SLEEPERS

In Maberry and Ochse’s SF novel, humanity, enslaved by a race of birdlike warriors, pins its hopes on a long-dormant squadron of supersoldiers.

Centuries from now, mankind wages war against the alien Flock, fearsome, saurian creatures (flightless but with vestigial wings and avian culture) wielding superior technology looted from other civilizations they defeated. After billions of casualties, the “birds” surrender when the more creative (and desperate) Homo sapiens invent Homo eximius, alias HE: “enhanced humans for military use...Special Forces players who had volunteered for physical upgrades.” Once seemingly unstoppable, the Flock suffers such grievous losses fighting these ultraviolent, lab-created beings that the aliens not only capitulate, but voluntarily become a subservient class, meekly living under human rule. The HE, unadaptable to peacetime, are put into cryogenic deepfreeze and hidden. It transpires that the Flock surrender was just a pretense by the disciplined and single-minded feathered enemy, granting them two centuries of opportunities to infiltrate and undermine Earth and its outposts. The Flock finally strikes in perfect coordination and overwhelms humanity—in short order, the humans become the Flock’s slaves. But waves of sabotage and terrorist attacks on the Flock increase, seemingly under the psychic influence of the long-dormant HEs. Lexie Chow, a historian and secret member of the resistance, joins a motley team of other rebels in a mad dash to locate the HEs and revive them to fight. A lot of dramatic dialogue, heated debates, and hypothetical ifs unfold in lengthy, unlikely intermissions in the furious battling depicted here (“You can’t dream in cryosleep. It’s impossible. Brain tissue, nerves, all of it is literally frozen,” a crew member notes. “Well, I’m open to alternate goddamn theories,” Lexie snaps). Readers will also have to stomach a cute little robot (Lexie’s electronic dog) and comic-book elements in this kickoff volume (which promises to initiate an even longer saga). Genre fans who stick with the sortie will be rewarded with crackling action, fiendish twists, and bigger-than-life characterizations in this undeniably rousing first installment.

Violent action and danger propel this supercharged military SF yarn.