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A review by upbeatmetaphor
The Bug Wars by Robert Lynn Asprin
4.0
The Bug Wars follows Commander Rahm of the lizard Tzen across several campaigns against various insect enemies. Silly name, big premise, and evocative cover art… how could I not read it?
What I found in this little pulp science fiction novella (that retailed for just £1/$1.50 in 1979!) was a series of apparent failings that steadily revealed themselves as effective devices.
Predictably, the “galactic death struggle” comes with multiple surprises, defeats, and failed initiatives, and it is in these that the narrative voice shines. It isn't explaining Tzen culture to an imaginary reading audience, but justifying Rahm's actions to some imagined military debriefing drawing on Tzen culture for excuses.
Often I felt as though I was reading the second book in a series, initially a disappointment given that the book that explains so much else in so much detail. A past campaign against “The Aquatics” is revealed only when necessary for the plot, and there is a breadth of missing information regarding The Coalition of Insects, how they formed, and how long the Tzen have been fighting them.
However, since the narrative voice belongs solely to Commander Rahm, it makes sense that concepts and activities are only explained if he deems them important. Rahm doesn’t care how many colony ships his people have left, or how far their genocide has advanced, he only cares to follow orders.
When multiple members of Rahm’s squad die, he lists their passing with limited emotion or detail. While at first this might feel like laziness in storytelling, it has an element of realism. Not every death we face is a dramatic, drawn-out cinematic experience that happens in front of us. More often than not, people just die “off-page” and we hear of their passing through the reports of someone else.
As Rahm rises through the ranks with each campaign, the equipment and troops he takes with him increase exponentially. Each assault on the insect homeworld brings with it more complex and powerful weaponry, while stronger insect species only make their presence known after successful offensive against their allies. The Tzen push them, and they push back harder.
This escalation of events was mirrored by an escalation in my enjoyment. The Bug Wars is a silly looking book with a silly sounding concept, and it could easily have been ridiculous, camp, or badly written, but it is none of those things. It makes excellent points about accountability, mortality and the inconstant state of large scale conflict, and it does so in a way that is both smartly crafted and enjoyable.
Nick
xx
What I found in this little pulp science fiction novella (that retailed for just £1/$1.50 in 1979!) was a series of apparent failings that steadily revealed themselves as effective devices.
Predictably, the “galactic death struggle” comes with multiple surprises, defeats, and failed initiatives, and it is in these that the narrative voice shines. It isn't explaining Tzen culture to an imaginary reading audience, but justifying Rahm's actions to some imagined military debriefing drawing on Tzen culture for excuses.
Often I felt as though I was reading the second book in a series, initially a disappointment given that the book that explains so much else in so much detail. A past campaign against “The Aquatics” is revealed only when necessary for the plot, and there is a breadth of missing information regarding The Coalition of Insects, how they formed, and how long the Tzen have been fighting them.
However, since the narrative voice belongs solely to Commander Rahm, it makes sense that concepts and activities are only explained if he deems them important. Rahm doesn’t care how many colony ships his people have left, or how far their genocide has advanced, he only cares to follow orders.
When multiple members of Rahm’s squad die, he lists their passing with limited emotion or detail. While at first this might feel like laziness in storytelling, it has an element of realism. Not every death we face is a dramatic, drawn-out cinematic experience that happens in front of us. More often than not, people just die “off-page” and we hear of their passing through the reports of someone else.
As Rahm rises through the ranks with each campaign, the equipment and troops he takes with him increase exponentially. Each assault on the insect homeworld brings with it more complex and powerful weaponry, while stronger insect species only make their presence known after successful offensive against their allies. The Tzen push them, and they push back harder.
This escalation of events was mirrored by an escalation in my enjoyment. The Bug Wars is a silly looking book with a silly sounding concept, and it could easily have been ridiculous, camp, or badly written, but it is none of those things. It makes excellent points about accountability, mortality and the inconstant state of large scale conflict, and it does so in a way that is both smartly crafted and enjoyable.
Nick
xx