Alien alan dean foster audiobook series#

They use this 'gift' to 'influence' other alien species to their side to assist in fulfilling what the Amplitur deem 'the purpose'. The only known alien species capable of some form of telepathy.

Alien alan dean foster audiobook series#

This series is, at its core, a study and report on humanity when 'exploited' to do what we've been doing since the beginning of our civilization. If you want thoughtful first-contact stories this may be just your cup of tea. The narration is adequate although I could not help but wonder what RC Bray might have done with this series. All of that would change if humans became involved. The war has been going on for a thousand years because everyone is so civilized that they do not use any excessive force. Rather, it is the conflict between the beliefs of all of those involved from the ultra peaceful Wais who may go catatonic if faced with violence to humans who often revel in violence. There is a great deal of conflict in these books, but it is not the kind you normally see in space operas. There is a great deal of character development, considerable politics and little actual fighting so if people are looking for space battles and violent conflict they should look elsewhere. As delightfully ironic as the plot twist is, there is little actual violence in these books as the story is one of contact between the races, the attempts of the humans to convince the aliens that they are civilized and the struggle the aliens have in dealing with humans. Instead they find humans whose basic natural talent is to fight wars and the civilized races are torn between the need for human soldiers and the fear of any race that actually enjoys violence. Since all civilized races are largely incapable of violence they are hoping to find a new planet where the people might provide some kind of help, even if only providing supplies. The story, of course, involves aliens who have been involved in a thousand year war stumbling across humans in their attempt to find allies against the mind controlling alien race at the heart of the enemy.

I still have the 3 books in paperback but when I realized that the series was available on Audible I immediately bought it and spent a week listening. Maybe we were a danger, but maybe we were also the salvation of all of those 'civilized' aliens. Books like Childhood's End and movies like The Day The Earth Stood Still were constantly referring to how uncivilized we were and how dangerous to any other intelligence we would be, so when I first came across this series I was struck how Alan Dean Foster had turned the whole notion of how warlike we were on its head. I grew at a time when books and movies were constantly centered on how inherently violent humans were and how we were not ready for any contact with what must be 'civilized' alien races. This series has always been one of my favorites. Until an alien scholar uncovers a terrifying truth: Earthlings might not even be capable of being civilized-and a shadowy group of powerful humans is already poised to unleash war across the entire galaxy. With mankind's help, the Weave is finally on the verge of victory against the Amplitur. But if the Weave attempts to undo the effects, they may change the former warriors into something far, far worse. When the Amplitur unleash an elite cadre of fighters, it soon becomes clear that they have subjected their human prisoners to horrific genetic manipulation. Unfortunately for all, the Amplitur have the same idea-and mankind is caught in the middle. When one of its scout ships lands on Earth, the Weave quickly realizes that humanity's almost innate ability to wreak havoc and death may hold the key to turning the tide in their fight. In fact, most regard violence as hideously barbaric, and even the thought of harming another sentient being is beyond imagining. ДЇor millennia, the Weave, an alliance of species, have fought to resist the telepathic Amplitur, who strive to unite all self-aware life-forms in their great 'Purpose.' The Weave is slowly losing ground, but for both sides, warfare focuses more on outthinking and outmaneuvering your foe than destruction. Humans are caught up in an alien war in this epic from the #1 New York Times вЂ“bestselling author of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Trek Into Darkness.