"Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/

Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.

John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
started but is not the official story as there is none.
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/

One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
Earth cities.

This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)

Lynn

On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>"Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>
>Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>
>John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>started but is not the official story as there is none.
> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>
>One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>Earth cities.
>
>This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>
>My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)

I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

On Friday, November 26, 2021 at 4:54:11 PM UTC, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >"Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
> > https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
> >
> >Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
> >the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
> >this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
> >this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
> >since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
> >
> >John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
> >this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
> >the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
> >started but is not the official story as there is none.
> > https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
> >
> >One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
> >kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
> >L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
> >They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
> >with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
> >a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
> >Earth cities.
> >
> >This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
> >bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
> >artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
> >dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
> >
> >My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
> >Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
> --
> "I begin to envy Petronius."
> "I have envied him long since."
From memory, the gate comes with a list of instructions and prohibitions. Given what the Horvath get away with, I would be wary of defying the instructions of the gate-makers - who are presumably have an even larger technological lead than the Horvath - to the extent of destroying one of their gates..

On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>
>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>
>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>
>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>> Earth cities.
>>
>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>
>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>
> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.

The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.

And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.

Lynn

On 11/26/2021 11:40 AM, Andrew McDowell wrote:
> On Friday, November 26, 2021 at 4:54:11 PM UTC, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>>
>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>>
>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>
>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>>> Earth cities.
>>>
>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>
>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
>> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>> --
>> "I begin to envy Petronius."
>> "I have envied him long since."
> From memory, the gate comes with a list of instructions and prohibitions. Given what the Horvath get away with, I would be wary of defying the instructions of the gate-makers - who are presumably have an even larger technological lead than the Horvath - to the extent of destroying one of their gates.

Yup, you don't piss off the race that has been managing the gate system
for 90 million years.

The Horvath are another matter. Their technology is only 100 years more
advanced than Earth. But, they killed half the people on Earth using
kinetic strikes over ten years.

Lynn

On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>>
>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>>
>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>
>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>>> Earth cities.
>>>
>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>
>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>>
>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
>> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>
>The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
>collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
>indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
>rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
>was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
>on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.
>
>And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.

If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.

But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is /obvious/ the
film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes in, and the only
explanation for why it didn't is because then it wouldn't be
commercially viable.

It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it matters. If
done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all is well.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

On Saturday, November 27, 2021 at 5:12:57 PM UTC, Paul S Person wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
> >> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
> >> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
> >>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
> >>>
> >>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
> >>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
> >>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
> >>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
> >>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
> >>>
> >>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
> >>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
> >>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
> >>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
> >>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
> >>>
> >>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
> >>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
> >>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
> >>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
> >>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
> >>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
> >>> Earth cities.
> >>>
> >>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
> >>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
> >>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
> >>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
> >>>
> >>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
> >>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
> >>
> >> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
> >> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
> >
> >The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
> >collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
> >indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
> >rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
> >was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
> >on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.
> >
> >And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.
> If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.
>
> But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is /obvious/ the
> film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes in, and the only
> explanation for why it didn't is because then it wouldn't be
> commercially viable.
>
> It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it matters. If
> done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all is well.
> --
> "I begin to envy Petronius."
> "I have envied him long since."
It is an entertaining and readable romp. It is possible that the science , including the biology and sociology, is not entirely consistent with best current knowledge, I was too busy enjoying reading it to worry.

In article <ajp4qghuckrn95pqirfi17h9n3853aakb7@4ax.com>,
Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
><lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>>>
>>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>>>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>>>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>>>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>>>
>>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>>>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>>>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>>>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>>
>>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>>>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>>>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>>>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>>>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>>>> Earth cities.
>>>>
>>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>>>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>>>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>>>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>>
>>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>>>
>>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
>>> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>>
>>The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
>>collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
>>indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
>>rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
>>was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
>>on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.
>>
>>And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.
>
>If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.
>
>But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is /obvious/ the
>film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes in, and the only
>explanation for why it didn't is because then it wouldn't be
>commercially viable.
>
>It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it matters. If
>done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all is well.

In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can happen!"
line is for.

