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Blackcollar #2

Черная молния

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Вторая часть трилогии «Черный спецназ». Полностью трилогия в серии не издавалась.

Иллюстрация на передней обложке В. Ди Фейта. Художники в издании не указаны.

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

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372 people want to read

About the author

Timothy Zahn

482 books8,546 followers
Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.

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5 stars
225 (25%)
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363 (41%)
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251 (28%)
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31 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov.
2,133 reviews824 followers
September 5, 2024
My GR friends know how much I enjoy Zahn’s imagination and writing style. Not all of his efforts are equally successful but his ability to draw the reader into worlds of possibility has been rarely equaled.

Backlash is the second book in a trilogy that took Zahn over 20 years to complete. As much as it is intended to stand on its own, it is a mistake (my mistake) to read it first.

Zahn imagines a world in which an alien (and insect-based) species has conquered the Earth and its various outposts. The species is willing to let some of humankind live in their “empire” but not any rebels. Among the things going on in this novel are:
The existence of a rebel force (Blackcollars) whose skill set combines technology with traditional ninja skills;
A need to return to Earth in secret to see whether any other rebels still remain;
An attempt to discover if a rumored “drug” that has enhanced ninja performance still exists; and,
An assessment of whether now is a time for acts of terrorism or general rebellion.

Each location on Earth and on remote planets has various political and military forces in play.
There are a vast number of characters who interact with each other based on past experiences that are only hinted at.
There are competing interests whose ultimate objectives are not disclosed.
Zahn gives us almost non-stop action, but it cannot compensate for the jumbled plot elements.
Perhaps the recipe needed to “cook” a bit longer rather than being served right from the blender.

3*

More details upon request.
Profile Image for Ron.
Author 2 books169 followers
August 12, 2020
“I may not be as good a tactician as you are, but I’ve got hindsight with the best of them.”

Zahn before Mara Jade and Thrawn, but good story telling already evident. Basically, a techno-thriller with ninja. Thin veneer of science fiction; gets the physics right, which is as refreshing as it is unusual.

“Never trust fanatics any farther than you absolutely have to.” “Because they take stupid chances?” “And because they’ll turn on you in a second if you stray half a step off their personal version of the ‘correct’ way.”

Good bad guys and bad good guys, and mixed motives and goals all over the place. He has an author’s eye for the details and behavior which make characters distinctive and believable. Left hooks to a third book which was never written, but the basic plot is obvious.

“Only if you believe in miracles. I gave those up about the same time I stopped believing in Santa Claus.” “Nothing wrong with accepting miracles that come your way.”

First published in 1885, Zahn had folks four centuries into the future still using corded phones and cassettes for data transfer. In less than four decades that was wrong. Standard Star Wars/Trek SF pseudo-science.

“The schools around here don’t go in for recent history?” “I get all the recent history I need from the local news.”

Typos throughout. OCR errors? “…kicking straight, out at the unseen figure his ears, had said was in front of him.” “Dump your, gun onto the floor.”
Profile Image for Jean-Luc.
278 reviews36 followers
December 26, 2014
When I said The Blackcollar was about ninjas in space, I left an important detail: anyone can obtain and learn to use ninja masks, ninja suits, shuriken, and nunchaku, so what separates a ninja from a ninja in space? Science!

In the first book, our hapless hero Allen Caine was counting on General Lepkowski to help him carry out General Kratochvil's secret plan. Then Caine learned Lepkowski was in New Karachi when the Ryquil incinerated it. We felt his hope deflate, and that pain recurred each time another resistance group inquired about the general. But the plan succeeds because SCIENCE NINJAS IN SPACE!

5 powerful ships were hidden by the Terran Democratic Empire at the outbreak of the war with the intent of striking from behind. (Think reverse island hopping.) But the Ryquil struck so quickly and with such advanced technology that the military never got a chance to execute that epic flanking maneuver. Now the space ninjas and their furry alien friends have those warships, and they're headed to Earth! Not to liberate it, not right away. In order to create space ninjas, TDE scientists used a drug called "Backlash". The formula for the Backlash drug may be hidden in a TDE command bunker in Denver. The Ryquil left Denver relatively intact because they wanted the secrets hidden in that bunker...

