

He manages to continue to follow the characters, and keep the myriad of characters clear. Some of the stories are more boring than others. There are times when the sex scenes are gratuitous and too detailed to be helpful. It is unfortunate to see how Rance and Penny have been reduced to drug dealers, when they had such a wonderful relationship 20 years ago. Perhaps that disappointment and lack of character continuity from the original integrity of those characters makes their story rather dull- it would be nice for Turtledove to drop them off the storyboard.

Perhaps the greatest part of the story is how well Turtledove shows the cultures interacting. We gain great depths of knowledge into the beliefs and practices of the mythical lizard culture, as well as a greater understanding of human culture, from the helpful outside-observer, godlike position of the lizards. Turtledove goes further to show changes in cultures, as humans and lizards impact each other. And as always, he uses his extensive knowledge of history to accurately predict the "what-if" impact on various societies.

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A Privacy Nut

Great series

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2020

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Enjoyable alternate history/science fiction.

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Jeff V. Jones

Outstanding! Another Great Book!

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2000

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He has done it again! Down To Earth continues the Post World War Saga better than ever. The author's continued development of charcters makes you realize how mankind can adapt and prosper in any situation. I tend to "back read" DON'T! Let the events unfold as designed! In the past some have challenged the author to include maps with his books. In a way it is good that maps are not included - makes us draw back on our own history and knowledge... and appreciate the lure of the alternate history that Turtledove does so well.

3 people found this helpful

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Stewart Teaze - Embedded/Robotics Engineer

Still Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2005

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This is the 6th book in this Marathon series, and the longest so far of the bunch. While this book is certainly entertaining, it is getting harder and harder to get really excited about the characters and subplots, as there is too much repetition and review of old situations and characters (they are just getting older now, and/or changed locations).

Like some of the earlier books from this series, this one "ends with a bang" - but I'm not going to go into detail, as it could spoil the ending.

Still, Turtledove comes up with just enough variety in characters and plot situations, that I kept turning the pages; for example, we start to see pets, livestock, and vegetation from "The Home Planet" start to take hold on Earth; and we start to see certain human "Independent Not-Empires" expand their space programs to the point that they can start exploring and exploiting the Asteroid Belt.

I plan on continuing this marathon series to the finish line, and I give this particular book 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

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Top reviews from other countries

Raceral

A Great Read

Reviewed in Canada on July 6, 2017

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After discovering the local library had some missing books in the set I bought this to carry on reading and then donated it to the library.

fiddlesticks 26

excellent and rich story with great characters

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2016

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such a brilliant read and wonderful world continues to grow and become more rich

Stevie-uk

Very good read....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2014

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....only issue, is that the UK was not mentioned in this book very much. Considering how much they contributed to WW2 and of the inventions they engineered, I thought they may have played a greater role in this story. Of cause, the book is still good, and perhaps being a Brit I noticed this more. Great read.

One person found this helpful

alex busby

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2017

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Great

One person found this helpful

g r

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 23, 2014