The Course of Empire

In my long-term view, this is the best "cross cultural" SF war (or culture clash), I believe since the "moties" were created. The Jao conquerors are well developed aliens with a cultural set much the opposite of ours, though there are some similarities to our eastern cultures. The personality types (especially the repugnant "Earth Administrator" and his book long battle with another Jao family's "rising star" has many parallels in Earth history. These clashes go well with the proto and real revolts of earthlings (especially Americans). Earth's eventual freedom in the context of Jao culture and a coming third party war with another race (and its initial battles) and possible elimination of both Jao and Earth is a wonderful way to tie it all together. Thoroughly enjoyable; know your history and some philosophy. Read and enjoy !!!

The Course of Empire (2003) is a SF novel about a Terra conquered by an alien empire. This conquest was the most difficult in the entire history of the Joa people; even after twenty years of occupation, the Terrans have not yet been assimilated. Resistance groups still operate in the mountainous regions and riots still occur in the more heavily populated areas. Many of the troops that should have been reassigned after the conquest have been retained to suppress the resistance. After the conquest, the Narvo kochan was given the oudh to govern Terra and that clan selected Oppuk krinnu ava Narvo to serve as Governor of the planet. The governor and his staff have a low opinion of the humans and this disdain extended down to the lowest levels of the Jao military. Indeed, most Jao consider the humans to only be clever animals, whose behavior is insane and whose mentality is incapable of understanding Jao ways. In this novel, Aile krinna ava Pluthrak arrives on Terra to assume his duties as Subcommandant for Ground Forces, accompanied only by his fraghta, Yaut krinnu Jithra vau Pluthrak. His presence causes a great deal of consternation, since the Pluthrak kochan may be the most prestigious clan of the Jao, with the possible exception of their Narvo rivals. Aile becomes even more notable when he starts adding Terrans as well as Jao to his personal service. The first to be added is PFC Gabe Tully, a jinau trooper in the ground forces. Later Aile adds Willard Beck, a human technician, and then Nath krinnu Tashnat vau Nimmat, a Jao supervisor at the Pascagoula refit facility. When Yaut is sent to Jao country to gather information, he adds Tamt krinnu Kannu vau Hij, a Jao guard, to Aile's personal service when she acts rudely to him; she obviously needs the training and she seems to have potential. Later Aile adds combat veterans from both the Terran and Jao forces to his personal service. The Governor holds a reception for Aile in the gubernatorial palace in Oklahoma City. There Oppuk taunts Aile, trying to goad him into a misstep, but Aile successfully deflects each challenge. Afterward, Caitlan Stockwell comments upon the interplay to Aile and he talks to her for a while before abruptly shedding his clothes and diving into the swimming pool. Later Aile learns Caitlan's name and identity as the only remaining child of the human appointed as President of North America. Caitlan then introduces Ed Kralik, a Major General commanding the Pacific Division of the jinau forces, to Aile (which is a blatant flaunting of Jao manners, but Aile is getting used to the human version of social customs). This reception and the information subsequently provided by Jao combat veterans leads Aile to conclude that the Governor has become demented in his hatred of the humans. Aile begins to maneuver against the Governor in a type of traditional formal conflict called "advance-by-oscillation". This approach is a form of psychological operation similar to Dickson's Tactics

