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Katherine "Kitty" Katt #9
Alien Collective
Despite not having run for office, nor wanting to remain in office, Representative Jeff Martini is being wooed as the vice presidential running mate for a charismatic senator who seems likely to win the campaign. While the Diplomatic Corps has to deal with the pressures of a political campaign sure to uncover secrets they don’t want shared with the world, Ambassador Kitty Katt-Martini has other worries—handling the reemergence of her most potent nemesis, thought dead and buried.
510 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2014
About the author
Gini Koch
85 books918 followersGini Koch started writing in the American Southwest as something to do in between staring at pictures of good-looking leading men, but now sweats out the words, both literally and figuratively, in Hotlanta and dreams of dry heat.
She’s best known for her award-winning Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series formerly from DAW Books and now with Ginger Blue Publishing, which started with Touched by an Alien and has seventeen books and one collection out currently, with eighteen through twenty-two on the way.
Gini’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including G.J. Koch (the Alexander Outland series), Anita Ensal (The Belters Series, A Cup of Joe), Jemma Chase (The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal), A.E. Stanton (the New West Series and the Legend of Belladonna series), and J.C. Koch, all with stories featured in excellent anthologies, available now and upcoming. She’s expanded the fun by writing mysteries with co-writer Bebe Bayliss (the Fall’s Girl Mysteries and the Santa Paloma Mysteries).
No matter what length – from science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, space opera, urban fantasy, horror, mystery, thriller, dystopian, Westerns, romantic suspense, and more – if it’s genre, she writes it.
She’s an avid follower of pop culture, comics, and anything and everything animated. She’s still inspired mostly by good-looking leading men (particularly her husband) and driven to keep her Canine Death Squad and Killer Kitties in kibble and treats.
Reach her via: www.ginikoch.com
She’s best known for her award-winning Alien/Katherine “Kitty” Katt series formerly from DAW Books and now with Ginger Blue Publishing, which started with Touched by an Alien and has seventeen books and one collection out currently, with eighteen through twenty-two on the way.
Gini’s made the most of multiple personality disorder by writing under a variety of other pen names as well, including G.J. Koch (the Alexander Outland series), Anita Ensal (The Belters Series, A Cup of Joe), Jemma Chase (The Disciple and Other Stories of the Paranormal), A.E. Stanton (the New West Series and the Legend of Belladonna series), and J.C. Koch, all with stories featured in excellent anthologies, available now and upcoming. She’s expanded the fun by writing mysteries with co-writer Bebe Bayliss (the Fall’s Girl Mysteries and the Santa Paloma Mysteries).
No matter what length – from science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, space opera, urban fantasy, horror, mystery, thriller, dystopian, Westerns, romantic suspense, and more – if it’s genre, she writes it.
She’s an avid follower of pop culture, comics, and anything and everything animated. She’s still inspired mostly by good-looking leading men (particularly her husband) and driven to keep her Canine Death Squad and Killer Kitties in kibble and treats.
Reach her via: www.ginikoch.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 1, 2013
It's no secret that I'm a HUGE fan of Gini Koch's alien series, I love how fast paced these stories are and the fact that they are so full of humour and crazy antics! Alien Collective is once again a fabulous instalment to the series and I loved every minute of it. It always amazes me that Gini Koch continues to come up with so many hilarious ways to challenge (or should that be torture?) her characters, we've seen the superbeings, alligators, poofs and peregrines to name a few but I'm just going to leave it for you to discover what she throws at them in this book.
Even though Alien Collective sees Jeff running for vice president the focus is still very much on the action and Kitty is given plenty of chances to kick ass and take names. The story is set about a year on from Alien Research but the A-Cs are still struggling to recover the data that was stolen by the hacker Chernobog. With years worth of research completely lost they are scrambling to catch up and their enemies are at a distinct advantage. Kitty knows it is vital to track down the remaining Yates offspring before their enemies do, the hybrids all seem to have unusual and very strong abilities and the last thing Kitty needs is them allying with the mastermind, but finding them is easier said than done.
The blows just never stop coming at them in this book, what with attacks on their embassy as well as those of their allies and multiple bombing attempts in strategic locations worldwide Kitty and the team have a lot on their hands. Add in an alien visitor who has come to put ACE on trial along with some very unusual attacks on Kitty herself and things are about to get even more complicated. Luckily Kitty has some powerful friends and her "uncles" are a great source of useful information for her. She is getting closer to discovering who the real mastermind is and it's looking more and more like it is someone in her close circle, someone she considers not just a friend but part of her family. I'm actually kind of terrified to discover who the mastermind is, I have a feeling it's going to shock us all and I'm nervous that it's going to end up being a character that I love. I would hate to even make a guess at who it is though, the court is just wide open at this point and it really could turn out to be anyone.
I can't get enough of this series and I'm sure fans are going to love this latest instalment, it has everything you'd expect from Gini Koch and is just as addictive as the other books. It's unusual for a series to still be going strong after 9 books but I can't see myself ever getting bored of Kitty and crew so I can't tell you how excited I am to know there will be at least 4 more books. Each new release just can't come fast enough!
Even though Alien Collective sees Jeff running for vice president the focus is still very much on the action and Kitty is given plenty of chances to kick ass and take names. The story is set about a year on from Alien Research but the A-Cs are still struggling to recover the data that was stolen by the hacker Chernobog. With years worth of research completely lost they are scrambling to catch up and their enemies are at a distinct advantage. Kitty knows it is vital to track down the remaining Yates offspring before their enemies do, the hybrids all seem to have unusual and very strong abilities and the last thing Kitty needs is them allying with the mastermind, but finding them is easier said than done.
The blows just never stop coming at them in this book, what with attacks on their embassy as well as those of their allies and multiple bombing attempts in strategic locations worldwide Kitty and the team have a lot on their hands. Add in an alien visitor who has come to put ACE on trial along with some very unusual attacks on Kitty herself and things are about to get even more complicated. Luckily Kitty has some powerful friends and her "uncles" are a great source of useful information for her. She is getting closer to discovering who the real mastermind is and it's looking more and more like it is someone in her close circle, someone she considers not just a friend but part of her family. I'm actually kind of terrified to discover who the mastermind is, I have a feeling it's going to shock us all and I'm nervous that it's going to end up being a character that I love. I would hate to even make a guess at who it is though, the court is just wide open at this point and it really could turn out to be anyone.
I can't get enough of this series and I'm sure fans are going to love this latest instalment, it has everything you'd expect from Gini Koch and is just as addictive as the other books. It's unusual for a series to still be going strong after 9 books but I can't see myself ever getting bored of Kitty and crew so I can't tell you how excited I am to know there will be at least 4 more books. Each new release just can't come fast enough!
December 7, 2013
Lots of thinking going on in this one, slowly trying to figure it all out. Who are all the enemies? Who is the mastermind? Oh the riddles.
Right, Martini is running for VP. Kitty is trying to hold it all together, figure out who is attacking them and save the day (and the world).
The baddies are still bad, and they keep crawling forward from under rocks. But maybe this is all now, the master plan is in motion and perhaps we will get a conclusion soon...or not as more books are coming (goes to check the blurb for book 10, omg it sounds awesome!). But that is the next book, which I totally want at once now.
Anyway, action! Poofs! Dogs! Those damn Ronnie's kids! Smooching with her honey, figuring stuff out.
There have been 9 books, I have pretty much said it all by now.
Fun series, with the coolest heroine around.
Right, Martini is running for VP. Kitty is trying to hold it all together, figure out who is attacking them and save the day (and the world).
The baddies are still bad, and they keep crawling forward from under rocks. But maybe this is all now, the master plan is in motion and perhaps we will get a conclusion soon...or not as more books are coming (goes to check the blurb for book 10, omg it sounds awesome!). But that is the next book, which I totally want at once now.
Anyway, action! Poofs! Dogs! Those damn Ronnie's kids! Smooching with her honey, figuring stuff out.
There have been 9 books, I have pretty much said it all by now.
Fun series, with the coolest heroine around.
January 17, 2013
**I received this book for free from Penguin/DAW in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
*Genre* Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Full Thoughts May 6, 2013 as part of my blog tour stop!
Gini Koch has created a monster with the Katherine "Kitty" Katt series and we are only on book # 9! There is literally a cast of hundreds involved in this story, with our intrepid heroine Kitty Katt leading the way for the good guys against the evil villains led by the mysterious Mastermind, his Apprentices, some horrible politicians, Death Dealers, lobbyists, Anti-Alien groups, and those who are just scared of the unknown.
Over the past 4 1/2 years, Kitty has gone from being unaware of aliens actually existing, to killing an Alien with hair spray, to becoming the Ambassador for the American Centurians who give their lives in order to protect the world from evil both on this planet, and from various alien races. Kitty's challenges apparently are just getting to the tipping point in knowing who her true enemies are.
You seriously must read this series in order in order to get Kittisms and the various snarky comments, and names she comes up for people she meets. You need a scorecard to separate the good guys from the bad guys, and then toss it up in the air because Koch is teasing us with tempting morsels that I hope will soon lead to the revelation of the person behind the Mastermind mask.
I truly wanted to send a message to Gini and ask her if one of my guesses is correct. I won't go any further, but if you have made it to this point in the series, then you have probably guessed more than a few times that it was someone within Kitty's realm of so called friends, and family.
Expected publication: May 6th 2014 by DAW
*Genre* Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Full Thoughts May 6, 2013 as part of my blog tour stop!
Gini Koch has created a monster with the Katherine "Kitty" Katt series and we are only on book # 9! There is literally a cast of hundreds involved in this story, with our intrepid heroine Kitty Katt leading the way for the good guys against the evil villains led by the mysterious Mastermind, his Apprentices, some horrible politicians, Death Dealers, lobbyists, Anti-Alien groups, and those who are just scared of the unknown.
Over the past 4 1/2 years, Kitty has gone from being unaware of aliens actually existing, to killing an Alien with hair spray, to becoming the Ambassador for the American Centurians who give their lives in order to protect the world from evil both on this planet, and from various alien races. Kitty's challenges apparently are just getting to the tipping point in knowing who her true enemies are.
You seriously must read this series in order in order to get Kittisms and the various snarky comments, and names she comes up for people she meets. You need a scorecard to separate the good guys from the bad guys, and then toss it up in the air because Koch is teasing us with tempting morsels that I hope will soon lead to the revelation of the person behind the Mastermind mask.
I truly wanted to send a message to Gini and ask her if one of my guesses is correct. I won't go any further, but if you have made it to this point in the series, then you have probably guessed more than a few times that it was someone within Kitty's realm of so called friends, and family.
