The Course of Empire

By: Eric Flint, K. D. Wentworth

Narrated by: Chris Patton

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.

©2003 Eric Flint & K.D. Wentworth (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Epic Fantasy with (a few) Spaceships

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

There is a space battle near the end but it's mostly a political thriller. Especially in the last third, there are lots of wheels within wheels plots. Woven through the book is the culture of the Jao. To me, it seemed more Epic Fantasy in the way the focus is on the culture of the Jao and the world they live in rather than on any Science. I'm pretty sure no Scientists were harmed, or consulted, in the writing of this book.

What about Chris Patton’s performance did you like?

Narrator occasionally got character voices crossed but did a great job overall.

Very David Weber-like but without the tech prattle

Would you listen to The Course of Empire again? Why?

Because the story is very David Weber but a better improved version of the style

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Course of Empire?

The coming together of the humans and joas.

Have you listened to any of Chris Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not but I rank him with the best. Military scifi is hard to narrate but he is really outstanding

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is just another enemy

ERIC FLINT'S VENTURE INTO FULL SCI-FI MODE

Earth is conquered by alien race "Jao", as the book progresses we find out that some time ago Jao were slaves of a race which used them as soldiers. We find out that Jao were created and modified by that race. And now that race wants to destroy all sentience in the universe.
Because of that genetic tinkering, Jao do not have much of creativity, and original ideas, but they possess "the Flow" sense of time which almost feels like precognition.
Perhaps humans and Jao have something to learn from each other

One Great Audiobook.

This is a Audiobook that I will listen to again. Though I can't pronounce most of the Characters names, or titles, a great effort it seems was done to make things familiar with some of our history, I believe anyway. From start to finish you'll want to keep on listening.
Chris Patton has done a wonderful job of Narrating, his ability to pronounce the language, along with the different voices, is truly amazing.
This is one Audiobook with a great storyline, with Characters you'll want to follow, and will definitely want to reread again.

An excellent use of a credit

Any additional comments?

I read a lot of books and buy a lot of Audible credits. It is not often that I'll plonk down a precious credit for a book I have already read but The Course of Empire was an excellent read when it came out many years ago, a book I remember thoroughly enjoying, and I wanted to re-familiarize myself with the series before picking up its sequel Crucible of Empire.

Course of Empire is not groundbreaking, but it is a well told story, well narrated, with an interesting take on an alien culture. Like many books in the military Sci-Fi genre there is a fair degree of predictability in the flow of the story, you can see the arc of the book from early pages. But its still a very entertaining Arc. Fans of David Weber or David Drake would do well to pick this one up.