Need help discovering name and or author of book

[wipers]

Hi folks,
I am new to this forum so if this is the incorrect place for this topic please be kind and direct me to the proper posting area. Many years ago I read a book that a co-worker loaned me that I really liked. I am one of those people that like to read good stories more than once. I was, however, not smart enough to write the name and author of the book some place so that I could find it again. So, of course, that is why I am on this forum. What better place to find a scifi book.
I am NOT looking for "Footfall" Although if I remember correctly the author is relatively well known, I don't remember who it was.
So onto it. The story line went something like this (as best as I can remember) ....earth is visited by aliens who (big surprise) appear to be friendly and mean us no harm. They appear to be nice, nonthreatening cuddly little things. Please note In the mean time another race of aliens contacts the earth and tells us that these beings are not the cuddly, cute, friendly 'Morks" that they present themselves as but are in fact intent on total destruction of the earth and humanity and we should attack them with everything we have. We, of course, don't believe them and suspect that, in fact, the second race are the bad guys. Well you can probably guess what comes next. The cute little aliens attack earth. The latter aliens are not close enough to earth to be able to help us much but they do manage to save some of our children during the attack. The 'real' good aliens are in fact a kind of police force(?), for lack of better description, and end up training the children they saved (all on special ships designed for this) to ultimately track down and destroy the aliens that destroyed earth. Of course they age into young adults all the while sleuthing around the universe trying to discover who these people are.
I know this sounds like a lot of different books but I am hoping that someone can get me onto the right track. I did post this under the Title "Science Fiction" on this forum so I hope I don't get 'nicked' for double posting.
Thanks for any help.

[admin]

You're in the right place. I don't know this book. I hope someone else will be able to help you out. Meanwhile, if you liked that story, you might like Space Prison, by Tom Godwin.

[prion]

Hi there,
I am perhaps wrong, but your synopsis closely resembles Greg Bear's "The Forge of God" and its sequel "Anvil of Stars". There are two alien races, one of them is telling lies, Earth gets destroyed, children escape on alien starship, hellbent for revenge. But see for yourself: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forge_of_God[url]

Good luck with your search,
prion

[Brightonian]

That should be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forge_of_God (you missed out the closing slash).

[wipers]

Thanks for the help! These sound kinda right...but not quite the way I remember it. Of course it has been many years since I read them and the fact that there were two books and not just one kind of strikes a cord too. I will check them out and report back. Thanks again!

[wipers]

Many thanks to Prion and Brightonian for their help. I just finished "The Forge Of God" and, although my memory was not quite correct in recalling the details, these are most certainly the books I was looking for. Thanks again for the help. I can't tell you how long I have been trying to find someone who knew what I was looking for. Admin....thanks for the recommendation on "Space Prison" I have not yet had the opportunity to read it but have down loaded it to my PC sense it is a free read.