So I finally finished the Inheritance Trilogy – the 3rd trilogy in a series – the first is the Heritage Trilogy and the second is the Legacy Trilogy. Ultimately, this is a nine novel series about the ‘US Marines in space’ – and how they end up battling a mysterious and powerful alien menace (the Xul) several times while morphing into an interstellar fighting force that support’s mankind’s galactic expansion.

As with other military sci-fi I’ve read recently – there are positives and negatives with this type of space opera. On the one hand, I don’t really expect philosophy or complex characterizations (say, compared to Childhood’s End, Stranger in a Strange Land, or even the Hyperion series) but on the other hand, I *do* expect to be entertained, I do expect there to be a purpose (bad, good or indifferent) behind what the main characters are doing, and I do expect some historical setup/context to be provided.

I think on most counts this series succeeds. While I don’t think it’s quite as good with the ‘interpersonal politics’ as the Clone Republic series – it has many similiar themes (central characters are mostly ‘fish out of water’ as regards society; most love battle and seek it out in most situations; most soldiers are played pretty sympatheticallly to the reader – which might not necessarily be the case in reality, etc.). The back-story and history set up here is more diverse (and potentially interesting) than many, even if fairly focused on the Marines above all other story elements. Mr. Douglas – if you put out any other books using this universe/these characters, there are a LOT of great potential alien cultures and potential side-stories here to be explored – just a thought. 🙂

Besides the human themes noted above, there are plenty of other tidbits to interest the reader. Douglas does a good job of setting up, describing and carrying the reader through the various battles with a sufficient level of detail. You get a decent sense of ‘you are there’ despite the novels being set in the far future with far more advanced technology, weapons, etc. Ever since reading several Tom Clancy novels a few years ago, it’s always clear who can adequately describe combat, technical details and the human element all at the same time, successfully. Clancy certainly does (although not science fiction) – and I’ve tended to measure novels with a strong dose of military action in them by that yardstick since. Douglas does not disappoint.

I’d rather not spoil anything – but I would also recommend starting with the 1st trilogy (Heritage) if you think you might want to read them all – because if you mistakenly start with one of the last books, it will spoil much of the earlier books due to quick summarizations of earlier events from the previous trilogies. In my case, I missed out on the middle trilogy largely for that reason. But if you like the early stories, you will most likely enjoy the rest of the series.

candybowl