Judge (The Wess'har Wars) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Shan Frankland rolled over, stomach heaving in disoriented protest, and found herself staring at the curved surface of a marbled planet from space..." (more)
Key Phrases: surplus things, gene bank, Karen Traviss, Eqbas Vorhi, Esganikan Gai (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Eqbas have come, bringing justice, change, hope to some . . . and death to many.

Seeking to punish the human gethes who caused the near destruction of an ocean-dwelling race in the distant Cavanagh’s Star system, the Eqbas have finally landed on Earth. But another, equally important obligation has drawn them across the galaxy: the salvation of this environmentally ravaged world, a mission that could entail the annihilation of billions of humans.

Former police officer Shan Frankland has come as well—along with her two lifemates, one alien and one human—carrying in her blood the parasite that makes her virtually immortal. Though she once vowed never to let the powerful contagion reach the homeworld she left nearly a century ago, she feels compelled to play an active role in the unfolding drama—and to follow the catastrophic events that have devastated civilizations and defined her life to their shocking, inevitable end.

About the Author

Karen Traviss is a former defense correspondent and TV and newspaper journalist. She has worked in public relations for the police and local government, and has served in the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service and the Territorial Army. The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of City of Pearl, Crossing the Line, The World Before, Matriarch, Star Wars-Republic Commando: Hard Contact, Triple Zero, and Star Wars-Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines, she lives in Wiltshire, England.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 391 pages
• Publisher: Eos (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060882409
• ISBN-13: 978-0060882402
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #397,900 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing end to excellent series, May 30, 2008

By	ShriDurga (Japan) - See all my reviews

This sixth and final volume of the Wess'har Wars promised a confrontation between a profligate Earth and an intergalactic species of Ecowarriors. It has turned out to be more letdown than showdown.

The series' central conflicts have focused on the ethics of life, protecting those unable to fend for themselves and reigning in those unable to control their own growth. The tough decisions begin in volume one, in which Environmental Hazards officer Shan Frankland on a mission to the planet Wess'ej has not only to turn over for execution one of her scientists for collecting bio samples in violation of local laws, but also to abort her own fetus to stop the spread of an organism conferring immortality. In later volumes, the Ecowarrior Wess'har launch a violent campaign of extermination on the plant Umeh when its inhabitants refuse Wess'har demands to reduce their population and abandon their colonies on outlying worlds. Film of the devastation is transmitted to Earth as a warning of what to expect should changes not be made in the 25 years it will take the Wess'har to get their ships into Earth orbit.

Given the setup, it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect a bit of conflict once the Wess'har make their demands on Earth - a decrease in the population to one billion and zero growth rate. You might expect a number of humans to be quite angry about such demands. You might expect a few governments to forcibly resist. But except for two planes shot down and two political assassinations, the humans roll over and accept Wess'har leadership. It's not difficult to imagine humans eventually acceding to a more powerful foe, but it is difficult to imagine us giving up so quickly. There are always fools who like to fight. But you won't find any of them in Judge.

In fact for a book set on Earth there are not too many humans in the story, except for the ones we already know from the previous five volumes. Most of the conflict takes place within the Wess'har fleet. After the Earth campaign has been settled, the last quarter of the story moves back to Wess'ej, and the series concludes with a series of farewells.

Perhaps my own expectations prevented me from appreciating what Traviss may have been trying to accomplish with this final chapter of an otherwise excellent series. As with her character Shan Frankland, who loses her childlike faith in the Wess'har, perhaps Traviss is attempting to upend her readers' expectations. If so, she's done a good job.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Letdown to an interesting story, April 27, 2008

By	Ben Wand "I used to be cool..." (Gresham, OR United States) - See all my reviews

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This series was always something I found intriguing, although I never thought it was totally brilliant. However, it had enough intrigue and new ideas to keep me involved and interested. I liked how the author sprung twists with each installment, and constantly challenged the reader's morality and ethics with the actions of her characters. After completing the series I would say that the sixth book was the worst of the bunch, unfortunately.

I agree with some of the other reviewers that the book felt rushed. The book dragged at the beginning, but not too badly, but I kept waiting for something to happen, but, except for a few minor things, nothing really did.

After reading Ally I was very excited to see what was going to happen when the Eqbas fleet reached Earth... but I was let down.

I guess there are several ways to tie up a series like this, and any path an author chooses is going to annoy somebody, but in this case I thought this ending was unsatisfying.

I wouldn't necessarily say to avoid this book, as it does tie up the series, but this won't be your favorite of the series. In honesty, you could actually not read this book and come up with your "own" ending for the series.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So-so finish to an excellent series, June 30, 2008

By	PGB (USA) - See all my reviews

Judge, the sixth and final book in the Wess'har series, is readable but otherwise disappointing. There's surprisingly little tension for a novel where the lives of billions hang in the balance.

More than anything what Judge lacks is a real villain. Mohan Rayat and Lindsay Neville, Shan Frankland's principal antagonists from earlier in the series, are left with fairly little to do. The once menacing Skavu are even less of a factor. To the extent that there's any attempt to create a villain for the story it's the FEU, but this doesn't get very far either.

So without an effective villain to throw a wrench into the works, the plot grinds its way to a conclusion pretty much as one would have expected. Very predictably, in fact, which makes for a disappointingly dull finish to the series.