Michael R. Hicks' In Her Name
A Debut Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance Novel
Michael R. Hicks was born in 1963 and grew up watching science fiction movies. His love for this genre has led him to write his first book, In Her Name (Imperial Guard Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0615208534).
Plot
In Her Name is the story of Reza, a young human who is orphaned when the Kreelans attack his home planet. Reza and a young Kreelan warrior give each other matching wounds above their left eyes during the attack. Reza is left for dead by the Kreelans.
Reza winds up on the Planet Hallmark, a place where orphans are used to farm. Here he is somewhat of a leader protecting the other children from the adults who while overseeing the children's work often take advantage of them. Reza saves Nicole, a newcomer, and the two become quick friends.
Nicole stays on the planet until she is old enough to go to train as a aviator for the human confederation. Shortly after she leaves the Kreelan attack Hallmark. They take many of the children with them to their home planet. Reza goes to Kreelan due in large part to the scar on his face.
While on Kreelan, Reza is trained as a warrior along side a young Kreelan, Esah-Zhurah. Reza learns his lessons well and survives to adulthood. He loves Esah, and the two mix their blood in a sign of love.
Reza eventually decides he must return to his human roots. He leaves the Kreelan and travels to the human confederation. There he is reunited with Nicole. He must, with the assistance of his friends Eustus and Jodi, prove his humanity and help defend the human confederation.
In the end, Reza must choose to help his Human or Kreelan friends in a war between the two races. The choice he makes leads to a surprising ending for the story.
Review
The book is large in size and length (667 pages). However, those readers who choose to dive into the story are not disappointed. The plot moves along quickly and has many interesting twists to keep the reader intrigued.
The alien race of the Kreelan are unique to this book. They are a race of large blue female warriors with claws of different colors. The claw colors signify specific information about the warrior and divide the race into social strata. The descriptions and actions of the aliens throughout the book make them not only believeable, but also somewhat likeable.
Reza is a very likeable and human character. Although this book is set sometime in the distant future, Reza stills experiences life in the same way most of us do. He is just trying to survive no matter what life throws at him. He looks out for the little guy and feels genuine love for the women in his life.
The supporting human characters provide a glimpse into the lives of humans everywhere. Eustus is a true friend who stands by Reza's side through many trials. Jodi is lesbian who just wants to fit in. Nicole and Esah are true women who love Reza unconditionally at the times he is in their lives.
Theme
The underlying theme running throughout this book is that friends are often called to make extreme scarifices in the name of friendship. Reza at many times throughout the story puts his own life into danger protecting his friends. Esah goes against the other Kreelans and protects Reza even though this leads to problems for her. Reza's friends, Jodi and Eustus, put themselves into danger to protect Nicole and Reza during the war. Reza ultimately makes a choice to protect all humans putting himself in the ultimate danger.
In Her Name
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