Invasion America 2: On the Run: The Lost Years by Christie Golden.  Roc, 1998.  Paperback, 266 pages.  ISBN: 0-451-45693-9.  Four stars.

One of the nicest things about books in comparison to movies is that special effects don’t cost extra — and in comparison to animated features, it isn’t necessary to draw a gazillion frames to tell two minutes’ worth of story.  Thus, much to my delight, some modern storytellers have begun to take advantage of this, and tell their tales in more than one format.  This makes it possible to get more of the backstory than would be practical within the scope of a movie or series or what-have-you.

On the Run tells one of the stories behind the story of Invasion America, the popular new series from DreamWorks Television Animation.  Long ago, the Tyrusian people planned a peaceful  first contact with Earth, but their plans went awry.  Prince Cale fled for his life and wound up on Earth, which engendered a very different first contact than planned.  He fell in love with a human woman, and together they fought in secret to save the Earth — and Cale — from his enemies.  Along the way, they also conceived a son, David Carter, who would grow up to be a great hero…

Christie Golden brings to this tale her characteristic knack for portraying tragic stories in striking detail and eloquence.  Who better to sketch out the haunting might-have-beens of human/Tyrusian history?  She also handles the developing romance with sensitivity to the emotional tensions caused by all the running and hiding, plus the inevitable differences in culture.  The activity on the Navaho reservation rings through with piercing clarity.  I’m pleased to see the author’s deft use of non-English words and phrases, too — that really highlights the culture disparities that give the story its strength.

This book will of course make more sense if you have already seen the series it ties into, but I found it pretty intelligible on its own.  Science fiction fans in general will like it; On the Run has extra appeal for fans of animation and military SF.  There are even some artful touches of sociological SF if you know what to look for.  Highly recommended.

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