The War Against the Chtorr - Invasion

The War Against the Chtorr #1-2

by David Gerrold

Contains A Matter for Men and A Day for Damnation

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

693 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very intertaining series I read about 30 years ago. Well worth reading again.
I love the pink fuzzy bunnies.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Call it 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed the first book in this omnibus edition, which activated nostalgia for other political sci fi I read in my teens and 20s. The book is similar to (but not as good as) Starship Troopers, complete with long "teachy" passages where the author's views on society are dumped right I to the reader's lap. I don't make it sound great, but I really like that sort of easy-to-digest food for thought sometimes. The second book does less teaching and does it more subtly, incorporating much more character development for our main character alongside somewhat more plot.

I really like the premise of the series: how does a waylaid humanity recover from off-world plagues that killed 80% of the population, while staring down the next, now-macroscopic wave of invading extraterrestrial life? The main complaint here is that these first two books just get us started talking about that plot, instead choosing to focus on the aforementioned political/social messages as well as commentary on human individualism by way of some pretty deep dives into the main character's psyche. I liked what I read--but I'm ready for more plot (we'll see if I get it in the third and fourth books of the series, which according to the internet is incomplete although Gerrold is rumored to be near done with the fifth book after a decades-long publishing gap).

I'll also say, Gerrold really nailed the level of technological development; the series is set probably right around 2020 (~30 years in the future from time of writing), and the author has predicted/extrapolated an impressive list of tech and global geopolitical developments: mobile computers, smartphones, the beginnings of brain-machine interfaces, and oh yeah, a shameful America-led war in the Middle East (Gerrold said Pakistan *shrug) that led to a disintegration of world respect for the U.S. and crumbling of its leadership position.

A final note: I didn't realize it until I was looking up the series online, but this omnibus edition (and it seems many other printings out there) is an abridged version, with some "sensitive" or controversial material cut out. Hell, there's enough controversial material remaining that I don't know why they bothered. I personally prefer to take a work as it is and was very disappointed to learn I had an abridged version. But, it did explain (hopefully) some of the continuity gaps and confusing turns of plot I noted while plowing through the chapters.

Any case, I would recommend this series (and do commit to the series--these novels don't stand alone) to fans of sci fi with a social/political bent, at the same time cautioning readers that there is difficult material here even in abridged form. There are some ... problematic things, even though in some areas the author is very progressive especially for the '80s (when these were first written). Not a must-read, but I think worthwhile for fans of the sub-genre.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is WEIRD. It took me a bit to decide if I liked where it was going but as far as alien invasion stories go, this one is pretty unique. This is part of a series but I would say don't plan on reading more until you have finished and fully digested this one. I can see why people wouldn't like this book but I did and for that reason I say go for it.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume collects the first two volumes in a series by David Gerrold, the author of the classic Star Trek (The Original Series) episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" - and with a similar theme of biological threats. "The War Against the Chtorr" is about a near-future Earth ravaged by what seems to be an alien attempt at "terraforming" (or, more accurately, "Chtorraforming") the planet - alien plagues wiped out most of the human population, followed by infestations of an alien ecology - everything from microbes to plants to animals - from a planet about a billion years ahead of Earth, in terms of evolutionary history. Well-written, enjoyable, with a somewhat serious eye towards the sci-fi implications of an alien ecology. There are also some Heinlein-esque musings on human sociology and politics . . . I loved this collection as a teenager, and was glad to revisit it now . . .

[Wyyknot · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War Against the Chtorr: Invasion by David Gerrold (1984)