Often by this point in a series (book #5) they start to grow stale or repetitive but this one seems to be holding steady and even becoming better each time. The author mixes up the plot and introduces new characters well but probably the sheer scope of the material is what allows it to keep going at a nice pace. After all there is a lot you can do when you come to understand that the entire history of our planet and every significant event was actually shaped and manipulated by aliens.

Still quite a bit of military-style action to suit those fans but this entry in the series delved more into the historical aspects of what’s really been happening throughout human history. The author used a cool technique this time around to help give us some excellent backstory on the alien history. He uses the famous explorer from history, Sir Richard Francis Burton, to tell us the story. But rather than use some kind of flashback tool, the characters of the story translate some of his lost material throughout the course of the novel, feeding us awesome pieces of the puzzle one translated chapter at a time. I happen to be a huge fan of Burton and have read several biographies of him. He had an amazing life and if you haven’t had the chance to really “discover” him yourself I urge you to do so. The author of this novel could not have chosen a better historical figure to enhance the plot here.

Looking forward to the next with continued hopes that this series doesn’t peter out.