title: Empire
author: Hicks, Michael R.
description: Empire
   is the first book of the
  In Her Name: Redemption
   trilogy, and 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 against 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.
  If you're new to the
  In Her Name
   series, here is the author's recommended reading order:
  1. The Last War Trilogy
  First Contact
  Legend Of The Sword
  Dead Soul
  2. The Redemption Trilogy
  Empire
  Confederation
  Final Battle
  3. The First Empress Trilogy
  From Chaos Born
  Forged In Flame
  Mistress Of The Ages
  Note that
  The Last War
   and
  Redemption
   have also been published as trilogy collections.