Expected publication: May 6th 2014 by DAW
November 17, 2015
Ninth in the Katherine "Kitty" Katt romantic science fiction series revolving around a group of humans and G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. aliens in Armani Fatigues. The action takes place mainly in Washington D.C. It's been four-and-a-half years since Kitty defended herself so well.
My Take
There's enough flippin' and floppin' in Alien Collective to satisfy anyone, almost enough to give you whiplash. Nothing like jumping right in, lol. Koch caught my attention immediately with Kitty being "arrested" at a protest rally. Right along with all the other dazzling women she knows.
I do enjoy how Koch uses song titles to make me guess what the next action will be, but I'm getting a bit tired of Operation This, Operation That with Team Whoever. I do realize that it's part of Koch keeping things zippy, and it does add a sense of fun to the story, but it seemed overdone in Alien Collective. That said, I do love Kitty's forthrightness and how it makes her so formidable. That sense of humor, as well as her honor, keep me lovin' her and all the A-Cs and their allies. The series is a great combination of humor and what's right with lots of action and adventure.
I am being something of a hypocrite. In going back over my notes, I realized that Koch is using a lot of tell and not much show. But she keeps the action, humor, and adventure flowing right along so that you don't miss it. Where it does become obvious is the sex scenes, and then you start thinking about how tension-less most of the story is. Yes, there is some drama — nicely done, by the way — which, yep, distracted me from that lack of show and tension. Bad Kathy.
Oh, LOL, celebrities and politicians might want to make note of Kitty's strategy when bombarded by paparazzi…*more laughter*…take pictures of the people irritating you, when they ask why, tell them "you like to remember all the rude people I've met".
The Story
Despite not having run for office, nor wanting to remain in office, Representative Jeff Martini is being wooed as the vice presidential running mate for a charismatic senator who seems likely to win the campaign.
While the Diplomatic Corps has to deal with the pressures of a political campaign sure to uncover secrets they don't want shared with the world, Ambassador Kitty Katt-Martini has other worries — handling the reemergence of her most potent nemesis, thought dead and buried.
The Characters
Ambassador Kitty Katt, a.k.a., "Missus Chief", a human who has picked up some Alpha Centauri (A-C) super powers — super healing, hyperspeed, and talking to animals — is married to Jeff Martini (the best A-C empath), who was appointed by the president to the congressional seat for the Representative for New Mexico's 2nd District. Jamie is their super-daughter, a human-alien hybrid in whom ACE (a collective superconsciousness) has taken up residence. Major-General Mortimer Katt is Kitty's uncle. Caroline Chase is Kitty's sorority roommate, bestie, Michael's mourning fiancée, and aide to Arizona's senior senator.
Alpha Centauri is…
…a solar system in which Alpha Four is located, the planet from which Jeff and his people were exiled to Earth.
Jeff's family includes…
…Lucinda Martini is Jeff's mom who is taking care of Jamie in this story. Alfred is Jeff's dad who works at NASA Base, which is located at the Kennedy Space Center. Jeff had five sisters, including Sylvia, the oldest, who had been married to the traitor, Clarence Valentino. Stephanie is their daughter and working for Vander as one of his assistants. Marianne is the youngest sister; Kimmie is her youngest. Camilla is undercover at Gaultier.
Christopher White, an A-C with imageering skills and Jeff's cousin. Due to past events, he has a lot more abilities including being able to go really, really, really super-fast and reading minds. Terry had been Christopher's mother. Richard White, Christopher's father, is the former Supreme Pontiff and Lucinda's older brother, making him Jeff's uncle. Richard also partners up with Kitty on dangerous missions. Amy Gaultier-White is a human lawyer being blocked from inheriting her evil father's empire, Gaultier Enterprises, one of Kitty's best friends from high school, and Christopher's wife.
Gladys Gower, Lucinda and Alfred's sister, had been head of security until she was captured by Al Dejahl and manipulated. All three — Richard, Alfred, and Gladys — were Ronald Yates' only legitimate children and had been born on Alpha Four. Commander James Reader is human and with Paul Gower, the Supreme Pontifex of all Alpha Centaurions on Earth. Michael Gower, Paul's brother, was murdered. Abigail Gower is Paul's sister.
Yates' illegitimate children, a.k.a.…
…Ronnie's Kids, are a result of Yates impregnating as many young women in their prime childbearing years as possible to, hopefully, father many children with his abilities. Serene was one of them and a full-blooded sister to Ronaldo Al Dejahl (a troubadour who used mind manipulation and bad boy) whom Gladys managed to kill. Mahin Sherazi, an earthbender, switched sides about a year ago. Benjamin Siler's aunt was Cybele Siler (which makes his uncle Antony Marling! Through Yates, he's Richard and Alfred's younger brother); his mother was Cybele's sister, Madeleine Cartwright. Uncle Herbert Siler, Madeleine's brother, successfully hid Benjamin from the rest of his relatives.
Kitty calls the lady A-Cs "Dazzlers" because they're so gorgeous and have mega skills and brilliant minds. Commander Serene Dwyer is the Head of Imageering and their chief explosives expert, with a young, very gifted son, Patrick, with her husband, astronaut Brian. Doreen is married to Irving Weisman.
A-C Embassy security and staff include…
…the incredibly and comprehensively competent Malcolm Buchanan who was assigned by Angela as Kitty's personal shadow. Burton Falk is one of Buchanan's human agents. Field teams include Jeremy (empath) and Jennifer (imageer) Barone, a brother-sister team (she's engaged to Ravi) and Rahmi and Rhee, shapeshifting princesses (and sisters) from the man-hating Beta Twelve. Rajnish Singh is the embassy's public relations minister with a troubadour gift. Pierre Duchamps is the concierge majordomo who organizes everything. Francine is Kitty's double and a troubadour. Walter Ward is the head of security at the embassy while his brother, William, is overall head of security. The human Nurse Magdalena Carter is dating Richard. Dr. Tito Hernandez is the A-C embassy doctor.
The Poofs and Royal Peregrines are creatures from Alpha Four, lately. The Poofs are a soft fuzzy ball of sweetness that can grow to carnivorous monster proportions. Harlie is Jeff's and the head Poof. He and Poofikins, Kitty's Poof, are with Kitty all the time. Tenley was the Head Poof on Alpha Four. Mous-Mous is Jamie's Poof. The peregrines are magical peacocks (and peahens) who can go invisible. Bruno and his mate, Lola, are the head peregrines. Algar is on the run from the Black Hole People, and he's stopped off on Earth to have fun being the A-C elf, a.k.a., the Operations Team.
Mr. Joel Oliver, a.k.a., MJO, is their pet reporter, a journalist who has risen highly in the estimation of his fellow journalists. Bellie is his woman-hating parrot who adores Jeff. Who adores Bellie right back. It's enough to make Kitty yowl.
Airborne Command is…
…a squad of Navy Top Guns assigned to A-C defense. Commander Tim Crawford is the current head with his fellow flyboys: Joe Billings (the Dazzling Lorraine's husband), Randy Muir (the Dazzling Claudia's husband), Matt Hughes, Chip Walker, and Jerry Tucker.
"Uncles" Dingo the Dog, a.k.a., Peter Kasperoff, and his brother, Surly Vic, a.k.a., Victor Kasperoff, are two of the best assassins in the business, and they figure they owe Kitty.
P.T.C.U., a.k.a.,
…the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit is headed up by Kitty's mom, Angela Katt, the antiterrorism consultant and the only non-Jewish Mossad agent ever. Kitty's dad, Professor Sol Katt, is a history professor for Arizona State University and secretly a cryptologist for NASA. Duke is the Katts' Labrador. Kevin Lewis is Mom's right hand man and the Alpha Centaurion Defense Attaché. His wife, Denise Lewis, is human AND gorgeous; she runs the A-C daycare.
The alphabet agencies include…
…the CIA with Charles "Chuckie" Reynolds, the extremely brilliant Conspiracy King, who heads up their Extra-Terrestrial Division and has been Kitty's best guy friend since ninth grade. He's still mourning the "death" of his new wife, Naomi Gower-Reynolds. Len and Kyle are former USC football players who work for Chuck and are now Kitty's official driver and bodyguard. Clifford Goodman is with Homeland Security. Evander Horn is with the FBI. Officer Melville and Prince are part of the Washington D.C. K-9 squad along with the officers Kitty refers to as Larry and Curly .
Hacker International is…
…a group of computer geniuses now working for the A-Cs through the CIA and headed up by Stryker Dane, a.k.a., Edward Simms, who has been a friend of Chuckie and Kitty's since high school. Big George Lacroix is Europe's best hacker while Dr. Henry Wu is China's best. Ravi Gaekwad and Yuri Stanislav may seem normal, but that's only by comparison. Ravi is India's best hacker, and he's engaged to Jennifer Barone. The blind Yuri has to yield his title of best Russian hacker and be content with second place.
Political and foreign embassy A-C friends include…
…Senator Vincent Armstrong is running for president and wants Jeff as his running mate. Senator Don McMillan endorsed Armstrong. Nathalie Gagnon-Brewer, a French ex-fashion model whose sudden widowhood pushed her into her husband Edmund's seat as Representative from California is a friend of the A-Cs. Adriana Dalca, Olga's granddaughter whom Olga, a.k.a., the Oracle, a former KGB operative and Andrei's wife (the Romanian ambassador), is teaching to spy using the old tried-and-true methods: intelligence. Other A-C allies include the Bahrainis and Israelis. Mona Nejem is the Bahraini ambassadress; Kalid is her Royal Bahraini Army bodyguard. Jakob, Oren, and Leah are all Mossad, but technically with the Israeli Diplomatic Mission.
The French assassin, Benjamin Siler, a.k.a., Helpful Servant (at the Bahraini embassy), a.k.a., Nightcrawler, has the ability to blend into his surroundings. And hyperspeed.
The Dealers of Death are…
…the primary and most powerful lobbyists for weapons making, alcohol, tobacco, fast food, hazardous waste, oil drilling, firearms, and big pharma. Lillian Culver, a sort-of A-C ally, is a top lobbyist, for most of the big defense contractors; Abner Schnekedy is her husband. Vance Beaumont is married to Guy Gadoire, a tobacco lobbyist; both are hoping for a three-way with an A-C. Simon Hopkins is head of the alcohol lobby; he preferred the previous A-C diplomatic corps. Niles Berkowitz is the heady lobbyist for oil and is friends with Ansom Somerall. Talia Lee is firearms, and she's friends with Janelle Gardiner from Gaultier Enterprises. Myron Van Dyke is big pharma and tight with Quinton Cross, also from Gaultier. Lux Carr is hazardous waste while Kingsley Teague is fast food. Both Lux and Teague are tight with Amos Tobin, the current head of YatesCorp.
