Customer Reviews

A Small Percentage : A Dark Tale of Alien Invasion (Small Percentage, 1)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been an avid science fiction affectionado for 40 years. This was the worst written tale I have ever tried to get through. If you like your prose written at a third-graders intellectual level and with the insight of a redneck moonshiner, this is the book for you. Where did they find the readers for this audio book? Unbelievably inadequate.

First off, if a lot of typos, a slightly less refined writing style, and a few points of bad grammar annoy you too much, then I wouldn't bother with this book.

However, if you can see past those things and get into the story, then there is definitely some enjoyment to be had here.

The plot basically centers around an alien invasion of the Earth. Humans are enslaved and taken over in all aspects by a technologically superior (and torturous/brutal) race of beings. A Small Percentage of the Earth's resources are all that are "requested" in order to resupply the massive, alien mothership. The humans fight back, as you know they will, and each attempt is described by the author in a way to at least keep the reader wanting to read more.

It's not as predictable as most alien invasion books/movies, unless you base your opinion solely on the thought that "the human race survives" is predictable. The HOW has a twist or two.

Overall, I enjoyed the book (after I got past the grammar issues) and am currently searching for others by this author.

I'm shocked at the reviews this has gotten. Yes- the female reader was horrible, I also noticed this, but the other voices were fine, in fact the author read parts of it. The book really tries to make a point that, "the innocent and the guilty are on both sides," sounds like a simple moral but it is expounded upon well. This story had me wanting to know what happens next and I was pleased with the way things were resolved. This is a good author.

A friend gave me this book knowing how little I thought of Battlefield Earth (Book & Movie). My biggest mistake was seeing the Battlefield Earth movie, despite reading the book.
A Small Percentage was as predictable as Battlefield Earth, War of the Worlds, Santa vs. the Martians, and Independence Day. Mankind will prevail despite odds and technology.
A Small Percentage did show the kind side of the aliens (Jenny) and the humans (Clay)

I've listened to hundreds of audio books and I must say, the readers on this made this one of the all time worst. The male reader was okay. He attempted to change his voice for different characters and situations, and did a half-way decent job of acting out his lines. The woman reader almost had me in tears she was so bad. She sounded like a third-grader that had just learned to read and sound out words. Forget any acting, she just read the words, and quite poorly I might add.

Why did I mention the bad readers first? Because they detracted from the story. The story in and of itself wasn't that bad. In the future, aliens take over the earth in order to get sorely needed resources for their race. Naturally, the humans aren't too happy, and with good reason. Some of the aliens are just downright cruel and mean. Others try to learn from the humans and learn about compassion. Then to make matters worse, another alien race shows up. What's a human to do? The answer is plan and figure out a way to get rid of the aliens.

This book focused on the conflict between the humans and the aliens and the humans drive to take back the Earth and get rid of the aliens once and for all.

Like I said, the story wasn't that bad, but it was no page turner either. I gave it two stars because every now and then something interesting happened that gave me hope the book was getting better. Then the woman reader would read her lines, and my hopes would be dashed anew. In my opinion, if you pass up on this one, you shouldn't feel as if you've missed anything. But, if you decide to be brave and read it, check it out from the library.