Knowing full well the space ninjas could only have one reason to come to Earth, the aliens insert a traitor! Their plan: let the ninjas think they're ahead, then swoop in and steal everything after they've done the hard work of breaking into the bunker. Even worse, the space ninjas who remained on Earth, the ones our heroes hope to rendezvous with, have given up on ever liberating the planet; they earn their pay as mercenaries. So honorless! Much shame!

There are few themes running through this book: war and politics, terrorism and proportional response, when to fight and when to give up.

I already said the first book was amazing. This is more of the same, and it is delightful. There's even a female character this time! Sure, she's a hyperviolent religious zealot, but that's America for you. If this book has even one downside, it's that it ends too damn quickly.
Profile Image for Dr. T Loves Books.
1,518 reviews13 followers
December 31, 2016
SPACE NINJAS.

What else do you need to know?

I originally read this book when I was a pre-teen, when I would read just about any scifi book I could get my hands on. I didn't realize that this was the second of a trilogy, so I read it as a stand-alone. I can't imagine what I thought of this book thirty years ago, since it relies pretty heavily on the set-up from the first book.

OK, aliens have taken over Earth and her colonies. They're bigger and stronger and tougher than humans, but as the initial war was closing out, humans found a way to enhance their soldiers to a level that allowed them to compete with the invaders. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. When the aliens took over, they installed loyalty conditioning in most of the remaining resistance, making it impossible for the humans to fight back.

But years after the alien take-over is complete, a resistance movement is growing, led by a small group of the remaining super-soldiers. There is a hope that the super-soldier serum can be rediscovered, and humans can rise up again. But they'll need the help of some unlikely allies, while dealing with betrayal from within their own ranks.

This book features the ragtag band of resistance fighters travelling to Earth in an attempt to find the original super-soldier base. That happens to be where the invaders have set up their largest defensive position. So the Blackcollars are going to have to think three steps ahead to avoid being captured.

Look, it's not great, but the nostalgia hit is going to earn it four stars!
Profile Image for Benjamin Espen.
269 reviews26 followers
October 22, 2018
The second book in the Blackcollar series picks up several years after the conclusion to the previous volume. The Blackcollars of Plinry have wrestled concessions from the conquerors of Earth that allow them to continue to train guerrilla fighters and operate a small space fleet.

With the possibility of re-establishing contact between the human worlds, now there is an actual glimmer of hope that the disparate resistance movements might organize into something greater, rather than simply trying to survive as long as possible.

Our young POV character, Allen Caine, has graduated from his guerrilla training on Plinry, but he lacks the supernatural reflexes and strength of the true Blackcollars, because no one on Plinry has access to Backlash, the drug that transforms their bodies into living weapons. He convinces his superiors to let him lead a mission to Earth in the hopes of finding the drug or its formula.

Of course, once on Earth, we get to see the Blackcollars in action again. The tactical doctrine of the Blackcollars, or at the least the group from Plinry seems to be equal parts Sun Tzu and GRU. Blackcollars never face an enemy where he is strong, and focus on controlling the flow of battle by understanding the motives and patterns of behavior of their opponents.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War


In addition to psychological insight, the Blackcollars use a combination of compartmentalization, misinformation, provocation, and wheels-within-wheels style planning to pull victories from seemingly impossible odds.

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”

― Sun tzu, The Art of War


Of all of this, is is really only the last item that I find somewhat implausible. Other fictional commanders, such as Colonel Falkenberg, make use of deception as well, but Falkenberg would scoff at the complicated plans Lathe relies upon. It seems like there are too many ways for things to go wrong, but Lathe’s plans always seem to work out perfectly. I would have liked to see some improvisation on the fly, but I admit it is kind of fun to see how it all comes together in the end.