The First Mastermind was…
…Ronald Yates, codenamed Mephistopheles, a joining of alien parasite and A-C to become an in-control superbeing. A really, really bad guy, the Bad Guy of Bad Guys. As Yates, he built YatesCorp, a media empire with its tentacles everywhere including Gaultier Enterprises and Titan Security. He'd also created the Al Dejahl terrorist organization. The next Mastermind was Leventhal Reid, a psychopath whom we thought had died. Wrong. The current Mastermind has figured out how to clone people — and LaRue Demorte Gaultier is one of them, a clone of Amy's wicked stepmother who was the brain behind many of the evil plots. Annette Dier is a top assassin (in her own estimate) who hates Kitty.
The presidential candidate for the other side is Gideon Cleary with Cameron Maurer as his running mate on an anti-everything platform. Crystal is Cameron's wife. Nancy "Squeaky" Maurer is Cameron's terrified mother. Senator Zachary Kramer is one of their cronies. Secretary of Transportation Langston Whitmore hates the A-Cs.
Chernobog the Ultimate is the best hacker in existence; her real name is Bogdana. Her son, Russell Koslow, has no talent. Bruce Jenkins, a.k.a., the Tastemaker, is a tenacious, deep-digging, widely believed investigative reporter who spreads the gossip via a column in the Washington Post. Thomas Kendrick is with Titan.
Hate groups who have been targeting the A-Cs include two of the most prominent ones: Club Fifty-One and its head, Harvey Gutermuth, and the Church of [Hate and] Intolerance. Farley Pecker's group provided the distractions. The Z'Porrah are an alien race who hate the Poofs and other extraterrestrials and tried to invade Earth once already!
A collective superconsciousness is…
…a watchdog sent from another planetary system to keep an eye on us crazy earthlings. ACE was one and had been set up by Alpha Four to keep an eye on the earthbound A-Cs. He's only back with us now because Naomi sacrificed herself to spring ACE from the superconsciousness version of a Supreme Court.
Sloshy, a.k.a., Sandy, was the first from the Eagle Nebula to arrive on Earth in Alien Collective, and he challenges Kitty, who, naturally, finds his Achilles' heel. The others who show up, the Superconsciousness Seven, are Doc, Sleepy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Dopey, and Happy.
Standard Issue Clothing, a.k.a., Armani Fatigues, are white Armani oxford shirts, a black Armani slim skirt or trousers with black Armani jackets, and black Aerosole pumps. A-Cs have two hearts; most hybrids are human on the outside and A-C on the inside. Gates allow one to travel from one place to another in a matter of seconds. Imageering allows one to know everything there is to know about a person simply by touching their image. Empaths read people's emotions; a blocker can prevent that. Troubadours influence the mind through emotions. The Supreme Pontifex is the religious leader of the A-Cs.
Dulce Science Center is the main base for all of Centaurion Division worldwide. Home Base is in Area Fifty One at Nellis Air Force Base by Groom Lake. Colonel Arthur Franklin was formerly in charge. Captain Gil Morgan is Franklin's adjunct. Colonel John Butler is in charge now. Zoya Darnell is Butler's personal secretary. Colonel "Hammie" Hamlin is an ally in hiding. Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Gonzalez is second-in-command at Home Base if Butler is indisposed. The Dome is the A-Cs' most strategic and vulnerable location.
The Cover and Title
The cover is in Kitty's signature ice blue with Kitty on the run in her formfitting blouse and tight, black Armani skirt hitting mid-thigh, her blonde hair flying back, holster empty as Kitty fires her Glock, Prince snarling beside her. The background is a torrent of election signs, water drops, and fleeing and firing people against that, yep, range of icy blues.
The title could be taken as a summary of two alien groups: the Superconsciousness and/or the Alpha Centaurions and their allies, for either one can be considered an Alien Collective…although I suspect Koch leans to the new "bad guy" in town.
My Take
There's enough flippin' and floppin' in Alien Collective to satisfy anyone, almost enough to give you whiplash. Nothing like jumping right in, lol. Koch caught my attention immediately with Kitty being "arrested" at a protest rally. Right along with all the other dazzling women she knows.
I do enjoy how Koch uses song titles to make me guess what the next action will be, but I'm getting a bit tired of Operation This, Operation That with Team Whoever. I do realize that it's part of Koch keeping things zippy, and it does add a sense of fun to the story, but it seemed overdone in Alien Collective. That said, I do love Kitty's forthrightness and how it makes her so formidable. That sense of humor, as well as her honor, keep me lovin' her and all the A-Cs and their allies. The series is a great combination of humor and what's right with lots of action and adventure.
"Mass murder is very bad for business."Those entities from the Eagle Nebula have a lot of nerve; I love how Kitty backed 'em off. Way to go! Koch certainly was tricky in how she worked this…and how hard she made me think!
I am being something of a hypocrite. In going back over my notes, I realized that Koch is using a lot of tell and not much show. But she keeps the action, humor, and adventure flowing right along so that you don't miss it. Where it does become obvious is the sex scenes, and then you start thinking about how tension-less most of the story is. Yes, there is some drama — nicely done, by the way — which, yep, distracted me from that lack of show and tension. Bad Kathy.
"'So, you're trying to tell us you were afraid of one woman?' Tim asked. 'While you happened to be in a base full of soldiers? You're not really confident in your ability to handle low-risk situations, are you?'"Argh! All this secret leader stuff is driving me nuts. Exactly what Koch intended, I suspect. Ooh, at least we get some "insider info" when Serene confesses to Kitty. Very clever! Just goes to show…I hadn't thought through the implications either until Kitty realized the importance of this election.
Oh, LOL, celebrities and politicians might want to make note of Kitty's strategy when bombarded by paparazzi…*more laughter*…take pictures of the people irritating you, when they ask why, tell them "you like to remember all the rude people I've met".
"'…you have to go through the proper channels and procedures. Otherwise you have a fascist dictatorship. Or anarchy.'
Refrained from making a snippy comment about the NSA. Because, you know, they might be listening."
The Story
Despite not having run for office, nor wanting to remain in office, Representative Jeff Martini is being wooed as the vice presidential running mate for a charismatic senator who seems likely to win the campaign.
While the Diplomatic Corps has to deal with the pressures of a political campaign sure to uncover secrets they don't want shared with the world, Ambassador Kitty Katt-Martini has other worries — handling the reemergence of her most potent nemesis, thought dead and buried.
The Characters
Ambassador Kitty Katt, a.k.a., "Missus Chief", a human who has picked up some Alpha Centauri (A-C) super powers — super healing, hyperspeed, and talking to animals — is married to Jeff Martini (the best A-C empath), who was appointed by the president to the congressional seat for the Representative for New Mexico's 2nd District. Jamie is their super-daughter, a human-alien hybrid in whom ACE (a collective superconsciousness) has taken up residence. Major-General Mortimer Katt is Kitty's uncle. Caroline Chase is Kitty's sorority roommate, bestie, Michael's mourning fiancée, and aide to Arizona's senior senator.
Alpha Centauri is…
…a solar system in which Alpha Four is located, the planet from which Jeff and his people were exiled to Earth.
Jeff's family includes…
…Lucinda Martini is Jeff's mom who is taking care of Jamie in this story. Alfred is Jeff's dad who works at NASA Base, which is located at the Kennedy Space Center. Jeff had five sisters, including Sylvia, the oldest, who had been married to the traitor, Clarence Valentino. Stephanie is their daughter and working for Vander as one of his assistants. Marianne is the youngest sister; Kimmie is her youngest. Camilla is undercover at Gaultier.
Christopher White, an A-C with imageering skills and Jeff's cousin. Due to past events, he has a lot more abilities including being able to go really, really, really super-fast and reading minds. Terry had been Christopher's mother. Richard White, Christopher's father, is the former Supreme Pontiff and Lucinda's older brother, making him Jeff's uncle. Richard also partners up with Kitty on dangerous missions. Amy Gaultier-White is a human lawyer being blocked from inheriting her evil father's empire, Gaultier Enterprises, one of Kitty's best friends from high school, and Christopher's wife.
Gladys Gower, Lucinda and Alfred's sister, had been head of security until she was captured by Al Dejahl and manipulated. All three — Richard, Alfred, and Gladys — were Ronald Yates' only legitimate children and had been born on Alpha Four. Commander James Reader is human and with Paul Gower, the Supreme Pontifex of all Alpha Centaurions on Earth. Michael Gower, Paul's brother, was murdered. Abigail Gower is Paul's sister.
Yates' illegitimate children, a.k.a.…
…Ronnie's Kids, are a result of Yates impregnating as many young women in their prime childbearing years as possible to, hopefully, father many children with his abilities. Serene was one of them and a full-blooded sister to Ronaldo Al Dejahl (a troubadour who used mind manipulation and bad boy) whom Gladys managed to kill. Mahin Sherazi, an earthbender, switched sides about a year ago. Benjamin Siler's aunt was Cybele Siler (which makes his uncle Antony Marling! Through Yates, he's Richard and Alfred's younger brother); his mother was Cybele's sister, Madeleine Cartwright. Uncle Herbert Siler, Madeleine's brother, successfully hid Benjamin from the rest of his relatives.
Kitty calls the lady A-Cs "Dazzlers" because they're so gorgeous and have mega skills and brilliant minds. Commander Serene Dwyer is the Head of Imageering and their chief explosives expert, with a young, very gifted son, Patrick, with her husband, astronaut Brian. Doreen is married to Irving Weisman.
A-C Embassy security and staff include…
…the incredibly and comprehensively competent Malcolm Buchanan who was assigned by Angela as Kitty's personal shadow. Burton Falk is one of Buchanan's human agents. Field teams include Jeremy (empath) and Jennifer (imageer) Barone, a brother-sister team (she's engaged to Ravi) and Rahmi and Rhee, shapeshifting princesses (and sisters) from the man-hating Beta Twelve. Rajnish Singh is the embassy's public relations minister with a troubadour gift. Pierre Duchamps is the concierge majordomo who organizes everything. Francine is Kitty's double and a troubadour. Walter Ward is the head of security at the embassy while his brother, William, is overall head of security. The human Nurse Magdalena Carter is dating Richard. Dr. Tito Hernandez is the A-C embassy doctor.
