Kamas Kirian’s Reviews > The Trouble with Humans > Status Update

The Gentle Earth - sort of an update on War of the Worlds. An alien invasion of Earth centers on the US during the summer. When winter comes around things don't go so well for the invaders who didn't gather enough information beforehand. In some of the stuff it seemed quite dated, but overall pretty good. I felt sort of sorry for the aliens at times. 4 Stars.

Nerves - reminded me of The Martian Chronicles a little. A Martian delegate discovers his Earth guest is sleeping with his wife and exacts revenge on them. Meh. 2 Stars.

Behind the Sandrat Hoax - And how prescient it is. A government that refuses to accept scientific evidence as well as the experiences of the actual citizens, which instead pushes forth its own agenda based on its own pet theory and endangers the lives of its people. This is a perfect description of the last several years of government/science conflict. Told in the form of a series of official messages. 5 stars.

Sinful City - On an alien planet inhabited by several different extraterrestrial aliens lies a city in a no-man's-land where vice is on sale all the time. A delegation consisting of a representative of each alien is sent in to figure out how to deal with the problem. I liked it a lot. 4 Stars.

Captive Leaven - On a planet involved in a Cold War Dane is a spy sent in to steal an advanced device from the other side. It seems to be a allegory for the US-Soviet Union. Fast moving, but didn't really pull me in all that much. 3 Stars

The Plateau - an advanced alien race invaded earth and through a lack of cultural understanding mistook our fiction for fact allowing humanity to take advantage of the situation though it looked nearly hopeless. I liked the characters and the aliens were similar enough to be sympathetic. 4 Stars.

Telepathic aliens have trouble convincing their superiors that non-telepathic humans have sophisticated technology and get themselves into trouble when dealing with the local customs. In the end they fall prey to consumerism and have to find jobs. 4 Stars.

The Law Breakers - A couple of aliens get sent to Earth to destroy human ability to colonize space, only to run into several severe obstacles. I liked the characters and cared for them. Story moved along well and kept me interested. 4 stars.

Shotgun Wedding - An advanced race tries to disrupt Earth society by introducing a new form of TV that allows the viewer to see real places in real time so the alien race can waltz in and take over. Another somewhat interesting concept that didn't seem fully realized. At least I liked the characters this time. 3 stars

Duel to the Death - intriguing concept that didn't seem to be fully formed, or perhaps I'm just a dolt. I didn't find the story as entertaining as the previous two. There were no characters that I actually enjoyed. 2 stars.