
Into the Looking Glass: Looking Glass Series, Book 1
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When asubatomic physics experiment causes a massive explosion, interdimensional gateways open in Florida - and aliens pour out. Some intend to bring Earth to its knees. Others seem willing to help, but will annihilate the planet if Navy SEAL Command Master Chief Robert Miller can't stop the menace from spreading.
- Listening Length10 hours and 19 minutes
- Audible release dateMay 26, 2009
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB002BBXBW0
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 10 hours and 19 minutes |
---|---|
Author | John Ringo |
Narrator | L. J. Ganser |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com Release Date | May 26, 2009 |
Publisher | Recorded Books |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B002BBXBW0 |
Best Sellers Rank | #84,064 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1,173 in Military Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #1,649 in Space Opera Science Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #2,014 in Adventure Science Fiction |
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The looking glass portal accidentally formed on the first page of the novel leads to another world. Unfortunately it is not the only portal opened, and some of the portals lead to serious problems that have to be solved right away.
Great fun, I enjoyed it so much I bough book two as soon as I finished this one.
I've read other reviews, and a lot of them stated that it started off great, a science experiment gone wrong, resulting in a near nuclear explosion that caused the death of only 150,000 people or so, in the heart of Florida. The explosion though, or something associated with the experiment, caused the opening of gates to other places, meaning not earth. This is soon followed by an alien invasion. To me, the start was not fantastic. The premise was decent, and in keeping with classic science fiction.
The invasion is fought initially by the available U.S. military units, starting with the national guard, and proceeding to regular army, and special forces units. Eventually, citizens that like guns get involved. From there, the U.S. government is trying to correct or contain the problem. But it keeps expanding. They call up on William Weaver. Doctor William, or Bill, Weaver is a scientist, who has multiple degrees, and an athletic background, that just so happens to work for a company that does military contracts, and because of that, he has top secret clearance.
There also happens to be a number of military personnel that know a lot more about science than would normally be expected. The ones that know the most, just happen to be science fiction fans. These people just happen to be at the right place at the right time. It must also be stated that the majority of the effective defenders and characters tend to be politically conservative in view point.
The gates, start appearing, at other locations. The U.S. Military is called upon several times to defend the country on its own soil. Dr. Weaver calls upon his company to release a Top Secret project to fight the threat of the invaders, a project that is basically mechanized battle armor.
There are a lot of stereotypical plots devices in Into the Looking Glass; science experiment gone wrong, teleportation gates, alien Invasion, seemingly larger than life hero, mechanized battle armor, and eventually what may be termed a deus ex machina to resolve the primary storyline. The battle sequences are not as well thought out as many other such sequences in other Ringo Works, and really tend to be much more like a video game than an actual battle, in this case something along the lines of DOOM or Duke Nukem. These are weaknesses to this story, in my opinion.
However, I think Ringo did a really good job in laying the groundwork, or at least some background, to his "Looking Glass" series. It is not truly necessary to read "Into the Looking Glass" to get into the series, but it was a moderately successful attempt at the reasoning, as well as a good introduction to at least one primary enemy.
This is basically a classic SF piece, hearkening back over the decades, whose primary audience is the Science Fiction community. It takes a number of stabs at Ringo's particular soapbox, liberal and/or progressive politicos, so if you hold those tendencies, you will feel insulted in several instances.
Overall, "Into the Looking Glass" is a decent work, and it opens a pretty good series. I think he has done better, and I think he has done worse.
This is my third time through this series and I find more in it each time, he reminds me a lot of my favotite authors o er the years--Heinline, Assimov, Anderson and others, too many to list. I have read hard Science Fiction for 70 years. You re one of the best, thank you for many wonderful reads How would our world repulse hostile invaders we cannot even understand?
Top reviews from other countries

The plot is based on a possible side effect of wormhole research gone wrong and it ambles on into a military dash for supremacy against aliens with better tech. The right wing politically driven narrative doesn't bother me as I'm apolitical and a practising member of the church of FSM, but I can see how it rubs some of the other reviewers up the wrong way, lol.
Overall another good, not great, addition to Ringo's growing list of entertaining fare. Favourite part has to be the charge of the redneck brigade!


This said, it's a fun book. Typical Ringo.
After an accident in a Physics lab a wormhole (?) appears which leads to another planet. Because of it's shining surface the wormhole gets called a Looking Glass. The hole keeps putting out bosons which leads to other gates being opened. One of these allows an inimical alien race to come through to earth on a mission of conquest.
Earth gets a nasty wake up call.
There are also other aliens out there - one of which is friendly and one mysterious.
The appropriate heroes come to the rescue and scientists start making leaps forward, with the help of the friendlies.
It's a good read and is the first in a four book series.
If you can't take all the science - skip forward!
This is for real SF fans. At least it is proper Science Fiction.
Definitely a 4 star read.

Still great stuff.

J'ai découvert John ringo par erreur ( époque où je faisais confiance au nombre de commentaires positifs )..
Cela m'a causé quelques troubles ... mais je pense qu'il faut parler de cet auteur et de cette série que je viens de commencer ..
Les historiens vous diront qu'il existe de véritables littératures populaires ..
Les tenants des lettres classiques le confirmeront même si cela n'est généralement pas leur truc ..
Les tenants des lettres modernes le reconnaîtront du bout des lèvres ...même s'ils évitent d'en parler même si : Ils parlent volontiers d'oeuvres commerciales ou de littérature de gare ... OUI !
Les romans de ringo sont très souvent de grands moments de littérature populaire ...
Le style est redoutable et très fonctionnel ...
Pas de clichés mais plutôt certaines valeurs .. pas mal de satire et d'humour au second degré et des caricatures plus ou moins volontaires ( des lapsus savoureux )
Par exemple les libéraux on régulièrement tendance à ne pas surveiller leur ligne(s) ( au sens propre comme au figuré ) ou bien les scientifiques sont ( c'est bien connu !! ) très portés sur les arts martiaux ...
L'anglais de ringo est TRES TRES accessible à la porté d'un public assez large ( c'est peut être parce que c'est de la littérature populaire conservatrice !? )
Le moove est assez dans le ton de l'univers du jeu vidéo ( dom ,starcraft .. ou certaines séries ou de films de sf grand public .. )
Ce roman est de la bonne vieille sf de derrière les fagots ... vortex ..aliens divers et variés .. animaux monstrueux et redoutables ... frissons ...
ET LES HOMMES DANS TOUT CELA ??? ILS SONT HEROIQUES BIEN SUR !!
Je n'adhère pas PARTICULIEREMENT aux idéaux de la droite radicale aux U S A . MAIS AVEC CET AUTEUR ON SE REND COMPTE QU'ILS SAVENT RIGOLER ..
Un récit très efficace , un style rythmé ,de l'action .. et en plus c'est involontairement satyrique ...( même si cela l'est volontairement quelquefois ) ..
John Ringo bosse actuellement avec weber .....