Book reviews

The Bug Wars
Robert Asprin Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography History
Robert Asprin Books
New book search
Robert Asprin Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of The Bug Wars
"This book describes us how the reptile warrior race of Tzen fights a war agains a coalition of 4 different types of giant insect creatures. The characters are mostly flat and there's at some points a feeling that those reptiles are only humans in a reptile suit. Also, we don't know much about their homeworld, except that they live in a swamp enviroment (They call their world "The Black Swamps"), because none of the plot is actually happening there, but on two or three insect-inhabited planets. The insects themselves seems dumb and weak, the Tzen just slaugher them, even with weapons such as throwing knives (Reminds me of bad shooter films. see: Rambo). It seems that the insect are only partly sentient, and their only advantage over the Tzen is, of course (like in Starship Troopers, Ender's Game and any other film about insect aliens), their numbers. The human race is unknown to the Tzen at all, and even the idea of mammal sentients is peculiar to them. It is a good book for a boring weekend perhaps, not for serious reading."
Dimitri Melamoud, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Bug Wars
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 40%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
War or Invasion Yes
Major kinds of combat: - hand to hand - guns - air battles
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male Alien
Profession/status: - fighter (air/space) pilot
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race

Setting
Terrain - Forests
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - unfriendly aliens
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - little dialog
Most similar books to The Bug Wars
Earthrise by William C. Dietz
Salt by Adam Roberts
The Spoils of War by Alan Dean Foster
A Call To Arms by Alan Dean Foster
Wrestling World by James Arthur Anderson


Click here for more information about this book


Robert Asprin Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Harriet Klausner  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani



Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
.
Lilian Jackson Braun 5:32:11 AM
Dennis Patrick Michels 4:59:47 AM
George W. Bush 2:03:13 AM
Christopher Paolini 1:41:21 AM
Iris Johansen 12:14:50 AM
Livia Bitton-Jackson 10:56:38 PM
Ellen Hopkins 9:55:06 PM
Lauren Myracle 9:44:43 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:21:46 PM
K.A. Applegate 8:02:14 PM
Patricia Cornwell 7:33:39 PM
Gerald Morris 6:41:37 PM
Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer 5:43:18 PM
Jean M. Auel 5:21:00 PM
Christina Crawford 5:13:44 PM
Suzanne Collins 4:46:21 PM
Julie Garwood 4:30:26 PM
Erin Hunters 4:22:42 PM
Kathryn Lynn Davis 4:10:33 PM
Robert Segarra 3:44:31 PM

More message boards