I thought I’d take a minute or two and start setting the stage for In Her Name so those who haven’t read it yet have a better idea of what to expect (and hopefully whet the appetite of any other folks who might want to check it out) when we plunge into the KindleBoards In Her Name Book Klub in two weeks. No spoilers, of course!
First of all, and perhaps most important, while the story is set in the future several centuries from now and has a number of science fiction elements, it’s not at all a typical sci-fi tale. It doesn’t fit neatly into any single genre, although it’s actually probably closest to epic fantasy. As one reviewer noted:
“[In Her Name] can best be described as an “epic space fantasy”. It has all the elements of an epic or high fantasy (the young hero coming of age, the war against an alien people, and the diabolical villain/traitor of our own race) save only that rather than being set deep into a medieval setting, it is set into a military science fiction novel.”
But most of all, it’s a love story that explores the bonds of love between the two central characters, and the love between friends who together must face some incredible hardships in a violent and unforgiving universe. Love is what binds the story together, regardless of the other elements that may come into play as the plot progresses, and it is this facet of the book that gives the story an emotional depth that is much more typical of romance novels.
Be forewarned that there are a few scenes in the book that are sexually graphic, and there is quite a bit of violence: remember, you are being plunged into a universe where a savage war has been raging for nearly a century between humankind and an alien warrior race whose goal – on the surface – appears to be nothing more than to simply wage war, to fight, to kill, and to die. And just as we see today and in our history past, the extremes of war tend to bring out the very best – and the very worst – in us as human beings. These scenes aren’t part of the story as mere gratuitous sex and violence, but are integral and gritty portrayals of what the characters are experiencing. I tried to write the story so you would not only know what was happening to the characters, but that you would experience it with them.
Speaking of characters, by the time you finish the book you’ll have encountered quite a few! While there are only about half a dozen “core” characters that you truly have to keep track of, a lot of supporting characters come and go through the course of the story. This is generally typical of epic fantasy novels, and if you’re not used to reading that type of book, just let me know if your head starts swimming and I’ll give you a “cheat sheet” of the key characters.
Finally, be prepared for some major plot twists! This book doesn’t have an easily predictable story progression: the plot will keep you guessing (I hope – otherwise it’s no fun!). Also be prepared for some transitions that some readers have found rather jarring, usually because the transitions in question covered a span of years between a few of the chapters. And in one case, about a third of the way through, the transition is unusual because the perspective of the story takes a radical change.
So, that’s a bit of a taste of what’s to come in a mere *14* days! Come join us!
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