Cobra, by Timothy Zahn
This review is based on the version of Cobra contained in The Cobra Trilogy.
Cobra is an interesting book, in that it comes in four parts. The basic story revolves around Jonny Moreau, and his decision to join the Dominion's armed forces to help repel the attack of the Trofts, an alien race that has already occupied several human worlds.
The first part of the story shows Jonny making the decision to enlist, and his training as a Cobra, and elite new soldier. Cobras are a bit of a cyborg, with servo-assisted muscles and nanocomputer assisted reflexes. This part reads a bit like a typical coming of age story.
The second part deals with Jonny's experiences on one of the alien occupied worlds, functioning as a guerilla fighter. The theme here is the conflict between Cobras who grow to consider themselves better than normal humans, and the human resistance fighters, and the Troft.
The third part deals with Jonny's return home after the war ends, and the fear with which the regular populace deals with Cobras. This culminates in an act of aggression against Jonny, to which his nanocomputer automatically responds.
The fourth part covers how the Dominion government handles the problem of Cobras returning to civilian life. The Dominion's plan is to manufacture a new war to kill them off, but saner heads prevail and instead the Cobras are sent to a frontier world to help protect colonists.
The fifth part deals with Cobras on the new world, and how many of them continue to feel superior to normal humans, and how they mesh with the government of the world. A new war with the Troft threatens to overwhelm the frontier world, a war that it appears only Jonny Moreau can avert.
Despite each section of the book covering different themes, they all share the basic idea of how an enhanced human would coexist with unenhanced humans. While it reads differently from other Zahn books, it's quite enjoyable.
Cobra is an interesting book, in that it comes in four parts. The basic story revolves around Jonny Moreau, and his decision to join the Dominion's armed forces to help repel the attack of the Trofts, an alien race that has already occupied several human worlds.
The first part of the story shows Jonny making the decision to enlist, and his training as a Cobra, and elite new soldier. Cobras are a bit of a cyborg, with servo-assisted muscles and nanocomputer assisted reflexes. This part reads a bit like a typical coming of age story.
The second part deals with Jonny's experiences on one of the alien occupied worlds, functioning as a guerilla fighter. The theme here is the conflict between Cobras who grow to consider themselves better than normal humans, and the human resistance fighters, and the Troft.
The third part deals with Jonny's return home after the war ends, and the fear with which the regular populace deals with Cobras. This culminates in an act of aggression against Jonny, to which his nanocomputer automatically responds.
The fourth part covers how the Dominion government handles the problem of Cobras returning to civilian life. The Dominion's plan is to manufacture a new war to kill them off, but saner heads prevail and instead the Cobras are sent to a frontier world to help protect colonists.
The fifth part deals with Cobras on the new world, and how many of them continue to feel superior to normal humans, and how they mesh with the government of the world. A new war with the Troft threatens to overwhelm the frontier world, a war that it appears only Jonny Moreau can avert.
Despite each section of the book covering different themes, they all share the basic idea of how an enhanced human would coexist with unenhanced humans. While it reads differently from other Zahn books, it's quite enjoyable.
posted by Jay | 9:04 AM
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