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Heritage Trilogy #3
Europa Strike
2040: Ruins of ancient civilization uncovered on Mars reveal startling truths about the creation of humankind.
2042: In the gray dust of the Earth's Moon, an extinct enslaving race left behind more answers, more questions...and a grim warning.
2067: As Earth's warring factions clash in space for scraps of alien technology, a strange artifact lies trapped beneath the ice-locked oceans of Europa: a machine that holds the key to the final human destiny.
It is called "The Singer" for the eerie tone it emits.An artificial intelligence built eons ago, it may ultimately solve the mystery of the vanished alien races responsible for the birth and development of humanity. But after decades of war, the hostile nations of Earth care more for power than for knowledge. And now all that stands between the coveted Al and an all-out Chinese assault is a vastly outnumbered contingent of U.S. marines, dug in beneath the baleful red eye of Jupiter. As terrifying events light years distant begin to converge---with confrontation imminent and annihilation inevitable---a secret history of creation and doom must at long last be contended with...if humankind is to finally claim its glorious heritage among the stars.2040: Ruins of ancient civilization uncovered on Mars reveal startling truths about the creation of humankind.
2042: In the gray dust of the Earth's Moon, an extinct enslaving race left behind more answers, more questions...and a grim warning.
2067: As Earth's warring factions clash in space for scraps of alien technology, a strange artifact lies trapped beneath the ice-locked oceans of Europa: a machine that holds the key to the final human destiny.
It is called "The Singer" for the eerie tone it emits. An artificial intelligence built eons ago, it may ultimately solve the mystery of the vanished alien races responsible for the birth and development of humanity. But after decades of war, the hostile nations of Earth care more for power than for knowledge. And now all that stands between the coveted Al and an all-out Chinese assault is a vastly outnumbered contingent of U.S. marines, dug in beneath the baleful red eye of Jupiter. As terrifying events light years distant begin to converge---with confrontation imminent and annihilation inevitable---a secret history of creation and doom must at long last be contended with...if humankind is to finally claim its glorious heritage among the stars.2040: Ruins of ancient civilization uncovered on Mars reveal startling truths about the creation of humankind.
2042: In the gray dust of the Earth's Moon, an extinct enslaving race left behind more answers, more questions...and a grim warning.
2067: As Earth's warring factions clash in space for scraps of alien technology, a strange artifact lies trapped beneath the ice-locked oceans of Europa: a machine that holds the key to the final human destiny.
It is called "The Singer" for the eerie tone it emits. An artificial intelligence built eons ago, it may ultimately solve the mystery of the vanished alien races responsible for the birth and development of humanity. But after decades of war, the hostile nations of Earth care more for power than for knowledge. And now all that stands between the coveted Al and an all-out Chinese assault is a vastly outnumbered contingent of U.S. marines, dug in beneath the baleful red eye of Jupiter. As terrifying events light years distant begin to converge---with confrontation imminent and annihilation inevitable---a secret history of creation and doom must at long last be contended with...if humankind is to finally claim its glorious heritage among the stars.
2042: In the gray dust of the Earth's Moon, an extinct enslaving race left behind more answers, more questions...and a grim warning.
2067: As Earth's warring factions clash in space for scraps of alien technology, a strange artifact lies trapped beneath the ice-locked oceans of Europa: a machine that holds the key to the final human destiny.
It is called "The Singer" for the eerie tone it emits.An artificial intelligence built eons ago, it may ultimately solve the mystery of the vanished alien races responsible for the birth and development of humanity. But after decades of war, the hostile nations of Earth care more for power than for knowledge. And now all that stands between the coveted Al and an all-out Chinese assault is a vastly outnumbered contingent of U.S. marines, dug in beneath the baleful red eye of Jupiter. As terrifying events light years distant begin to converge---with confrontation imminent and annihilation inevitable---a secret history of creation and doom must at long last be contended with...if humankind is to finally claim its glorious heritage among the stars.2040: Ruins of ancient civilization uncovered on Mars reveal startling truths about the creation of humankind.
2042: In the gray dust of the Earth's Moon, an extinct enslaving race left behind more answers, more questions...and a grim warning.