And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically doesn't
make sense if you think about it.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On 27 Nov 2021 18:02:16 GMT, ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan
<tednolan>) wrote:

>In article <ajp4qghuckrn95pqirfi17h9n3853aakb7@4ax.com>,
>Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>><lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>>>>
>>>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>>>>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>>>>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>>>>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>>>>
>>>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>>>>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>>>>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>>>>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>>>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>>>
>>>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>>>>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>>>>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>>>>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>>>>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>>>>> Earth cities.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>>>>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>>>>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>>>>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>>>
>>>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>>>>
>>>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
>>>> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>>>
>>>The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
>>>collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
>>>indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
>>>rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
>>>was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
>>>on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.
>>>
>>>And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.
>>
>>If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.
>>
>>But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is /obvious/ the
>>film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes in, and the only
>>explanation for why it didn't is because then it wouldn't be
>>commercially viable.
>>
>>It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it matters. If
>>done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all is well.
>
>
>In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can happen!"
>line is for.
>
>And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically doesn't
>make sense if you think about it.

I don't remember what movie it was but recently I saw one in which
while the protagonists are searching for whatever ludicrous artifact
is driving the plot one of them says to the other "look for a crate
marked 'McGuffins'".

On 11/27/2021 11:26 AM, Andrew McDowell wrote:
> On Saturday, November 27, 2021 at 5:12:57 PM UTC, Paul S Person wrote:
>> On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>>>> <lynnmc...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>>>>
>>>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>>>>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>>>>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>>>>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>>>>
>>>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>>>>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>>>>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>>>>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>>>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>>>
>>>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>>>>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>>>>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>>>>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>>>>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>>>>> Earth cities.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>>>>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>>>>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>>>>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>>>
>>>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>>>>
>>>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
>>>> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>>>
>>> The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
>>> collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
>>> indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
>>> rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
>>> was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
>>> on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.
>>>
>>> And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.
>> If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.
>>
>> But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is /obvious/ the
>> film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes in, and the only
>> explanation for why it didn't is because then it wouldn't be
>> commercially viable.
>>
>> It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it matters. If
>> done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all is well.
>> --
>> "I begin to envy Petronius."
>> "I have envied him long since."
> It is an entertaining and readable romp. It is possible that the science , including the biology and sociology, is not entirely consistent with best current knowledge, I was too busy enjoying reading it to worry.

Yup, the science is good enough to keep from distracting from the
entertainment of the book.

Lynn

ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) wrote in
news:j0fa57FmrorU1@mid.individual.net:

> In article <ajp4qghuckrn95pqirfi17h9n3853aakb7@4ax.com>,
> Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>><lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/14391
>>>>> 33972/
>>>>>
>>>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction
>>>>> series. I read the well printed and well bound MMPB
>>>>> published by Baen Books in 2010, this is the sixth printing
>>>>> from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so this is a
>>>>> reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the
>>>>> garage.
>>>>>
>>>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic
>>>>> Schlockverse to base this story series on. In fact, Howard
>>>>> Taylor even wrote a forward in the book. The book is a
>>>>> story of how Schlock Mercenary could have started but is not
>>>>> the official story as there is none.
>>>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>>>
>>>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System
>>>>> dragging a ten kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place
>>>>> the stargate in the Sol-Earth L2 Lagrange point and then
>>>>> give the stunned Earthers a user's manual. They then leave
>>>>> through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath,
>>>>> show up with a military cruiser and demand tribute after
>>>>> dropping rocks on three Earth cities.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good
>>>>> space aliens, bad space aliens, space ships of all types and
>>>>> sizes, ray guns, artificial intelligences, body
>>>>> modifications, etc... The Universe is a dangerous place and
>>>>> John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>>>
>>>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>>>>
>>>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) --
>>>> nuke the gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>>>
>>>The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates
>>>and collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are
>>>unbreakable and indestructible. And the gate came with a user
>>>manual that had several rules. One of which was a 300 km
>>>exclusion zone around the gate. There was to be no fighting in
>>>the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting on who could go
>>>through the gate, hostile or friendly.
>>>
>>>And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.
>>
>>If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.
>>
>>But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is
>>/obvious/ the film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes
>>in, and the only explanation for why it didn't is because then
>>it wouldn't be commercially viable.
>>
>>It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it
>>matters. If done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all
>>is well.
>
>
> In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can
> happen!" line is for.
>
> And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically
> doesn't make sense if you think about it.

