OUT OF THE DARK by David Weber (2010 Tor Books / 382 pp / hc)
When I read this military scifi novel's synopsis, it sounded like a sure fire hit. It turned out to be anything but. To be fair, this is the first of a proposed new series, but as a stand alone novel it's just . . . terrible.
It's alien invasion time once again. They've destroyed every city on earth and half the population is dead. Then we're introduced to two groups of survivors who decide it's time to fight back (one in the mountains of North Carolina and the other in the Balkans).
The majority of OUT OF THE DARK is (almost) non-stop military scifi, a subgenre I've been getting into over the past few years thanks to authors such as Robert Buettner. But here it gets played out very quickly, and all the technobabble stood (not to mention the turtle-like pace) in the way of me caring for even a single character.
But the "twist" ending...all I can say is I hope Weber has a real ace up his sleeve for the second story, because right now it reads like a rushed idea that I still laugh at whenever it pops into my mind. I'd even say I doubt the author could've come up with a more ridiculous idea if he tried.
Let me know how the next chapter is...I'm getting off here. I understand Weber has a huge following and is a best selling author, but this wasn't the book to discover him through.
