Defenders

March 3, 2014
This military science fiction novel offers fast paced action but little depth or originality. In 2029, humankind is faced with extinction as the alien Luyten fall from the sky to take the Earth for their own. The self-assured Luyten, utterly convinced of their need to exterminate a lesser civilization, enjoy a significant technological advantage and are telepathic as well; every strategy and countermeasure humans think of will be betrayed as soon as a Luyten happens into mind-reading range. Humanity’s one hope is the Defenders, giants immune to telepathy and genetically engineered for war. But an entire race of militants for whom the concept of peace is meaningless may prove as great a threat to humans as they do to the aliens. Comparative brevity and a multi-decade span of events limit opportunities to fully develop characters, making them hard to identify or sympathize with. Similarly, the unfolding series of crises offers less the lamentable inevitability of history and more the tedium of reruns. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company.

Starred review from May 15, 2014
Abandoning the domestic sphere he explored so aptly in Love Minus Eighty (2013), McIntosh tells a more global yet still deeply personal tale about life during wartime and its aftermath.In 2029, the telepathic, starfish-shaped Luyten have just about conquered Earth-it's tough to fight an enemy who knows everything you're about to do. Pushed to the brink, humanity develops the defenders: brilliant, 16-foot tall, three-legged soldiers impervious to telepathy. But once the Luyten are defeated, there are millions of defenders who are ill-suited to anything other than war and who are in a position to demand whatever they want from the weaker humans. The larger picture is primarily filtered through the perspectives of Kai, an orphan who inadvertently befriends Five, a wounded Luyten later captured by the U.S. government; Oliver, Kai's eventual adoptive father, a socially awkward CIA operative who interrogates and becomes unduly influenced by Five; and Lila, Kai's future wife, a clever, scientifically inclined young woman. As in his other work, McIntosh builds a believable universe with well-thought-out social dynamics-although the beginning of the novel does jump about in time somewhat confusingly. The genetically engineered soldier who can't adapt to peacetime is a frequent figure in sci-fi, but most previous examples of the trope haven't considered the implications quite so carefully. And, of course, the novel's sharp commentary on the difficulties soldiers have fitting into civilian society after their service-and the struggles of civilians both during and after war-has a sadly contemporary relevance. There's also a fascinating take on how political alliances shift over time: One's bosom friend today can be one's deadly enemy tomorrow, and vice versa.McIntosh has his finger on the pulse, again.

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April 15, 2014
Aliens known as Luyten have invaded Earth, their telepathic powers making them an unstoppable enemy that can anticipate the human resistance's every move. Things are going badly for humanity until a genetic engineer develops a new race of soldiers without serotonin in their brains. They are called the Defenders: huge, strong, bred to do nothing but wage war. Their minds are unreadable by the Luyten, giving the human race a fighting chance. But what place will the Defenders have in society once the aliens have been beaten? VERDICT McIntosh ("Love Minus Zero; Soft Apocalypse") uses a variety of points of view to tell his story, including that of CIA operative Oliver Bowen, humanity's main contact with a captive Luyten, and Kai, whose life was defined by him being the first human to be telepathically contacted by the aliens. Fast moving and suspenseful, this near-future sf thriller is a solid exploration of occupation, resistance, and the unintended consequences of decisions made in a time of war.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
As with Love Minus Eighty (2013), McIntosh expands another short story into a novel in this near-future military science-fiction adventure. It's 2029 and the mind-reading capabilities of alien invaders, the Luyten, render Earth's military forces ineffective, thus threatening humanity with extinction. Scientists create genetically modified superwarriors in a last-ditch effort to save the planet. Unfortunately, the free-thinking and military-minded Defenders may pose as great a threat as the aliens. Using alternating points of view in short chapters, McIntosh weaves the story among several characters. Among them are Oliver Bowen, CIA interrogator and the first to communicate with a captured Luyten; Khai Zhou, saved by the same alien and another child of the invasion; Lila Easterlin, who dreams of becoming a genetic engineer and adores the defenders for saving her. Hard-science sf readers will be disappointed in the simple treatment of technology and the standard invasion trope, but McIntosh's strengths lie in character interaction and effective dialogue, and he succeeds in creating an emotional story of love, loyalty, and forgiveness amid the stark realities of war.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)