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5.0 out of 5 stars
I Still Can't Figure Out Why I Liked This One So Much, May 4 2002
I had already read Ms. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy, and greatly enjoyed it, so by the time I read this book I was familiar with her style. I already knew that the book would be dense with detail and the characters complex. I also knew that the plot and characters would go in directions that I had neither imagined nor desired. I also knew that the odds were good that the ending would make me long for a sequel. In this book, my expectations were once again met.Even knowing all that, I still can't figure out why IN CONQUEST BORN seems to be stuck in my mind. This book is more hard science fiction than the Coldfire Trilogy; it's a genre that I don't normally read much. The two main protagonists, Zatar and Anzha, are people that you would definitely steer clear of, if you met them in real life. Both are strong-willed, determined, driven by hatred, and ruthless. Yet for some reason, each has their own version of honor, compassion, and loyalty, and this makes them in some way surprisingly sympathetic. This dichotomy drives both the story and the characters. The Braxin and Azean societies are total opposites, yet both are so clearly drawn that you're able to understand why the characters behave the way they do, and accept that it makes total sense in their society's context, even though it may appear totally alien to your own. Ms. Friedman once again has shown her excellent world-building skills in this book. The briefest synopsis of the plot is that the empires of Braxi and Azea have been involved in a multi-generational interstellar war. Braxi sees glory in war, Azea fights to preserve peace. Braxin society is very stratified, with a ruling class that has manipulated their genetics by ruthless evolution, while the Azeans have ruthlessly manipulated their genetics by science. The story tells of Zatar of Braxi's and Anzha of Azea's growth from childhood and adulthood, both groomed for leadership, one knowingly and one unwittingly. Both characters are complex, so there is no easily labelled good one or bad one. Of course the two of them become aware of each other and become sworn enemies. The story just expands from there. If you're looking for an interesting, engrossing, challenging story, then this is for you. And in the end, that just may be why I liked it so much.
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