The Poofs and Royal Peregrines are creatures from Alpha Four, lately. The Poofs are a soft fuzzy ball of sweetness that can grow to carnivorous monster proportions. Harlie is Jeff's and the head Poof. He and Poofikins, Kitty's Poof, are with Kitty all the time. Tenley was the Head Poof on Alpha Four. Mous-Mous is Jamie's Poof. The peregrines are magical peacocks (and peahens) who can go invisible. Bruno and his mate, Lola, are the head peregrines. Algar is on the run from the Black Hole People, and he's stopped off on Earth to have fun being the A-C elf, a.k.a., the Operations Team.
Mr. Joel Oliver, a.k.a., MJO, is their pet reporter, a journalist who has risen highly in the estimation of his fellow journalists. Bellie is his woman-hating parrot who adores Jeff. Who adores Bellie right back. It's enough to make Kitty yowl.
Airborne Command is…
…a squad of Navy Top Guns assigned to A-C defense. Commander Tim Crawford is the current head with his fellow flyboys: Joe Billings (the Dazzling Lorraine's husband), Randy Muir (the Dazzling Claudia's husband), Matt Hughes, Chip Walker, and Jerry Tucker.
"Uncles" Dingo the Dog, a.k.a., Peter Kasperoff, and his brother, Surly Vic, a.k.a., Victor Kasperoff, are two of the best assassins in the business, and they figure they owe Kitty.
P.T.C.U., a.k.a.,
…the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit is headed up by Kitty's mom, Angela Katt, the antiterrorism consultant and the only non-Jewish Mossad agent ever. Kitty's dad, Professor Sol Katt, is a history professor for Arizona State University and secretly a cryptologist for NASA. Duke is the Katts' Labrador. Kevin Lewis is Mom's right hand man and the Alpha Centaurion Defense Attaché. His wife, Denise Lewis, is human AND gorgeous; she runs the A-C daycare.
The alphabet agencies include…
…the CIA with Charles "Chuckie" Reynolds, the extremely brilliant Conspiracy King, who heads up their Extra-Terrestrial Division and has been Kitty's best guy friend since ninth grade. He's still mourning the "death" of his new wife, Naomi Gower-Reynolds. Len and Kyle are former USC football players who work for Chuck and are now Kitty's official driver and bodyguard. Clifford Goodman is with Homeland Security. Evander Horn is with the FBI. Officer Melville and Prince are part of the Washington D.C. K-9 squad along with the officers Kitty refers to as Larry and Curly .
Hacker International is…
…a group of computer geniuses now working for the A-Cs through the CIA and headed up by Stryker Dane, a.k.a., Edward Simms, who has been a friend of Chuckie and Kitty's since high school. Big George Lacroix is Europe's best hacker while Dr. Henry Wu is China's best. Ravi Gaekwad and Yuri Stanislav may seem normal, but that's only by comparison. Ravi is India's best hacker, and he's engaged to Jennifer Barone. The blind Yuri has to yield his title of best Russian hacker and be content with second place.
Political and foreign embassy A-C friends include…
…Senator Vincent Armstrong is running for president and wants Jeff as his running mate. Senator Don McMillan endorsed Armstrong. Nathalie Gagnon-Brewer, a French ex-fashion model whose sudden widowhood pushed her into her husband Edmund's seat as Representative from California is a friend of the A-Cs. Adriana Dalca, Olga's granddaughter whom Olga, a.k.a., the Oracle, a former KGB operative and Andrei's wife (the Romanian ambassador), is teaching to spy using the old tried-and-true methods: intelligence. Other A-C allies include the Bahrainis and Israelis. Mona Nejem is the Bahraini ambassadress; Kalid is her Royal Bahraini Army bodyguard. Jakob, Oren, and Leah are all Mossad, but technically with the Israeli Diplomatic Mission.
The French assassin, Benjamin Siler, a.k.a., Helpful Servant (at the Bahraini embassy), a.k.a., Nightcrawler, has the ability to blend into his surroundings. And hyperspeed.
The Dealers of Death are…
…the primary and most powerful lobbyists for weapons making, alcohol, tobacco, fast food, hazardous waste, oil drilling, firearms, and big pharma. Lillian Culver, a sort-of A-C ally, is a top lobbyist, for most of the big defense contractors; Abner Schnekedy is her husband. Vance Beaumont is married to Guy Gadoire, a tobacco lobbyist; both are hoping for a three-way with an A-C. Simon Hopkins is head of the alcohol lobby; he preferred the previous A-C diplomatic corps. Niles Berkowitz is the heady lobbyist for oil and is friends with Ansom Somerall. Talia Lee is firearms, and she's friends with Janelle Gardiner from Gaultier Enterprises. Myron Van Dyke is big pharma and tight with Quinton Cross, also from Gaultier. Lux Carr is hazardous waste while Kingsley Teague is fast food. Both Lux and Teague are tight with Amos Tobin, the current head of YatesCorp.
The First Mastermind was…
…Ronald Yates, codenamed Mephistopheles, a joining of alien parasite and A-C to become an in-control superbeing. A really, really bad guy, the Bad Guy of Bad Guys. As Yates, he built YatesCorp, a media empire with its tentacles everywhere including Gaultier Enterprises and Titan Security. He'd also created the Al Dejahl terrorist organization. The next Mastermind was Leventhal Reid, a psychopath whom we thought had died. Wrong. The current Mastermind has figured out how to clone people — and LaRue Demorte Gaultier is one of them, a clone of Amy's wicked stepmother who was the brain behind many of the evil plots. Annette Dier is a top assassin (in her own estimate) who hates Kitty.
The presidential candidate for the other side is Gideon Cleary with Cameron Maurer as his running mate on an anti-everything platform. Crystal is Cameron's wife. Nancy "Squeaky" Maurer is Cameron's terrified mother. Senator Zachary Kramer is one of their cronies. Secretary of Transportation Langston Whitmore hates the A-Cs.
Chernobog the Ultimate is the best hacker in existence; her real name is Bogdana. Her son, Russell Koslow, has no talent. Bruce Jenkins, a.k.a., the Tastemaker, is a tenacious, deep-digging, widely believed investigative reporter who spreads the gossip via a column in the Washington Post. Thomas Kendrick is with Titan.
Hate groups who have been targeting the A-Cs include two of the most prominent ones: Club Fifty-One and its head, Harvey Gutermuth, and the Church of [Hate and] Intolerance. Farley Pecker's group provided the distractions. The Z'Porrah are an alien race who hate the Poofs and other extraterrestrials and tried to invade Earth once already!
A collective superconsciousness is…
…a watchdog sent from another planetary system to keep an eye on us crazy earthlings. ACE was one and had been set up by Alpha Four to keep an eye on the earthbound A-Cs. He's only back with us now because Naomi sacrificed herself to spring ACE from the superconsciousness version of a Supreme Court.
Sloshy, a.k.a., Sandy, was the first from the Eagle Nebula to arrive on Earth in Alien Collective, and he challenges Kitty, who, naturally, finds his Achilles' heel. The others who show up, the Superconsciousness Seven, are Doc, Sleepy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Dopey, and Happy.
Standard Issue Clothing, a.k.a., Armani Fatigues, are white Armani oxford shirts, a black Armani slim skirt or trousers with black Armani jackets, and black Aerosole pumps. A-Cs have two hearts; most hybrids are human on the outside and A-C on the inside. Gates allow one to travel from one place to another in a matter of seconds. Imageering allows one to know everything there is to know about a person simply by touching their image. Empaths read people's emotions; a blocker can prevent that. Troubadours influence the mind through emotions. The Supreme Pontifex is the religious leader of the A-Cs.
Dulce Science Center is the main base for all of Centaurion Division worldwide. Home Base is in Area Fifty One at Nellis Air Force Base by Groom Lake. Colonel Arthur Franklin was formerly in charge. Captain Gil Morgan is Franklin's adjunct. Colonel John Butler is in charge now. Zoya Darnell is Butler's personal secretary. Colonel "Hammie" Hamlin is an ally in hiding. Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Gonzalez is second-in-command at Home Base if Butler is indisposed. The Dome is the A-Cs' most strategic and vulnerable location.
The Cover and Title
The cover is in Kitty's signature ice blue with Kitty on the run in her formfitting blouse and tight, black Armani skirt hitting mid-thigh, her blonde hair flying back, holster empty as Kitty fires her Glock, Prince snarling beside her. The background is a torrent of election signs, water drops, and fleeing and firing people against that, yep, range of icy blues.
The title could be taken as a summary of two alien groups: the Superconsciousness and/or the Alpha Centaurions and their allies, for either one can be considered an Alien Collective…although I suspect Koch leans to the new "bad guy" in town.
January 10, 2017
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Explosions, bombs, more super-consciousness oh my….
Opening Sentence: There was a time, about four and half years ago, when I thought the world was basically simple.
The Review:
Kitty is back again and this time most of the girls are arrested for their own protection at a protest against an Anti-alien candidate. Some of the guys too, after they are released, Kitty receives an odd phone call in which she is warned about attending protests and how dangerous they can be for her. As always, the plot thickens when they turn on the TV and see that there has been an explosion at CIA Headquarters.
Before they can even wrap their heads around that, Kitty is informed that Jeff is being tapped to be the Vice-Presidential Candidate on Senator Armstrong’s ticket. Kitty isn’t really that happy about that, and worries about their secrets coming to light. To top it off she is having weird dreams that involve her former enemy Mephistopheles. He seems to be helping her figure out things, and oh yeah, she challenged another superconsciousness about ACE, because they don’t have enough to worry about.
Wait there is more, they catch another of Al Dejahl’s terrorists, well really another one of Ronnie’s kids, it seems that he has planted explosives in their embassy and several others. Except, once they interrogate him they find someone else has planted one additional bomb in each place that Silar was unaware of, and if that isn’t enough they find out Stephanie is a traitor as well. Kitty begins to worry that they will have more traitors among Jeff’s family, and is stunned to find out that Chuckie has already thought of that.
So they have a ton on their plates, will Kitty be able to stop all of this in time?
Too much going on is really my only ongoing complaint with this series. I always start off the book very interested and it literally brings up one thing, deals with it for a bit, then another random thing gets brought up and so on and so on. It makes it hard for me to keep interested because it jumps from one to another literally the entire book until it all starts getting wrapped up. The books are still way too long, and I truly believe if she stripped them back to the core, focused on a major incident and the deeper mystery these books for me would be fantastic. I still really like the majority of the characters, although now that there are so many and new ones are being introduced every book, I get lost in that as well. The writing is great, the wit is outstanding, and the core of it is full of great charcters. I don’t think I am ever going to love them, but I can totally see why so many do.
Notable Scene:
Cuddled her and took her with me while I changed out of the Armani Fatigues and into jeans, my Converse, a short sleeved Iron Maiden T-shirt, in order to look intimidating, and a light Aerosmith hoodie, because I was going into action and that required my boys to be on my person.