The Course of Empire is a SF novel about a Terra conquered by an alien empire. This conquest was the most difficult in the entire history of the Joa people; even after twenty years of occupation, the Terrans have not yet been assimilated. Resistance groups still operate in the mountainous regions and riots still occur in the more heavily populated areas. Many of the troops that should have been reassigned after the conquest have been retained to suppress the resistance.After the conquest, the Narvo kochan was given the oudh to govern Terra and that clan selected Oppuk krinnu ava Narvo to serve as Governor of the planet. The governor and his staff have a low opinion of the humans and this disdain extended down to the lowest levels of the Jao military. Indeed, most Jao consider the humans to only be clever animals, whose behavior is insane and whose mentality is incapable of understanding Jao ways.In this novel, Aile krinna ava Pluthrak arrives on Terra to assume his duties as Subcommandant for Ground Forces, accompanied only by his fraghta, Yaut krinnu Jithra vau Pluthrak. His presence causes a great deal of consternation, since the Pluthrak kochan may be the most prestigious clan of the Jao, with the possible exception of their Narvo rivals. Aile becomes even more notable when he starts adding Terrans as well as Jao to his personal service. The first to be added is PFC Gabe Tully, a jinau trooper in the ground forces. Later Aile adds Willard Beck, a human technician, and then Nath krinnu Tashnat vau Nimmat, a Jao supervisor at the Pascagoula refit facility. When Yaut is sent to Jao country to gather information, he adds Tamt krinnu Kannu vau Hij, a Jao guard, to Aile's personal service when she acts rudely to him; she obviously needs the training and she seems to have potential. Later Aile adds combat veterans from both the Terran and Jao forces to his personal service.The Governor holds a reception for Aile in the gubernatorial palace in Oklahoma City. There Oppuk taunts Aile, trying to goad him into a misstep, but Aile successfully deflects each challenge. Afterward, Caitlan Stockwell comments upon the interplay to Aile and he talks to her for a while before abruptly shedding his clothes and diving into the swimming pool. Later Aile learns Caitlan's name and identity as the only remaining child of the human appointed as President of North America. Caitlan then introduces Ed Kralik, a Major General commanding the Pacific Division of the jinau forces, to Aile (which is a blatant flaunting of Jao manners, but Aile is getting used to the human version of social customs).This reception and the information subsequently provided by Jao combat veterans leads Aile to conclude that the Governor has become demented in his hatred of the humans. Aile begins to maneuver against the Governor in a type of traditional formal conflict called "advance-by-oscillation". This approach is a form of psychological operation similar to Dickson's Tacti

This has got to be one of the best human/alien interaction books I have ever read. It's not so much that this story is about alien conflict, the story takes place twenty years after Earth is conquered, but rather about how humans and aliens learn to live and fight together for their common survival. What I found so great about this was the way the authors wove alien customs and thought processes into the story. The Jao were truly believable and there actions and motives came across as alien rather than being human with just an alien flavour as so many sci-fi novels seem to do.Well worth the hardback cover price. Mark E. CooperWarrior Within (ISBN:0-9545122-0-0)

I found this a difficult book to read because it is so very well written. That's not a contradiction, by the way. Any book about alien contact where I spend the first third of it trying *NOT* to grind my teeth into powder over Jao callousness and Jao brutality has definitely involved me in the story.For the Jao have conquered Earth, reducing its population to sullen subservience, destroyed cities for the merest trace of resistance, and even wiped out Mount Everest to prove that they are not to be defied. The areas which resisted most strongly have been hammered into poverty and want, and there are places where no one who collaborates with the Jao dares walk unarmed or alone.But the Jao are not the monolithic Beast of the Apocalypse they seem to be, for one faction, known only as the Bond, has apparently engineered a situation they hope will resolve the mess, and so the tale begins, as a new Subcommandant arrives on earth, fresh from the equivalent of Annapolis...There is more to this book than the parts of the story which aroused my wrath, for these aliens are truly *alien*, and that provides the tale with its richness. John Campbell defined alien as "what thinks as well as a human, but differently" and the Jao are indeed different. From those differences arise the conflict, for how do beings who are engineered, rather than products of evolution, proud of their rationality, and involved in a war for survival against others whose alienness is so bizarre that meaningful contact with them is impossible, deal with the inconsistent, irrational, maddening and quarrelsome humans?For that matter, can, or will the Jao succeed in fixing the horribly botched first contact and conquest of the humans? Without breaking the very things that might make humans valuable partners in their ultimate quest for survival? And, if they can do so, how can they achive it without destroying their own species' unity, upon which the survival of all, Jao and human, must ultimately depend?All of the above issues and more come into play in this book and by the time the story ended, I found myself actually trying to think like a Jao, and see the universe from their perspective. Quite a change, I must say, from my "kill them all" attitude generated by the early part of the story. That change is a high compliment to the skill with which the story was unfolded before me.Both K. D. Wentworth ("Black/On/Black", "Stars/Over/Stars", "Imperium Game") and Eric Flint [website]BR>have shown themselves writers of the highest caliber, and this book, written by them as a team, is a credit to them both. I am grateful the book was so difficult and hence, so wonderful.<p>Thank you, Kathy and Eric.