Alien vs Alien, by Gini Koch
Book Review by Joshua Palmatier
Have you read this book?
Alien vs. Aliens is the sixth book in Gini Koch's Alien series. The series is an action-packed mix of science fiction and romance with a warp factor pace. There's usually little to no time to breathe when you read.
This book begins with, of course, hints that the bad guys are up to something. It starts with the appearance of some faked but potentially still scandalous pictures of Kitty herself, followed by an assassination attempt on Kitty when she's trying to pass a test that will let her in on some governmental secrets that everyone else seems to already know about. And it rockets right along from there, with strange presents arriving from Alpha Centauri in the form of alien Peregrines, with ambiguous warning notes attached, ACE acting strange but with dire warnings to get everyone to safety, all while Martini, Chuck, and crew are attempting to provide security for the World One festival. Mayhem ensues.
As usual, the action and plot move along at a fast clip, with convoluted plots mixed within plots. Overall, the plotlines here were easy to follow (unlike a few of the previous books in the series), although in this book Kitty is kept in the dark for a good chunk of the book and I have to say it was done with (what I felt) was no good solid reason. I reached a point where I just wanted someone to spill the beans and let her in on all, or at least some, of the secrets being kept from her. Because of this, it felt like it took forever to get to the main plot's big reveal.
I did like that this book went back to some mysteries and loose ends introduced in past books (which I can't reveal because it would be spoilery). But there are at least two major elements from past books that finally get addressed here, and one of those is tied up quite nicely. All while introducing new material as well to keep the series fresh. I also liked (and there are fans of this series out there that will hate me for saying this) that the romance elements that can be far too strong for my taste were almost completely absent here. This was much more an action-packed science fiction book (although not hard SF) than it was a romance book. This may be because part of the plot revolved around the sudden disappearance of Martini and Chuck. Also great was the general abandonment of the rivalry between Martini and Chuck, which (I felt) had been carried on far, far too long in the previous books. They aren't bosom buddies here, but the jealousy thing on Martini's part was absent.
So, lots of good things in this novel. I wouldn't say it was strongest book in the series so far, but it's certainly not the weakest. Probably in my top three for this series. Mostly it's because the plot of this book felt a little looser and not quite as cohesive as in a few of the past books. Looking forward to the next book though.
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
www.joshuapalmatier.com
www.benjamintate.com
This book begins with, of course, hints that the bad guys are up to something. It starts with the appearance of some faked but potentially still scandalous pictures of Kitty herself, followed by an assassination attempt on Kitty when she's trying to pass a test that will let her in on some governmental secrets that everyone else seems to already know about. And it rockets right along from there, with strange presents arriving from Alpha Centauri in the form of alien Peregrines, with ambiguous warning notes attached, ACE acting strange but with dire warnings to get everyone to safety, all while Martini, Chuck, and crew are attempting to provide security for the World One festival. Mayhem ensues.
As usual, the action and plot move along at a fast clip, with convoluted plots mixed within plots. Overall, the plotlines here were easy to follow (unlike a few of the previous books in the series), although in this book Kitty is kept in the dark for a good chunk of the book and I have to say it was done with (what I felt) was no good solid reason. I reached a point where I just wanted someone to spill the beans and let her in on all, or at least some, of the secrets being kept from her. Because of this, it felt like it took forever to get to the main plot's big reveal.
I did like that this book went back to some mysteries and loose ends introduced in past books (which I can't reveal because it would be spoilery). But there are at least two major elements from past books that finally get addressed here, and one of those is tied up quite nicely. All while introducing new material as well to keep the series fresh. I also liked (and there are fans of this series out there that will hate me for saying this) that the romance elements that can be far too strong for my taste were almost completely absent here. This was much more an action-packed science fiction book (although not hard SF) than it was a romance book. This may be because part of the plot revolved around the sudden disappearance of Martini and Chuck. Also great was the general abandonment of the rivalry between Martini and Chuck, which (I felt) had been carried on far, far too long in the previous books. They aren't bosom buddies here, but the jealousy thing on Martini's part was absent.
So, lots of good things in this novel. I wouldn't say it was strongest book in the series so far, but it's certainly not the weakest. Probably in my top three for this series. Mostly it's because the plot of this book felt a little looser and not quite as cohesive as in a few of the past books. Looking forward to the next book though.
Joshua Palmatier/Benjamin Tate
www.joshuapalmatier.com
www.benjamintate.com
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