Made sure I had plenty of clips for my Glock in my purse, verified that anything and everything I else I could need was in there, gave my hair a fast brush and pulled it into a ponytail, and I was ready.
FTC Advisory: DAW/Penguin provided me with a copy of Alien Collective. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: Explosions, bombs, more super-consciousness oh my….
Opening Sentence: There was a time, about four and half years ago, when I thought the world was basically simple.
The Review:
Kitty is back again and this time most of the girls are arrested for their own protection at a protest against an Anti-alien candidate. Some of the guys too, after they are released, Kitty receives an odd phone call in which she is warned about attending protests and how dangerous they can be for her. As always, the plot thickens when they turn on the TV and see that there has been an explosion at CIA Headquarters.
Before they can even wrap their heads around that, Kitty is informed that Jeff is being tapped to be the Vice-Presidential Candidate on Senator Armstrong’s ticket. Kitty isn’t really that happy about that, and worries about their secrets coming to light. To top it off she is having weird dreams that involve her former enemy Mephistopheles. He seems to be helping her figure out things, and oh yeah, she challenged another superconsciousness about ACE, because they don’t have enough to worry about.
Wait there is more, they catch another of Al Dejahl’s terrorists, well really another one of Ronnie’s kids, it seems that he has planted explosives in their embassy and several others. Except, once they interrogate him they find someone else has planted one additional bomb in each place that Silar was unaware of, and if that isn’t enough they find out Stephanie is a traitor as well. Kitty begins to worry that they will have more traitors among Jeff’s family, and is stunned to find out that Chuckie has already thought of that.
So they have a ton on their plates, will Kitty be able to stop all of this in time?
Too much going on is really my only ongoing complaint with this series. I always start off the book very interested and it literally brings up one thing, deals with it for a bit, then another random thing gets brought up and so on and so on. It makes it hard for me to keep interested because it jumps from one to another literally the entire book until it all starts getting wrapped up. The books are still way too long, and I truly believe if she stripped them back to the core, focused on a major incident and the deeper mystery these books for me would be fantastic. I still really like the majority of the characters, although now that there are so many and new ones are being introduced every book, I get lost in that as well. The writing is great, the wit is outstanding, and the core of it is full of great charcters. I don’t think I am ever going to love them, but I can totally see why so many do.
Notable Scene:
Cuddled her and took her with me while I changed out of the Armani Fatigues and into jeans, my Converse, a short sleeved Iron Maiden T-shirt, in order to look intimidating, and a light Aerosmith hoodie, because I was going into action and that required my boys to be on my person.
Made sure I had plenty of clips for my Glock in my purse, verified that anything and everything I else I could need was in there, gave my hair a fast brush and pulled it into a ponytail, and I was ready.
FTC Advisory: DAW/Penguin provided me with a copy of Alien Collective. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
December 18, 2012
This is the 9th book, and we're back to more fun times following the harrowing events of book #8. Timeframe is a year later.
The fun and games include Jeff being nominated to be on the ticket for Vice President, Ronny's kids, traitors, ACE-like super consciousnesses, lots of explosions, poofs, dogs & peregrines, gossip columnists, assassins and the Hunt for Red Chernobog.
Whilst we had lots of fun, the real story arc is the Hunt for the Mastermind and the latest Apprentice. It feels like this is taking forever, but I for one don't want the stories to stop so I say Ms Koch, keep up the slow moving story arc, no need to find that nasty Mastermind too quickly.
The fun and games include Jeff being nominated to be on the ticket for Vice President, Ronny's kids, traitors, ACE-like super consciousnesses, lots of explosions, poofs, dogs & peregrines, gossip columnists, assassins and the Hunt for Red Chernobog.
Whilst we had lots of fun, the real story arc is the Hunt for the Mastermind and the latest Apprentice. It feels like this is taking forever, but I for one don't want the stories to stop so I say Ms Koch, keep up the slow moving story arc, no need to find that nasty Mastermind too quickly.
July 9, 2019
Still enjoying my time with Kitty and all her family and friends, but the series has become rather political/diplomatic driven as well as a continued hunt for Yates’ offspring and their conglomerate looking to take over the world, so to speak. I miss the superbeings from the earlier books in the series, but since we have Poofs and the Royal Peregrines, as well as Jamie-Kat, I will let that slide.
Definitely continuing on with the series. I’m 9 books in, a my momma didn’t raise a quitter 😁
3.5 stars
Definitely continuing on with the series. I’m 9 books in, a my momma didn’t raise a quitter 😁
3.5 stars
April 8, 2014
To start off, let me just say that I love this series. I went in expecting to like this book and looking forward to it, so I'm sure that colored my perception.
That being said, there were some things that bothered me, and therefor this book didn't get its usual 5 stars. Mainly, the author tends to use the same phrases over and over again when Kitty is narrating. It's like she has these stock expressions that the author associates with specific situations. I think it really drags the book down because I kept waiting for new and exciting dialogue that never really came. Kitty is such a dynamic person, it seems a shame to limit her to the same old boring lines. That being said, it didn't stop me from really enjoying the book.
I still love Kitty, and I think I've figured out why. Kitty is a former sorority girl who still hangs out with her sorority sisters and has cute nicknames for them. She has an irreverent sense of humor and isn't afraid to make references to her favorite comics or movies. She carries a million different things in her purse, most of which she never uses. She also isn't shy about expressing her feelings or crying when something terrible has happened. Basically, Kitty is the sort of woman most people scoff at. They look at the secret handshakes and silly jokes and count her out like some bimbo who couldn't possibly be useful. Kitty represents a lot of women in society who don't get the respect they deserve. And Kitty consistently proves all her detractors wrong. She shows that being a "typical" girl isn't a weakness, that her emotions don't get in the way of the job the way we're taught that they do. I love that Gini Koch didn't create some perfect warrior for her main character but instead picked a woman who fit a lot of stereotypes and then blew them all away. Don't get me wrong, I love a badass tough-as-nails heroine as much as the next girl. But not all women are like that, and it doesn't mean all those women can't kick ass.
Now, with that out of the way, I still loved the story. The mystery wasn't really up to series' usual standards, another reason why it only got 4 stars. The gang is still on the hunt for the Mastermind, and they haven't gotten that much closer. The good news is that the team does have new allies who have revealed a lot of new information about the workings of the other side. I like that one of the new characters is in a gray area. You can't really count him as totally on the side of the good guys, and I like the uncertainty it brings.
Speaking of uncertainty, Jeff had to face some ugly truths about his family and where their loyalties lie. I don't envy the road to come, because it's going to be very hard.
Chuckie, one of my favorite characters, didn't have as big as role in this one. Given that he's grieving for his wife, it makes sense that he'd have less screen time. I still missed him and hope he shows up more in the next book.
We also finally learn what is behind the loss of the imageers' powers but the solution is going to take some creative thinking. Given how the author has been granting spectacular powers left and right, I think it's important that some obstacles still remain. I'm excited to see what happens next.
That being said, there were some things that bothered me, and therefor this book didn't get its usual 5 stars. Mainly, the author tends to use the same phrases over and over again when Kitty is narrating. It's like she has these stock expressions that the author associates with specific situations. I think it really drags the book down because I kept waiting for new and exciting dialogue that never really came. Kitty is such a dynamic person, it seems a shame to limit her to the same old boring lines. That being said, it didn't stop me from really enjoying the book.
I still love Kitty, and I think I've figured out why. Kitty is a former sorority girl who still hangs out with her sorority sisters and has cute nicknames for them. She has an irreverent sense of humor and isn't afraid to make references to her favorite comics or movies. She carries a million different things in her purse, most of which she never uses. She also isn't shy about expressing her feelings or crying when something terrible has happened. Basically, Kitty is the sort of woman most people scoff at. They look at the secret handshakes and silly jokes and count her out like some bimbo who couldn't possibly be useful. Kitty represents a lot of women in society who don't get the respect they deserve. And Kitty consistently proves all her detractors wrong. She shows that being a "typical" girl isn't a weakness, that her emotions don't get in the way of the job the way we're taught that they do. I love that Gini Koch didn't create some perfect warrior for her main character but instead picked a woman who fit a lot of stereotypes and then blew them all away. Don't get me wrong, I love a badass tough-as-nails heroine as much as the next girl. But not all women are like that, and it doesn't mean all those women can't kick ass.
Now, with that out of the way, I still loved the story. The mystery wasn't really up to series' usual standards, another reason why it only got 4 stars. The gang is still on the hunt for the Mastermind, and they haven't gotten that much closer. The good news is that the team does have new allies who have revealed a lot of new information about the workings of the other side. I like that one of the new characters is in a gray area. You can't really count him as totally on the side of the good guys, and I like the uncertainty it brings.
Speaking of uncertainty, Jeff had to face some ugly truths about his family and where their loyalties lie. I don't envy the road to come, because it's going to be very hard.
Chuckie, one of my favorite characters, didn't have as big as role in this one. Given that he's grieving for his wife, it makes sense that he'd have less screen time. I still missed him and hope he shows up more in the next book.
We also finally learn what is behind the loss of the imageers' powers but the solution is going to take some creative thinking. Given how the author has been granting spectacular powers left and right, I think it's important that some obstacles still remain. I'm excited to see what happens next.
May 11, 2014
4 3/4 stars
“Alien Collective” by Gini Koch is an exciting addition to the wonderfully quirky ‘Alien’ series and continues describing the adventures of Kitty Katt-Martini, whose life is evidently not quite busy enough as Ambassador for the American Centurion and wife of the Congressional Representative of New Mexico, the delicious alien, Jeff Martini. The ongoing attempt to recover from the theft of their research data, the deaths of those near and dear to them and the search for more of the inimical Yates Offspring is complicated by the hostilities which are escalated when Jeff is chosen as the vice-presidential running mate to support Senator Armstrong’s bid for the presidency. The world will undoubtedly never be the same, no matter who wins the election.
It’s always fun to read about the fast and furious events in Kitty’s life, accompanied by the eclectic soundtrack that vacillates from being hints from the mysterious Algar to background music for the intense action taking place, the interactions with those whose sarcasm buttons are permanently set on 11 (or 20, if you’re Kitty’s mom) on a scale of 1 to 10, plus the glimpses of all of the beings who have various goals which are not necessarily in sync with the best interests of the Katt-Martini clan. I was very entertained by this glimpse of the political process through the lens of propaganda and machinations designed to prevent one side from having ultimate power, in other words...a realistic rendition.
