Conquerors' Pride (The Conquerors Saga, Book One)

Zahn can write action, and Zahn can write aliens. What more do you need for a great space action adventure story? If Hollywood did half as well as Zahn, then Sci-Fi would not be relegated to mostly bad 'B' movies. I could almost hear the battles as I read the pages. The only place this book is in any way lacking is in human character development. It in no way takes away from the book, but it is always better to have some feeling of knowing and understanding the characters you are reading about. The aliens are fleshed out more, mainly, I think, to give a better understanding to the reader about their unusual culture/existence. I look forward to Zahn's next book.

Conqueror's Pride is the first book in a well conceived trilogy. Commander Pheylan Cavanagh, in charge of a space task force encounter a new race of aliens, and attempt to make first contact. However, when the radio package is sent over the airwaves, the mysterious aliens attack the force, destroying all of the ships and escape pods, save for Commander Pheylan Cavanagh's pod. They find him and take him prisoner. In the meantime, Cavanagh's father finds out about the disaster and uses his influence to organize a task force to find out what happened to his son and his fleet. Among his forces are Copperheads, fighter pilots who use an interlink to fly. They then set out to find out what happened. Cavanagh has been taken prisoner, and Zahn writes out this well. His discriptions of the aliens, who come in periotically to check up on Cavanagh and to study him, are well done. As Cavanagh learns more, we learn more, and soon he is plotting his escape from the aliens. What happens is that he escapes, and a war is about to be fought between the Humans and the aliens. Zahn does a great job with this book. It's top-notch Sci-Fi writing, down to the technical and social details of a galactic civilization.Along with the action, Zahn throws politics in, and plays with that well. The senators don't want to find out what happened, and Cavanagh's father has to play behind the scenes illegaly to get a task force together. The first contact situation is also well done, as I mentioned above. The aliens don't quite know what to make of Pheylan and probe him for his mentality and personallity. A well done book.

Words cannot say how great this book was for me. I have always been a person that hated to read books, not that I have not tried. I have read two-thirds of all the greats. I always lose interest in any of the books that I read. This is the first book that I can say that I have enjoyed reading, all the way to the last page. In this book there is always something that keeps you turning to the next page. Note: If you start to read this book, the story does not end with this book. You will need to read the Conquerors' Heritage and Conquerors' Legacy. You might as well order them all at the same time. This book (writer) ignited a fire in me; the fire of reading. Due to the fact that I am 22 years, that is saying something. A love for reading, I am told, is something that has to start young. If you read this, Mr. Zhan, thank you. I will forever buy you books.

I read this trilogy, and found the first novel to be pretty solid and held my interest.. however, the second novel in the series began to weaken as the author struggled with the alien culture and let us almost forget about the humans out there. The third novel redeemed itself only slightly in that as I completed the last page I was SOOO glad it was over. Just avoid getting involved.. His Star Wars books are infinitely better.

Timothy Zahn is an excellent writer. There's no other way to put it. Zahn has a way of weaving characters and events together in his storyweb that places the writer, not just in the action, but in the characters themselves. You empathize and sympathize with the key players in his drama, and understand the strange and alien cultures of the Zirrh, in a way that few writers can accomplish. This entire series is an excellent choice for science fiction readers, but would also captivate lovers of other genres as well. This author has shown himself to be among the best, and the Conqueror's series is among the best of his works. Look out Asimov, watch out Clarke - there's a new kid in town.