Gary W. Babb

The book is part of a trilogy, and this is book no. 1. It took me a while to read the book, the language was very lyrical/sensitive, quasi-poetical at times (when it is Amy), but I found that I couldn't get into the story, because I felt that the narrative was not fluid, since it goes from Levi's inner narrative to Amy's consciousness, with general plot/narrative interludes. What's more, the format of the whole text did not make for an easy reading, as I am used to reading in a 'justified' format (i.e. the whole line should be taken by the text, rather than being aligned on the left). In any case, the idea behind the merging of man and machine reminded me of the 'Alien' artist, Giger, who drew a set of tarot cards with morphed men/machines beings (although I perceived ASONE as being less dark than Giger's beings). Maybe Babb could have gone further with this, going beyond Man as a man and the machine as Woman. I do not know what happens next, because I haven't read the other two books.… (mehr)

The Earth is Ours is the first book in Gary Babb's post-apocalyptic trilogy. My copy was a first run and Gary said that the second edition was cleaned up quite a bit, so make sure you get a second edition.

Levi is an Native American Octogenarian wandering the American Southwest 50 years after an Alien invasion that left the planet's technology at the level of hunter gatherers. The Aliens are large (7'-9' tall) bipeds that have a passing resemblance to Apes and have been nicknamed Simians. They also have a preferred taste for humans second only to horses. After a long and hard life and the loss of 2 mates and a child Levi is preparing himself for death. When he makes contact with a 'spirit' (telepathically) and begins a quest for the voice with the promise of revenge on the Simians for all their heinous sins.

I really enjoyed reading Earth is Ours and have the second book on my wish list already. Now is this a great piece of 'literature'? I don't think so, I think it fits more into trashy sci-fi. The science isn't very hard, but everything is 'explained' well enough to keep the story going. The big thing that irritated me was the relationship between the main characters. It was important and needed to be kept in the foreground, but I felt like I was being hit over the head with it all the time. The other big thing others might find fault with is the two main protagonists combined are very 'Mary Sueish', but not overly so. Overall, a fun fast easy read, a good book to relax with.… (mehr)

Mr. Babb has done it again! "Target Earth" is the second book of the Earth Series Trilogy with "Earth is Ours" being the first. Mr. Babb has written this book, so that one can pick it up and start reading mid-series without feeling like they've missed something. He starts the book out with a detailed summary of "Earth is Ours", refreshing the mind of the continuing reader, and nicely catching the new reader up. Although one can come into this series midway, I'd suggest that you start at the beginning. The first book really explains Amy and Levi's relationship as well as the other characters such as Moon and Jimmy. (I am coming from the standpoint of really enjoying the first book)

"Target Earth" nicely continues where "Earth is Ours" leaves off. It is a fast paced adventure where danger and the threat of Simians spills from the pages of the book. It is full of war and action keeping this a great book for guys, with enough romance to keep the female reader interested. I did feel that this book leaned a little more to the male audience than the last, but still no complaints here!!

I would have liked more of Moon's point of view because I loved him in the last book. Mr. Babb picks up the my need by introducing another character - one who I will not mention his name, because I think that would be a spoiler. Let me say one thing... this character will grab you and shake you up!

Don't miss the second book of the Earth Series Trilogy. (Actually - don't miss any of this trilogy!) Mr. Babb can really tell a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat!… (mehr)

First, let me say that I enjoyed this book. The characters and the storyline were interesting, if not as complex as some. There were some good ideas, and overall it was entertaining.

Second, let me say that Gary needs to seek professional help - with his proofreading. There were numerous errors throughout the manuscript, ranging from the wrong "then/than" and other incorrect word substitutions (disburse for disperse, anachronism for acronym, to name the worst two) to issues of tense and person (particularly in what was apparently supposed to be spoken dialogue). It read like a draft, not a finalized manuscript, which made it difficult to read, at least for me.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

One plot point that I have a major problem with is the alien males' rape to death of human females. He never established why this occurred, but it occurred with some frequency. I assume this was to emphasize how horrible these aliens were, but it struck a false note with me, and didn't accomplish his (assumed) intention.… (mehr)