Very, very few movies actually make sense if you think about it.

--
Terry Austin

Proof that Alan Baker is a liar and a fool, and even stupider than
Lynn:
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration

"Terry Austin: like the polio vaccine, only with more asshole."
-- David Bilek

Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.

On 11/25/2021 3:20 PM, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>    https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>
> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series.  I read
> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
> this is the sixth printing from 2018.  I first read this book in 2010 so
> this is a reread.  I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>
> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
> this story series on.  In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
> the book.  The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>    https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>
> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
> kilometer wide stargate.  The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
> They then leave through the stargate.  The second set of aliens shows up
> with a trading ship.  The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
> Earth cities.
>
> This is military scifi of the best order.  There are good space aliens,
> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc...  The Universe is a
> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>
> My rating:  5 out of 5 stars
> Amazon rating:  4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>
> Lynn

I forgot to mention that the stargates are single destination stargates.
There is only one stargate pointed into the Solar System. Some star
systems have as many as twelve stargates. That means t

Lynn

On 27 Nov 2021 18:02:16 GMT, ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan
<tednolan>) wrote:

>In article <ajp4qghuckrn95pqirfi17h9n3853aakb7@4ax.com>,
>Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> wrote:
>>On Fri, 26 Nov 2021 13:56:27 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>><lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On 11/26/2021 10:54 AM, Paul S Person wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:20:50 -0600, Lynn McGuire
>>>> <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>>>>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>>>>
>>>>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>>>>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>>>>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>>>>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>>>>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>>>>
>>>>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>>>>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>>>>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>>>>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>>>>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>>>>
>>>>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>>>>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>>>>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>>>>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>>>>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>>>>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>>>>> Earth cities.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>>>>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>>>>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc... The Universe is a
>>>>> dangerous place and John Ringo aims to prove it by his story-telling.
>>>>>
>>>>> My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
>>>>> Amazon rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (648 reviews)
>>>>
>>>> I take it the obvious solution (after the Horvath appear) -- nuke the
>>>> gate into oblivion -- is never even considered.
>>>
>>>The Grtul, the People of the Ring, have been distributing gates and
>>>collecting tolls for 90 million years. Their gates are unbreakable and
>>>indestructible. And the gate came with a user manual that had several
>>>rules. One of which was a 300 km exclusion zone around the gate. There
>>>was to be no fighting in the exclusion zone. And there was no limiting
>>>on who could go through the gate, hostile or friendly.
>>>
>>>And besides that, there would go 95% of the book.
>>
>>If it is well-written, it still might be worth reading.
>>
>>But it sounds like a few movies I have seen, where it is /obvious/ the
>>film could and should have ended, say, 30 minutes in, and the only
>>explanation for why it didn't is because then it wouldn't be
>>commercially viable.
>>
>>It is only when this sort of thing is /noticeable/ that it matters. If
>>done well enough, so that nobody notices, then all is well.
>
>
>In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can happen!"
>line is for.

That sounds right.

>And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically doesn't
>make sense if you think about it.

Yes, it is generally true that a good movie overcomes many faults, not
just the one I mentioned.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) on 27 Nov 2021 18:02:16 GMT
typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
>
>In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can happen!"
>line is for.
>
>And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically doesn't
>make sense if you think about it.

"Fridge Logic" - the story holds together and makes sense, until
you get up and go to the fridge.
See also Handwavium, and Needs of the Plot.
--
pyotr filipivich
This Week's Panel: Us & Them - Eliminating Them.
Next Month's Panel: Having eliminated the old Them(tm)
Selecting who insufficiently Woke(tm) as to serve as the new Them(tm)

On Mon, 29 Nov 2021 08:04:23 -0800, pyotr filipivich
<phamp@mindspring.com> wrote:

>ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) on 27 Nov 2021 18:02:16 GMT
>typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
>>
>>In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can happen!"
>>line is for.
>>
>>And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically doesn't
>>make sense if you think about it.
>
> "Fridge Logic" - the story holds together and makes sense, until
> you get up and go to the fridge.
> See also Handwavium, and Needs of the Plot.

