Dietz, William C. Deathday.

Berkley, Ace. 355p. c2001. 0-441-00981-6. $750. SA

On February 28, 2020, also known as Black Friday, the Zin invade Earth destroying everything in their path. Air Force One is obliterated. The governmental infrastructure is destroyed. Buildings collapse and fires spread. Humans caught on highways are either decimated or enslaved. Some lucky humans are able to escape into hiding. Others are forced into labor camps to prepare temples for the Zin or are shipped off into space for mining work and/or other labor. The Zin are dark-colored and for that reason favor those humans with dark skin, therefore, causing rifts among the enslaved. They choose an African American politician to be the human president believing that he will preside over the temple construction and will encourage the humans to do the Zin's bidding. The new president agrees to be the Zin's pawn in the hopes that he, his wife, and his security officers will be able to start an underground resistance movement with the knowledge that he gains.

Also vying for power is a white supremacist group that causes much unneeded conflict for the human resistance movement. Within the aliens' civilization, there are also alien groups that are subjugated by the Zin. These aliens find out that the so-called Zin temples are actually fortresses where the Zin plan to hide while in a vulnerable phase. In the fortresses, new Zin will be born in order to continue the domination over their servile aliens and the humans. As a result, the lower caste aliens start a resistance plan of their own. When the humans discover the truth about the temples, they may be able to win back their freedom as well.

This fast-paced read is reminiscent of such titles as H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds and Robert Silverberg's Alien Years. The strength of the novel lies in its swift action and its technical details and is recommended for readers of military SF as well as fans of alien invasion tales. The narrative moves quickly from one geographical location to another offering the reader the movements and viewpoints of humans and aliens across the nation and in space during this upheaval. The issues of prejudice found even among aliens make for good talking points for discussion. The novel ends abruptly with the death of a major character and with all intentions of continuation in the next installment, EarthRise. Ginger Armstrong, Prin. Lib. Assoc., County P.L., Chesterfield, VA