2067: As Earth's warring factions clash in space for scraps of alien technology, a strange artifact lies trapped beneath the ice-locked oceans of Europa: a machine that holds the key to the final human destiny.
It is called "The Singer" for the eerie tone it emits. An artificial intelligence built eons ago, it may ultimately solve the mystery of the vanished alien races responsible for the birth and development of humanity. But after decades of war, the hostile nations of Earth care more for power than for knowledge. And now all that stands between the coveted Al and an all-out Chinese assault is a vastly outnumbered contingent of U.S. marines, dug in beneath the baleful red eye of Jupiter. As terrifying events light years distant begin to converge---with confrontation imminent and annihilation inevitable---a secret history of creation and doom must at long last be contended with...if humankind is to finally claim its glorious heritage among the stars.2040: Ruins of ancient civilization uncovered on Mars reveal startling truths about the creation of humankind.
2042: In the gray dust of the Earth's Moon, an extinct enslaving race left behind more answers, more questions...and a grim warning.
2067: As Earth's warring factions clash in space for scraps of alien technology, a strange artifact lies trapped beneath the ice-locked oceans of Europa: a machine that holds the key to the final human destiny.
It is called "The Singer" for the eerie tone it emits. An artificial intelligence built eons ago, it may ultimately solve the mystery of the vanished alien races responsible for the birth and development of humanity. But after decades of war, the hostile nations of Earth care more for power than for knowledge. And now all that stands between the coveted Al and an all-out Chinese assault is a vastly outnumbered contingent of U.S. marines, dug in beneath the baleful red eye of Jupiter. As terrifying events light years distant begin to converge---with confrontation imminent and annihilation inevitable---a secret history of creation and doom must at long last be contended with...if humankind is to finally claim its glorious heritage among the stars.
403 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2000
About the author
Ian Douglas
89 books554 followersIan Douglas is a pseudonym used by William H. Keith Jr..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 12, 2018
Nice end to the 1st trilogy in this series. Very nice military SiFi. Good detail and story. Recommended
August 21, 2015
Okay...now we've done it. We woke something up.
Humans are still searching for evidence of "pre-human" civilizations and "aliens" who have been here or who were here before. They seem to have found something...maybe a ship. It's under the water on Europa...and it's a size to make NY City look like Mayberry.
Oh yeah and it's talking or maybe...singing.
And the race is on...and the "government" is ready to write off American service people as expendable, again. That would be an extremely sad part of this story anyway. It's even sadder because it's far from uncommon. Politicians always seem more than willing to write off American lives for political expediency.
Benghazi
Anyway the action's here, the story's here and it is still admittedly largely brain candy.
Still the word's gone out now, there's life here in this star system who are moving off their planet.
Things ain't never goin' to be the same.
Humans are still searching for evidence of "pre-human" civilizations and "aliens" who have been here or who were here before. They seem to have found something...maybe a ship. It's under the water on Europa...and it's a size to make NY City look like Mayberry.
Oh yeah and it's talking or maybe...singing.
And the race is on...and the "government" is ready to write off American service people as expendable, again. That would be an extremely sad part of this story anyway. It's even sadder because it's far from uncommon. Politicians always seem more than willing to write off American lives for political expediency.
Benghazi
Anyway the action's here, the story's here and it is still admittedly largely brain candy.
Still the word's gone out now, there's life here in this star system who are moving off their planet.
Things ain't never goin' to be the same.
October 30, 2012
A great trilogy with plenty of action.
February 29, 2020
Europa strike, le dernier livre de la série "The Heritage trilogy", une série de science-fiction militaire, par le talentueux Ian Douglas, pseudonyme de William H. Keith.
La série se passe dans un futur assez proche, 25 ans après le livre précédent.
Le monde vit une espèce de guerre froide, quand la découverte d'un extraterrestre, au fond de l'océan d'Europa, la lune de Jupiter, met le feu aux poudres. De peur que cet extraterrestre, vieux de 500,000 ans, ne donne un avantage insurmontable à ceux qui vont pouvoir communiquer avec lui en premier, une nation déclenche la guerre et envoie des troupes pour sécuriser le site. Face à eux, une petite troupe de marines surclassée en nombre et en équipements. va défendre le site et devra faire preuve de tactiques innovatrices, dont une utilisation originale de la force d'inertie. Et on trouve aussi une réponse au paradoxe de Fermi, :« S'il y avait des civilisations extraterrestres, leurs représentants devraient être déjà chez nous. Où sont-ils donc ? »
Un roman militaire, plein d'originalité et d'actions de commando.