That aside, I rather enjoyed this sequel. We got further development of the world and its history, and I feel like Zahn tightened up his intrigue a bit, although sometimes I was a bit baffled by the arguments between the two human collaborators assigned to hunt down the Blackcollars. They were of course quite successfully bamboozled by Lathe’s wilderness of mirrors, but even in those terms sometimes the discussion didn’t seem to make sense.

I consider that a pretty minor flaw in an otherwise very enjoyable work.
3 reviews
December 31, 2024
I absolutely loved this book and the rest of this trilogy! I wish Zahn would return to the blackcollars and either write prequels or sequels or both! I first read this series back in middle school and have reread the trilogy multiple times.

This story sets the stage for the forgotten hero's to rise again. There's secrets, intrigue, betrayal, trust, action, and comedy!

The Blackcollars are a special division of the military that while kept young and in shape through the same drugs everyone else have, were made super soldiers through the Backlash Drug which enhanced their natural speed and reflexes. This formula is similar to Captain America's super soldier drug but instead of fighting with the normal soldiers are trained in guerilla warfare and martial arts. They're given low tech weapons because their alien enemy can detect High Tech equipment.

Again i loved this trilogy and wish Zahn would write more!
Profile Image for Xane.
120 reviews
August 31, 2017
This is how you write a sequel! Everything that was great about the first book (the intricate plots, tenuous alliances, and exciting action) is back but with much better pacing and a far more interesting and personal mission for the blackcollars to tackle. The various back and forth twists (and that conclusion!) were quite spectacular. One of the only things the series still struggles with is compelling character development. Additionally, while I was able to keep track of the important players this time around (thank goodness), most of the side characters still blurred together. These flaws, combined with a few "convenient" plot occurrences, keep the book back from five stars, but overall I enjoyed this one a lot more than the first (still solid) installment. A good read with a satisfying conclusion, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the third book turned out.
165 reviews
June 22, 2021
REVIEW FOR ENTIRE SERIES:

Another solid sci-fi trilogy by one of the masters. Although similar to the Cobra series in spirit (guerilla warfare specialists fighting against an alien occupation), the low-tech nature of the blackcollars throws in a more realistic wrinkle to the idea of regular soldiers fighting an uphill battle against an oppressor. Aside from some enhancements to reflexes, speed, and strength, the blackcollars have to rely on superior tactics and ingenuity to overcome the enemy.

As with other Zahn titles, there is usually a plan known only to the protagonist and it's always a pleasure to see it play out through the course of the novel. Fast-paced and exciting, these are worth the read.
Profile Image for Killian.
26 reviews
February 15, 2018
The Backlash Mission was a big improvement over the previous book, Blackcollar. It doesn't feel as dated (no tapes!), though there are still far more male characters than female. The low-tech vs high-tech dynamic was pulled off really well; it's always enjoyable to see Security get completely flummoxed by guys running around in unitards.
15 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2025
An enjoyable read. Only real criticisms are that the ending left things a little vague as to what had happened (hopefully the next book explains more), and the editing of the book needed some work as there were a ton of typos with missing/added spaces or punctuation.
Profile Image for I..
Author 3 books5 followers
January 3, 2025
Great book, easy to read, well-paced, good plot. Looking forward to #3.

Profile Image for Mark.
541 reviews30 followers
September 14, 2013
Timothy Zahn's Blackcollar series continues with the rebellion growing. Oh, it's still a quiet rebellion -- the Ryquil still rule the Terran Federation served by their "loyalty-conditioned" human puppets while the rest of the human population has settled into quiet acceptance of their fate. Everyone except the Blackcollars. Caine, the newest recruit, leads his first mission -- back to Earth to search for the formula to Backlash - the drug that gave the original Blackcollars their fearsome speed, strength, and reflexes.

And, of course, our old nemesis, Prefect Galway is there to try and stop them.

