Review: Action, romance, and food for thought
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 3, 2013
An alien planet, unjust society, rebellion, war and its aftermath all come into quick sharp focus in Rebecca York's short story Hero's Welcome. The parallels with present day wars, or those of the past, are immediate too. Wounded people, wounded land, and those special wounds of friendships torn apart take center stage in a tale of fast action, tense excitement, and genuine love.The prosthesis on the stump of a young man's leg causes constant pain. But his memories might pain him more--not guilt for the blood on his hands, nor pride in his military prowess, but a part of himself that never used to exist, something that makes him different from who he wanted to be. Meanwhile the girl he knew has lost home and family. She shies away from his touch and yet has sacrificed all she had left to find him.In the past their differences didn't seem to matter--she the master's daughter and he born to serve. But present roles reverse and war maims more than bodies making it hard to believe in hope.A swift story well-told, Hero's Welcome reveals different kinds of heroes and different welcomes, while two broken people learn to trust each other's love and face the future as one whole.Disclosure: I got lucky. This book was offered free.