Rating: 
Summary: If you haven't read this book yet, wher have you been?
Review: I have recently reread this CLASSIC for the third time. It remains one of the best alien invasion books around. Some parts may be a little dated, but it is a first class read, and a good place to start reading Pournelle or Niven. These blokes have done more to influence the invasion genre then most.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: I don't know how people can say that this book is anything less than 5 stars. Alien invasion is a classic sci-fi theme that is usually trite and redone. However, this book is extremely original in its portrayal. The only other alien invasion book I can think of that is better is "The Forge of God" by Greg Bear. This book should be read by anyone who likes great writing and a great story.
Rating: 
Summary: very good in ways, not so good in others
Review: Pournelle (for I believe it is he who did the work) has come up with a reasonably interesting SF book here. Excitement level is all right. Portrayal of aliens is moderately alien, though not up to the standards of the best alien-creators in SF. Originality of theme is limited, but originality of type of alien invasion is well done.Probably the most interesting aspect is the way the aliens' internal politics take precedence over practicality, which is quite credible given that our own species lets internal politics take precedence over practicality all the time (thus we could imagine that other species would as well). The worst aspect of the plot--and it's one that seems to be going around in SF these days--is the notion that somehow SF authors will make a significant contribution to the outcome of a human/alien confrontation. To me, that seems almost self-gratifying (and I'd use a stronger word if I thought I could get by with it), pure fantasy on the part of SF authors. This weakens a decent SF book that was doing just fine without that particular plot twist.
Rating:
Summary: A good story. Fun read.
Review: This book was enjoyable, and had the flavor of Lucifer's Hammer rolled in with creatures you might expect to find on Ringworld. It was fun to read, but seemed long at times and somewhat slow. It picks up towards the end, and you begin to see where the authors are finally taking you. If you are simply a fan of the Niven/Pournelle Duo, then you will read this one and enjoy it. I did not find it to be as good as some of their other works, however.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolute drivel
Review: Niven tells a great story, Barnes tells a good story, Pournelle grabs his M16 and heads for the hills! The man is not a bad story teller but he drags anything he writes/collaborates on into simplistic right wing rhetoric and ideas just as soon as he is able. The book should have been called "Commie elephants from outer space". Don't buy this rubbish unless one of your table legs is much shorter than the other three!
Rating: 
Summary: if you get past the middle, you might like it
Review: However, the challenge is to get that far. Yes, the beginning is very BORING and very hard to read - the plot jumps between 10 different characters every 2-3 pages! As a literary work, this book is a disappoitment. However, most of the SCI-FI aspect is decent (except the part where the sci-fi writers are made top advisors to the government). I wouldn't recomment it, instead read the Ringworld series, it's much better.
Rating:
Summary: captivating. Man will survive
Review: I truly enjoyed this book. Once I started, it was hard to put down. I though the author did a great job protraying man's resourcefullness and showing that man can overcome any obstacle that is tossed at him.
Rating:
Summary: Non-stop excitement!
Review: A brilliant and imaginative book, combining hard science, suspense and a fine line in plotting. The climactic space-battle is a real thriller, and the Aliens (as in Niven's Man-Kzin Wars) are neither too remote to be unrecognisable nor too human to be unbelievable - they are aggressive and ruthless but one feels some sympathy for them. But my favourite moment of all was when the crusading investigative journalist was drowned in the toilet. I have had the misfortune to know some journalists - even to have been one - and I read that bit again and again with pure delight. What a pity it didn't happen to certain others in this world! Unlike many SF stories, but like the classics, this is one to read several times.
Rating:
Summary: Embarrassed I read this
Review: Thin plot. Cumbersome construction. Fascist ending. Unimaginative sense of the alien. Already quite dated. Amazon should offer a zero-star option for a clunker like this.
Rating:
Summary: Hectoring right-wing tract
Review: This story of alien invasion starts well but then swerves into a series of simplistic diatribes about the evils of environmentalism and disarmament. The Heinlein-type moralising about the need for strong men with big guns would be easier to take if the authors were telling a rattling good yarn but instead it's surprisingly dull and trite. Try reading "The War of the Worlds" instead. HG Wells may have been a Socialist but at least he knew how to tell a story!
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