Review: Not your usual war story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 17, 2012
Birthright might appear at first to be another military sci-fi story, but it has concepts that give the genre a twist that was not the norm of what I keep encountering. It obviously has the invading aliens, their motivation was refreshingly different. It is also different in it has a cast you want to cheer for and it lets you follow them through the story without some of the usual trends. Like giving information, details about a characters life, right before the author kills them off.Yes the first several times it was used by this or that author it was innovative. Now its the norm. It has turned away from let's make sure people understand than in a war people die, to why am I investing any energy bonding to anyone save 'the star'? They're just going to die anyway.And this book, people, some named characters do die. However its not ever single one named. You get a handful of characters to get to know, get to see the conflict through their eyes and don't have to worry about them dying. Well, my second read through I didn't have to worry. At first I was too stunned and expected the author at any time to kill off this or that character.Most other authors would have. Like this one couple. I thought, they're in love, one of them has to die. Not because I wanted that, but that seemed the trend in books, movies and tv shows. Not here. I loved it. I found I could trust the author not to abuse any bond I might make with characters of even the supporting cast. And, even the main star is married without the usual problems that seem typical. They are happily married, something I normally only encounter in a fantasy book.Battles are well done, not overly detailed where ever bullet is named and numbered. Having characters to invest in made the action exciting instead of tense. Nor is that reserved to any one side of the conflict, which it turns out to be multiple.This story also at least touches on why something one might think should be in the universe isn't. Some series ignore what is implied should be or would be if technology or societies are carried out to a logical conclusion.A fun cast of characters I will look forward to coming back to book after book.