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rotorguy64's review
4.0
Nice little story about respect during warfare. The protagonist, one of the aliens, becomes more and more impressed by the tenacity with which the invaded humans fight back against his own species, and eventually decides to be reborn on earth as he has grown to adore the planet and its inhabitants. I'm particularly fond of stories about alien mindsets, and this one has them. The exact same war is treated as a chivalrous joust on one side, as a total war for survival on the other.
Generally, I have a high tolerance for implausible premises, as long as a story follows some coherent internal logic. As far as weird premises go, this one isn't even that bad, not for an experimental short story. Aliens that can regenerate and thus regard themselves as immortal? That's outlandish, yes, but we already have jellyfishes that are biologically similar, and considering that human beings believe in some weird stuff, I wouldn't put it past an alien species to be a bit slowminded about the concept of death.
Generally, I have a high tolerance for implausible premises, as long as a story follows some coherent internal logic. As far as weird premises go, this one isn't even that bad, not for an experimental short story. Aliens that can regenerate and thus regard themselves as immortal? That's outlandish, yes, but we already have jellyfishes that are biologically similar, and considering that human beings believe in some weird stuff, I wouldn't put it past an alien species to be a bit slowminded about the concept of death.
ariadne_oliver's review
4.0
An invasion story told from the point of view of the aliens - who are quite different from humans.
Read it for free here:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v519/n7544/full/519498a.html
Read it for free here:
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v519/n7544/full/519498a.html
withoutsoul's review
1.0
Well, there are "improbable premises", the "what ifs" which I learned to accept, reading a sci-fi story, and there are "impossible/stupid/unrealistic" behaviors, which repulse me.
Unfortunately, this particular story is a mixture of both.
Earth being invaded by a much more advanced alien species, that just happened to be more starfish-like in biology? Sure, why not - let's accept the premise.
This super-advanced civilization being so oblivious about the biology, that they just assume humans would regenerate the same way a starfish does? Now, that's just stupid on too many levels.
Thankfully, the story was short enough, that the time wasted on it wasn't significant.
Unfortunately, this particular story is a mixture of both.
Earth being invaded by a much more advanced alien species, that just happened to be more starfish-like in biology? Sure, why not - let's accept the premise.
This super-advanced civilization being so oblivious about the biology, that they just assume humans would regenerate the same way a starfish does? Now, that's just stupid on too many levels.
Thankfully, the story was short enough, that the time wasted on it wasn't significant.
peanotsilent's review
3.0
Rather amusing. A short, funny read. Is available for free online for those who might want a taste of this year's Hugo nominees (is part of the Rabid Puppy slate though).
stephanienicole's review
4.0
This short story takes a look at an invasion of Earth from an alien's perspective. I like the alien's indeed alien perspective, and the story's insight on how human's fight war.
thefourthvine's review
3.0
It's not that this was bad -- it just wasn't a complete story. Like, this was interesting, and it was a fun idea, but the actual story part is something you kind of have to imagine for yourself.
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