Area 51: Legend

This is Doherty's second prequel in the Area 51 series. Don't look for anything much new as regards Earth history but the twist he gives to that history based on the origin and actions of our two main protagonists is fascinating. The first prequel, Nosferatu, gives the outlook of the antagonists. Start with the original novel, Area 51, if you are looking for a lot of action. Very highly recommended!

I loved this book and want to read the whole series. I have read quite a few peoples reviews on this book and the rest of the series. If you are looking for something more go read a book filled with facts. I for one love the fact that Doherty had enough gumption to write about this subject and tie in a bunch of past occurances. This is so interesting to have a different perspective on World events that occurred. The only world event that he really didn't have much to say about was the resurrection of Jesus and this is probably why. You can't pick fun at anything anymore without people getting upset.If you want a good reader with no thought going into it, read this book. The story leads itself and you sit and enjoy the ride. The characters are just that: Characters and they are as good as some of the other books that I have read. You get a vivid background about a series that by the sounds of it is pretty good.

Some people are writing reviews about this book who don't realize this is a prequel to the other Area 51 books. He is attempting to explain how everything came about. I thought it was a very good book. The first book in the prequel is Nosferatu.

14,000 years ago on another planet far away, the human population revolted against their Airlia overlords and managed to free their planet. Unfortunately, it was a Pyrrhic victory, the war left few alive, and the planet's ecosystem dying. Now a small number of the survivors launch themselves into space to find other Airlia ruled enclaves and save the inhabitants, who are being groomed for a titanic battle between super-races.Two of these travelers, Donnchadh and Gwalcmei come to our own planet, where the Airlia have established the city of Atlantic, and the human inhabitants are still too primitive to mount any resistance. Their plan is to continually disrupt Airlia plans until the time was right for the final revolt. It would take the full 14,000 years, and this book is the story of most of them.In one sense this is a typical 'aliens founded the earth' book. Doherty manages to attribute most of the Middle East's history to the machinations of Donnchadh and Gwalcmei and their opponents. Atlantis, Pharaohs, Moses, Druids and King Arthur, all become part of a vast, slightly paranoid puzzle. This book ties together the many threads that led up to the original Area 51 story - sometimes by stretching the historical truth, sometimes by fabricating things wholesale.Doherty's style manages to keep this from becoming tedious, although I'm not sure I want to ever read any more about Donnchadh and Gwalcmei and their adventures. The book covers such a long period of time and so many events that the narrative sometimes gets thin, but, overall, interest gets maintained - I've certainly read worse in this genre. Since this is a prequel, it's not absolutely necessary to have read the other books in the series, but not knowing the future erodes the rational behind some of the actions in this volume.In any case, it's quite readable, as it the entire series. I still find myself irritated occasionally by a plot that requires humans to be perpetually lagging intellectually. But if you are going to have alien super-races you are going to have to accept the existence of guileless humans. As long as we zap them in the end, I guess it's all right.

On the fourth planet from the star in the Centauris Spiral Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy, a war has almost decimated the world. Humans revolted against the alien overlords, the Airlia but the price was very high. The humans use Airlia technology and transportation to travel to other worlds where other humans like them were planted by the aliens to be used as soldiers in their war against the Swarm. Donnchadh and Gwalcmai are sent to earth to work undercover against the Airlia and to prepare humanity for the final war against the Airila who pose as gods to the masses.For all effective purposes, the two saviors of mankind are immortal because their memories are stored in a Ka which is then inserted into their clones. . Donnahdh and Guatemai instigate a civil war between two factions of the Airlia leading to the destruction of the Airlia major stronghold of Atlantis and the aliens are out of touch with their home world. Throughout the millennia, the two humans from another world work behind the scenes to manipulate Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt with the Ark (an Airlia weapon) and making sure Excalibur (also an Airlia weapon) is hidden in a safe place when Camelot's King Arthur is killed.Mixing the science of another civilization and the myths of earth, readers learn what the Ark, Excalibur and the Holy Grail actually are. Robert Doherty explains how vampires are created (the offspring of a human and Airlia mating) and why certain historical events happened. AREA 51: THE LEGEND is an exciting science fiction tale that grabs and maintains reader interest. The Airlia-human war will continue in further installments of this fascinating series.Harriet Klausner