Aphelion

opener

I don't know why, but I couldn't seem to take this story seriously. The plot is along the lines of Invasion of the Body-Snatchers, but -- all the way to the end, I kept waiting for a punch-line. It just didn't seem to have a serious tone to it.

Various punctuation errors.

I enjoyed the matter-of-fact mingling of alien species of every size, shape and color -- reminded me of "Galaxy" magazine, somehow. The plot was perhaps a little too similar to the upcoming movie "The Host" as well as the various incarnations of "Body Snatchers" (and a couple of short-lived TV series), but the direct-democracy thing was original (although it seemed that it might play into the mind-controlling aliens' plans) -- what would our world look like if the people who would actually have to fight a war got a direct say in things?

what would our world look like if the people who would actually have to fight a war got a direct say in things?

It might look like Heinlein's 'Future History' . . .