As usual a great MilFi book by one of the great scfi authors today. Highly recommend the book. The ending got a little silly as he wrote himself into a corner and worse didnt explain it in his usual style. Ok ok so we got vampires, rrriiight now give me a scfi explaintion - not - . . . . . and dracula ate all the aliens and saved the world.

But still definately worth a read.

Memorable book. Shows signs of having been "upwritten" from a shorter work. Nasty aliens, heroic Earthlings, and a well-telegraphed surprise ending which is anticipated in the book's title. Not Weber's best, but even his second best is pretty good.

I almost didn't get this book due to the reviews about the ending. I actually enjoyed the ending a lot. I read a lot of these types of books and the way he did this ending was a different take on it. I like to see well written items that surprise me.

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In the first 15 minutes of the book I was ... oh god this is goanna be LONG
The similarity to previous races in the weightings of Weber "oh no not again"
His explanations of everything from the ammunition to the working of the equipment ... but then my wife asked me why something worked ... and I realized that there was a reason he went and explained.

Each step in the lives of the characters steps the plot to the end with the ultimate goal square on target. While the smoke and mirrors bring the assumed victor and target in to fragmented lines.
The laser lines of a rock show splashing around the auditorium providing dazzling effects its ending target is displayed as the smoke clears you see the shattered light coalescing in to living pictures of the solution.
And the ENDING WOW he looks in to the past and bring it to the future with the abruptness of true life.
Pilots screaming that they are the unstoppable wind. Come in and destroy the unknowing at the commands of ambition. When the bomb is dropped and the world shifts because men and women have taken the unthinkable improbable unbelievable course of looking in to the smallest electromagnetic connection and realizing that compression will release those bonds. And in doing so the world shifts.

The ending of the book is the best!! Bringing the past the worst of all possible historical figures and turns him and his fearful fate in to the heroic finale.

WOW !!!