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The Course of Empire

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The Course of Empire

By: Eric Flint, K. D. Wentworth
Narrated by: Chris Patton
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About this listen

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. Adventure Military Science Fiction Space Opera Fiction

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This is an intriguing story about Earth under alien rule. It moves fast and has a good mix of politics, action, and cultural observation. This much kept me going for two thirds of the book. But for me it gradually became unconvincing and I didn't finish it.

I am not a particularly sophisticated reader. I chose this for light entertainment. But it is presented as an adult book and it felt to me suitable for young teens. The dialogue had a hint of childishness, making the human characters unconvincing while the two main alien characters were stereotyped: one thoroughly hateful, cruel, aggressive, and stupid; the other perfectly subtle, intelligent and almost humane.

I recommend it for teenagers, or adults in the mood for switching off and enjoying an action romp. Those sensitive to mediocre writing should steer well clear.

Feels like a novel for young teens

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