J'ai beaucoup aimé.
La série se passe dans un futur assez proche, 25 ans après le livre précédent.
Le monde vit une espèce de guerre froide, quand la découverte d'un extraterrestre, au fond de l'océan d'Europa, la lune de Jupiter, met le feu aux poudres. De peur que cet extraterrestre, vieux de 500,000 ans, ne donne un avantage insurmontable à ceux qui vont pouvoir communiquer avec lui en premier, une nation déclenche la guerre et envoie des troupes pour sécuriser le site. Face à eux, une petite troupe de marines surclassée en nombre et en équipements. va défendre le site et devra faire preuve de tactiques innovatrices, dont une utilisation originale de la force d'inertie. Et on trouve aussi une réponse au paradoxe de Fermi, :« S'il y avait des civilisations extraterrestres, leurs représentants devraient être déjà chez nous. Où sont-ils donc ? »
Un roman militaire, plein d'originalité et d'actions de commando.
J'ai beaucoup aimé.
August 26, 2017
As military science fiction goes, the Heritage Trilogy by Ian Douglas is an enjoyable read. I just finished the final book of the trilogy, "Europa Strike," and I felt it did a good job of wrapping up the trilogy. Once again, U.S. Marines are called into action, this time on Jupiter's moon Europa. An alien artifact referred to as The Singer is an object of interest to both the U.S.-led Confederation of World States and the People's Republic of China. Both sides want to investigate it. Both sides take off for the Jovian moon. And then things get really interesting... If you enjoy science fiction with a military setting, check out the Heritage Trilogy.
April 27, 2021
Douglas, Ian. Europa Strike. Heritage Trilogy No. 3. Harper Voyager, 2000.
In the earlier novels in the Heritage Trilogy, we found evidence of alien life that was destroyed by other aliens on the Moon and Mars. Now we have sent a probe to Arcturus and are listening for aliens on Europa. But China wants the franchise on alien tech, so trouble is brewing between the U.S. Marines and the Chinese army all over the solar system. The story has a nice twist on Fermi’s paradox and some neat near-future space war tech, but it’s a war story we have seen many times in the movies World War II. 3 stars.
In the earlier novels in the Heritage Trilogy, we found evidence of alien life that was destroyed by other aliens on the Moon and Mars. Now we have sent a probe to Arcturus and are listening for aliens on Europa. But China wants the franchise on alien tech, so trouble is brewing between the U.S. Marines and the Chinese army all over the solar system. The story has a nice twist on Fermi’s paradox and some neat near-future space war tech, but it’s a war story we have seen many times in the movies World War II. 3 stars.
December 26, 2017
Good series!
- Reasonable technology with no fantasy short cuts
- Author knows his stuff: military characters, jargon, and structure gives verisimilitude
- Good plotting and story
- Recommended to fans of realistic military sci-fi
- Reasonable technology with no fantasy short cuts
- Author knows his stuff: military characters, jargon, and structure gives verisimilitude
- Good plotting and story
- Recommended to fans of realistic military sci-fi
January 31, 2022
A great ending to the series. The book definitely stands on it's own but ties nicely into the overarching story begun in the first book. The military components are pretty spot on and the author must be a Marine. Civilians are just not going to get that level of accuracy.
July 20, 2018
Great read
Really enjoyed the resetting of marine battles of old into the future ...nice plot maker. Five more words are required
Really enjoyed the resetting of marine battles of old into the future ...nice plot maker. Five more words are required
September 8, 2020
Not as good as the previous two in series due largely due to excess crud/filler about USA marines history (not SF).
March 23, 2017
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14458779
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14458779
January 3, 2023
The one thing to be grateful of in this novel is that the author has mostly stopped painting anyone wanting co-operation between nations as the worst evil since evil sliced bread. Finally the series moves beyond chest-beating 'how dare anyone tell America what to do' nonsense.
