In the 1960s, Project Blue Book assured America that no aliens visited its amber waves or shining seas.Thirty years later, Project Black Book knows better and has the flying saucers to prove it, but they still can’t stop the body-possessing Kemtewet from scooping their pick of young women from Earth to host an alien queen.Sarah Anderson yearned for an escape from her new life in PA, but not for … in PA, but not for this: being kidnapped by aliens and faced with a choice between having a Kemtewet queen erase her brain or sharing her body with a Gertewet insurgent. Unless the Air Force can rescue her in time, it’s either death or a chance to make a difference in the galaxy. With Sarah, the Gertewet have one last shot to end the Kemtewet Empire and free billions of humans subject to their body markets.
In a war over consent, only some things are black and white.
You are not alone on August 28, 2018.
CW: rape parallels, literal cultural appropriation
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Flying saucers, kidnapping, espionage, secret government agencies, and emotionally drawn and complex characters—including two teens and two warring races of symbiotic aliens—all combine to make this a riveting interstellar adventure with fierce heart.
(The audiobook is very well done too, though at times the humor gets lost in performer Leslie Howard’s more poignant approach.)
This alternate history Earth is experiencing ‘first contact’ with two biologically similar (quasi-amphibious) alien races that need human hosts: the Gertewet who claim to seek willing partners, and their enemies the Kemtewet who treat hosts like wealthy humans treat their cars—taking full control and always eager to upgrade.
Unfortunately Earth isn’t sure it can safely deal with or trust either species, and though dependent on new hosts the freedom-fighting Gertewet need Earth’s support but can’t easily trust their motives and loyalty either, and this makes for interesting tension throughout.
There are easy comparisons between this setting and STARGATE SG-1 and absolutely if you’re a fan of the show you’re virtually guaranteed to enjoy this series.
Eichorn’s aerospace engineer background shines in the technology of her interplanetary world and grounds it just enough for me. This debut avoids clunky information dump worldbuilding as well, weaving it naturally into dialogue and recollections.
Mainly, as with any book, I loved spending time with these characters, especially protagonist Sarah and her hard-earned, wholly believable journey from the passive and bookish bullied new girl at her suburban Pennsylvania high school to resilient hero who defies overwhelming odds.
Tenacious teens Sarah and Maggie are distinct fast friends who respect each other’s strengths and show humor and grit and heart at every turn, and both felt real to me. (Even Sarah’s whining and her dismissive nickname for symbionts as “neck lumps” amused me and just made her more genuine.)
I loved Maggie’s iron-willed father Andrew and skeptical, practical Colonel Renee Marshall who must decide whether Earth’s best interests lie in Project Black Book accepting Gertewet aid or in exploiting it.
And I adored Vinnet the cunning and flippant yet compassionate Gertewet spy on a perilous mission to get close to Kemtewet Empress Neith, a mission whose success depends on persuading an Earth woman to host her.
I even enjoyed time with “rogue” Air Force General Donn Marshall, who improvises a bold undercover mission to rescue the abductees, and often argues with his more ruthless and blunt Gertewet symbiont Kitchell, whose presence has cost him the trust of the Air Force including his niece Renee.
And last but not least I loved spending time with savvy elder Setira, a non-Earth human, and her symbiont the sharp-witted Katorin (Vinnet’s ‘older sister’), who banter like old friends during their undercover mission to recover another Gertewet spies intelligence regarding the Kemtewet’s plans.
Actually I love the droll monologues and banter of pretty much all the characters in this book. Except for the Kemtewet, who (aside from the fawning patsy that Katorin nicknames Cube Head) are absorbed in their own vanity, ambition, and backstabbing intrigue and whose only moments of humor are ironic (but no less appreciated).
At the risk of giving them short shrift to avoid spoilers, I will just say the Kemtewet made for very satisfying villains, and for a few of them I felt occasional remorse or grudging admiration.
Lastly I loved how Eichorn’s compelling characters ultimately intersected, great payoffs all around and a joyous reunion or two that I craved, without resorting to a simple or tidy final ending.
There’s a major concluding twist, and other strong narrative choices or tantalizing tidbits throughout that set up sequels, such as other planets that could join the Gertewet resistance, a few particularly formidable Kemtewet villains, and the possibility Earth might rather seek a treaty than battle.
I can hardly wait for Eichorn’s Project Black Book series to continue and I hope it has a long run!s