In Her Name: The Last War - Michael R Hicks

In Her Name: The Last War
Michael R. Hicks
Imperial Guard Publishing
Copyright: 2011

The Amazon.com product description:

THE LAST WAR is a trilogy collection of the complete text of the novels IN HER NAME: FIRST CONTACT, LEGEND OF THE SWORD, and DEAD SOUL.

FIRST CONTACT

Led by Commander Owen McClaren, the TNS Aurora is embarked on an extended survey mission, searching for new worlds that could support human life. Drawn to an uncharted star system by the discovery of potentially habitable planets, the crew of the Aurora discovers something entirely unexpected: the planets are already inhabited, but not by humans. Approached by gigantic alien starships, Aurora's crew makes ready for humanity’s very first contact with another sentient race.


LEGEND OF THE SWORD

Six months have passed since the destruction of the human colony on Keran by the alien Kreelan Empire. Earth and other human worlds band together to form the Confederation of Humanity to provide a mutual defense against the alien invaders.

Unfortunately, not all human worlds want to join the Confederation. Some, like Saint Petersburg, would rather see it destroyed. With a powerful navy built in secret and armed with nuclear weapons, Saint Petersburg is preparing their own offensive against the Confederation when the Kreelans attack.


DEAD SOUL

Three years after the brutal first contact encounter with the alien Kreelan Empire, the human Confederation is desperate for a victory. With over a dozen worlds under siege by legions of Kreelan warriors, President McKenna orders the Confederation military to deliver a victory to give humanity hope.

Roland Mills, Valentina Sikorsky, Ichiro Sato and his wife Steph, along with the irrepressible General James Sparks are once again at the sharp end of the spear in a mission to take back the colony of Alger’s World from the alien invaders before it’s too late.

I've read and loved In Her Name: The Last War before, which made it the perfect book to read while moving house. It's long, being an omnibus edition of three books, absorbing and somewhat familiar, making it easier to follow with a ton of distractions around me (including two cats loose at times in the vehicle).

In my last read, I noted a preference for Steph and Ichiro's points of view. This time though, as much as I enjoyed their segments of the story, I found myself looking forward to Roland Mills' sections and Allisons'. I wish I could have found out more about them in fact.

To be honest, when I started reading In Her Name: The Last War, I'd intended to begin reading the first book in Michael Hicks newest trilogy, From Chaos Born. However, I decided I couldn't deal with the fact that it's only the first book in the trilogy right then and turned to more familiar ground.

Despite having read The Last War previously, I still found it hard to put down, which is always a good recommendation.

Definitely a book I'd suggest to fans of military science fiction, especially if you like books that show both sides of the conflict and do it with a sympathetic perspective.