That said, the way it does this is via a little slice of climate change denial so. Swings and roundabouts. Swings and misses.
That said, the way it does this is via a little slice of climate change denial so. Swings and roundabouts. Swings and misses.
January 24, 2014
Not a bad way to end this first trilogy I suppose, although it definitely skews to the more broad spectrum of storytelling. We get a slightly large jump in time from the ending of book two, a larger cast of POV characters, and a much higher body count.
Ultimately, this series has given me just what I wanted, which was (intoned in a loud, authoritative voice) MARINES IN SPAAAAAAACE! While the characterizations aren't as deep as with other authors who keep large stables of POV characters (Martin, Clancy on occasion, Jordan, etc), the action always moves at a steady clip. In fact, the action scenes are quite usually well written and brutal, and there are plenty to be had here. Aside from the testosterone infused exchanging of small arms fire, not only do we get a bit of a smarter look into the ways that the existence of aliens would affect us as a species, but also how we affect those other non-Earth worlds that our protagonists visit. We also get insights into the mindsets of various antagonists, a few political and religious examinations, and just enough parallels to real life mysteries here on Earth to keep it interesting. I have to admit that I do like how Mr. Douglas interweaves his alien mythos with some of the unexplainable oddities that we actually have in our own back yard. Adds a bit more of a "hmmmmmmm" factor to the tale. Is it jingoistic and unapologetically Marine friendly? Well yeah, but with titles like "Semper Mars" and "Luna Marine", you really can't expect anything else.
The only real complaints I have would be in how quickly "Europa Strike" ends, and in the way that some of the narrative made me feel a little disconnected from the characters. I don't remember getting that feeling from the first two books in this series.
While I will be taking a bit of a hiatus from the space opera/action books for a while, I can definitely say that I will return to this ongoing series again sometime, to see what befalls our species. It was an enjoyable read for sure.
Ultimately, this series has given me just what I wanted, which was (intoned in a loud, authoritative voice) MARINES IN SPAAAAAAACE! While the characterizations aren't as deep as with other authors who keep large stables of POV characters (Martin, Clancy on occasion, Jordan, etc), the action always moves at a steady clip. In fact, the action scenes are quite usually well written and brutal, and there are plenty to be had here. Aside from the testosterone infused exchanging of small arms fire, not only do we get a bit of a smarter look into the ways that the existence of aliens would affect us as a species, but also how we affect those other non-Earth worlds that our protagonists visit. We also get insights into the mindsets of various antagonists, a few political and religious examinations, and just enough parallels to real life mysteries here on Earth to keep it interesting. I have to admit that I do like how Mr. Douglas interweaves his alien mythos with some of the unexplainable oddities that we actually have in our own back yard. Adds a bit more of a "hmmmmmmm" factor to the tale. Is it jingoistic and unapologetically Marine friendly? Well yeah, but with titles like "Semper Mars" and "Luna Marine", you really can't expect anything else.
The only real complaints I have would be in how quickly "Europa Strike" ends, and in the way that some of the narrative made me feel a little disconnected from the characters. I don't remember getting that feeling from the first two books in this series.
While I will be taking a bit of a hiatus from the space opera/action books for a while, I can definitely say that I will return to this ongoing series again sometime, to see what befalls our species. It was an enjoyable read for sure.
February 22, 2020
Of the three books in the Heritage Trilogy, Europa Strike was my favorite. The action in particular was well written and more exciting than any found in the previous two books. The combat was well written and conveyed the chaos one would expect from warfare. One of my favorite scenes was when the characters of George Leckie and Lissa Cartwright were hunting enemy combatants in an icy labyrinth filled with deadly booby traps. The tension of this cat-and-mouse scene was near perfect.
This book also continued to give us clues to humanities alien involved past developed in the previous two books. It was great getting to learn just a little bit more about the Builders, An, and the Hunters of the Dawn. These sections of the book were well weaved with the sections filled with action, greatly balancing the narrative.
I assume anyone interested in reading Europa Strike has read the previous books in the Heritage Trilogy. If not, they should read those first. Then come back and read this excellent book.