If it's a /good/ movie, you don't get up and go the Fridge. You are
glued to your seat for the duration.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

Paul S Person <psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid> on Mon, 29 Nov 2021
08:56:27 -0800 typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
>On Mon, 29 Nov 2021 08:04:23 -0800, pyotr filipivich
><phamp@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
>>ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) on 27 Nov 2021 18:02:16 GMT
>>typed in rec.arts.sf.written the following:
>>>
>>>In the "Pitch Meeting" videos, that's what the "So the movie can happen!"
>>>line is for.
>>>
>>>And, yes, in a good movie, you don't notice that it technically doesn't
>>>make sense if you think about it.
>>
>> "Fridge Logic" - the story holds together and makes sense, until
>> you get up and go to the fridge.
>> See also Handwavium, and Needs of the Plot.
>
>If it's a /good/ movie, you don't get up and go the Fridge. You are
>glued to your seat for the duration.

True. And then you leave the theatre, and once home, and you go
to the fridge and open the door "and the light comes on".
--
pyotr filipivich
This Week's Panel: Us & Them - Eliminating Them.
Next Month's Panel: Having eliminated the old Them(tm)
Selecting who insufficiently Woke(tm) as to serve as the new Them(tm)

On Thursday, 25 November 2021 at 21:20:56 UTC, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>
> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>
> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
> started but is not the official story as there is none.
> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>
> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
> Earth cities.
>
> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc...

Apparently our new alien overlords make a point
of exterminating black and brown people with biological
warfare. Why is that, is it because AI facial recognition
doesn't work? (Assuming it's the aliens who do it.)
And in 2021, haven't we just found out that biological
weapons will kill everybody?

Goodreads says "This book is on the KKK reading list",
is that mentioned on the cover? (I'm a little surprised
that there is a KKK reading list.)

On Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 2:55:19 PM UTC, Robert Carnegie wrote:
> On Thursday, 25 November 2021 at 21:20:56 UTC, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> > "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
> > https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
> >
> > Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
> > the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
> > this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
> > this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
> > since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
> >
> > John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
> > this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
> > the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
> > started but is not the official story as there is none.
> > https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
> >
> > One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
> > kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
> > L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
> > They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
> > with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
> > a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
> > Earth cities.
> >
> > This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
> > bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
> > artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc...
> Apparently our new alien overlords make a point
> of exterminating black and brown people with biological
> warfare. Why is that, is it because AI facial recognition
> doesn't work? (Assuming it's the aliens who do it.)
> And in 2021, haven't we just found out that biological
> weapons will kill everybody?
>
> Goodreads says "This book is on the KKK reading list",
> is that mentioned on the cover? (I'm a little surprised
> that there is a KKK reading list.)

Perhaps the aliens read some version of how the Romans typically expanded into areas controlled by warring barbarians and the KKK did not.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2021 06:55:16 -0800 (PST), Robert Carnegie
<rja.carnegie@excite.com> wrote:

>On Thursday, 25 November 2021 at 21:20:56 UTC, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>
>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>
>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>
>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>> Earth cities.
>>
>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc...
>
>Apparently our new alien overlords make a point
>of exterminating black and brown people with biological
>warfare. Why is that, is it because AI facial recognition
>doesn't work? (Assuming it's the aliens who do it.)
>And in 2021, haven't we just found out that biological
>weapons will kill everybody?
>
>Goodreads says "This book is on the KKK reading list",
>is that mentioned on the cover? (I'm a little surprised
>that there is a KKK reading list.)

The upper levels are surely able to read, even if the po' white trash
who make up the bulk of the members can not.

And many readers find topical reading lists helpful.
--
"I begin to envy Petronius."
"I have envied him long since."

