The first Formic Wars series

Earth Unaware, Earth Afire, and Earth Awakens by Orson Scott Card, 368, 399, and 395 pages (1162 total)

When I finished reading Enders Game so long ago and decided to continue reading this series, I decided to start at the very beginning. According to numerous sites this is it. This is when humanity first discovers that there is life beyond the stars. And that life does not like them.

I found this series to be quite excellent, though maybe a little heavy on the machoness, especially the final attack on the ship. But that does not detract from how well written the series is. Card is able to not only capture human nature all to clearly but also is able to reflect how politics always seem to come first, no matter what is at stake.

If you have read anything else by Card, I would recommend this to you, and everyone else that is looking for a good science fiction series.

There are still a lot of books to go before I finish with this story arc and Card is not helping. He has another section of the series coming out this fall.

Note: I am on a laptop with no mouse, so I will add pictures and links to everything tomorrow.

Empire: The Chronicles of the Invaders

Empire: The Chronicles of the Invaders by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard

448 Pages

The second book of the series continues the adventures of Syl and Paul as they attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery of what is infecting the power structure of the alien civilization that conquered Earth and is planning the planet's demise.   Separated by light years the book has two separate stories for each character.  Syl is ensconced  with the sisterhood who seems to be behind the infestation while Paul is part of a cadre of soldiers fighting in the galaxy.

The second book is stronger than the first and the series continues to promise more books.  I would recommend to people who enjoy science fiction.

The Infinite Sea

The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey, 3oo pages

Cassie and the Others are back!  The alien race known as the Others watched earth for thousands of years before their invasion which left only small groups of teenagers and children left as population: planet earth.  The second novel, The Infinite Sea, picks up right where The 5th Wave left off.   The action opens up with Cassie in an abandoned motel with a group of refugees from the Others' internment camp.  The rest of the novel reads basically as a war novel complete with recon missions, secret plots, traitors, psychological mind games, torture and true love with an alien (okay, maybe that last only happens in Yancey's dystopian future).    

A lot of reviewers of this book complained that it was too slow and contemplative and confusing.  As it is told through a series of flashbacks and through the perspective of multiple characters, I can understand the confusing part if you are not used to that style, but I really liked Yanceys's choice to let everyone share in the story.  I really liked how the focus expanded to include more of Ringer's story.  Don't get me wrong, Cassie is great and she is a survivor and all, but Ringer is badass!   For those who missed the focus on the Cassie/Evan love story, I would just say, war is dirty and confusing filled with long stretches of boredom interrupted by brief bursts of violence.  More importantly, wait for the third book!  In any trilogy, book two is a classic set up book for the showdown that is sure to come in book three (full disclosure: The Two Towers is my favorite LoTRs novel and Christmas Eve is my favorite holiday, so maybe I am an anticipation junky).
The 5th Wave was one of my favorite books of 2013, so I eagerly awaited its sequal.   At the beginning of the novel, I really struggled to remember all the characters from The 5th Wave (as in, I probably should have done a re-read because I totally forgot who everyone was) which made the beginning super challenging for me.  Once I got into Ringer's chapter, I couldn't put it down.  Also, the chess scene.  "Checkmate, bitches" is my new go-to line for everything. 

Conquest: The Chronicles of the Invaders

Conquest: The Chronicles of the Invaders by John Connolly & Jennifer Ridyard
435 Pages


Earth has been conquered by an alien species  known as the Illyri.  While there is still resistance, the war has been lost.  Syl is the daughter of the Illyri leader overseeing Europe and she finds herself, along with her best friend Ali joining with resistance brothers Paul and Sam Kerr when a schism among the Illyri threatens the status quo.

Classified as science fiction, the book read more as young adult fiction. For fans of The Fifth Wave and I am Number Four.