This book also continued to give us clues to humanities alien involved past developed in the previous two books. It was great getting to learn just a little bit more about the Builders, An, and the Hunters of the Dawn. These sections of the book were well weaved with the sections filled with action, greatly balancing the narrative.
I assume anyone interested in reading Europa Strike has read the previous books in the Heritage Trilogy. If not, they should read those first. Then come back and read this excellent book.
November 4, 2013
An excellent conclusion to this series takes us to Jupiter's moon Europa. It is about 20 years after the last book and the Moon offensive which resulted in the end of the UN wars and it's China's turn to be the bad guy. The Consolidated World States has found an intelligence deep beneath seas of Europa and the Chinese are convinced it holds the secret to their domination of the world and other enlightenment. So they go all stealth and try to take over the CWS base on Europa but the Marines have other ideas.
This book is more battle action, a little less science and a lot less political intrigue. The battle scenes are well written as in all the books and the science is interesting and while speculative is based on accepted principles. The ending was a little hokey but still satisfying and I will be curious to see if anything of this world is in futures series by Douglas,
Overall it was a fun trilogy and better than expected. I urge you to partake.
This book is more battle action, a little less science and a lot less political intrigue. The battle scenes are well written as in all the books and the science is interesting and while speculative is based on accepted principles. The ending was a little hokey but still satisfying and I will be curious to see if anything of this world is in futures series by Douglas,
Overall it was a fun trilogy and better than expected. I urge you to partake.
December 18, 2016
This is the 3rd book in the Heritage Trilogy by Ian Douglas. This one takes place 25 years after events in the first two books but many of the same characters are in this book , just older and hopefully wiser. The U.S. and it's allies have ended their war with the UN which has since disappeared as a major power in the world. Now it is China who is the U.S. and it's allies main competitor for control of the Earth and the Solar System. An alien intelligence is discovered beneath the ice locked oceans of Europa. The U.S. sends a group of scientists to investigate and they also send a small detachment of U.S. Marines to safeguard them. China decides it is worth starting a war to stop the U.S. from getting advanced technology from the alien so they attack and destroy two of the U.S.'s spaceships and then try to take over the base on Europa but they didn't count on the tenacity of the U.S. Marines. This is a great example of Military Science Fiction and I recommend it highly.
November 17, 2011
I'm going to review the Heritage Trilogy as one whole as I read the three earlier this year in quick succession and really have the same opinions on all three books.
This trilogy spins a very cohesive story and really should be read straight through. It is an exceptional piece of sci-fi with fleshed out characters and a compelling story. The technology is well described and it is believable that the events in this trilogy could happen within the next 10-20 years. There is also political intrigue and just enough action to keep the pace going and satiate any rabid militaria junkie. All this set against the backdrop of discovering progressively growing evidence proving ancient astronaut theories, and you have a story that makes you really wonder about the possibilities surrounding the origins and development of our species. Along the way, you are bound to at least have a good time!
This trilogy spins a very cohesive story and really should be read straight through. It is an exceptional piece of sci-fi with fleshed out characters and a compelling story. The technology is well described and it is believable that the events in this trilogy could happen within the next 10-20 years. There is also political intrigue and just enough action to keep the pace going and satiate any rabid militaria junkie. All this set against the backdrop of discovering progressively growing evidence proving ancient astronaut theories, and you have a story that makes you really wonder about the possibilities surrounding the origins and development of our species. Along the way, you are bound to at least have a good time!
April 22, 2010
Well, it wasn't as good as the first two in the series. I liked it but the advent of the aliens (or alien intelligences) just didn't do it for me.
I like that the battles aren't predictable. The plans never go right in their entirety for the good guys or the bad guys. Makes it very realistic to me and fun to read about the battlefield improvisation and adaptation that Marines are known for.
As the ending to a trilogy it was very unsatisfying as well. Felt more like the prequel to the next series. I will try the first book of the next series but I fear I may be done with this setting if not with this author.
I like that the battles aren't predictable. The plans never go right in their entirety for the good guys or the bad guys. Makes it very realistic to me and fun to read about the battlefield improvisation and adaptation that Marines are known for.
As the ending to a trilogy it was very unsatisfying as well. Felt more like the prequel to the next series. I will try the first book of the next series but I fear I may be done with this setting if not with this author.
