Does Anyone Remember Ths Sci-Fi Book?

[Zambini57]

About 25 years ago I read a science fiction novel that I thought was pretty good and I would like to find it and read it again.

Of course, I can’t recall the title.

The plot went like this:

Astronomers discover a huge space fleet heading towards earth. They determine that it will be about a year before it arrives. Meanwhile, advance scout ships from the fleet are overflying earth. They are not acting hostile but they do defend themselves when attacked by carrier aircraft. During that dogfight, one of the alien craft performs an act of self-sacrifice to allow the others to escape.

This causes the main character to ponder who the aliens are and whether they are that different from us. In his musings about the leader of the alien fleet, he refers to him as “Balder”, after the Norse god.

There is a lot of debate about what to do.

However, the decision is made to just shoot first and ask questions later. The Cold War is suspended. The US joins together with Soviet scientists to build a huge, one-shot particle beam weapon to destroy the oncoming fleet.

Other characters include a beautiful Russian ambassador, and a Soviet cosmonaut given the “humorous” name “Piotr Jakov.”

Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

[PerditaX]

Could it be Harry Turtledove’s “Worldwar” series?

[Baldwin]

Probably no help, but it sounds like maybe Ben Bova.

[AncientHumanoid]

It wasn’t by any well known author, iirc. It was the novel equivalent to a B-movie. I read the same exact book, the ending was a bit of a downer, since the new world order was going to be needed to fight a future war which was sure to come.

I want to say it was called “INVASION!” but searches tend to fixate on the recent TV series by that name, making it hard to be sure.

[AncientHumanoid]

One particularly cool bit was when a couple of the scout ships pretended to be Soviet suborbital nukes to test NORAD. Even tho the overall feel of the book was B-movie-ish, it had some surprisingly good bits.

[Zambini57]

Thanks for your replies.

The book was nor part of a series. Of that I am sure.

I thought it might have been written by Ben Bova, and I Googled around but came up empty.

NoClueBoy, this book had a different ending.
Spoiler…

They ended up firing the weapon, the radiation killed all the inhabitants of the fleet, and it drifted on harmlessly past earth.
However, you may be right. The destruction of the fleet could have left earth in fear of a future retaliatory war. I just don’t remember that part.

[CalMeacham]

It’s certainly not Turtledove’s “Worldwar” series – that was set in WWII, not the Cold War, and the description doesn’t match. That said, I apparently haven’t read this book. It rings no memory bells.

[Loach]

@CalMeacham

It’s certainly not Turtledove’s “Worldwar” series – that was set in WWII, not the Cold War, and the description doesn’t match. That said, I apparently haven’t read this book. It rings no memory bells.

In Worldwar the first indications of the aliens arriving is when they start blowing shit up. Definately not the Worldwar series.

I do highly recommend it to anyone. Great books.

[BMalion]

Sounds like Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s Footfall.

That’s where you’re remembering the name of the Russian cosmonaut from anyway.

Damned good book, not part of a series.

[silenus]

It’s definitely not Footfall. Totally different plot.

[BMalion]

Ok, um… let’s see:

@Zambini57

…
The plot went like this:

Astronomers discover a huge space fleet heading towards earth. They determine that it will be about a year before it arrives. …

Footfall

…
Meanwhile, advance scout ships from the fleet are overflying earth. They are not acting hostile but they do defend themselves when attacked by carrier aircraft. During that dogfight, one of the alien craft performs an act of self-sacrifice to allow the others to escape…

Not Footfall

This causes the main character to ponder who the aliens are and whether they are that different from us. In his musings about the leader of the alien fleet, he refers to him as “Balder”, after the Norse god.

Not Footfall either, damn, I’m 2 for 1.

There is a lot of debate about what to do.

However, the decision is made to just shoot first and ask questions later. The Cold War is suspended. The US joins together with Soviet scientists to build a huge, one-shot particle beam weapon to destroy the oncoming fleet…

Sort of like Footfall in that the Russians use a particle-beam weapon to damage the alien Mothership. This is not helping my score!!!

Other characters include a beautiful Russian ambassador, and a Soviet cosmonaut given the “humorous” name “Piotr Jakov.”

I just remembered, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer, is where the Russian cosmonaut with the funny name comes from.

I suck.

[Frylock]

@Zambini57

About 25 years ago I read a science fiction novel that I thought was pretty good and I would like to find it and read it again.

Of course, I can’t recall the title.

The plot went like this:

Astronomers discover a huge space fleet heading towards earth. They determine that it will be about a year before it arrives. Meanwhile, advance scout ships from the fleet are overflying earth. They are not acting hostile but they do defend themselves when attacked by carrier aircraft. During that dogfight, one of the alien craft performs an act of self-sacrifice to allow the others to escape.

This causes the main character to ponder who the aliens are and whether they are that different from us. In his musings about the leader of the alien fleet, he refers to him as “Balder”, after the Norse god.

There is a lot of debate about what to do.