Kitty’s penchant for giving frequently sarcastic monikers to those around her is an unexpected weapon in her bid to protect those she cares about, as “Sloshy/Sandy” has to find a defense against her determined wit and it is wonderful to watch the evolution of their interactions. I always have a soft spot for the animal contingent and it was heartwarming to see the Poofs and Peregrines and canines play a significant role and I admire the way this author is able to integrate them seamlessly into the madcap whirlwind that characterizes this series. My biggest challenge is keeping track of the exponentially expanding cast of characters and I offer the warning that, although this story can ostensibly be read as a stand-alone, it is addictively enthralling and those new to the series who have a sense of humor and an appreciation for quirky and zany stories will undoubtedly have trouble focusing on anything else once they get caught in the spell of this delightfully entertaining author.
© Night Owl Reviews
I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
“Alien Collective” by Gini Koch is an exciting addition to the wonderfully quirky ‘Alien’ series and continues describing the adventures of Kitty Katt-Martini, whose life is evidently not quite busy enough as Ambassador for the American Centurion and wife of the Congressional Representative of New Mexico, the delicious alien, Jeff Martini. The ongoing attempt to recover from the theft of their research data, the deaths of those near and dear to them and the search for more of the inimical Yates Offspring is complicated by the hostilities which are escalated when Jeff is chosen as the vice-presidential running mate to support Senator Armstrong’s bid for the presidency. The world will undoubtedly never be the same, no matter who wins the election.
It’s always fun to read about the fast and furious events in Kitty’s life, accompanied by the eclectic soundtrack that vacillates from being hints from the mysterious Algar to background music for the intense action taking place, the interactions with those whose sarcasm buttons are permanently set on 11 (or 20, if you’re Kitty’s mom) on a scale of 1 to 10, plus the glimpses of all of the beings who have various goals which are not necessarily in sync with the best interests of the Katt-Martini clan. I was very entertained by this glimpse of the political process through the lens of propaganda and machinations designed to prevent one side from having ultimate power, in other words...a realistic rendition.
Kitty’s penchant for giving frequently sarcastic monikers to those around her is an unexpected weapon in her bid to protect those she cares about, as “Sloshy/Sandy” has to find a defense against her determined wit and it is wonderful to watch the evolution of their interactions. I always have a soft spot for the animal contingent and it was heartwarming to see the Poofs and Peregrines and canines play a significant role and I admire the way this author is able to integrate them seamlessly into the madcap whirlwind that characterizes this series. My biggest challenge is keeping track of the exponentially expanding cast of characters and I offer the warning that, although this story can ostensibly be read as a stand-alone, it is addictively enthralling and those new to the series who have a sense of humor and an appreciation for quirky and zany stories will undoubtedly have trouble focusing on anything else once they get caught in the spell of this delightfully entertaining author.
© Night Owl Reviews
I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
May 12, 2014
This book cannot be read as a standalone. There are literally dozens of important characters. The author does a great job of reintroducing them at the beginning of the book, but someone who isn't familiar with the previous books will still be completely lost.
What I liked:
Everything you've come to expect from one of Gini Koch's Alien books: Lots of humor, snark and action, a convoluted plot, evil masterminds, strong women, handsome men, and lots of poofs. If you've read the previous books in the series, you'll enjoy this book, too.
What I didn't like:
1) My first instinct was to write `too many characters', but then I remembered that I felt that way about all the Alien books, and I still keep buying them. So, I guess I shouldn't complain, but I do wish there was a list of characters somewhere in the book. It would simplify matters immensely, especially for those of us who have trouble recalling names under the best of circumstances.
2) There's definitely some progress in the overall story arc of the series, but I wish there was a little more innovation. In previous installments, we were introduced to monsters, aliens, god-like entities, clones, androids, and a slew of other things. There was nothing fundamentally new in this book. In a few places, I got the feeling that this is sort of a transitional book, moving us from one story arc to the next. That's not in itself a bad thing, but I missed the crazy plot twists of the earlier books.
Conclusion:
A great book for fans of the series. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, 'Universal Alien', due out in December 2014.
What I liked:
Everything you've come to expect from one of Gini Koch's Alien books: Lots of humor, snark and action, a convoluted plot, evil masterminds, strong women, handsome men, and lots of poofs. If you've read the previous books in the series, you'll enjoy this book, too.
What I didn't like:
1) My first instinct was to write `too many characters', but then I remembered that I felt that way about all the Alien books, and I still keep buying them. So, I guess I shouldn't complain, but I do wish there was a list of characters somewhere in the book. It would simplify matters immensely, especially for those of us who have trouble recalling names under the best of circumstances.
2) There's definitely some progress in the overall story arc of the series, but I wish there was a little more innovation. In previous installments, we were introduced to monsters, aliens, god-like entities, clones, androids, and a slew of other things. There was nothing fundamentally new in this book. In a few places, I got the feeling that this is sort of a transitional book, moving us from one story arc to the next. That's not in itself a bad thing, but I missed the crazy plot twists of the earlier books.
Conclusion:
A great book for fans of the series. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, 'Universal Alien', due out in December 2014.
October 20, 2014
I already read this book in 2014 but recently started to re-read the whole series while waiting for Alien Education to be published.
It starts with a protest against the anti-alien party who is running for president but of course with Kitty involved there is always more to the picture. While Kitty and her friends are brought to savety, bombs explode and their embassy is evacuated. They learn that there are more Yates offsprings out there and Kitty is faced with the news about Jeff being Senator Armstrongs wingman for the run for presidency. And if that is not enough, a superconcious is visiting Earth to make sure ACE is not abusing his powers and it is testing Kitty. To save the day again, Kitty has to fight the evil offspring, more androids, a superconsious and the usual haters while looking out for clues about the Mastermind and how to find Chernobog to salvage the lost data. So, routine!
There is still so much going on in the Kitty Universe and now in addition Jeff is running for Vice President and their enemies are trying to stop him. They still have no clue who the evil Mastermind is but they are getting closer. He or she seems to have political influence and it seems only a matter of time to solve the puzzle. The only question is if they have the time..
We get new allies but also new enemies but fortunately we are spared losing another loved one. I still love this series and I don't think it gets old. There is so much development in the main storyline! I can't wait to (re-)read the next book.
It starts with a protest against the anti-alien party who is running for president but of course with Kitty involved there is always more to the picture. While Kitty and her friends are brought to savety, bombs explode and their embassy is evacuated. They learn that there are more Yates offsprings out there and Kitty is faced with the news about Jeff being Senator Armstrongs wingman for the run for presidency. And if that is not enough, a superconcious is visiting Earth to make sure ACE is not abusing his powers and it is testing Kitty. To save the day again, Kitty has to fight the evil offspring, more androids, a superconsious and the usual haters while looking out for clues about the Mastermind and how to find Chernobog to salvage the lost data. So, routine!
There is still so much going on in the Kitty Universe and now in addition Jeff is running for Vice President and their enemies are trying to stop him. They still have no clue who the evil Mastermind is but they are getting closer. He or she seems to have political influence and it seems only a matter of time to solve the puzzle. The only question is if they have the time..
We get new allies but also new enemies but fortunately we are spared losing another loved one. I still love this series and I don't think it gets old. There is so much development in the main storyline! I can't wait to (re-)read the next book.
May 2, 2014
Alien Collective is #9, and Gini Koch is still keeping up the headlong pace with new characters and threats; I'm impressed at how Koch helps us keep track of all the characters who've accumulated, including new enemies, aliens, and androids.
It's fortunate that Kitty has family, friends, colleagues, and the critters to help her--I especially love the Poofs and Prince. It was even fun having Bellie, the parrot, stop in. The danger is practically non-stop and includes aliens with their own agenda, javelinas, toxic gas, quicksand, water, and bombs.
Kitty's uncles are back, among others, and the action is all over the map so that no place is safe, and they can never relax. And now there's a blender thrown into the mix... The gang's all here--except for those no longer with us...; the dialogue often makes me smile, and I love the characters--except for the nasties--and sometimes it's hard to identify them.
As always, Kitty and Jeff do make time for themselves, though that's not easy. Geez, how does that work at hyperspeed? So, remember, adult content too.
It's fortunate that Kitty has family, friends, colleagues, and the critters to help her--I especially love the Poofs and Prince. It was even fun having Bellie, the parrot, stop in. The danger is practically non-stop and includes aliens with their own agenda, javelinas, toxic gas, quicksand, water, and bombs.
Kitty's uncles are back, among others, and the action is all over the map so that no place is safe, and they can never relax. And now there's a blender thrown into the mix... The gang's all here--except for those no longer with us...; the dialogue often makes me smile, and I love the characters--except for the nasties--and sometimes it's hard to identify them.
As always, Kitty and Jeff do make time for themselves, though that's not easy. Geez, how does that work at hyperspeed? So, remember, adult content too.
May 12, 2014
As always love Kitty - and kudos to the author for a complicated but well intertwined plot.
My only criticism is the author's overuse of two phrases.
The first - 'their sarcasm knob was turned/went all the way up to eleven/twenty' (or some variation of that statement). In the first half of the book it felt like this statement was made every second page. I don't need sarcasm pointed out/ nor should Kitty have to comment on it every single freaking time she comes across it.
Which leads me to the next overused phase that appeared on every alternate page in the first half of the book - 'you're my favourite' no you're my favourite'. This repetitive statement/game got old real fast and came across as childish.
My only criticism is the author's overuse of two phrases.
The first - 'their sarcasm knob was turned/went all the way up to eleven/twenty' (or some variation of that statement). In the first half of the book it felt like this statement was made every second page. I don't need sarcasm pointed out/ nor should Kitty have to comment on it every single freaking time she comes across it.
Which leads me to the next overused phase that appeared on every alternate page in the first half of the book - 'you're my favourite' no you're my favourite'. This repetitive statement/game got old real fast and came across as childish.
May 15, 2014
Another adventure for Kitty and her entourage. As usual, lost of snark, action and convoluted thinking to a great soundtrack. This is not a stand-alone book. I think it's best to read the series in order.
There is a (too) large cast of characters traipsing through the story, which is difficult, at least for me, to keep straight. That said, it's a joy to watch Kitt y confounding all the bad guys, as usual.
I felt like Kitty has become harder as a result of her previous adventures. She seems more willing to do whatever is necessary to get things accomplished, which in her world is all to the good.
I can't wait for the next book. I just hope we get some answers soon; the suspense is killing me!
There is a (too) large cast of characters traipsing through the story, which is difficult, at least for me, to keep straight. That said, it's a joy to watch Kitt y confounding all the bad guys, as usual.
I felt like Kitty has become harder as a result of her previous adventures. She seems more willing to do whatever is necessary to get things accomplished, which in her world is all to the good.
I can't wait for the next book. I just hope we get some answers soon; the suspense is killing me!
