This book is a good story that I enjoy reading again and again. Hence, I picking it up again for light entertainment amidst all personal improvement and work-related readings.

John Ringo and Travis Taylor write enjoyable military science fiction with a dose of science thrown in. ( )

A good alien invasion book with typical overwhelming odds against the humans from Ringo.

I like the characters, though I felt they didn't have distinct plot lines, some just added for flavor.

The technical stuff just got a little overwhelming as well. Lots of hitting next page because I didn't want to learn the minutest detail of rocket construction. ( )

  This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.tumblr.com by express permission of this reviewer.  Title: Von Neumann's War Series: Von Neumann's War Author: John Ringo & Travis Taylor Rating: 2 of 5 Stars Genre: Military SF Pages: 522     Synopsis: Alien probes have terraformed Mars, the moon and are moving onto the Earth. Eating all metal, the probes are destroying our civilization and eventually us. But thanks to good old American know-how, ingenuity and super-science, we ARE fighting back.   My Thoughts: In many ways, this was reminiscent of Ringo and Taylor's Through the Looking Glass, but with about 10,000% more military jingo, gun porn and scientific babble.   First off, this book was about 300 pages too long. Nothing happens or is confirmed until about page 150. Do you get that? Nothing is even confirmed! We get science-babble instead. That was not cool.   Second, Earth is almost completely over-run and it isn't until the last 50 pages that the rogue grumpy scientist and the redneck scientists and the gutsy  but warm-hearted military group all come together to turn the tide. 50 pages from the end of a 500 page monstrosity.   Thirdly, utter gratuitous violence, that while making sense in-book, just turned me off. Soldiers getting their heads torn off because of their dog-tags? Yeah, no thanks. And cannibalism, even though only vaguely referenced, was done is such a way as to import the horror without actually saying anything. Once again, no thanks. I'm not sure why, as usually I'm all for ultra-violence, but this, it wasn't good for me.   This just wasn't for me. And I'm not sure who it IS supposed to be for either. There is a sequel, but I certainly won't be  reading it. " ( )

A Von Neumann probe is an automated self replicating machine which is sent into space to map and possibly prepare for human exploration. What would happen if we were the victims of someone else's Von Neumann probes run amuck?

This book is typical Ringo in that it is about an apocalyptic invasion from outer space, and you just know that most of the worlds population is going to die. However, the book is also exceptionally detailed in its handling of rocketry, and the science behind finding out more about the incoming threat is very well done.

Overall and good book that I enjoyed, although the end is definitely fishing for a sequel.

http://www.stillhq.com/book/John_Ringo/Von_Neumanns_War.html ( )

A rare stand alone novel by Ringo. Typically, Ringo likes series and while he could conceivably stretch this to three books, it's just as well he didn't. The story that needs to be told is told.

This is one of Ringo's novels that is science heavy, which is the influence of Taylor. Ringo likes his science and scientists, but like his Looking Glass series with Taylor, there is lots of science talk and some depth of explanation. The science never gets so deep that it can't be followed, and the big concepts get explained.

There is a good bit of military action and the characters are likable. There is no human villain, which I appreciate. The world is being overrun by aliens, and a human antagonist would be a distraction in what is a nicely paced book. Lots of authors would find the need to add a human bad guy to pad out the plot and add an extra sense of peril, but that always seems kind of unnecessary to me. Written properly, world destroying aliens should be enough of a threat.

There is a nice easter egg that I really enjoyed. Those in the know will be thrilled with it.

This is a solid stand alone novel By Ringo and Taylor. Quickly paced with action, likable characters, and truly alien invaders. A nice addition to the genre. ( )