However, the decision is made to just shoot first and ask questions later. The Cold War is suspended. The US joins together with Soviet scientists to build a huge, one-shot particle beam weapon to destroy the oncoming fleet.

Other characters include a beautiful Russian ambassador, and a Soviet cosmonaut given the “humorous” name “Piotr Jakov.”

Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

Well…?

What happens?!

-FrL-

[silenus]

We all die. I thought you knew.

[AncientHumanoid]

As for the very very end of the book …
SPOILER!

The weapon is fired at the fleet while the fleet is farther out than at first intended, because the fleet disperesed into a wider formation as they came around the sun. So, when the particle beam weapon was fired, the result was an instant silence, followed by radio chatter, which trailed off as the fleet never retro fired for Earth orbit, and they sailed on past us.

The world was elated because the aliens had obviously been killed, and now, with all the nations of Earth at peace, the world could tackle all the mjor problems of mankind. However …

Since the aliens were not killed right away, the main scientist/political/hero guy told the assembled delegates at the victory celebration that they had likely informed the mother planet what had happened, so Earth had about 30 to 50 yrs to prepare for another battle to come. So, the world’s resources would have to be used to prepare for that. A detailed plan was in the works which included building multiple versions of the weapon (if we could remember the name of the weapon, a search might yield more info) and placing them thru out the solar system in Pluto orbit, Mars orbit, Lagrange points, etc … The last words were of the order of (not exact): “As [other scientist/military guy] was outlining the plan, he noticed that all in attendance were staring at him in horror. No one spoke a word. All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock…”

Trust me,Zamb, it’s the same book. When the weapon was fired on Earth, the line of sight was near the horizon, the bottom part of the enclosure had to removed for a clear shot, the president’s friend was in a light plane, about to kamakazi the weapon, and he was its first victim. Trust me. I remeber the book well. Just not the name or the name of the weapon. one of the characters was a Japanes astronomer who cursed in Japanese when shown the fleet decelerating towards the Solar system, one of the British delegates was named Barnstable, they destroyed the last scout while it was fishing for food, an Eskimo guide and his dog found remains of one of the alien’s flesh from the attempted suborbital nukes ruse that was shot down, the Rand Corp was featured several times in the story, etc …

[AncientHumanoid]

It’s a stand alone book. NOT part of a series. And I really seem to recall that it was not a major, well known author.

[Zambini57]

@NoClueBoy

As for the very very end of the book …
SPOILER!

The weapon is fired at the fleet while the fleet is farther out than at first intended, because the fleet disperesed into a wider formation as they came around the sun. So, when the particle beam weapon was fired, the result was an instant silence, followed by radio chatter, which trailed off as the fleet never retro fired for Earth orbit, and they sailed on past us.

The world was elated because the aliens had obviously been killed, and now, with all the nations of Earth at peace, the world could tackle all the mjor problems of mankind. However …

Since the aliens were not killed right away, the main scientist/political/hero guy told the assembled delegates at the victory celebration that they had likely informed the mother planet what had happened, so Earth had about 30 to 50 yrs to prepare for another battle to come. So, the world’s resources would have to be used to prepare for that. A detailed plan was in the works which included building multiple versions of the weapon (if we could remember the name of the weapon, a search might yield more info) and placing them thru out the solar system in Pluto orbit, Mars orbit, Lagrange points, etc … The last words were of the order of (not exact): “As [other scientist/military guy] was outlining the plan, he noticed that all in attendance were staring at him in horror. No one spoke a word. All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock…”

Trust me,Zamb, it’s the same book. When the weapon was fired on Earth, the line of sight was near the horizon, the bottom part of the enclosure had to removed for a clear shot, the president’s friend was in a light plane, about to kamakazi the weapon, and he was its first victim. Trust me. I remeber the book well. Just not the name or the name of the weapon. one of the characters was a Japanes astronomer who cursed in Japanese when shown the fleet decelerating towards the Solar system, one of the British delegates was named Barnstable, they destroyed the last scout while it was fishing for food, an Eskimo guide and his dog found remains of one of the alien’s flesh from the attempted suborbital nukes ruse that was shot down, the Rand Corp was featured several times in the story, etc …

THAT’S IT !!!

You got it.

'Invasion" you say?

The search begins for a copy of the book.
Thanks, VERY much!

[AncientHumanoid]

It MIGHT be Invasion. I haven’t found it yet. It may just have invasion as part of the title.

I’m hoping we can figure it out, because I would like to read it again, too. Though B-movie-ish in plot and characters, it was a fun read.

[AncientHumanoid]

Another one to rule out: It is NOT Invasion: Earth by Harry Harrison.

At least, not according to the online reviews I found. If anyone has that book and can confirm that it isn’t the right one, that would be nice.

Maybe Invade … Invaders …
Of course, I just might be leading our search of course if INVA* isn’t in the title somewhere.

[AncientHumanoid]

INVADER by Albert F Hill
“GRASER” is the name of the super weapon

[scotandrsn]

It couldn’t be Harry Harrison’s Invasion: Earth, could it?

ETA: Damn, missed it on preview