Of the three Blackcollar books, I think this one's the slowest, which isn't a serious criticism considering the pace of the books. Suffice it to say you'll get your share of guerilla tactics, plot twists, and old military bases (another of Zahn's favorite themes).
Profile Image for Dorian.
108 reviews13 followers
September 28, 2014
For fans of The Blackcollar, Backlash is an excellent follow-up novel.

There's more extraterrestrial espionage, ninjas and twisted loyalties as Allen Caine and his team return to Earth to seek the formula to turn them into proper Blackcollar warriors.

My main complaint with the book is the lack of character diversity. It was hard for me to differentiate between the various blackcollars, and it seemed to me that despite the whole point of the book being to find the body-and-mind-enhancing drug intended to effect the transition, the trainees seemed hardly any different in skills or thoughts from their mentors.

Nevertheless, a very good read.
Profile Image for Scott Wozniak.
Author 7 books96 followers
November 9, 2014
Caine is back, with the training as a Blackcollar (super soldier) but not the special drug to make him one. So his next mission in the fight against the aliens who conquered humanity is to find it.

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good either. The action was well written and the dialogue believable but: 1) I didn't like the main character--too proud and bitter, and 2) There kept giving away the mystery--like having a scene from the bad guys perspective after the heroes wonder who might be out there to worry about.

I never finished.There are too many great books out there to waste time on mediocre books.
Profile Image for D.M. Dutcher .
Author 1 book50 followers
December 30, 2013
Book two in the Blackcollar series.

It's all right. It feels a little too convoluted for its own good, and you begin to wonder why the Ryquil continue to remain hands-off. More repetition than the first book too, as multiple teams of blackcollars wage several assaults before finally reaching their objective in the last 12% of the book. There's only so much nunchaku beats lasers and bluffing your way into control rooms you can take.

It's not bad though. Unlike Cobra, it seems to be more serious in later books and less silly. Worth reading if you like Zahn.
42 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2015
If you're only going to read one novel about chemically-enhanced space ninjas using throwing stars to fight giant extraterrestrial warrior cat invaders, don't make it this one, because this is the second in a trilogy.

If, however, you're going to read TWO books in that genre, definitely make this one your second, because your enjoyment of the third book, should you decide to read it, really depends on some familiarity with this book.
Profile Image for Kenneth Flusche.
1,066 reviews9 followers
December 23, 2012
Excelant book, 2nd in series basically a continuation of book one, now finally I can finish book 3 started first and making no since. Want to thank Norfolk Public Library interlibrary loan department for making these two books available quickly enough to read.
Profile Image for Don.
151 reviews
Read
June 10, 2013
I didn't like this one as well as The Blackcollar (it's predecessor), but it was interesting to see where Zahn would take them. The twist at the end, though, was great and I hope the next one lives up to the possibilities now open to the Blackcollars.
Profile Image for Junius Johnson.
Author 7 books25 followers
April 14, 2014
As enjoyable as the first. Though not quite as subtle, it moves along at an excellent pace and doesn't wind up where you think it will. For those who enjoyed _Blackcollar_, it's a no brainer to carry on to the second book.
Profile Image for Jason.
155 reviews
August 31, 2014
Military fiction as a sequel to Blackcollar. This book was ok; Zahn writes some interesting characters but they never feel all the way developed. This is probably my least favorite Zahn series; his Conquerers series was good and the Star Wars books were great.
Profile Image for Robert.
37 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2012
A decent follow-up to the original. Basically a book about super ninjas ;) Not sure if there is another in the series, but I would love to read it if there is just for the sheer enjoyment factor.
Profile Image for Patrick.
Author 3 books61 followers
March 5, 2013
It was OK. Like the first one you can see elements of this that were reused in his Star Wars books, most notably the storehouse of military secrets.
Profile Image for Jake.
57 reviews1 follower
February 20, 2014
Decent. Plot was good, but its complexity and how characters came to conclusions were both a bit too unbelievable for me to think the book was fantastic
Profile Image for Penny.
74 reviews
June 23, 2013
I'm really loving the Blackcollar series. The character's are extremely likable. Can't wait to finish book three.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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