Review of Empire (In Her Name: Redemption, Book 1) by Michael R. Hicks

 From the back of the book:

In the first book of the epic In Her Name science fiction & fantasy series, EMPIRE 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.

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 I can't say Empire (In Her Name: Redemption) is a bad book, or that it's not worth reading (Michael Hicks gives his book away for free).  How ever I don't believe Empire deserves all the glowing 5 star reviews it receives on Amazon.  The actual structure and writing are solid, very solid if truth be told.  The story moves at a quick pace and never leaves you bored, the action kicks in at beginning and never lets up.
    The problem with all this action is that we never see the characters grow, where told not shown.  Reza, our protagonist, is to perfect to be believable, to much of a cliche to be truly likable.  He always does the right thing, and never knows a moment of doubt, he can not fail.  The female lead is worse, she has no personality aside from being a proud and noble warrior.  The main characters come off as little more than objects.
    The setting could also use some work.  We're told the what of the Kreelan culture, but never the how.  The Kreelans, a far more advanced race then the humans, despise technology and eschew its use whenever possible.  All this begs the question, how and why did they develop the technology in the first place.  Neither is their psychic power, known as the way, ever explained.  It creates way to many unanswered questions.
    I would still say its worth a read if you can look past the poor character development and world building.  The plot is well constructed and interesting, if not particularly original (think Dances with Wolves, with the Indians having superior tech and numbers).  Empire makes good brain candy, and its free, so you have nothing to lose by checking it out.

3 out of  5
   
P.S.  This is my first review so please leave any constructive criticism you may have in the comments.