On Sun, 12 Dec 2021 06:55:16 -0800 (PST), Robert Carnegie
<rja.carnegie@excite.com> wrote:

>On Thursday, 25 November 2021 at 21:20:56 UTC, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
>> https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
>>
>> Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
>> the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
>> this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
>> this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
>> since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
>>
>> John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
>> this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
>> the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
>> started but is not the official story as there is none.
>> https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
>>
>> One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
>> kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
>> L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
>> They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
>> with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
>> a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
>> Earth cities.
>>
>> This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
>> bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
>> artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc...
>
>Apparently our new alien overlords make a point
>of exterminating black and brown people with biological
>warfare. Why is that, is it because AI facial recognition
>doesn't work? (Assuming it's the aliens who do it.)
>And in 2021, haven't we just found out that biological
>weapons will kill everybody?
>
>Goodreads says "This book is on the KKK reading list",
>is that mentioned on the cover? (I'm a little surprised
>that there is a KKK reading list.)

Some random person named "Jonathan" says that. One wonders how he
knows this.

In article <cf1909a1-1772-450f-af99-95be02dc2ea3n@googlegroups.com>,
Robert Carnegie <rja.carnegie@excite.com> wrote:

> On Thursday, 25 November 2021 at 21:20:56 UTC, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> > "Live Free or Die: Troy Rising I" by John Ringo
> > https://www.amazon.com/Live-Free-Die-Troy-Rising/dp/1439133972/
> >
> > Book number one of a three book military science fiction series. I read
> > the well printed and well bound MMPB published by Baen Books in 2010,
> > this is the sixth printing from 2018. I first read this book in 2010 so
> > this is a reread. I bought new MMPBs of the series for this reading
> > since my original books are carefully packed away in the garage.
> >
> > John Ringo borrowed Howard Taylor's online comic Schlockverse to base
> > this story series on. In fact, Howard Taylor even wrote a forward in
> > the book. The book is a story of how Schlock Mercenary could have
> > started but is not the official story as there is none.
> > https://www.schlockmercenary.com/
> >
> > One day, an alien starship appears in the Solar System dragging a ten
> > kilometer wide stargate. The aliens place the stargate in the Sol-Earth
> > L2 Lagrange point and then give the stunned Earthers a user's manual.
> > They then leave through the stargate. The second set of aliens shows up
> > with a trading ship. The third set of aliens, the Horvath, show up with
> > a military cruiser and demand tribute after dropping rocks on three
> > Earth cities.
> >
> > This is military scifi of the best order. There are good space aliens,
> > bad space aliens, space ships of all types and sizes, ray guns,
> > artificial intelligences, body modifications, etc...
>
> Apparently our new alien overlords make a point
> of exterminating black and brown people with biological
> warfare. Why is that, is it because AI facial recognition
> doesn't work? (Assuming it's the aliens who do it.)

No, no. The new (but soon to be expelled) alien overlords set out to
exterminate all people who didn't have blond hair (the book's
protagonist had brownish hair). They must have misunderstood all the
dumb blond jokes.

--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
—-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com

(lots trimmed)
>
> >
> > Apparently our new alien overlords make a point
> > of exterminating black and brown people with biological
> > warfare. Why is that, is it because AI facial recognition
> > doesn't work? (Assuming it's the aliens who do it.)
> No, no. The new (but soon to be expelled) alien overlords set out to
> exterminate all people who didn't have blond hair (the book's
> protagonist had brownish hair). They must have misunderstood all the
> dumb blond jokes.
>
> --
> "We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
> Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
> —-----------------------------------------------------
> Robert Woodward robe...@drizzle.com

Thanks - I have Live Free or Die on my Kindle, and previously failed to find references to KKK or similar keywords. Blond works, however. From a quick skim (impaired by the fact that I keep mixing this up with the Skippy stories) it is not altogether clear what the Horvath were trying to do, especially as they weren't great at understanding human society and didn't seem to be especially bright. However it appears that they wanted slaves, but not as many slaves as there were humans, so they were looking for a marker a genetic virus could use to choose death or life that would give them roughly the numbers they wanted, and they had made useful contact with Russians and white South Africans (at least the latter renegades since this is after the end of Apartheid) with their contacts happening to have blond hair.