At 664 pages, The Course of Empire is a long read but in this case that is a good thing.

The novel is set in the future, approximately twenty years after an alien species called the Jao have conquered Earth. The time of conquest is never clearly stated but this feels like our Earth. The only new technology introduced comes from the Jao.

The Jao are in a deadly fight with their creators, an ancient and utterly alien species called the Ekhat. The Jao have conquered a number of planets and conscripted the inhabitants into supporting them in their war with the Ekhat. Although less technologically advanced than the Jao, humans are the most advanced race the Jao have attempted to conscript. I say attempted because twenty years after the initial conquest, Earth has not lived up to its potential. Aille, a Jao subcommandant, has been sent to Earth to attempt to remedy this. Like humans, the Jao are not immune to rivalry, and Aille soon finds himself involved in an ever-escalating series of confrontations with the current Jao ruler of Earth.

The Jao are alien enough to be interesting and thought provoking, while at the same time ‘human’ enough that you can identify with them. The story is told through multiple viewpoints, both Jao and human, but the main viewpoint is Aille’s and it works. All the characters are credible and are given a chance to develop and grow during the book.

One of the most interesting human characters is Tully, a member of the human resistance. Caught snooping, he is taken by Aille into his service. Over the course of the book, he gradually starts to understand and respect the Jao. The authors handle this about face smoothly and it is entirely believable and even understandable.

Another interesting human character is Caitlin, the daughter of the president. Taken into protection by the Jao as a child, Caitlin is an intriguing blend of both Jao and human. At the climax of the novel, she plays a pivotal role in determining the outcome, using Jao bodyspeech, a formalized series of postures used by the Jao to communicate emotions.

The Course of Empire is entirely believable and the book works on many levels. There is even a small dash of romance. It will definitely remain in my library and will be one of the first books I’ll reach for when I’m looking for a guaranteed good thing. ( )

I got this book in a bag of many other, containing mostly modern military sci-fi and military sci-fi. After reading the back cover I picked it as my first read from the collection. I was new to the genre and feel this book at a lot of concepts, which were unique in my experience. Earth was conquered by a race of aliens, which had, itself escaped the enslavement of the alien race, which had genetically engineered them. The creation of a social and political system for these aliens as well as the limitations imposed on that alien race as part of their genetic engineering was the most interesting part of this book for me. However, I never felt too connected to any of the individual characters. I found the story, over all, pretty satisfying, but wasn't left feeling I want to seek more of the works of the two authors. ( )

Good premise and I'll probably try to read it again, but I just couldn't find a connection within the first couple of chapters. ( )

Sample Chapters: http://webscriptions.net/10.1125/Baen...

Enjoyable K D Wentworth always is. Earth has been conquered by aliens that are slightly more technologicalyy advanced. It is wracked with insurgency and ruled with a too heavy hand. Can they learn to cooperate before the real bad guys come along and wipe the planet out. ( )