V: To Conquer the Throne by Tim Sullivan

SPOILER LEVEL: Medium

Watching the new V made me want to see a story from the classic V. I never got past the first chapter of this book when it first came out, so I figured I'd read it now.

I rather enjoyed it this time. Tim Sullivan's writing style isn't great, but it's very British in this book, which fit it rather well. I found if I took the attitude that I was reading a Target Books novilisation of a 1980's BBC production of V, I liked it even better. Ah, if only it had used single quotes for dialogue and British spellings!

The lead woman is an American living in England, which doesn't work at all. She's as American as Perpigillium Brown. In fact, I started picturing Nicola Bryant playing her after a while. But the book does get into how the Visitors were trying to win over the people of England, and what a difficult challenge that is when faced with fierce British patriotism. It also uses it as an opportunity to talk about the IRA, and the friction between them and the English Resistance despite the common threat of the Visitors.

Even though it was set during V: The Series, the book still plays itself as if it's taking place during the original mini-series, and I feel that made for a better book. All in all this was a worthwhile read and just what I was in the mood for.