March 30, 2008
The first trilogy is compelling...lots of action and interesting speculation on how technology will affect human society.
Moving ahead 20 years, we find our Marines fighting a new set of earth-based enemies and getting a glimpse of some extra-terrestrial ones...
Of the first three books, I found this to be the the least compelling, but most important since it introduces us to an external threat: the so-called "Hunters of the Dawn" and sets the stage for the next trilogy where our Marines find themselves confronting alien threats among the stars.
Moving ahead 20 years, we find our Marines fighting a new set of earth-based enemies and getting a glimpse of some extra-terrestrial ones...
Of the first three books, I found this to be the the least compelling, but most important since it introduces us to an external threat: the so-called "Hunters of the Dawn" and sets the stage for the next trilogy where our Marines find themselves confronting alien threats among the stars.
March 14, 2010
When compared to the first 2 books in the trilogy, this book is a MAJOR letdown. In the first 2 books, there is basically just 2 sides to the story, and both get told. In this book, there are 3 sides to the story, and a side story. The side story starts early in the book, is forgotten, then mentioned as a passing idea at the end, so as to justify the third side in the main story. But the third side in the story barely gets mentioned. Just that factor alone leaves the whole story feeling rather empty.
April 30, 2011
The Heritage Trilogy is the first of three connected trilogies about Marines in space, and consists of:
Semper Mars
Luna Marine
Europa Strike
Three very good near future military SciFi stories, loosely connected at the micro level, with a deeper common background. My only small gripe is that Douglas does not concentrate more on the backstory of alien visitors in ancient times. Still and all, a very good read.
Note: Ian Douglas is a pen name for William H. Keith.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=646
Semper Mars
Luna Marine
Europa Strike
Three very good near future military SciFi stories, loosely connected at the micro level, with a deeper common background. My only small gripe is that Douglas does not concentrate more on the backstory of alien visitors in ancient times. Still and all, a very good read.
Note: Ian Douglas is a pen name for William H. Keith.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=646
May 24, 2013
Great military sci-fi; the best of the trilogy. US marines find themselves stranded on Europa, Jupiter's icy moon, while hostile Chinese troops try and take over their base. The prize? First contact with the enigmatic Singer, a vast alien intelligence that lays keening below Europa's frozen surface. This book, as with the other books in this series, was a lot of fun. I enjoy not-too-distant sci-fi, and this one lands squarely in that wheel house. Good times.
September 30, 2014
It's an ok conclusion to this trilogy, but once again the battle result never seemed in doubt!
Non Americans will cringe when even the enemy has to ask for help from the "mighty us marines"
That said it's an enjoyable, easy read that successfully extends the plot enough for me to look forward to the next set of books.
Non Americans will cringe when even the enemy has to ask for help from the "mighty us marines"
That said it's an enjoyable, easy read that successfully extends the plot enough for me to look forward to the next set of books.
September 22, 2016
J'ai lu les 3 volumes de la trilogie d'une traite. Les conflits entre les nations sur la terre font désespérer de l'humanité (et de sa survie) mais les Marines sont à la hauteur. Des anciens mystères sont en voie de résolution, et .... une menace extra terrestre encore lointaine termine la trilogie et donne envie de lire une suite.
December 13, 2023
I really like the idea of aliens hiding out in Europa’s oceans, but if I have to read one more paragraph about how Marines don’t leave men behind, I’m gonna lose my mind. Aside from the endless paragraphs of Marine Corps worship though, Douglas does paint a pretty interesting future where polygamy is the norm and people can just walk around naked.
December 4, 2013
Great and enjoyable trilogy. Secrets of the ancient aliens revealed as it progresses, in a credible and suspense filled manner. Technology is more advanced but believable progression from current day. Character development reasonable, though secondary to main plot.
April 22, 2017
Third book in the first series...just keeps getting better and better. Finishing this first trilogy makes me what to go on to the next group of three novels in the "mega series" of 9 books involving the "Hunters of the Dawn".
February 5, 2017
Darn good book!
May 23, 2008
A thrilling end to the trilogy. And he did leave it wide open for expansion, so I can't wait for the next book :)
August 11, 2008
OKay .. but obvious bridging book to the next series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews