The Dark Wing

by Walter H. Hunt

Book Overview

Mankind faces extinction at alien hands. The only thing standing in their way?THE DARK WINGThe birdlike zor are just one of the alien races that humanity encounters when it travels to the stars, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076530113X
• ISBN13: 9780765301130
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 491 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

An Instant Classic - recommended.

The first chapter of the book will hook you up! You will want to read the rest more enthusiastically to find out what is going to happen once the war with the Zor has re-started. Since I only have time to read 3-to-4 books per month, I usually read well established authors and usually best sellers. Dark Wing is the first not-a-classic-yet book that I have read in a long time and I am not disappointed. I will not be surprised if this book becomes a classic in its genre. I could not put it down during the last 150 pages. You wanted to know what is going on with the energy bursts, etc., and all the political intrigue and spionage, etc. The author managed to write an entertaining story while exploring deeper issues regarding human nature... genocide, etc,. The author managed to write and intellectually appealing science fiction story that could be used in an ethics course. I have given 4 stars to books that are considered classics and best sellers already, but I believe that Dark Wing deserves 5 stars. If I could not put it down, what else can I give it? However, if you are looking for shallow starship dog fights and duels, this is not a book for you. Since my budget is limited, I have to wait for the softcover of the Dark Path. As soon as the softcover is out I'll buy it without thinking about it twice.

More than just another space war book

I am not a fan of military SF, but I enjoyed "The Dark Wing." The space battles have a good balance between "bullet by bullet" action and glossing over the details in a paragraph.The characters are well imagined; the humans are, for the most part, honorable and duty-bound, but there are shades of color in their personalities, and many of the on-ship details and persional add depth to the characterization. The zor are believable and intriguing; I especially liked what was revealed of their religion and mysticism. Their psychology is human enough that the reader can understand it, but does have an alien touch that makes their mindset inhuman.The plot flows along smoothly, despite neccessary shifts of location, and the plot and subplots reveal themselves nicely.I am looking forward to further volumes of the series.

Action with something real to think about--very superior

For decades, humanity has been at war with the Zor. Despite losing every major campaign, the Zor violate every truce, attacking and attempting to eliminate the entire human race. In desperation, the Emperor calls on a retired Admiral, Marais, to take command of the human forces. Marais, having studied the Zor, believes that the only solution is to take the path of the destroyer from Zor mythology--the Dark Wing--and to eliminate the Zor forever. When he embarks on his counter-attack, his subordinate commanders, and humanity back on Earth, must face the ultimate decisions. Although Marais seems completely in charge, someone, or something, is pursuing a different agenda. The mysterious Agency back on Earth has its fingers in many pots. Worse, the Zor believe that another enemy, another race, threatens both human and Zor. Combining the philosophical questions of Xenocide and solid space action, THE DARK WING can be seen as a sort of combination of ENDER'S GAME and HONOR HARRINGTON. Author Walter H. Hunt has written a novel that is both exciting and thought provoking. Marais is an interesting character confronted with the moral decisions of whether to commit Xenocide and how to protect his soldiers from the reaction back on Earth. Hunt skillfully uses secondary acters as point-of-view characters to maintain a high level of suspense. Although the Zor problem is dealt with, humanity's place in the universe is not assured. I hope to see a sequel to this fine novel to see what happens next. Note: ignore the truly awful cover. This 1950's retro artwork is not representative of the well thought-out story.

I want more!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is well written, with well-developed characters. The plot woven with so many threads of personal and political agendas, I couldn't put it down. The Zor are painted as such a unique and completely different race, I am very fascinated by them, and want to know more. After reading this book I find myself thinking about the characters (especially Stone) and wondering when the next book will be forthcoming. Walter H. Hunt needs to look no further for a day job. This -- his first book -- shows he is an excellent author and storyteller, and should continue to write. I will definitely be watching for the release of the next, in what I hope will be many volumes. Long live the Solar Empire!

Intelligent space opera just in time for Christmas

This is a real treat for hard SF fans: an excellent, well imagined space opera that isn't afraid to tackle big issues like total war, how far to push self-defense before it turns into a massacre, whether genocide can ever be justified, and necessity for knowing one's enemy. It's also refreshing to read military SF that doesn't spend page after page after page explaining the hardware/political system at the expense of the characters and the story.A very, very good beginning, with plenty of hints about sequels. If the rest are even half this good, we're looking at the start of a major career.