friend ranted about this story-set so much he did the ultimate – he ordered a copy of The Enemy Papers, a collection of Barry B. Longyear’s scifi works. Inside is a loose trilogy of Earth (and really, the US) fighting the evil reptilian Dracs. Enemy Mine is the first of the set, and I’ll say this: my friend was right.

Okay, a note on the title. “Enemy Mine” does not refer to (as I thought) either an explosive anti-ship bump-n-bang weapon nor a mineral shaft. No, it means “My enemy” in a sort of archaic wording. And well that it should.

So Willis Davidge is a USEF fighter pilot. During a massive fleet action, he nails a Drac fighter and follows it down over an uncharted planet, making sure of his kill. Surprise! The Drac has just enough control to wheel about and ram Davidge’s fighter, sending them both down.

They end up fighting hand-to-claw on one of the most desolate beaches in literary tales. It reminded me of The Wager, where an old English warship fetches up on the bleak coast of southern Chile. There is literally nothing but rocks and an angry gray sea. And the Drac’s survival pod. And a mother-fugging huge wave that interrupts the combat and sends the two scurrying up the rocks to jointly save the pod. With that, the two are forced to work together, to tolerate each other. Eventually a bond forms, a bond that only breaks in the way such bonds are broken.

The story then examines war-hatred and species-bigotry as Davidge attempts the near impossible, to fulfill a galaxy-spanning quest. This adds even more depth to a thoughtful tale. And for those looking for further Drac-facts, the book includes a glossary of useful terms (like “Kizlod”) and the complete Talman (The Drac Bible). So, lots to read.

At this point, I’m already getting into the second leg of the trilogy. More on that in a week or so, once I’m done. But yes, this story is faanda!

>>>Matak a koda<<<

P.S. The movie sucked compared to the book.