Published: Sep. 04, 2009
Words: 127915 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

In the first book of an epic futuristic fantasy trilogy, this is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race.

Extended description

In the first book of an epic futuristic fantasy trilogy, this is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

Recommended Reading Order:

Book 1 - IN HER NAME: EMPIRE... (Read more) In the first book of an epic futuristic fantasy trilogy, this is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

Recommended Reading Order:

Book 1 - IN HER NAME: EMPIRE
Book 2 - IN HER NAME: CONFEDERATION
Book 3 - IN HER NAME: FINAL BATTLE

...or IN HER NAME (Omnibus edition), which contains the complete text of the three books, above...

Book 4 - IN HER NAME: FIRST CONTACT
Book 5 - IN HER NAME: LEGEND OF THE SWORD
Book 6 - IN HER NAME: DEAD SOUL (coming in fall 2011)

About the Author

In addition to having written the IN HER NAME series, Michael R. Hicks wrote the bestselling sci-fi thriller SEASON OF THE HARVEST.
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Tags

space opera, science fiction, military science fiction, alien romance, futuristic fantasy

Available ebook reading formats

This book is free.

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Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Download
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Download
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	View

Reviews

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Review by: Anna Tan on Dec. 17, 2011 :
Reza Gard, an orphan from House 48, is captured by the Kreelans, a race of female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, as part of a grand experiment to discover if humans have souls. Immersed in the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza forms a new Kreelan identity in his struggle to survive, slowly gaining the grudging acceptance of his captors. However, time is running out and Reza must prove that he has a soul or be killed after his seventh and final Challenge.

The book started off pretty slow - whilst much of this back story is important to the novel as a whole, most of these could probably have been dealt with as a flashback within the story proper. As it was, the first few chapters dealing with Reza’s life as a human felt rather like a prolonged prologue, with the real ‘meat’ only starting with his wary dealings with his guard and tresh, Esah-Zhurah.

Despite the rocky start, I was captured by Hick’s writing as he navigated the fragile teen through the complex, rigid, and unforgiving Kreelan society. Within the 491 pages (on iBooks), he fleshes out realistically a harsh and yet beautiful world, a culture so alien from our own - one trying to survive an ancient curse and pursuing release through an ancient prophecy.

This is a story of a boy growing into manhood on a world not his own, a society that doesn’t understand or accept him, and how he survives through sheer determination, grit, and guts. This is also a story of learning to understand different cultures, not just by knowing the way they do things, but to understand the reasons behind them.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy, Confederation.
(review of free book)

Review by: Brandy Hunt on July 06, 2011 :
This is a very interesting read. The main character, Reza, is a superstar as an underdog orphan. I will say that there comes a time as the main plot begins to heat up that you kind of have to stop analyzing the Reza and just go with the story. However, I'm very happy to say that my trust in Mr. Hicks was definitely justified. I'll be putting the next book on my list, and hopefully will eventually get around to it.
(review of free book)

Review by: Richard Adin on June 22, 2011 :
An excellent beginning to an excellent series. I read this first book and before I finished this first volume, I was buying the other 4 books that are currently available. Every book has been a pleasure and hard to put down. Well-formed characters, and nearly no grammar/spelling mistakes to distract the reader.
(review of free book)

Review by: Laney Stealey on June 18, 2011 :
I'm in love with Reza Gard! From the very beginning of the book he stole my heart! Michael R. Hicks captures the readers attention on an emotional level & never lets go. The reader feels every emotion each & every character has as if it were their own. Great for new lovers of syfy as well as veteran syfy readers.
(review of free book)

Review by: Ms. Jamie Antonia Symonanis on June 10, 2011 :
A wonderful, action packed start of this series.

Michael creates a believable tale on believable alien worlds.

Great storyteller.
(review of free book)

Review by: Will Cushman on March 07, 2010 : (no rating)
This is going to be a short, to the point, review.
This novel is one of the very best I have read in my 60+ years of reading.
It is not "just" a fantasy or a science fiction or an adventure or a romance novel but a wonderful story that combines these elements into a spellbinding adventure.
(review of free book)

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