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Becky's Book Reviews - penned by Rebecca Laney - posted a review of In Her Name yesterday. The book garnered a rating of three out of five stars, which Becky characterizes as a "good, solid, nice, enjoyable read." 

Becky gives a good rundown of some of the major plot elements without giving too much away, then gives some thoughts on the story:

"The novel has quite a few strengths, but it's not without its weaknesses either. The plot is complex--very complex--and the cast of characters is lengthy. The span of the novel covers several decades. At times we're part of the action, but in other places we get brief hints of what has occurred in all those missing years. There are places I wanted more, and places I wanted less. The basic story was good; the amount of details was rich. I most enjoyed studying this alien culture--rich in mythology, religion, politics, etc--and the evolution of the relationship between Reza and Esah-Zhurah.

"The novel introduces many characters. It was always introducing new characters. And at times it was difficult to follow. Let me clarify, it wasn't that it was confusing. It was that it took a bit of patience on the part of the reader in remembering who was who and what their role was and how they fit into the bigger picture. There were a few characters that you weren't quite sure how they fit in, but sure enough, they'd reappear later on and contribute to the action. Nicole, for example, is one of the major characters introduced (or reintroduced) in the second half of the novel along with Jodi and Eustus. Most of the villains, most of the "bad guys" are humans in this book. And it's always interesting to see how authors can craftily get human readers cheering for the aliens.

"Complex and complete is how I'd describe the novel. I'm not one to pick fault at a novel for language, violence, sex, etc. Especially seeing how the audience for this one is adult and assumed mature enough to handle anything and everything. But I thought I'd mention it here since I review books for children on this site as well. This one isn't for kiddies as it has graphic sex and violence and "colorful" language."

She brings up some good points that potential readers should certainly keep in mind:

• Plot complexity: While Becky characterizes this as a weakness, readers who enjoy complex plots with some devilish twists will likely find more to enjoy. This is not a typical sci-fi story, but is more akin to epic fantasy in terms of the complexity and scope of the story arc.
• Time span: This book essentially covers roughly thirty years of Reza Gard's life, and some of the chapter breaks - particularly those during his time spent in the Empire - span years, with the reader being brought back into his life during critical events. What passes in between isn't necessarily unimportant, but I didn't want to bog the story down with long stretches of Reza's training in the martial arts of the Empire, for example.
• A host of characters: As Becky notes, the introduction of the characters isn't confusing, but there are quite a few of them (although far short of what you might find in any Tolstoy novel!). In any epic story there are generally quite a few roles to be played out in the plot, and In Her Name is no exception.

All in all, I'm happy with the review. Every author wants to get a four or five star rating from everyone, but every reader and reviewer has his or her own individual tastes. And that, for me, is a victory of sorts from this review. The negatives that Becky saw (e.g., the complex plot, etc.) are based on her own preferences, rather than the things small press and independent authors routinely get beaten up for: poor grammar, spelling errors, lackluster character development, and - in many cases - just a very poor story to begin with.

So, check out Becky's review, and if you've already read In Her Name, feel free to add your comments to it!

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.