June 6, 2014
Another great Kitty adventure. I had to give it a three though because I've noticed a few of the characters have stalled. For example, I've had it with Christopher's patented glares. We know everyone well, their quirks and habits that when they are mentioned and doing what they always do, it's almost trite. It was endearing in the first couple books, but now its easy to anticipate, and a bit annoying because it doesn't really add anything- the character is just getting a nod/ shout out.
Anyway, the stories are always good..... I'm just hoping for some real tension between the lead characters we know and love and some personal development.
Anyway, the stories are always good..... I'm just hoping for some real tension between the lead characters we know and love and some personal development.
December 11, 2016
I really liked this installment. It's been a year since I last read about Kitty and everyone else, and it was nice to be back with them all. Lots of stuff went on in here and I got a bit lost at times, but the book mainly revolved around an election campaign in which Jeff was running as Vice-President. There was also the hunt for their stolen data and the hacker who stole it, Chernobog. I loved all the animals, the time spent with Jamie, and Kitty's brand of crazy. The next book will definitely be interesting, though I'm still really sad for Chuckie.
December 25, 2016
Once again Kitty Katt-Martini and her assorted family, friends, and teammates are fighting evil on many fronts, including political rivals of her husband Jeff, who may become the vice presidential running mate for Senator Armstrong, the strong front runner going into the National Convention. With lots of danger, suspense and mystery, and enemies old and new, the story speeds along to come to a very satisfying conclusion, with everything working out just as it should. I love this series and always look forward to reading more adventures.
January 15, 2022
Starting to feel a bit samey, plays the same beats even down to 'this was too wasn't but it was still a fun read.
June 17, 2013
This book takes place a year after Alien Research. The American Centaurion aliens are still trying to recreate their hacked data, without much progress. It really hinders them. Even worse is the strange illness the imagineers have caught, almost all of their talents of reading photo’s and film has gone. Now they have to relay on research like humans have to do, to find out stuff about people, instead of just touching a photograph and know everything about the person in it.
Kitty and her entourage are ready for a nice day of a peaceful political protest, when they are all sort of arrested by the police and hauled of to an unknown destination. Bombs have been found along the protest route, but worse, there has been a successful attack on their Embassy, and it is now evacuated. And so Kitty and gang find themselves at the Embassy of an allied country, along with a lot of other friends and allies, all the day care children and their caretakers and animals. Someone has used the secret tunnels underneath the Alpha Centaurian Embassy to bring in the lethal bombs. Luckily, they were warned in time and no one has died or been injured in the attack. Now they will have to make sure all the gas is gone, and that will take some hours.
And then another bomb is sprung upon Kitty: her husband Jeff Martini, who is an alien, will be running for vice-president with Senator Armstrong running for President. Kitty is not happy with that at all, but Jeff doesn’t have a choice. And when Kitty finally realizes what it would mean if their anti-alien opponents would win the election, not just to her and Jeff, but to all their friends in high places, she knows they will have to do whatever it takes. Having an anti-alien President will be a guarantee that the A-C's end up fighting America's wars for them, and no one wants that to happen.
The search for other offspring of Yates, those powerful half Alpha Centaurion/half human children, has proven futile. They have not found anyone since Mahin in the previous book. Nor have they found any trace of the legendary hacker that hacked them and stole all their data. And without knowing how she did it the first time, Kitty’s own team of hackers have no hope at all to prevent it happening again. They are very good, but Chernobog is the best.
While everyone is arguing and discussing things, Kitty needs some alone time to think things through so she takes Prince, officer Melville’s K-9 dog with her to the garden. The whole squad is there as well to offer their protection. A strange servant offers to take Prince outside for her, but Kitty wants to do it herself. She loves Prince, and that is mutual.
After talking to the Embassy’s animals, the Poofs and Peregrines, Prince suddenly needs to go back inside, but when Kitty tries to do that, the door is locked, and no one is there to let her back inside. Prince senses trouble, and so Kitty finally shoots down the bullet proof glass in the door, and lets them inside. To her surprise, no one is there anymore; the Embassy seems to be completely abandoned. But Prince senses someone inside, someone who is somehow invisible. When Kitty focuses she can see some kind of blur, and so she can shoot him. Kitty is a good enough shot that she can shoot an A-C using hyperspeed.
As it happens, the Poofs took everyone to safety, because Officer Melville would never have left Prince behind, nor would Jeff have left without his wife. The Helpful Servant, Benjamin Siler, has planted bombs throughout the Embassy, planning to kill them all and himself in the process. After some talking with him, and yes, he is one of Yates missing offspring, can Kitty really turn him into an ally, or is he just pretending to be one?
From this moment on, disaster after disaster strikes, especially as some of Yates children find them and try to kill them in a horrible way. The enemy have found them all it seems, and have already brainwashed them. There is no chance that Kitty can persuade them to their side anymore.
Kitty does find Chernobog at last. Her two amazing assassin friends/uncles play a nice role in this book, and there are more androids in high places.
New powerful Alien life forms appear before Kitty, wanting to judge her and ACE and take ACE away from earth for interfering too much. But Kitty will fight for ACE, as he is inside her little daughter Jamie and Kitty will do whatever it takes to keep her little Jamie safe. And of course, ACE is her friend.
As usual, I stayed up way too late on a Sunday night to finish this book. There is always a moment in these books, that you are pulled into the story and just have to know what happens next, how they will figure it all out and how they will all survive. Of course, that is not always the case; sometimes they do lose close friends and allies.
It is still very hard to write a coherent review about these books. So many things happen, so many characters, so many plots and I still do not want to spoil anything important for other readers.
I love Kitty as a heroine, she is truly kick ass, she takes charge, she will do whatever it takes to keep her friends and loved ones safe. She has an amazing taste in music, and I love how she uses it to pump herself up for action. Kitty is very smart, even surrounded by exceptionally smart and brainy people, she is the one who figures all the plots out and knows how to thwart them. To all their enemies, she is the main target to take out.
Her husband Jeff is amazingly good looking and extremely good in bed (or the shower, or the elevator) and they are very much in love. He wants to keep her safe and protected but of course Kitty will not hold back when she is needed.
I so felt for Charles, after what happened in the last book. His role in this one is minor, and I hope to see more of him in the next one. Like the Pontifax and Reader, they need more page time as I love those characters.
Again, as usual, this book is chock full of action and confusion, multiple plots are running through. New friends are made, traitors are found but Kitty really stars in this book. She is very busy, and whenever Jeff is doing his political stuff, Mister White is her trusted sidekick. And so are Mister Joel Oliver, Buchanan and her two uncles. The two alien princesses lend their fighting skills when necessary.
I really enjoy the interaction between Kitty and all the animals in this book, Prince has a starring role and he does bite. Even with Jeff running as vice president, there was not much political stuff in this book, except for the final scene when all the states are casting their votes, where the big bad thing happened, and I am very happy with that as well.
Gini Koch always amazes me with the strange and still somehow believable plots she concocts in these books, and how she pulls it off to get Kitty and the gang out of them again. The evil guys and girls are truly evil but I missed the evil clones. I also have no clue whatsoever who the Mastermind is. Someone close to them, someone they will never suspect. That can be a lot of people and I don’t dare to speculate at this point. I think when it is revealed, it will be a bomb blast of astonishment and denial. And it will break Kitty’s heart.
There are so many characters who all keep appearing for a short time in all the books, that it is getting hard to keep track of them all. Some of my favourites I missed in this book, and I hope to see more of them in the next book. Perhaps it is time for a list of characters in the back of the book. Who is who, what is his or her function, and are they a known friend or foe at the start of the book.
I can’t wait to read the next book and find out who the Mastermind is, and what he really is after, except world domination. I do wonder if he is human or alien…
I do think there will be some more traitors found in Jeff’s own family; after all, they are also related to Yates …
9 stars.
Kitty and her entourage are ready for a nice day of a peaceful political protest, when they are all sort of arrested by the police and hauled of to an unknown destination. Bombs have been found along the protest route, but worse, there has been a successful attack on their Embassy, and it is now evacuated. And so Kitty and gang find themselves at the Embassy of an allied country, along with a lot of other friends and allies, all the day care children and their caretakers and animals. Someone has used the secret tunnels underneath the Alpha Centaurian Embassy to bring in the lethal bombs. Luckily, they were warned in time and no one has died or been injured in the attack. Now they will have to make sure all the gas is gone, and that will take some hours.
And then another bomb is sprung upon Kitty: her husband Jeff Martini, who is an alien, will be running for vice-president with Senator Armstrong running for President. Kitty is not happy with that at all, but Jeff doesn’t have a choice. And when Kitty finally realizes what it would mean if their anti-alien opponents would win the election, not just to her and Jeff, but to all their friends in high places, she knows they will have to do whatever it takes. Having an anti-alien President will be a guarantee that the A-C's end up fighting America's wars for them, and no one wants that to happen.
The search for other offspring of Yates, those powerful half Alpha Centaurion/half human children, has proven futile. They have not found anyone since Mahin in the previous book. Nor have they found any trace of the legendary hacker that hacked them and stole all their data. And without knowing how she did it the first time, Kitty’s own team of hackers have no hope at all to prevent it happening again. They are very good, but Chernobog is the best.
While everyone is arguing and discussing things, Kitty needs some alone time to think things through so she takes Prince, officer Melville’s K-9 dog with her to the garden. The whole squad is there as well to offer their protection. A strange servant offers to take Prince outside for her, but Kitty wants to do it herself. She loves Prince, and that is mutual.
After talking to the Embassy’s animals, the Poofs and Peregrines, Prince suddenly needs to go back inside, but when Kitty tries to do that, the door is locked, and no one is there to let her back inside. Prince senses trouble, and so Kitty finally shoots down the bullet proof glass in the door, and lets them inside. To her surprise, no one is there anymore; the Embassy seems to be completely abandoned. But Prince senses someone inside, someone who is somehow invisible. When Kitty focuses she can see some kind of blur, and so she can shoot him. Kitty is a good enough shot that she can shoot an A-C using hyperspeed.
As it happens, the Poofs took everyone to safety, because Officer Melville would never have left Prince behind, nor would Jeff have left without his wife. The Helpful Servant, Benjamin Siler, has planted bombs throughout the Embassy, planning to kill them all and himself in the process. After some talking with him, and yes, he is one of Yates missing offspring, can Kitty really turn him into an ally, or is he just pretending to be one?
From this moment on, disaster after disaster strikes, especially as some of Yates children find them and try to kill them in a horrible way. The enemy have found them all it seems, and have already brainwashed them. There is no chance that Kitty can persuade them to their side anymore.
