Retribution

Sudipto Majumdar
Shaitan Wars 3
2014 a.
498 lk.

The triumphant victory of humanity, turned into its biggest holocaust within the matter of a day. Never before had so many humans been killed in a single day, or a single year, or a single war ever. For months, humanity was numb with shock, fear and grief. Slowly that numbness gave way to something else. A deep anger and hatred at a level that transcended all boundaries to unite the human species as one. If there ever was anything that united the human species, the ‘Great Kinetic Holocaust’ would be on top of that list.

Humans realized that they were facing an existential threat. If a few more of these ‘Kinetic Ships’ were launched against Earth, humanity would be sent back to the stone ages, if anyone survived at all. Then it would take no time for the Shaitans to come and wipe out the remaining humans off the face of Earth. This was no way to live – under constant fear and threat of extinction. If this was to be the end of humanity, then there would be only one way humans would die – fighting.

It is never wise to let the war happen in your own home. It is far better to let the battle happen in your enemy’s home. But humans were constrained by their technology. Humans could not reach out and attack the Shaitan home world like they could reach ours. An unexpected gift from an unexpected source gives humans that ability. It finally enables humanity to strike Alpha Shaitan.

When humans reach the dark but beautiful worlds of Alpha Shaitan, they show the Shaitans what the combined wrath of humanity can do to their worlds. The human campaign on Alpha Shaitan was about revenge, it was also about deterrence. It was about sending a message that if the Shaitans even thought of causing grief to humanity, the Shaitans would suffer a hell lot more than they could imagine. The human campaigns were about neutralizing the ability of the Shaitans to mount attack on Earth.

Later historians would generally agree that the Alpha Shaitan campaign went a lot further than it was originally intended to. It probably was a lot more excessive than it should have been. The unimaginably terrible outcome of the Alpha Shaitan campaign is now generally accepted as the beginning of humanity’s reputation as such a terrifying and ruthless species to its enemies and detractors.

Whatever the peace loving, left wing historians might say in the future, to the men and women who fought the Alpha Shaitan campaign, they were fighting for a just cause. Tens of thousands of men and women sacrificed the best years of their lives to make sure that the Earth never suffered another Kinetic Holocaust at the hands of the Shaitans. Many of those Navy crew and Marines were themselves the ‘children of the Holocaust’. For them the campaign of Alpha Shaitan was a lot more personal. For them it was all about retribution.

Arvamus:

Ei tea kas ma hakkasin loost ära tüdinema või oli kirjutatu lihtsalt igavam kui eelmiste osade puhul, aga see raamat kippus mind veidi tüütama.
Igale vähemgi tõsisem tegevus ja ettevõtmine oli varustatud ülipika tehnilise sissejuhatusega sellesse. Mõni selline hard-sf valdkonda kuuluv selgitus oli huvitav, osa aga üsna tüütud nii et kui eelselgitusest läbinärinuna tegevuseni jõudsin, oli minu huvi selle tegevuse enda (military-sf) vastu juba üsna maha jahtunud.

Raamatu sündmustik on üsna lihtne ja sirgjooneline: minnakse saatanate koduplaneedile neile kätta maksma ja mitmesuguste tehniliste uuenduste toel see ka õnnestub, vähemalt selle saatanate kolooniaga saadakse lõpuks ühele poole.

Vahepeal häiris mind kõvasti see, et kui eriti sarja esimeses osas vaadati sündmusi ka saatanate pilgu läbi (ja teises osas oli seda vähe), siis kolmandas osas tundus see saatanate vaatenurk täielikult puuduvat. Saatanate ajaloo ja Ka värgi saime küll teada... Raamatu finaalis annab autor siiski lõppsõnaks ka saatanatele võimaluse, aitäh autorile sellegi eest.

Sarja see osa mõjus jah veidi igavalt, kuivalt ning tüütult ja üle kolme minult hindeks ei saa. Aga sarja esimesed kaks osa jätsid mulle siiski küllalt positiivse mulje ja järgmine kord asun juba julgemalt mõne ulmekirjanduses eksootilise maa autori teost lugema (ja India autori raamatut muidugi eriti :D).