 Unlike McCarthy's later books, which focus on how technology might change the definition of what it means to be human, "Aggressor Six" is military science fiction.The novel is, however, set apart from many other military science fiction novels in that it maintains McCarthy's strict adherence to technical scientific realism.This is particularly evident during the combat scenes – the technological superiority of the aliens renders impractical the standard naval models of combat used in many works of science fiction, requiring a re-examination of the mechanics of space combat.