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Title: Intriguing Idea, Tepid Execution
Review: The friend who loaned me this book had this to say:"Harry tries to stuff 55 pounds of (...) in a 5 pound bag."I'm inclined to agree with him. You'll need a scorecard just to keep track of the plethora of characters (some rather poorly-developed to the point of stereotyping). Quite a few scenes seem contrived (e.g., Mr. & Mrs. Larssen...I won't say more), and it feels like Turtledove has opted for quantity over quality, often filling scenes with comments on liquor quality, etc. Turtledove seems to fall back on constantly reiterating how slow the invaders are, philosophically, to the point where I was ready to say "enough already...can we please get on with the story?"I stand by my title. This could have been good.
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