Kitty does find Chernobog at last. Her two amazing assassin friends/uncles play a nice role in this book, and there are more androids in high places.
New powerful Alien life forms appear before Kitty, wanting to judge her and ACE and take ACE away from earth for interfering too much. But Kitty will fight for ACE, as he is inside her little daughter Jamie and Kitty will do whatever it takes to keep her little Jamie safe. And of course, ACE is her friend.
As usual, I stayed up way too late on a Sunday night to finish this book. There is always a moment in these books, that you are pulled into the story and just have to know what happens next, how they will figure it all out and how they will all survive. Of course, that is not always the case; sometimes they do lose close friends and allies.
It is still very hard to write a coherent review about these books. So many things happen, so many characters, so many plots and I still do not want to spoil anything important for other readers.
I love Kitty as a heroine, she is truly kick ass, she takes charge, she will do whatever it takes to keep her friends and loved ones safe. She has an amazing taste in music, and I love how she uses it to pump herself up for action. Kitty is very smart, even surrounded by exceptionally smart and brainy people, she is the one who figures all the plots out and knows how to thwart them. To all their enemies, she is the main target to take out.
Her husband Jeff is amazingly good looking and extremely good in bed (or the shower, or the elevator) and they are very much in love. He wants to keep her safe and protected but of course Kitty will not hold back when she is needed.
I so felt for Charles, after what happened in the last book. His role in this one is minor, and I hope to see more of him in the next one. Like the Pontifax and Reader, they need more page time as I love those characters.
Again, as usual, this book is chock full of action and confusion, multiple plots are running through. New friends are made, traitors are found but Kitty really stars in this book. She is very busy, and whenever Jeff is doing his political stuff, Mister White is her trusted sidekick. And so are Mister Joel Oliver, Buchanan and her two uncles. The two alien princesses lend their fighting skills when necessary.
I really enjoy the interaction between Kitty and all the animals in this book, Prince has a starring role and he does bite. Even with Jeff running as vice president, there was not much political stuff in this book, except for the final scene when all the states are casting their votes, where the big bad thing happened, and I am very happy with that as well.
Gini Koch always amazes me with the strange and still somehow believable plots she concocts in these books, and how she pulls it off to get Kitty and the gang out of them again. The evil guys and girls are truly evil but I missed the evil clones. I also have no clue whatsoever who the Mastermind is. Someone close to them, someone they will never suspect. That can be a lot of people and I don’t dare to speculate at this point. I think when it is revealed, it will be a bomb blast of astonishment and denial. And it will break Kitty’s heart.
There are so many characters who all keep appearing for a short time in all the books, that it is getting hard to keep track of them all. Some of my favourites I missed in this book, and I hope to see more of them in the next book. Perhaps it is time for a list of characters in the back of the book. Who is who, what is his or her function, and are they a known friend or foe at the start of the book.
I can’t wait to read the next book and find out who the Mastermind is, and what he really is after, except world domination. I do wonder if he is human or alien…
I do think there will be some more traitors found in Jeff’s own family; after all, they are also related to Yates …
9 stars.
© 2014 Reviews by Aurian
May 10, 2018
48 points/100 (2.5 stars/5).
Alien Collective starts with the announcement that Jeff has been nominated to be the Vice Presidential pick for the frontrunning Presidential pick, and there are some people very, very unhappy with that news. Yates offspring keep showing up, Chernobog is still out there, an immortal has shown up to try and bring ACE to justice, they nearly get killed by a combination of quicksand (in the desert??), javelinas, and a combine harvester, and everyone is still trying to cope with the events of Alien Research. What a very, very long book.
Perhaps it is my fault I didn't enjoy this as much because I'm reading it so soon after Alien Research. I just felt like the author stream of consciousnessed this book. It just rambles on and on from scene to scene. I felt like there was one point to the entire book (the vice presidency), and everything else was something to fill out to reach word counts.
In Alien Research, I praised the author for staying on task the whole book. This did not happen here. I'm not certain why 90% of this book happened at all. They seemed to be going places and doing things just to do them for half of this book. I'd be reading along for a while and then suddenly realise I had no idea what they were doing or why. This happened several times throughout the book.
I think the worst part is that though a bunch of things happened, she pulled a lot of the previous threads from other books into this book, nothing actually got solved. Not really. It just keeps getting pushed off. It is growing a bit wearisome. Koch brings up one thread, plays with it a bit, and then moves on to the next thread, dropping the first, before she plays with that one for a bit. It makes it hard for me to really care what is going on at any one time because why bother.
If you liked the previous books in this series, you would probably at least be content with this book. Everyone who has shown up before in the series shows up in this one, practically. Friends, allies, enemies, and poofs. Even Jaime is starting to take a bit of a role in the story!
Alien Collective starts with the announcement that Jeff has been nominated to be the Vice Presidential pick for the frontrunning Presidential pick, and there are some people very, very unhappy with that news. Yates offspring keep showing up, Chernobog is still out there, an immortal has shown up to try and bring ACE to justice, they nearly get killed by a combination of quicksand (in the desert??), javelinas, and a combine harvester, and everyone is still trying to cope with the events of Alien Research. What a very, very long book.
Perhaps it is my fault I didn't enjoy this as much because I'm reading it so soon after Alien Research. I just felt like the author stream of consciousnessed this book. It just rambles on and on from scene to scene. I felt like there was one point to the entire book (the vice presidency), and everything else was something to fill out to reach word counts.
In Alien Research, I praised the author for staying on task the whole book. This did not happen here. I'm not certain why 90% of this book happened at all. They seemed to be going places and doing things just to do them for half of this book. I'd be reading along for a while and then suddenly realise I had no idea what they were doing or why. This happened several times throughout the book.
I think the worst part is that though a bunch of things happened, she pulled a lot of the previous threads from other books into this book, nothing actually got solved. Not really. It just keeps getting pushed off. It is growing a bit wearisome. Koch brings up one thread, plays with it a bit, and then moves on to the next thread, dropping the first, before she plays with that one for a bit. It makes it hard for me to really care what is going on at any one time because why bother.
If you liked the previous books in this series, you would probably at least be content with this book. Everyone who has shown up before in the series shows up in this one, practically. Friends, allies, enemies, and poofs. Even Jaime is starting to take a bit of a role in the story!
August 11, 2018
Honestly, this was an almost shockingly straightforward book. No real plot to unravel, there was never any real question about the goal or the source of the problem.
Aside from being FURIOUS that the stupid team decided to meet and accept / strategize about Jeff running for VP without even discussing it with Kitty - and for reals, I was so angry that anyone would think they have the fucking right to just INFORM her that they were doing this mammoth, life-changing thing as if she just outright has no say about it that I nearly DNF right then and there - I liked it. Once it moved away from that utterly unacceptable treatment of Kitty.
I honestly was disappointed to have to get back to that space, after the last book. You know, that space where I fucking despise the entire team - and her mother and Chuckie and Jeff - because they have such little care for her and her intelligence and personal agency. I truly do not understand how the author could be so blaze about them all just dropping this on her as a done deal. And ... it hurts her character, and my respect of her character, that she just rolls with that. Frankly, I'd have told them good luck with the campaign while going through a divorce, grabbed my kid (because Kitty has every damn right to shield her daughter from the kind of life-upending chaos that kind of national campaign brings), and left. Teleported to Alpha Four or something. Because fuck them all.
It took a lot for me to get past that utter, horrifying betrayal in the beginning of the book. But after that, I liked it well enough.
Aside from being FURIOUS that the stupid team decided to meet and accept / strategize about Jeff running for VP without even discussing it with Kitty - and for reals, I was so angry that anyone would think they have the fucking right to just INFORM her that they were doing this mammoth, life-changing thing as if she just outright has no say about it that I nearly DNF right then and there - I liked it. Once it moved away from that utterly unacceptable treatment of Kitty.
I honestly was disappointed to have to get back to that space, after the last book. You know, that space where I fucking despise the entire team - and her mother and Chuckie and Jeff - because they have such little care for her and her intelligence and personal agency. I truly do not understand how the author could be so blaze about them all just dropping this on her as a done deal. And ... it hurts her character, and my respect of her character, that she just rolls with that. Frankly, I'd have told them good luck with the campaign while going through a divorce, grabbed my kid (because Kitty has every damn right to shield her daughter from the kind of life-upending chaos that kind of national campaign brings), and left. Teleported to Alpha Four or something. Because fuck them all.
It took a lot for me to get past that utter, horrifying betrayal in the beginning of the book. But after that, I liked it well enough.
September 7, 2020
Something about this series has me coming back to it again and again. Despite the facts that these books are hella repetitive and their ‘routine’ is so steadfast even their sex is micromanaged it left me speed reading through certain parts because it felt replayed, reused, and obvious.
And yet... here I am, going to start the next one soon.
Jeff is now the Vice President of the United States
Sandy and the 7 dwarf super consciousness beings are going to leave earth alone, Stephanie has been captured, a bunch of Yates offspring have been killed, Cleary is the mastermind/apprentice? What’s gonna happen next?
And yet... here I am, going to start the next one soon.
Jeff is now the Vice President of the United States
Sandy and the 7 dwarf super consciousness beings are going to leave earth alone, Stephanie has been captured, a bunch of Yates offspring have been killed, Cleary is the mastermind/apprentice? What’s gonna happen next?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2018
3.5 really - fun but way overtuffed with plot and characters. Honestly, I don't know who some of these people are anymore. The books are quick moving enough that sometimes it doesn't matter who they are anyway. I also think I would have liked this better if I'd read it when it came out.
April 20, 2018
Kitty sigue siendo divertida y por eso sigo adelante con la serie, pero o cambia algo en la próxima novela o no creo que pueda mantener la acción que siempre han caracterizado estas novelas, ya que en esta le ha costado bastante que hubiera, al haber entrado del todo en el ojo público con la carrera de Jeff como político directo a la Casa Blanca.
September 10, 2017
What an exciting campaign, and the convention was out of this world!
February 7, 2018
I'm really enjoying this series a lot. I love the world building and everything that the author uses to tell the stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2020
x. Koch is creative for snappy words, aliens. Kit has alien hunk hubby Jeff, girl Jamie, many good, bad, androids, secret Mastermind, I forget names. Poofs enlarge, vanish like Peregrines, clones, miracle newbs dislike names. Typo 23.7 inside it IS inside him
36.7 belongs Earth IS belongs to Earth
36.7 belongs Earth IS belongs to Earth
May 29, 2022
Excellent book. Great snide remarks from Kitty.
June 6, 2022
This series is fun, fast-paced and great reading!
September 2, 2025
Very exciting entry in the series.
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