Review: Strong Characters and Intriguing Characters in an Epic Global Clash
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 1, 2013
Pros: Great plot, Intriguing concepts about time, existentialism, and space on an epic quest, Cannot wait to read the next book in the series!Cons: Book requires a little brain-juggling may present a small challengeJust like some of the "Star Wars" movies and related books, Martin Whiteway's "Conquered Shore" explores the backstory behind an all-encompassing world of unique and colorful creatures like the peaceful Chandara, , murghals, keltars, rimmers, and naals a human thrown into the mix. Through the tale, readers get to see the implications of an alien culture when it colonizes a new world.  Along the way, heroes develop, opportunists make evil decisions, and a world becomes unbalanced.As a reader of Whiteway's other books, I would highly recommend that new readers go back and read the earlier books in this incredible epic series. The book can be read alone, but the context is that much greater if you have read the other books in the series. Readers will also have a better appreciation of the decisions that Zemira and Aevan take and how those decisions play out through the entire series.Readers of Whiteway's other books will recognize many of the features present in other books: strong, female leads, mysterious (but wise) Chandara, Kelanni, multiple storylines, Ash, and the rigid alien caste system that is central to Kelanni society. Some things that are little different in this book:* Shorter chapters-which kept the rhythm steady (which you need in long epics like this) without getting boring. It has the pacing of a one hour TV show-not too much, but enough to give you a well-debeloped story* Deeper ethics-"Conquered Shore", in my opinion, goes into deeper ethical issues than the earlier books. With this book, this issue is not a simple "How do we get the bad guys" questions. It's the "Are we doing the right thing and what impact will this have in the future?" In other words, the question is "Are we the bad guys in getting involved here?" There was also a greater depth of ethical issues ranging from environmental to social.* More issues at stake- the characters in "Conquered Shore" while very similar to earlier books, have to deal with more issues that have far-reaching consequences, with species and societies at stake.Whiteway is a master at creating and maintain an alien universe and a reader's interest. Every chapter has a new creature, new adventure, or new nugget of information that will add to the overall whole. On top of this, he is able to masterfully juggle multiple storylines (as I mentioned earlier) in a way that slowly prods the character to dilemmas and ultimately a solution.Because of all of this juggling and involvement, I would recommend this book more for hardcore sci-fi fans than casual ones. Whiteway introduces a slew of new characters which readers need to invest time in to make complete sense of the story. Once you provide that investment of time, though, you will be rewarded many times over.The book ended on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to see how the story continues!