Book #5 in the Invasion series.
In this final installment to Vaughn Heppner‘s very entertaining Invasion series, resolution finally comes to the World War that has engulfed the planet for so many years. The Chinese-German-Mexican alliance which has devastated the North American continent weakens under the control of China’s maddening Chairman, and the United States takes swift action under the bold (if not dictatorial) rule of Homeland Security and its Militia.
As a starving world watches and waits for the final outcome to this war which has brought nuclear devastation, secrets are stirring. In China, Chairman Hong plans to annihilate his own cities in order to prevent any coming invasion, while also arming his own citizens, much to the chagrin of faithful Communists. Assassination plans are also brewing. In America, a coup by Homeland Security brings a darkness to the nation’s future, even if they could somehow force the Chinese to surrender. At the same time, the American military works on a ground invasion through Manchuria, while also attempting for the first time an invasion of Marines from space. Yes, from space!
The sci-fi technology in these books is not as far-fetched as the covers or descriptions suggest. Already, we all know that our military is working on skeletal shells for soldiers that increase not only their strength and carrying capacity, but their own protection. That these suits can be equipped to drop from Earth’s low orbit is only a few steps down the line. I for one can see that possibility—-recall the guy who jumped from a balloon at that distance on live television? Yeah. It’s possible.
The characters whom Heppner introduced early on continue through this book. Most of the heroes and anti-heroes survive, but not all. My prediction that Stan Higgins eventually becomes President was off, but not by much, as he eventually becomes the Secretary of Defense. Jake Higgins enjoys a secret prominence in American history that I never expected but relished. Blood brothers Paul and Ramos eventually go their separate ways and come to different ends. XunLi rises from Police Minister to Chairman in an unexpected way, never finding the peace for which she so desperately longed. Anna and the President marry.
Going into this series, I expected it to bear tinges of Christianity and, possibly, even the Gospel. This never happened. The foul language and sexual descriptions only increased as the books progressed, and the implications of Christian backgrounds, etc. got lost in the terrors of war. Heppner might have missed an opportunity to contrast XunLi’s end to that of, say, Stan Higgins—one being executed in the midst of a spiritual black hole, while the other passing away in peace—but their differences are never discussed.
Despite this apparent lack of spiritual focus, I really loved these books. I’m surprised they don’t have a larger following. I believe they deserve more attention, and I highly recommend all five books.
© 2018
Read More from Vaughn Heppner:
- Invasion: Alaska (2011)
- Invasion: California (2012)
- Invasion: Colorado (2013)
- Invasion: New York (2013)
- Invasion: China (2014)