Yellow Eyes

The Posleen are coming and the models all say the same thing: Without the Panama Canal, the US is doomed to starvation and defeat. Despite being overstretched preparing to defend the US, the military sends everything it has left: A handful of advanced Armored Combat Suits, rejuvenated veterans from the many decades that Panama was a virtual colony and three antiquated warships. Other than that, the Panamanians are on their own against the swarming alien horde. Replete with detailed imagery of the landscape, characters and politics that have made the jungle-infested peninsula a Shangri-La for so many over the years, Yellow Eyes is a hard-hitting look at facing overwhelming odds with not much more than wits and guts. Fortunately, the Panamanians, and the many veterans that think of it as a second home, have plenty of both.

In this breathless page-turner, the latest in the Posleen military SF series from Ringo and Kratman (Watch on the Rhine), Latin America falls to the reptilian alien invaders without much struggle, except for Panama. There, members of the U.S. military enlist local forces and desperately resist. The terrain aids the defenders, as do the local flora and fauna, but it's the fighting men and women's brains and guts that make the real difference. Interestingly, the hideous, hungry Posleen, who are helplessly following their racial instincts, come across as more sympathetic than the cowardly traitors—i.e., diplomats and politicians—who obstruct the human warriors; the aliens get to die with more dignity. Characterization generally is exaggerated but vivid, and the battle tactics are worked out in satisfying detail. Readers who can forget the authors' right-wing politics and approach it all like a professional wrestling show will have fun. (Apr.)
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The latest Posleen War novel's title comes from an old song about yellow fever in Panama, site of the battle in it between the alien Posleen invaders and both Americans defending the canal and Panamanians defending their homeland with growing assurance and skill. The usual many good action scenes are on hand, along with sometimes overly political but often intelligent lectures on military science and the expected charming superweapon, here the old heavy cruiser Des Moines, fitted with a number of advanced systems, including an AI named Daisy. The series already has a number of fun books in it. This is another. Roland Green
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