Who's up for a foe yay space opera?

In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'd read this once close to a decade ago and really liked it. I liked it also on this read although my tolerance for rape in fantasy and sci-fi is much lower than it used to be. I don't think there's any graphic description of rape, but it's a built-in part of the dominant culture of the novel and so gets talked about and referenced a fair amount in the narrative. There's also a lot of violence that is not sexually motivated so YMMV.

With that caveat, I think this is a great read. I really like the way Friedman tells the story. Every chapter is from a different character's perspective and told in a different way; some chapters are letters, some are third person limited POV, some are first person. It's a really neat way to come at a story from different angles and allow the reader to piece the story together for herself.

The world building is very cool. Friedman gives us the Braxin and the Azea with diametrically opposed agendas plus all the worlds they have absorbed into their empires. The differences in culture are fascinating and embodied by the two main characters, Zatar (Braxin) and Anzha (Azean). I think the conclusion of the book is deeply surprising (so no spoilers LOL).

I reread this because there's a sequel I didn't know about, so off to read that and looking forward to it.



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